ROUGH JUSTICE- fun when it came out but a b side really
LET ME DOWN REAL SLOW- great fun. To me it harkens back to BETWEEN THE BUTTONS
IT WONT TAKE LONG- it's ok. Another fun song but really a b side
RAin FALL DOWN- ok song but nothing spectacular
STREETS- vocal is great, lyrics lame. Really enjoyable live
BACK OF MY HAND- it's good but it's no YOU GOTTA MOVE
SHE SAW ME COMING- great opening riff, great energy, fun lyrics, like it a lot
BIGGEST MISTAKE- ok listen but lyrically a little too sweetie sweet for me
OH NO, NOT U AGAIN- Great energy, lyrics very juvenile
PLACE IS EMPTY- its good. Chorus sounds like drunken sailors( off key and ragged)
SWEET NEOCON- lyrics should be better. Love the instruments( harp blowing)
LAugh- really good, could have been on side 2 of Tattoo you
DANgerous BEAUTY- a really good AEROSMITH SONG- it's ok to listen to
CAT DRAGGED IN- Kind of fun- REMINDS me of 1980. What was the band with Michael
INFAMMY- unfinished demo that had potential musically but goes no where
DRIVING TOO FAST- fun energy, catchy, could have been a good solid single

Was direct, hard hitting .. 'in your face' Stones again. Even had humor in the lyrics once again. Sounded like Dirty Work .. and Some Girls with a dash of Undercover.

Was like I dreamed of all these great 80's Stones songs but they didn't exist. Well in this release .. we got those songs.


A damn solid album .. As solid as it gets. I loved it when it came out. Was sparse.. and stripped down in production. Not hardly any brass.. not many keys.. not tons of session musicians. Was just mostly them. A more 'Rock' based Stones album.

The album didn't have many (or any) huge sounding 'singles'... aside from the radio friendly Streets of Love if you want to count that. Still every song was good with great stripped down ballsy rock based production. While there were no blown out of the water major songs .. all songs were anywhere from at least good to damn good. It hit the mark and that kind of album was what they really needed back then.

Someone here rated Dangerous Beauty as 'filler'. I offer but four words for that remark ......>> Are you friggin crazy??

Ian



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-04-09 07:26 by IanBillen.

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Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 2017-04-09 10:29 by hopkins.

Plain and simple BB was 20 minutes too long. What ever happened to "keep 'em wanting more?" Musically even Streets Of Love is pretty solid. Man this album is really pretty good...

sold in a garage sale for .25

soulless halfbaked Jagger solo Album. A few good tracks, but pretty sterile. I like Rough Justice. Great rocker. The rest are somewhat boring.

Not one of my favourites.
I like Rough Justice and Oh No...
thats about it.
jeroen

Well, let's see...

"Rough Justice"- uninspired musically and lyrically. A poor attempt to evoke past strengths.
"Let Me Down Slow" - nice descending melody line can't disguise the fact this is "Stealing My Heart" Part Two and just as lame.
"It Won't Take Long" - garage band version of "Gimme Shelter." Some of the verses show promise that this might have been worthwhile with more polish and life in it.
"Rain Fall Down" - unsurprisingly since "Hide Away" was one of the few bright spots on GODDESS IN THE DOORWAY, this very similar track is one of the highlights here. Great lyrics, good groove, and great performance. Should have opened the album and been the lead single.
"Streets of Love" - awful trite and awful bad, indeed. Worked better live, but this gets my vote for worst Jagger ballad of all time.
"Back of My Hand" - overrated by many since it pales compared to "The Storm." This is pure filler that seemed like an album highlight because it was blues. Certainly the first blues song to reference Goya.
"She Saw Me Coming" - better than much of the album, but that's damning with faint praise.
"Biggest Mistake" - catchy and well-written pop song. One of the highlights of this otherwise dreary collection.
"This Place is Empty" - fine for what it is, but I'd rather be listening to "The Worst."
"Oh No, Not You Again" - almost works for me. Has a bit of the attitude of "When the Whip Comes Down" as played on the LICKS tour. If there was no moon and Jello, I'd likely be kinder.
"Dangerous Beauty" - absolutely great. Should have been a single. Would have been great at the SuperBowl half-time show. A missed opportunity they ignored promoting.
"Laugh, I Nearly Died" - best track on the album. A nice companion piece to "Out of Control" and severely underrated.
"Sweet Neo Con" - great music and great idea for a song let down by juvenile lyrics.
"Look What the Cat Dragged In" - great fun that continues the funky line from "Sympathy for the Devil" and "Undercover of the Night."
"Driving Too Fast" - fine for what it is. Seems more like The Black Crowes than the Stones.
"Infamy" - great music, that doesn't quite work lyrically. The "Carry On" bit is fine, but something doesn't work and this one never becomes airborne. It wants to be another "Moon is Up."
"Under the Radar" - should have been on the album. Nice recall of "Child of the Moon."
"We Don't Wanna Go Home" - appears to be "Driving Too Fast" Part Two, but less successful.
"Hurricane" - like "Crosseyed Heart" a decade later, this is an interesting sketch that isn't really a song. Yes, I know it's from the LICKS sessions, but it was released here.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-04-09 22:01 by Rocky Dijon.

Quote
Bashlets
...
LET ME DOWN REAL SLOW- great fun. To me it harkens back to BETWEEN THE BUTTONS

....

That's just what I thought... and mentioned on here a few years ago.

Rough Justice --- 10/10
Let Me Down Slow --- 4/10
It Won't Take Long --- 8/10
Rain Fall Down --- 10/10
Streets Of Love --- 0/10
Back Of My Hand --- 4/10
She Saw Me Coming --- 5/10
Biggest Mistake --- 2/10
This Place Is Empty --- 10/10
Oh No, Not You Again --- 10/10
Dangerous Beauty --- 8/10
Laugh, I Nearly Died --- 3/10
Sweet Neo Con --- 8/10
Look What The Cat Dragged In --- 9/10
Driving Too Fast --- 9/10
Infamy --- 0/10

Under The Radar --- 8/10
We Don't Wanna Go Home --- 3/10


Not a masterpiece, not a great album, but a very solid one, very close to very good. A 12-track-version would have worked better.

Real outstanding songs:
Rough Justice
Rain Fall Down
This Place Is Empty
Oh No Not You Again


Streets Of Love and Infamy are also outstanding - outstanding bad. Those songs belong to their worst ever.

Biggest Mistake is pure filler and Let Me Down Slow is too lame and tame compared to the other songs.

Everything else is at least very enjoyable.
Best album since Dirty Work!
8/10

Rough Justice --- 7/10
Let Me Down Slow --- 5/10
It Won't Take Long --- 10/10
Rain Fall Down --- 8/10
Streets Of Love --- 5/10
Back Of My Hand --- 6/10
She Saw Me Coming --- 2/10
Biggest Mistake --- 7/10
This Place Is Empty --- 9/10
Oh No, Not You Again --- 9/10
Dangerous Beauty --- 9/10
Laugh, I Nearly Died --- 10/10
Sweet Neo Con --- 8/10
Look What The Cat Dragged In --- 1/10
Driving Too Fast --- 2/10
Infamy --- 8/10

Under The Radar --- 10/10
We Don't Wanna Go Home --- 9/10

125/18= 7 per track, rounded from 6.944 recurring. SOLID EFFORT.

Rod

Rough Justice 6/10

Let Me Down Slow 7/10

It Won't Take Long 8/10

Rain Fall Down 8/10

Streets Of Love 7/10

Back Of My Hand 9/10

She Saw Me Coming 6/10

Biggest Mistake 8/10

This Place I Empty 8/10

Oh No Not You Again 9/10

Dangerous Beauty 7/10

Laugh, I Nearly Died 9/10

Sweet Neo-Con 8/10

Look What The Cat Dragged In 7/10

Drivin' Too Fast 7/10

Infamy 10/10

The production and mastering is of course 2/10. B & L's production is much better.

Rough Justice --- Not a single. Kinda dance little sister type of song: great grove, tight band, but not a single. 8/10

Let Me Down Slow --- Weird. That descending line put me off at first, but it grew on me. 7/10

It Won't Take Long --- This should have been the album opener and single - PLAY IT LOUD!!!! 9/10

Rain Fall Down --- Loved it then, love it now. 8/10

Streets Of Love --- It's a good song with a great hook, only badly produced. In the studio version, the contrast between the verse and chorus is somehow exaggerated, too dramatic. Live it was more balanced. Intro arpeggio is way below acceptable Stones's standards. 7/10

Back Of My Hand --- I know many do not agree, but I find this one to be the best "original" blues by the stones since spider and the fly. It's got balls. 8/10

She Saw Me Coming --- Opposite than Streets: a great riff, great production but the song goes nowhere. 5/10

Biggest Mistake --- This is another one that grew on me. Good one! 7/10

This Place Is Empty --- What a beauty. A matter of class. And what makes it even more special is Jagger's slide (on a Keith's song, in 2005!!!) 10/10

Oh No, Not You Again --- Fun rocker and another potential single. Chorus works much better than Justice. wonder why it never took off live. 7,5/10

Dangerous Beauty --- Most insipid track of ABB. No good reason to consider it good, no good reason to consider it bad. 4,5/10

Laugh, I Nearly Died --- Another truly beautiful number. No need to say why, we all agree. Should have been the album closer 9/10

Sweet Neo Con --- The chorus has a very interesting sort of exotic melody. It's only too angry. I know it's supposed to be angry, but the band used to be more subtle. Sounds too dry, a richer warmer sound, arrangement would have suited it better. 6,5/10

Look What The Cat Dragged In --- This is one that lost a little. Still find it a very good tight groove, but it is not sexy as it should be. Everything is turning to gold is what I have in mind 6,5/10

Driving Too Fast --- Catchy groove. I would have put it earlier in the track list. And would have tried it out live. 7/10

Infamy -- Another great, shatterish groove! I like it. I don't think it works well as an album closer. 7,5/10

Under The Radar / We Don't Wanna Go Home Not bad but happy they remained outtakes.

C

Quote
HMS
Cut the post-DW-Albums down to 40 minutes, remove the songs that are unpleasing and you get albums just as vital as above mentioned records. Even more vital than GHS & IORR which imo are rather sleepy than vital. DW is the only album that needs no changes, it is their last great album and a pleasure to listen to just the way it is.

Very interesting that you alone praise such a heap of cold shit as DIRTY WORK.

That says a lot of nothing. As usual.

Rough Justice - Stones By Numbers yet... interesting enough because it does move. Is it great Stones? No but it does have a slight hilarity to it like Neighbours does. It's just not as interesting as Neighbours. But at least the LP kicks off with a decent rocker considering the slower rockers on the LP.

Let Me Down Slow - Good lyrics, great melody, could possibly fit on Side B of TATTOO YOU but it's the kind of song they can write in their sleep. It seems to be missing something - a decent solo, perhaps.

It Won't Take Long - This should've been a single.

Rain Fall Down - The one modern-esque track on the album, it works, it's somewhat interesting, it sounds like a leftover UNDERCOVER ballad but it doesn't do anything.

Streets Of Love - This tops Winning Ugly, Always Suffering, Hold Back, Back To Zero, Already Over Me, Rock And A Hard Place, Sweet Neo Con, Gunface, Might As Well Get Juiced and a load of others as the worst Rolling Stones song to ever be written, recorded and released.

Back Of My Hand - Stones By Numbers blues. Hey let's do a blues. OK. Sounds familiar. So for that it goes on the LP for something different? Better off as a B-side.

She Saw Me Coming - Should've been a single. Great tune. Funny as well.

Biggest Mistake - Good lyrics, a decent rocking ballad. Yet pointless as a single since they ignored it anyway.

This Place Is Empty - Nice little tune.

Oh No, Not You Again - There was a video showing them either rehearsing this or recording it at Mick's house that gave me hope because it sounded a lot like When The Whip Comes Down. Yet... it didn't turn out that way and it's just filler that's not interesting Stones By Numbers.

Dangerous Beauty - How they didn't play this on the tour and release this as single is criminal. Monster of a song.

Laugh, I Nearly Died - Incredible song, their best ballad since TATTOO YOU's Side B.

Sweet Neo Con - Garbage. Nothing good about it at all.

Look What The Cat Dragged In - Perhaps a nod to INXS, a nice rocker that is good filler at the least.

Driving Too Fast - Good rocker, hilarious lyrics, its placement at the end of the LP makes sense, as in, decent album closing filler.

Infamy - Goofy.

EXTRAS
Under The Radar - Not a great tune but decent. It's good enough to replace at least 3 of the crap songs that made the album.

We Don't Wanna Go Home - Nothing about this song makes sense but it doesn't suck.


For whatever reason, they picked the wrong songs as singles. A possible huge lost opportunity but considering how the tour went with the new album and the new songs, all a moot point anyway.

I don't understand why Dangerous Beauty doesn't get more love. It's a heavy, stomping, filthy little number.

the album doesnt disgust me like Undercover and Dirty Work, but there is something that is missing. I think the sequencing of tracks doesnt flow, and of course it is way too long. Didnt Keith in an interview for Crosseyed Heart make a comment also about the sequencing or flow of ABB in a sort of negative way?
Im positive I read it somewhere, and even browsed the Rolling Stone cover story about 6 months back that ran when Crosseyed came out to look for a mention but I couldnt find it.

Yesterday I listened to Emotional Rescue again. That was surely one of their weaker records - but it´s still great. If you compare ABB with ER it´s easy, is it?


Rough Justice --- nice one
Let Me Down Slow --- forgetable
It Won't Take Long --- bad
Rain Fall Down --- another failed funk number
Streets Of Love - I first listened in a shopping mall and that´s what it is. but live it works quite well
Back Of My Hand --- ok blues but compared to THE STORM of VL...
She Saw Me Coming --- I forgot so what
Biggest Mistake --- Jagger solo tune
This Place Is Empty --- I like it!
Oh No, Not You Again --- average rocker
Dangerous Beauty --- hm, not so bad
Laugh, I Nearly Died --- Jagger solo again
Sweet Neo Con --- stinking crap
Look What The Cat Dragged In --- quite good tune
Driving Too Fast --- forgetable
Infamy --- worst keith tune ever

Laugh I Nearly Died isn´t really a bad song but Mick ruins it almost completely for me. His often whiny way of singing is super-ridiculous on that one. It´s just too much... excessively exaggerated. I tried hard to like that song but it makes me laugh every time I hear it.

Remove the following to make more concise/listenable for me at around 44 minutes. In addition replace Driving Too Fast with Under the Radar.


She Saw Me Coming --- REMOVE
Biggest Mistake --- REMOVE
Laugh, I Nearly Died --- REMOVE
Sweet Neo Con --- REMOVE
Infamy --- REMOVE

Quote
HMS
Laugh I Nearly Died isn´t really a bad song but Mick ruins it almost completely for me. His often whiny way of singing is super-ridiculous on that one. It´s just too much... excessively exaggerated. I tried hard to like that song but it makes me laugh every time I hear it.

WOW! Every time you say something I laugh!

Quote
GasLightStreet

Quote
HMS
Laugh I Nearly Died isn´t really a bad song but Mick ruins it almost completely for me. His often whiny way of singing is super-ridiculous on that one. It´s just too much... excessively exaggerated. I tried hard to like that song but it makes me laugh every time I hear it.

WOW! Every time you say something I laugh!

You, a man of superior musical taste, must know best of all how ridiculous Mick sounds on LIND. He sounds ridiculous on SOL too (and on Always Suffering/Already Over Me) but LIND is the top of the tops. I understand Main Deffenders decision to remove it although I absolutely not agree to remove Sweet Neo Con. SNC is the only song on ABB that´s at least a bit adventurous.

Quote
HMS

Quote
GasLightStreet

Quote
HMS
Laugh I Nearly Died isn´t really a bad song but Mick ruins it almost completely for me. His often whiny way of singing is super-ridiculous on that one. It´s just too much... excessively exaggerated. I tried hard to like that song but it makes me laugh every time I hear it.

WOW! Every time you say something I laugh!

You, a man of superior musical taste, must know best of all how ridiculous Mick sounds on LIND. He sounds ridiculous on SOL too (and on Always Suffering/Already Over Me) but LIND is the top of the tops. I understand Main Deffenders decision to remove it although I absolutely not agree to remove Sweet Neo Con. SNC is the only song on ABB that´s at least a bit adventurous.

I went with Dangerous Beauty over Sweet Neo, but I was thinking this morning SNC would have made a great B side cut. Sounds like another thread.....

Quote
IanBillen
Was direct, hard hitting .. 'in your face' Stones again. Even had humor in the lyrics once again. Sounded like Dirty Work .. and Some Girls with a dash of Undercover.

Was like I dreamed of all these great 80's Stones songs but they didn't exist. Well in this release .. we got those songs.


A damn solid album .. As solid as it gets. I loved it when it came out. Was sparse.. and stripped down in production. Not hardly any brass.. not many keys.. not tons of session musicians. Was just mostly them. A more 'Rock' based Stones album.

The album didn't have many (or any) huge sounding 'singles'... aside from the radio friendly Streets of Love if you want to count that. Still every song was good with great stripped down ballsy rock based production. While there were no blown out of the water major songs .. all songs were anywhere from at least good to damn good. It hit the mark and that kind of album was what they really needed back then.

Someone here rated Dangerous Beauty as 'filler'. I offer but four words for that remark ......>> Are you friggin crazy??

Ian

Much agreed, there is definitely something of that Stones magic on this one. Even 12 years on, every few months I give ABB a spin and it does kick hard with some wonderful songs. Overlong, but my ipod 12-track "A Better Bang" is for me their very best since 'Tattoo You'.

I love the production, sparse, stripped down and ballsy as Ian mentioned, it gives a real kick to a track like 'Dangerous Beauty; that riff powering in with Charlie's drum nailing the groove.

The album will never be as celebrated as their greats of course, but for a band then 43 years into it and 42 years' after their first single, to release an album that contained some serious quality was something of a marvel. Not unexpected as I thought Babylon and a good half of Voodoo was superb before it.

Bang is far too long, but there is a killer 10 or 11 track record in there that definitely includes the likes of'It Won't Take Long', 'Dangerous Beauty', 'Back of my Hand', 'This Place is Empty', 'Rain Fall Down', 'Look What the Cat Dragged In' and the excellent top-tier 'Laugh, I Nearly Died' - quality stuff indeed; I loved the album when it was released and still do.

Laugh I Nearly Died always sounded to me as a wiser/sadder answer to Wandering Spirit (the song). Yes, a Jagger solo song, but great nontheless.

Quote
mr edward
Laugh I Nearly Died always sounded to me as a wiser/sadder answer to Wandering Spirit (the song). Yes, a Jagger solo song, but great nontheless.

To me it sounds like a variation of ‘Already Over Me,’ at least the verses.
This is probably the one song on ABB that gets universally praised. It’s definitely a well-crafted, well-executed song but I don’t find Jagger’s despair terribly convincing. Maybe I’m just too jaded at this point...

Mediocre album if you compare it with all other Stones albums. But great album for 90s to 10s Stones, they won't be able to get a better album done nowadays. Still it's too long with ca. 4 fillers which should have been b-sides.

It's not a very good album, but Laugh I nearly died it's a great song, it could works quite well live.

Quote
Rocky Dijon
Well, let's see...

"Let Me Down Slow" - nice descending melody line can't disguise the fact this is "Stealing My Heart" Part Two and just as lame.

This made me laugh. Such a brutal comment.

Fortunately I do not hear what you hear in this. Stealing My Heart is horrible. Let Me Down Slow is... in this case, really good.

Individually the songs are okay. There is a problem with the sequencing as I believe Keith even mentioned in a Rolling Stone interview when CH came out and we all seem to have greatly different opinions on what is good and what is trash on this one for some reason.