Still Life (1981 American Concert):



Rolling Stones Records (WEA/EMI)
Release date: June 1, 1982

Track List:
Under My Thumb
Let's Spend the Night Together
Shattered
Twenty Flight Rock
Going to a Go-Go
Let Me Go
Time Is on My Side
Just My Imagination
Start Me Up
Satisfaction

What are your thoughts on this live album?

At what concerts were the tracks on Still Life recorded? Wikipedia doesn't say.

Interestingly, four out of ten tracks are covers. More than any live or studio album since Got Live If You Want It, isn't it?

Liked everything about it back then. Even got the single with Beast of Burden on the b-side. Afterwards I heard it was nominated as one of the worst live-albums of all time! To each his own I guess...

From timeisonourside.com:

Under My Thumb East Rutherford, N.J., November 5, 1981 2nd live vers.
Let's Spend the Night Together Hampton, Virginia, December 18, 1981 1st live vers.
Shattered Hampton, Virginia, December 18, 1981 1st live vers.
Twenty Flight Rock Largo, Maryland, December 8, 1981 1st live vers. Song No. 243
Going to a Go-Go Largo, Maryland, December 8, 1981 1st live vers. Song No. 244
Let Me Go Largo, Maryland, December 7, 1981 1st live vers.
Time Is on My Side Hampton, Virginia, December 18, 1981 2nd live vers.
Just My Imagination Hampton, Virginia, December 19, 1981 1st live vers.
Start Me Up Chicago, November 25, 1981 1st live vers.
Satisfaction Tempe, Arizona, December 13, 1981 2nd live vers.

I'd listened to my Dad's old EPs from the 60s but that was the first "contemporary" Stones album I heard at the record shop (could chose an LP as a present for having a tooth pulled out!) and...the guitars in the UMT intro really knocked me out, never looked back since ;-)

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

Excellent album at the time. Now surpassed by many other live recordings. But still a classic, it makes me nostalgic to listen to.

I grew up with this album, right after getting TY (my first Stones album). I was blown away, by the sound and the playing. I'm still blown away...

I think it was a nice touch with the covers, especially the ones they never had recorded before. TFR and GTAGG are the Stones at their best, imo. UMT, LSTNT and TIOMS are excellent.

Yep, a real good one...my original ex is played to pieces....

Especially the only song from East Rutherford...that's the heaviest live song recorded with Stones...if you ask me that is of course...

2 1 2 0

Excellent UMT/LSTNT, I agree. Blew me away when I first head to hear how they had re-arranged and updated the songs to sound great in 81.

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Turner68
Excellent UMT/LSTNT, I agree. Blew me away when I first head to hear how they had re-arranged and updated the songs to sound great in 81.

If you listen to the UMT they did in 1966, the arrangement isn't really that different. Same with the 1976/77 versions of LSTNT.

But I didn't know that back when I heard Still Life for the first time, of course

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DandelionPowderman

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Turner68
Excellent UMT/LSTNT, I agree. Blew me away when I first head to hear how they had re-arranged and updated the songs to sound great in 81.

If you listen to the UMT they did in 1966, the arrangement isn't really that different. Same with the 1976/77 versions of LSTNT.

But I didn't know that back when I heard Still Life for the first time, of course

right, that was my point, but you said it better ;-)

The first real disappointment to me as a fan. I wasn't impressed with the sound of the quitars and Mick's singing while jogging (nothing El Mocambo there) - and Twenty flight rock and Going to a go-go were pointless and "old hat" as covers. Not to mention the intro jazz-thing. I heard it quite a lot the first month it was out, though. But the feeling of disappointment was too strong - and I turned to New wave, John Cale, Lou Reed and stuff like that putting my Stones-fanship on pause - or making it a phase that I had grown out of. And listening to Undercover and Dirty work didn't help me back on the Stones-track. The pause didn't stop till Steel Wheels.

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GetYerAngie
The first real disappointment to me as a fan. I wasn't impressed with the sound of the quitars and Mick's singing while jogging (nothing El Mocambo there) - and Twenty flight rock and Going to a go-go were pointless and "old hat" as covers. Not to mention the intro jazz-thing. I heard it quite a lot the first month it was out, though. But the feeling of disappointment was too strong - and I turned to New wave, John Cale, Lou Reed and stuff like that putting my Stones-fanship on pause - or making it a phase that I had grown out of. And listening to Undercover and Dirty work didn't help me back on the Stones-track. The pause didn't stop till Steel Wheels.

I felt Mick's singing was much better than on any tour since 69... though certainly not as good as 89 and later.

Still Life is good. Probobly the best version ever of UMT....

But the album isn't that important any longer since we now have an "official" release of the Hampton show.

Good album that would be great if mixed more like the recent Hampton release - i.e. much less prominent drums and more guitars!><

Still Life? You're telling me it was.

So still that nothing stirred. Absolutely static and lifeless. The most uninspiring live album ever committed to vinyl. Talk about phoning it in - this is the sound of the Stones on autopilot.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-02-05 13:12 by Silver Dagger.

My favourite. That´s when it all began for me.
Entering a record shop, 20 Flight Rock was ending,
Going To A GoGo started...and here I am.

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Silver Dagger
Still Life? You're telling me it was.

So still that nothing stirred. Absolutely static and lifeless. The most uninspiring live album ever committed to vinyl. Talk about phoning it in - this is the sound of the Stones on autopilot.

What did you have in your cereal this morning, Mike?

My all time worst Stones record. Even worse than Dirty Work. Crappy sound, weedy guitars, dreadful vocals. Only redeeming feature, just, is Going to a GoGo.

Cannot stand it. Cover is dreadful, playing woeful and, if there WERE any, even the overdubs couldn't save it.

Play it once a decade to see if it gets any better. It's ageing worse than ever.

Rod

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bitusa2012
My all time worst Stones record. Even worse than Dirty Work. Crappy sound, weedy guitars, dreadful vocals. Only redeeming feature, just, is Going to a GoGo.

Cannot stand it. Cover is dreadful, playing woeful and, if there WERE any, even the overdubs couldn't save it.

Play it once a decade to see if it gets any better. It's ageing worse than ever.

Let me guess, you don't like the Hampton show, either?

It's a nice enough sampler of the 81 tour, but Hampton and Leeds make it nonessential. Great UMT!

For overdubs on this album an LOVE YOU LIVE

see notes by Walter Schaeppi

[mikiwiki.org])



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-02-05 17:38 by saltoftheearth.

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DandelionPowderman

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Silver Dagger
Still Life? You're telling me it was.

So still that nothing stirred. Absolutely static and lifeless. The most uninspiring live album ever committed to vinyl. Talk about phoning it in - this is the sound of the Stones on autopilot.

What did you have in your cereal this morning, Mike?

Not enough whatever to make this album sound good, that's for sure!

I remember dancing around with a tennis racket as a guitar and trying to be Keith...this LP has a special albeit edited place in my heart

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Tops
Still Life is good. Probobly the best version ever of UMT....

But the album isn't that important any longer since we now have an "official" release of the Hampton show.

Indeed, what's strange is that it sounded really bad, especially the intro guitars, many of the other times they played it, at least what's available on video. I'd have to dig around but there are some epic fails in that intro, almost as bad as Keith's 2xSMU FUs at HP in 2013!

Like in Seattle [www.youtube.com]





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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2016-02-05 16:38 by gotdablouse.

Love this live album.

Great, great, great!
Good choice of numbers.
My favourites are: Imagination, 20 Flight Rock, Go Go, Time Is On My Side
Should have been a double album.

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saltoftheearth
For overdubs on this album an LOVE YOU LIVE

see notes by Walter Schaeppi

[mikiwiki.org])

I looked at that. Not only did it make no sense, it didn't do anything.

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GasLightStreet

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saltoftheearth
For overdubs on this album an LOVE YOU LIVE

see notes by Walter Schaeppi

[mikiwiki.org])

I looked at that. Not only did it make no sense, it didn't do anything.

You're right, sorry. The only thing you can do is searching for 'Still Life' under 'Suchen' and follow the link.

Basically Schaeppi says that there is much overdubbed studio singing and some shortened Songs on the album. However, 'Let's spend the night together is 100% live.

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saltoftheearth

Quote
GasLightStreet

Quote
saltoftheearth
For overdubs on this album an LOVE YOU LIVE

see notes by Walter Schaeppi

[mikiwiki.org])

I looked at that. Not only did it make no sense, it didn't do anything.

You're right, sorry. The only thing you can do is searching for 'Still Life' under 'Suchen' and follow the link.

Basically Schaeppi says that there is much overdubbed studio singing and some shortened Songs on the album. However, 'Let's spend the night together is 100% live.

LSTNT has three guitars! The Hampton version has that, too.