Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-08-25 14:50 by exilestones.

Great pic. Thanks.
This must be Gothenburg. I remember the shoes and the bracelet (and I should really get a life).

LTD" performance
Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger (Photo by Ron Galella / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Quote
parislocksmith
Great pic. Thanks.
This must be Gothenburg. I remember the shoes and the bracelet (and I should really get a life).

Thanks for identifying the location.

LONG VIEW FARM


Gil Markle

Gil Markle had the idea of creating a state-of-the-art recording studio in the countryside of rural America. His dream came true in 1974 when he opened Long View Farm recording Studio. Here's the story of how the Rolling Stones came to Long View which almost didn't happen several times.

Gil Markle passed away in 2015 after having much legal trouble with the farm but had great success with bands such as J Geiles, Aerosmith and Stevie Wonder recording there to name a few [www.discogs.com] .

As a side story, several years ago a teenager who is a huge Stones fan from Worcester MA went to Long View and asked Gil if he could look around to see where the Stones stayed. Gil gave the Dimitri a free tour!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++





Long View Farm


Long View Farm is about as far as you can get, literally and figuratively, from a big-city recording studio. It has no street address. It's deep country, and is about as picturesque a

spread as you'll find. Horses, cows, chickens, geese, cats, dogs roam the grounds on large open fields, edged by white fences, rock walls, a pond with fish, and many birds. Located on 100 acres of rolling hills at the end of a winding road an hour and a half west of Boston. Rural Massachusetts flatlands give way to tiny villages and small towns in such as North Brookfield

Village and farms such as Long View Farm.

Gil Markle purchased the 150-acre horse farm as a residence and made a state-of-the-art recording facility available to professional artists. The rambling farmhouse and maze-like barn were

originally built in the early 1800s for farmers and livestock. Now they house rock stars and consoles.

The barn which was rebuilt in 1909 after a fire is perhaps the largest structure of its kind in central Massachusetts. It measures two hundred feet long, and some sixty feet wide and

seventy-five feet tall. The barn now is a veritable warren of sleeping, lounging, and recording spaces. There are 10 bedrooms in the barn, and another six in the main house. Around the bend is a hayloft is enormous where a stage was constructed for the Rolling Stones to rehearse for the ''Tattoo You" tour. All of the old windows in the building aren't acoustically desirable, but it's good for the soul to be able to gaze out at nature.

The exteriors of Farmhouse nor the barn perfectly preserved with no signs of the entertainment business.

Each building was completely gutted and large rambling living areas were created. Wood everywhere, hanging plants, skylight hatches, woodstoves, a huge fireplace, and lots of recording gear. It's hard to tell where the recreational or living areas end and where the professional areas begin.

The bulk of Long View's marketing is done by word-of-mouth of the studio's reputation for elite service and facilities.

Long View's rates are $1,600 to $2,000 a day for the barn, and $1,000 to $1,400 a day for the farmhouse -- depending on the size of the group and its particular requirements. The rates include overnight accommodations, home-cooked meals, housekeeping, technical and adminstrative support.


The staff is trained with great detail. On the surface everything is happy and relaxed and friendly. Behind it is a machine. Staff needs to move in and out of client spaces without being felt.


Part II



Long View Farm Recording Studio an ideal place to record and relax.

In the summer of 1981 — the Rolling Stones came to Long View Farm for five weeks (August 17th - September 24th) to get ready for their concert tour of the United States.

In July 1981, Jane Rose inquired first about renting Long View farm. She called Kathleen Holden, Long View's studio manager who mistakenly quoted only a thousand dollars a day. She thought

it was some small-time band from New York City. At least that's what Jane Rose led her to believe, she said.

Later, Alan Dunn called Gil Markle said the Rolling Stones were interested in Long View Farm, particularly in respect of its privacy and general inaccessibility to the public.

Since there was no one area at Long View quite big enough to accommodate a full-scale rehearsal of the Rolling Stones. Markle said a stage could be constructed in time for their intended starting date of Monday, 17 August. Alan Dunn sounded skeptical, and not at all ready to make up his mind.

Alan Dunn told Gil Markle the Stones were thinking of rehearsing at Woodstock as they did for the 1978 tour.

It was uncertain that the Rolling Stones would be coming to Long View.

Dunn and Ian Stewart flew to Massachutes the next day to scout the place.

Alan called Gil back and said that the prices don't fit don't fit the budget. Dunn went on to say, "Stu and I really liked the place, though it was a wee tight space-wise."

Gil replied, "I told you we're going to take care of that problem. We can build a stage — we've already started on it."

Alan replied, "That's very nice, but I don't want you spending money on the assumption that the band is going to use Long View Farm for its rehearsals. Kathleen had quoted us a much lower price."

Gil responded, "Jane Rose led her to believe that you were calling about an unknown new wave band with no financial resources at all," I interrupted, "not the Rolling Stones with a retinue of thirty people, and international guests to cater to each day, every day, for six weeks! It's going to cost us to do all this for you."

Alan said, "Well, I still don't want you to go and build a stage, and then have us not come. The band might be more comfortable with Woodstock, and might opt for it just because it's known to them, whereas Long View...""

"All right, Alan," Gil said, "don't worry about that. There is no sense in our talking about this on the phone. You've got to come back, and I'll show you what we're doing, and you should bring a member of the band with you."

Alan came back with, "Mick's just left for India, so it'd have to be Keith. Do you know how difficult it would be to get him to show up at Teterboro Airport? Mick's one thing. If he says four o'clock, you can be sure he'll be there at five minutes to four, but Keith!

"Try then, Alan, try. Teterboro Airport, Monday afternoon at 2 PM. I want to do this gig. It obviously would be very good for the studio. I think Long View would be perfect for the band, as well. They'd benefit, too. I won't let price get in the way. See me with Keith at 2 PM on Monday at the Avitat Terminal at Teterboro Airport."

"Yes, Gil," Alan laughed. And I laughed. Alan managed a parting shot. "Just don't go and build that stage, Gil. Really."



Would Keith be at the airport?


Keith could not possibly make to the airport at 2 pm. He had a dentist's appointment at 2 pm. Keith was late for his dentist's appointment. Keith had to visit a friend first, on the way out of the city. It was now suppertime. Keith was still at the friend's house, expecting to leave soon for Teterboro.

It's then 8:30 pm Keith plane's has been there and waiting for hours.

Gil calls Teterboro, "Charlotte. I'm glad it's you this time. It's Gil Markle. I've got some high-level clients meeting 75 X-Ray, any minute now. I'm calling to see if anybody's showed up yet."

"Who this time, Gil?"

"Never mind, Charlotte, it doesn't matter. Should be a group of four or five, some English. Seen anybody like that, Charlotte? Charlotte? You there, Charlotte?"

I heard a loud noise, as though Charlotte had dropped the receiver onto the floor. Commotion. Charlotte's voice, high pitched and squeaking.

"Gil," she gasped into the phone. "You'll never guess who just walked in the door. Je-sus..."

"It's not Keith Richards by any chance, is it Charlotte?"

"Gil," she said with determination, "I hate you."

That's when Gil first knew the Rolling Stones were coming to Long View Farm. Gil switched on the aircraft scanner.


"This is Cessna 75 X, intercom to base. Tell Gil we have Keith plus four. Alan Dunn and wife, Jane Rose, and some knockout named Patti. Tell Gil to get the Cadillac cooling. We've got his man," raido'd pilot Bob Adams.

Gil got that message at his company headquarters at the Worcester Airport. It was convenient, having Long View's offices at the Airport, particularly since Gil had a twin-engine airplane.

Another perk for Long View was it's close proximity to the airport.




Picked-Up Keith and Friends






Keith ambled out of the airplane. He smiled.

"I'm Gil Markle, Keith. Welcome here."

"Hey, yeah. Nice, man. Nice trip."

"And I'm Alan Dunn, Gil. Sorry for the delay, but here we are."

They glided up Stoddard Road in Gil's black Cadillac. Went past the Long View pond and rowboat, and up the long gravel drive. The Farmhouse glistened white, and the enormous barn glowed cherry red under a dark but very starry summer's night sky. It was silent, except for the crickets.



"Welcome to Long View, Keith," Gil said.

"Yeah," Keith replied. "Nice place."

They were scarcely inside the house, drinks ordered up but not yet in hand, when Alan Dunn took Gil aside. "Look," he said, "this has got to be quick tonight. I've got to be back in the city for a day's work tomorrow. So does Jane Rose. Keith's got to be in Rome before the weekend, and he's nowhere near ready to go. Just got evicted from his apartment, and there're a lotof loose ends to tie up. So give him a quick tour. Don't get your hopes up."

"Here's your wine, Alan," Gil said. "And here's a screwdriver for Keith. Where'd he go?"

"Into the control room, I think. With Patti," said Alan.

Keith was in no hurry, and neither was Gil. They hung out in the control room for a while. They then took a look at the bedrooms upstairs, the balcony overlooking our antique Steinway, and the collection of records.

"You keep all your fifties in one place, too," Keith remarked. "Easier that way, isn't it? That cassette deck work?"

Gil - "Sure does, Keith. What you got there?"

"Bunch of stuff all mixed up. Starts with some Buddy Holly, I think."

Keith slammed the cassette into the cassette deck and hit the "go" button. Keith turned it up, loud, very loud, until it began to distort the JBLs hanging overhead, then down just a notch.

Maximum undistorted volume, that's called.

"Look out there, Keith," Gil said. "Those lights down there are Stanley's, and he's our nearest neighbor. Farmer."

"Hope he likes rock 'n' roll," Keith laughed.

"He better by now," Gil said. "He's been hearing it from us for almost eight years now."

Keith, Gil and Patti headed to the loft. Alan Dunn and Jane Rose were waiting there briefed by Geoff Myers, Gil's assistant. He was explaining how deep the stage was going to be, and how strong.

Keith listened for a moment, then walked over and looked down and said. "What's down there?"

"Come on, I'll show you," Gil said as he scrambled down the rickety ladder into what is now called the Keith Richards bedroom suite. Keith followed, with Jane Rose telling him to be careful.

Jane asked, "We don't really know how strong that thing is, now, do we? Gil, are you sure you need Keith down there? Why don't you just leave Keith up here and you can talk to us from down there. Keith, are you all right? Keith!"

Gil elaborated, ""Figured we'd do a bedroom and living area right beside the chimney here. A place for people to hang out during the rehearsals, but still be out of the way. The stage will be up there. You'll be able to see the whole thing from down here. We'll build staircases, fix it up nice. Cassette deck will be over there; speakers hanging so, on either side of the chimney. Should sound good down here."

Keith looked up at the chimney, then back at Gil. Gil saw a gleam in his Keith's eye. He knew he had the Stones!


Keith's Room at Long View Farm

Keith and Gil made their way back up the ladder, much to Jane Rose's pleasure and relief.

Geoff Myers was jumping up and down on the plank floor, trying to make it move. "See? And this is just one layer of two-inch pine on top of two-by-eights. Nothing compared to the strength of the stage, which will have three layers: beams of hemlock, pine sub-flooring, and oak finish. You could drive a truck up there and the floor wouldn't give a bit."

And that's all Keith needed to hear. He walked up to Geoff, and gave him a friendly slap on the lapel with the back of his hand.

"It won't bounce, right?"

"No bounce, Keith."

"We're coming, then. What a place I found!"


The Stage Built for the Stones

""How's your screwdriver, Keith?" Gil asked. It needed refreshing. Keith looked at Gil's screwdriver, which was still quite yellow, and full of Stolni'.

Gil poured my glass into Keith's; Keith laughed, and they walked back across the driveway to the Farmhouse. Keith and Gil were getting on just fine.



Jane Rose

"Oh, Keith! Keith!" Jane Rose tends to shriek a bit when she talks. Her job is to take care of Keith Richards, and she's very protective.

"Oh, I knew I'd find you in here, in this ice-cold control room, talking to Greg and listening to records."

Keith hit the "mute" button on the console, "Gil's his name," he said.

"Gil, then. Listen, Keith-eee, we simply must begin to think about getting on our way. Greg, here — Gil, I mean — has those two pilots waiting inside that gorgeous airplane, and we simply can't keep them waiting, can we? You know what you have to do for tomorrow. There's the dentist again, and there's the Consulate, and there's Renaldo, in Rome, and we're way up here in

goodness-knows-where. And I know Patti must get back to the city, too, mustn't you, dear, and I know ..."

"We're not going anywhere," Keith said, returning the level of the studio monitors to full, undistorted blast.

"You don't have to go anywhere tonight, Keith," Gil said. "It just starts to get fun here after supper. You can hang out, listen to some records, fool around, anything you want. The place is yours."

"Yeah," Keith muttered through a smile. "I don't have to go anywhere, do I?"

And he didn't go anywhere. Jane brought the word back outside to Alan, who was tired and just as happy to stay, and the pilots were released from any duty. Keith stayed, and stayed largely inside the control room, playing and listening to music, for the better part of three days.

"Get Jane up," he said at one point. It was about 5 AM. They had just gone through a half a dozen versions of Merle Haggard's "Sing Me Back Home," Keith singing and accompanying himself on the piano.

"Tell her to get Woody on the phone, and Bobby Keys, too."

"Keith," Gil asked, "do you know what time it is? I don't. "Doesn't matter," he continued, I never get a chance to do this. You don't understand. I suppose you think it's all fun being me.

Listen, I never get a chance to sing by myself like this — play the piano — without some bastard weirding out and asking me why I wasn't playing the guitar, and looking mean. People have their ideas about me. I bet you didn't think I could play the piano, did you? Or sing classics from the thirties. Well, I can, and I want to talk to Woody. He'll love it here. Where's

Jane?"

"I'll go, Keith," volunteered Patti Hansen, and she slithered out the door and up the staircase to Jane. Muffled female voices indicated that Jane had some reservations about calling Woody and Bobby Keys.

"I know what you mean, Keith," Gil continued. "It's not all that great when you get what you want. Me, I've got a lot of things happening, but also a lot of screwed up relationships, like with my girlfriend, who's the mother of my kids."

"Me, too," Keith said, slapping his vest pocket and looking about for something he had obviously misplaced. "I did the same thing. Her name's Anita. Kid's Marlon."

"Here's what you're looking for," I said. "Use the razor in the editing block."


"People think I get my way a lot more than I do," Keith continued. "You don't know what it's like dealing with the people I have to deal with. If it wasn't for the music, I wouldn't be doing it." Sniff!

Patti Hansen leaned her full weight on the heavy studio door, opening it a crack and looking in on Keith and me.

"Look at the two of you. I can't leave the room for a minute. I need to talk to you, Gil. Come here, will you?"

"What's up, Patti?" Gil asked.

"You've got to invent some excuse, Jane says. He may never leave here if you don't. You don't know Keith. He likes it here, too much maybe. But he's got to be in Rome before next Monday to get his visa fixed. Jane's worried. Can't you say something about the plane, or something? Really, Gil, he may not ever leave here, at all."

"Something about the plane?" Gil asked. "Like there's bad weather coming in, and we'd better make a move soon."

"That would be great," Patti said, eyes flashing.

"O.K., Gil, that's all great. But what do you think, I mean, what should I tell Jane?"

"Tell her after the Everly Brothers' tune," Gil laughed.




For Engineers Only


Gil kept his promise to Patti altough it took a day or two longer than expected to deliver.

"What d'ya think, Keith," I began. "We've been in here for days, it seems. I've got to do some things in Worcester. You've got to go to Rome. Why don't I call Bill Mahoney, the pilot, and get you and Patti out of here before the front comes through?" There really was a lot of bad weather on the way, and it's best not to fool around with that unless you really have to," Gil explained.

"Sounds O.K. to me," Keith said. "Sounds O.K. to me. Either that or you've got to give me a job banging nails with those lads out in the barn."

That didn't happen, of course. Instead, they called Mahoney and set up a departure out of Worcester for Teterboro at 11 AM the next morning. Gil set about doing some rough mixes of the two-inch recording tape he'd made the night before. The piano demos with Keith. Gil played engineer, leaving Reed Desplaines, Night Manager, to play assistant engineer — running back and

forth to the tape library for more reels of virgin tape. This for studio buffs: we used three Neumann '87 microphones on the Steinway, which Pat Metheny left with us two years ago. The piano. Mikes in our top-secret positions. Another Neumann '87 on him, close up, with a pop filter; voice highly compressed using an Eleven-seventy-six limiter set at twelve-to-one. Finally,

a good measure of live acoustic reverb on either side of his voice, in stereo. Lots of E.Q., on everything. Gil had only one shot at this, and wanted it to be right the first time.

The live mix was great all by itself, and the best results of that extraordinary session were in fact recorded directly onto our Studer mastering deck, and not the 24-track. 30 ips; no noise reduction, very hot on AMPEX 456 tape.

"Listen to this one, Keith," Gil said, just before driving him to the airport.

He selected the live stereo tape of "The Nearness of You," a classic Hoagy Carmichael ballad dating from the late '30's. Keith Richards playing the Steinway, and singing, too.



"It's not the pale moon, that excites me,
that thrills, and delights me;
Oh no, It's just the nearness of you."

"Far out, Gil. Voice sounds great. Sounds great," Keith says.

"ZIP — BUZZ . . ." There was a loud, familiar noise on the tape.

"What the hell was that?" Keith asked, with a look of anguish on his face.

"Jane Rose taking a picture of you with her Polaroid camera," Gil replied.

"Bloody well ruins that take, didn't it?"

"No, Keith," I said. "I think I can razor it out later. We've got this tune about six times, anyway. So don't worry."


They drove Keith Richards and Patti Hansen to the airport the next day. Randall Barbera, who works for Gil, drove Keith and Patti in the Cadillac. They had a wonderful trip. Cruising along on a light powdering, Stolni's and orange juice, and a fantastic compilation of fifties rock 'n' roll classics played at high volume on those wonderful-sounding Auratones mounted on the rear deck of the car. Pete Wolf of the J. Geils Band had left this particular cassette behind. By mistake, I'm sure, because it was a real beauty. "Earth Angel," "Good Golly, Miss Molly," "Tears on my Pillow," and songs like that.

"Take this and listen to it on the way to airport, Keith. Only remember it's not mine but Pete Wolf's, and he's certain to want it back," Gil told him.

"O.K." Keith said laughing. "I'll bring it back with me. See you."

Note that Keith Richards said "O.K. I'll bring it back with me." Meaning the cassette of course. Meaning also that he intended on coming back to Long View. That this gig was going to happen, after all. The Rolling Stones were coming to Long View Farm.




Confidentiality



They were building the stage in the loft. Two table saws running simultaneously make a substantial noise. Add to that two skill saws, and the pounding of half a dozen hammers, the beeping of the horn of a large flatbed trailer delivering wood, the coxswain shouts of three ambitious supervisors, and the buzzings of several thousand North Brookfield barn flies, and you've got one hell of a racket.

"Alan Dunn, Gil. For you on the phone."

"Hi, Alan," Gil said, "welcome back to the States. Howya been?"

"I've got no time for chit-chat this time around," Alan said, ominously. "Gil, I think you've blown it."

"What do you mean, blown it?"

"You may have blown the gig. Leaks, Gil. Publicity leaks. I thought I fully explained to you how important absolute secrecy was going to be. Well, apparently I did not speak clearly enough.

Let me tell you what happened the night before last. I got a phone call from Mick. I think he was in Paris then, on his way back from Bombay. Very angry and put out, I might add. It seems Mick got a cable in Bombay, just before leaving. I'm not at liberty to tell you who it was from, except to say it was from one of the highest ranking political personalities in the United

States. I'll give you a hint, the gentleman involved lives in your Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In any case, Mick gets a cable from this gentleman's office, welcoming Mick to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and entreating his appearance at a fund-raiser for crippled orphans — a program apparently sponsored by the man's office, and a cause dear to him. Next, he goes on to say that he's willing to do his best to ensure that Mick's stay in Massachusetts is as safe and as uneventful as he, Mick, might require. Did you get that, Gil?"

"I sure did, Alan, how did that happen?"

"How did that happen? We don't live in Massachusetts. I don't know anybody who lives in Massachusetts. This did not come from our end. It most definitely came from yours.

"Look at it from Mick's point of view, Gil. He's in Bombay. He doesn't even know anything yet about Long View Farm, and all of a sudden he's in a no-win situation with a politician. If he goes to the fund-raiser, he alienates this guy's enemies, if he doesn't go, then there's some doubt about the safety and quiet he might enjoy during his stay there with you. Either way,

it's no-win for him. You've got to understand, Mick likes to stay out of scrapes like that, or in any case be in total control of them. Had to be someone you told, Gil. You told someone that the Stones were coming to Long View Farm, and that person did you a disservice — a real disservice. Now I don't know what the implications of this will be. I shall do my very best when
I next meet with Mick, upon his return to New York City. In the meanwhile, I'm instructing you to keep your mouth shut, and to tell your people to keep their mouths shut, and to say nothing

more illuminating to the media than 'no comment.' Tell them simply that you have 'no comment.'

"Further, I'm taking the liberty of asking our attorney and accountant, Mr. Joe Rascoff, to call you, and to dictate to you some additional language concerning the confidentiality of information to which you may become party. You should insert this language immediately into the agreement and send me the amended version. Maybe that'll cool Mick out some."

"I'm warning you, Gil, don't you let anything like that happen again." Then he hung up.




Attorney Joe Rascoff


"Hi, Joe," I said cheerfully, trying to get things off on the right foot. "What can I do for you?"

"You can put two new points in your Agreement, which I've got in front of me here. Points eight and nine, they'll be. Two new ones. Here they come. You ready?"

"Ready, Joe," Gil said, knocking my head once against the wall. "Go ahead."

"O.K., let's see. Pity Mick got that communication in Bombay. Tsk, tsk. Worst possible thing that could have happened under the circumstances. That's his province, you know: press, media, little bits and pieces put out about the band. Wasserman comes up with a lot of ideas, but it's Mick who really loves that end of things. Worst possible thing that could have happened. Well

now, let's see. Why don't we start like this: Point Eight; We agree that neither we... nor, uh, anybody on our behalf... will disclose to any, hmmmm... third party that the Rolling Stones are in residence at Lake View Farm."

That's Long View Farm, Joe."

"Right, Long View Farm. Read that back to me, Gil, will you?"

"O.K.," Joe continued. "Now we've got to do something to put minds at ease concerning the matter of bootleg tapes. Unfortunate experience we just had in New York City, you know. Fellow came in saying he was a maintenance guy. Wanted to check out the studio cassette deck. No one thought anything about it, until the next day. There were cassettes of the Stones all over the city

— and before they had really gotten their act together, too. Most unfortunate. Everyone hit the ceiling, including Stu, who generally looks out to make sure those things don't happen. I hear you guys are putting in mike lines up there..."

"Yeah, Joe, but they're for use only if the band requires them."

"Very unlikely, Gil, very unlikely. In the meanwhile, let's you and me agree on the following prose. This will be Point Nine, and it reads as follows: We agree further... that no recording of the Rolling Stones, hmmmm, will be retained by Lake, I mean Long View Farm as its property, or used — make that nor used — by us for any purpose. Now, let's see, a bit more. If it is

determined that any recordings have been so retained or... used, it is understood that... you — that means us — will have the right to immediately repossess same... and seek injunctive relief. Got that, Gil?"

"Sure do, Joe. Very scary stuff."

"No choice, Gil, no choice. It's best to have this prose in the can, ready to go. Then if we decide to use your place we'll have the Agreement all set up and ready to sign."

"Decide to use my place, Joe?"

"Right. In the event they decide against Woodstock, and want to give your place a try. You never know, man. You won't really know until they're there. And even then, you won't really know how long they're going to stay. Meanwhile, you've got to keep your people as quiet as possible, and tell them not to have any cassette recorders or anything like that around if and when the

band arrives. Good luck, Gil."

"Joe," Gil shouted, "what about our deposit? I thought I'd have seen that by now. We're not exactly sitting on our hands up here, you know."

"No problem, Gil. It's in the works. In the works."

"Great," Gik said. "I'll send you the amended contract, and you send me the money. Right?"

"Right, Gil."



[www.studiowner.com]



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 2019-09-15 17:31 by exilestones.

[garyrocks.wordpress.com]

MUNICH




Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2019-09-16 19:07 by exilestones.

Quote
exilestones

Charlie, Keith and Ron spending time together in a hotel room on the 1981 Tour.

Does anyone know what make and model of acoustic Keith is playing? Never seen this guitar before.

Quote
exilestones

Charlie, Keith and Ron spending time together in a hotel room on the 1981 Tour.

Does anyone know what make and model of guitar Keith is playing? Never seen this acoustic guitar before.

The headstock has the shape of Aria.

Mathijs



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-09-13 11:04 by Mathijs.

Mick Jagger 1982

After reportedly interviewing more than fifty British writers in his suite at the
Savoy in London, Mick Jagger has decided who will ghostwrite his long-awaited
autobiography. The lucky scribe is John Ryle, a thirty-one-year-old deputy
literary editor for the London Sunday Times. Jagger chose Ryle over a host of
better-known names, including Prince Charles’ biographer, Anthony Holden, and
noted rock writer Philip Norman, whose book on the Beatles, Shout!, was widely
acclaimed last year. Ryle will get a piece of the $2 million advance that
Weidenfeld’s, the English publishing house, has already tendered for the tome
(no American publisher has yet secured the rights to the book).

This story is from the May 26th, 1983 issue of Rolling Stone. [www.rollingstone.com]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2019-09-16 04:32 by exilestones.

Quote
exilestones

JAMES COBURN/BILL WYMAN IN 1983 DIGITAL DREAMS

Bill Wyman's Digital Dreams - This fanciful film playfully documents Wyman's
celebrated life. From his impoverished childhood of England. through the early
years of the Stones, to his relationship with longtime girlfriend Astrid and his
current obsession with computers.



Wavering between straight documentary and cinema verite, Digital Dreams
outlines the life, loves, works, and aspirations of Bill Wyman. Wyman
endeavors to establish his own separate musical identity. This is conveyed by a
steady stream of hallucinatory images, and by occasional Yellow Submarine-
style animated sequences. Throughout, Wyman's music is performed con brio by
the London Symphony Orchestra. Also starring Hollywood leading man James
Coburn, Digital Dreams was directed by Oscar nominee Robert Dornhelm, an old
hand at musical docudramas.

by markyoloup & Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the brown picture, the guy in the middle - that's him being introduced to Bill's current flame Mandy.

Billborad magazine May 1982

Bill Wyman takes a break from Long View Farm to be co-Best Man at his manger's wedding
September 1981




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-09-16 00:16 by exilestones.

A pair of Mick Jagger's stage worn red, yellow and blue pants designed by Anthony
Price. The pants were worn during the Rolling Stones 1982 European Tour. The
current owner obtained the pants while backstage at one of the concerts. A drink
was spilled on the clothing items and the articles of clothing were given to him.
When security cleared the area the the clothing was still in his arms. No size
present. Winning Bid $6,080


[www.julienslive.com]

…. awwww well no chance of getting it caught in da zip ……..



ROCKMAN

"Fast Times at Ridgemont High" Southern California high school students
are enjoying their most important subjects: sex, drugs, and rock n' roll.
The iconic Rolling Stones logo is featured in the popular movie.
(Released August 13, 1982)



ERIC STOLTZ, SEAN PENN, ANTHONY EDWARDS




[www.youtube.com]



22



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-09-22 01:59 by exilestones.

In this installment: Thank you very much, you're very kind, I can't see you, I'm blind...
written by Botley




UK/US LP: "Still Life" (American Concert 1981)
Released as Rolling Stones Records CUN 39115 -- June 1, 1982

TRACKLISTING: Intro ("Take the 'A' Train" by Duke Ellington & His Orchestra) / Under My Thumb (live 5 Nov. 1981) / Let's Spend the Night Together / Shattered (live 18 Dec. 1981) / Twenty Flight Rock / Going to a Go-Go (live 9 Dec. 1981) / Let Me Go (live 8 Dec. 1981) / Time Is on My Side (live 18 Dec. 1981) / Just My Imagination (live 19 Dec. 1981) / Start Me Up (live 25 Nov. 1981) / (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction / Outro ("The Star-Spangled Banner" by Jimi Hendrix) (live 13 Dec. 1981)

Found on CD:
The 1998 Virgin remaster is miles better than the other versions I tried, with better tonality than the shrill '87 CBS CD (which, curiously enough, does NOT band the intro and outro as separate tracks, whereas all other digital versions do).

Once the trigger was pulled on Tattoo You's final completion and release schedule, the necessary arrangements fell into place for the massive tour that had spawned it. Having got their act reasonably together, Mick & Keith's mutual disaffection had cooled to a polite ceasefire. They arrived at an understanding: as long as Ronnie could steer clear of debilitating freebase cocaine intake, the Stones could resume right where they left off after their final gig in Canada two years earlier. All gathered and rehearsed for six weeks in summer of '81 at Long View Farm in North Brookfield, Massachusetts, and ran through a myriad of songs, piecing together a reasonably well-balanced set (building upon their established repertoire from the '78 shows), which would remain fairly stable for the entire tour.

When the dust cleared, a few more "oldies" (but goldies) had returned, some tunes being played live for the first time or sporting new arrangements. Everything from It's Only Rock 'n Roll & Black and Blue was still firmly off the table. Stalwart ol' Stu was returning on grand piano, as was "Mac" on electric keyboards, but other players dropped by to jam as well, including David Sancious (of the E Street Band) and a former sideman for the Allman Brothers, one Chuck Leavell.

A couple of weeks into the tour, they were joined by accomplished session saxophonist Ernie Watts ("no relation") on most tracks and also occasionally by Bobby Keys who, despite his sterling contributions to Emotional Rescue, was still working his way back into Jagger's favour after the unseemly fallout from drug excesses that led to his termination from the '73 tour. None of Keys' performances made it to Still Life and no one yet realized he was truly to stay on for good — he would not formally return to the offically announced lineup of players until '82.

There were no jumbo-sized CCTV screens yet in most of these American stadia where the tour was booked, and so, in order to be visible from across an enormous outdoor football pitch, the band made some concessions to the traditional garb of these sports-based venues. Jagger chose garish colours over outlandish NFL-styled leggings as a means to an end: so that anyone looking could spot his location and movements from the cheap seats. Hal Ashby's film Let's Spend the Night Together depicts the dusky sunlit afternoon of one such open-air stadium show in all its jaw-dropping vastness, where the band seem nearly swallowed up by the scale of the event. They had learned to expect this from the outdoor '78 shows, however, and Jagger worked up the idea of a raked-stage set design that could maximise visibility in these settings to combat this dwarfing of the players. Charlie Watts, being a former graphic design student, also took an interest in the layout, keen to give the band additional visual appeal. As Charlie later put it in discussing the vagaries of stadium rock, "you need a bit of theatre", and the Stones certainly excelled at that.

The illustrated scrim on either side of the stage took on a primary-colour Americana theme, designed by Kazuhide Yamazari and depicting a stylized electric guitar, a flashy sports car, the star-spangled banner, and a turntable. This was re-worked for the Still Life album artwork to wrap around the entire front and back cover: when folded out, the impressionistic figures dominate the illustrated stadium bowl, coming to 'life' and rising into the radiant sunshine (only a single brown stick-figure person — a jumping jack, of sorts — is depicted on the stage). At key moments, the band released balloons, let off fireworks, and bathed the stage with brilliantly coloured light to thrill the crowd. Jagger even climbed into a cherry-picker crane, for the surprise conclusion of the main set.

For 1981, this was ground-breaking stuff, considering most bands showed up with a few PAR cans and follow-spots for lighting and no staging other than bare risers on scaffold. The indoor shows mounted later in the tour (in cities where weather was becoming too inclement for an outdoor setting) were arguably even more technically ambitious, with the drum riser rotating outwards to play "in the round" and a wraparound runway for the now-entirely-wireless players surrounding it. This was a logical continuation from the flowering "lotus stage" of 1975, but fully incorporating the technical improvements of 1980s gear.

After a mood-setting Duke Ellington intro, "Under My Thumb" starts things off in highly energetic fashion, with Brian Jones' marimba line transposed into a hard-rocking Keef riff, doubled on organ and interwoven with Ronnie's answering licks. There's definitely an overdubbed third guitar adding reinforcement to Keith's part, though it's barely audible and mixed quietly to centre. The arrangement is long on repetition, but it feels briskly efficient compared to the slinky original Aftermath cut (and it skips the "Her eyes are just kept to herself / While I can still look at someone else" verse entirely). Opening the show with this familiar yet re-worked classic was a brilliant move, allowing Mick to stretch out and gallavant while the guitarists strode forth down the ramp towards adorning punters. The crowd even claps in time for the whole song.

Another mid-sixties chestnut "Let's Spend the Night Together" follows after Mick's introduction, welcoming those watching the tour-capping Hampton Coliseum pay-per-view special (which we'll cover in depth later) at home "drinkin' a few beers, smokin' a few joints". His voice is a little hoarse, and the wireless mic a bit crackly, but the two pianos and guitarists (again with a little double-Keith embellishment in post-production) absolutely shine here, particularly Ronnie. Next is the more recent calling card "Shattered", which they take at a furious clip. Again, Ronnie is on fire here, taking a beautiful solo and contributing to those charming call-and-response backup vocals at the conclusion with Keith and Mac. That glorious phased guitar riff is just insatiable!

Eddie Cochran's "Twenty Flight Rock" is next, quite a fun choice for a cover (notably, one P. McCartney remembered the words well enough to be let into the Quarrymen), which the Stones never recorded in the studio. Once again, the other players do a great job of matching Keith's knuckle-whitening pace. On most dates of the tour, it was played in a medley with "Going to a Go-Go" but they specifically chose a show where the two were played separately to get clean tops and tails recorded for the album. I love both songs very much, as they were important salvos in the 50s rock 'n roll revolution. The overdubbed "Go-Go" vocals really shine here, rivalling the Miracles' original performance, and Mick's lusty lead is entirely his own. Oh, yeah — how about that sax!

For the first time, the Stones promoted their new live album with a single, and shrewdly, this was the track selected. In keeping with their long tradition of chart success covering the Motown catalogue, it fared pretty well and had a promotional video released for the fledgling MTV market. Its B-side was a non-album recording of "Beast of Burden" taken from the third and last show in Illinois (where the Still Life "Start Me Up" was also recorded), which makes an interesting listen thanks to its bouncy tempo and Watts' slick sax licks. Unfortunately, the chorus vocals are a little flat and Ronnie's solo, although nice, doesn't quite take off the way it should. Nevertheless it was in contention for the album's final running order, as it appears to have received a cowbell overdub and fancy vocal delay treatment ("put me out, put me out!") in the mix down stage. It would also later appear on the Flashpoint Collectables and Rarities 1971–2003 anthologies. Mick rants "I don't want you to wash my clothes, I don't want you to change my baby's Pampers, I don't want you to come in my kitchen, I don't want you to **** around with it" and it sounds like everyone's having a reasonably fun time.

The Still Life recording of "Time Is on My Side" also came out at the end of summer '81 in a rather fetching picture sleeve, with back-and-white photos taken by Ken Regan of a contemporary club gig. It had its own video promo, too, with archival shots of the band intercut with the Hampton footage by then-rising star Austrian video directors Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher. The 12" single version put the album versions of "Twenty Flight Rock" and "Under My Thumb" together as one seamless B-side. It's a great arrangement of "Time", too, with Keith doing a manful job on backup vocals and holding down the rhythm.

Side Two of the LP starts with "Let Me Go", a real workout for Jagger, who would usually sing the extended final chorus on a whirlwind sprint out into the crowd, on an extended platform leading from the stage, or just mingling out on the ground surrounded by bodyguards. Once again, the pace is furious, and the guitars bitingly nasty. The highlight of the second side, however, is an intense, extended arrangement of "Just My Imagination" that would stretch out for over nine minutes on most nights. It's judiciously edited down here, hitting only the highlights. Really very tasty, and once again Watts' sax contribution is essential.

This album was primarily conceived to provide another tour souvenir; its title an indication that this was the American concert experience, finished in time to be sold along with T-shirts and badges to European audiences on the '82 leg. It cross-cuts between shows freely, name-checking different cities along the way. The feel is taut, with Jagger's voice (usually overdubbed but certainly live on the Hampton tracks) doing a reasonable job of meshing well against the players' weave. There are a few unobtrusive patch-ups in the guitar department, Keith's additions poking their way in here and there to reinforce the main riff, but the solos are all thrillingly fresh and in-the-moment.

Most of these basic arrangements became canonical for subsequent tours, including the revitalized "Satisfaction", which they definitively knocked into tour-ready shape after a five-year absence from the setlist since opening the show at Knebworth '76. It had never been captured in a form considered worthy of live album release before. Here, it sounds like it had never left, and the crowd receives it as rapturously as ever. In its afterglow, the fireworks display blasts over Hendrix's Woodstock performance of the national anthem. Bombast, defined!

Compared to Love You Live, this is a lot better in almost every respect — it's even great compared to the ragged sloppiness of Some Girls Live in Texas '78. For all the slagging-off that Still Life gets, it's certainly more professional than the out-of-tune, vocally incompetent, floundering mess that the '70s Stones shows often were. Despite a slightly muddy mix (Bob Clearmountain had yet to figure out how to really make these live recordings pop), and a few percussion overdubs that don't quite sit correctly, the only real problem with Still Life is its subsequent duplication and recapitulation. Not only does the home video Let's Spend the Night Together re-create the trick of cross-cutting from show to show, it has this same version of "Satisfaction" and outro (only longer). The Hampton Coliseum (Live 1981) release contains the same versions of "Let's Spend the Night Together", "Shattered" and "Time Is on My Side", as well as similar renditions of the other tracks. All of these were rehashed AGAIN by the Live at Leeds Roundhay Park 1982 archive show. There are subtle differences, which we'll discuss soon, but the fact is that the '81-'82 leg is extensively documented by other official releases, for anyone who cares to dive in.

So this album, for all its fine points, is now an artifact among artifacts. The harsh criticism it routinely receives is undeserved, but if you want some insight into how well the band could play in this period, your best bet is to start elsewhere. If you grew up with it, though, the nostalgia factor may persuade you to revisit and rediscover its hidden charms.

written by Botley @ [forums.stevehoffman.tv]

Below are responses to the above review of Still Life by Botley.


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Croidler wrote: Victor Bockris' biography of Keith says that Jagger offered to tone down the theatrics of Keith would not use drugs on the tour and keep Woody in line, when Keith refused

they both took the theatrics and drugs to an unprecedented extreme.

I want to point out too that the riff from "Shattered" is different than on the record (as it is in Live in Texas), I don't know if this is a "Han shot first" moment for people but I much

prefer the way it's played live.

This is, as far as their history as a touring band, the first tour of the modern age and one that set the standard for other bands just as much as the 69 tour did. This tour was also the

first rock tour ever to have corporate sponsors (Jovan perfume) a trend that others would emulate. The rehearsal bootlegs are great for this tour too.

Yeah, my copy has the insert sleeve, which you don't find too often in the used record shops these days.

The sleeve also reveals that it was mixed at the Power Station.


p.s. A gold coin to whomever can find footage of the show in Goteborg where Keith hijacked Mick's cherry picker and noodled in "You Can't Always Get What You Want" for almost half an hour.



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Zack wrote: my biggest criticism of the album was the inexplicable inclusion of the prerecorded works of other artists in the intro and outro, when the album could have included two more

Stones tracks.


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Mark Wilson wrote: An interesting set list with a lot of songs not featured on prior live discs, and only a couple workhorses.


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Six String wrote: I saw the Stones at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas for the '81 tour so it was appropriately hot for the event. The Fabulous Thunderbirds opened and with their more simplified

blues, which I like a lot btw, to their lack of a stage show, they looked pretty tiny on stage even though I wasn't that far away. ZZ Top handled the large stage a little better simply

because their music was larger. Still, any band besides the Stones probably felt weird playing on that giant stage.

Ernie Watts, a great, great jazz reed player was on the tour. His sound is nothing like Sonny's but I guess Mick wanted a jazz sax player for the tour because of Waiting On A Friend and he

probably paid handsomely for it. I wonder if Bobby Keys was even asked? It's hard to imagine him saying no.

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cublowell wrote: Mick's vocals sound like he's running around, which he probably is, so they're just tuneless, like an aerobics instructor. Charlie and Bill sound tight, Keith and Ron are

weaving nicely, the keys are just kind of there. I don't see any reason to revisit this one again any time soon.


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Teddy B wrote:

Bobby Keyes was not asked. He was not reinstated by Jagger for some time to come. There were periods of time where Keith paid him out of pocket to come along and perform his featured

pieces. Ernie is a great player of course.


I just thought Still Life was skimpy. A tour featuring a long, varied trawl through the Stones' back catalogue, more so than they had ever done, and a live album with just a few songs on

it. I was happy when the Beast of Burden B side appeared as it filled out the album a little bit. I had a Betamax tape of the Hampton Roads show, and soon after a triple vinyl release of

the same, so maybe the album meant less to me. Great opening version of Under My Thumb.

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Botley wrote:The first dates of the '81 tour in September had no sax player, then Lee Allen played the shows in Rockford and Boulder before Ernie came on board, with Bobby sporadically

joining in later. Gene Barge and Bobby played sax on all of the '82 shows.


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maxhrist wrote: I think the best part of "Still Life" (and the full-concert download "Hampton Coliseum") are the R&B songs: "Twenty Flight Rock", "Going to a Go-Go", "Just My Imagination

(Running Away with Me)", and "Time Is On My Side". This is immediately pleasurable stuff when performed by anyone, and it's particularly exciting to hear it played by the Rolling Stones. I

especially think it's fun to hear them perform it with the confidence and experience that they have in 1981, which is quite a bit different (not better, but different) from the rawer, less

polished way they played this sort of material in 1964.


I think that "Still Life" does suffer to some degree from being constrained to a single album. It has to pick and choose tracks to fit on a single album, and it ends up with kind of a

strange tracklisting. It doesn't repeat any material that was on "Love You Live"--which I can't help but think must have been intentional--and so it excludes lots of obvious hits. It also

includes the R&B tracks mentioned above, which (if the "Hampton" download is any indication) were the most fun part of the Stones' 1981 setlist, but which are a little unusual for the

Rolling Stones' repertoire. These were good ideas, but it does give "Still Life" an assorted hits-and-rarities feel rather than the feel of what an actual Rolling Stones concert would be

like, and that makes for a live album that has several enjoyable moments but struggles to really come together as an album.

"Still Life" might have been a little bit more cohesive with different sequencing. One thing I noticed when revisiting it is that while the inclusion of the R&B tracks is great, it's a

little strange that they're split between the two sides of the album. It's a little disjointed sometimes, too; for example, the transition between "Shattered" and "Twenty Flight Rock" seems

like kind of a sudden shift in pace and tone. So, maybe inspired by the sequencing on "Tattoo You", I just tried a playlist of the tracks on "Still Life" that split the songs between the

two halves of the album by style, putting more conventionally rock tracks on the first half of the album, and more R&B tracks (including "Satisfaction") in the second half:

Part one
1. "Under My Thumb"
2. "Let's Spend the Night Together"
3. "Shattered"
4. "Let Me Go"
5. "Start Me Up"

Part two
1. "Twenty Flight Rock"
2. "Going to a Go-Go"
3. "Time Is On My Side"
4. "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)"
5. "Satisfaction"

The album seemed to play better this way. The first half plays quickly and urgently, while the second half slows down and swings more before breaking out more wildly at the end with

"Satisfaction". Each half also has a "closer" track--"Start Me Up" on part one, and "Satisfaction" on part two--which follows a pretty typical way to sequence an album by closing each side

with strong tracks. I know that this is more different from the order in which the tracks were actually performed in concert, but putting the selections in this order seemed to make the

album come together a little more.


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mick_sh wrote: It's short, yes, but full of charm: Ellington intro, Hendrix outro, Cochran and Smokey covers... lots of fun and boy, SL is more an invitation to a Stones show than a

souvenir. You really want to go to another Rolling Stones concert when you listen to this record!!!



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quicksrt wrote: My favorites have always been the first two songs on each side. "How can Time is on My Side" not give you goose bumps when Keith comes in singing his part. Under My Thumb

is a scorcher of an opening track, sound good. Let Me Go has some great lead guitar, and then Let's Spend the Night Together is also a great track never appearing on a previously live

recording.

So four songs out of ten is not a very good average, but there is a Beast of Burden b-side that ups this from a C+ to a B- almost.

I used to go back to those four tracks until I found the Hampton, VA 3LP boot in <<<Stereo>>> with killer sound.

VA broadcast "Happy Birthday Keith" - Cooking versions of Let it Bleed (Ronnie smokes on slide), Honky Tonk is the best live version imo. Little T & A sounds wonderful, Black Limo is a lot

of guitar blues weave sparkle, and all in all a great night for the band, and no need to listen to Still Life ever again once I got this 3LP deluxe color cover Stones live set. In some ways

I like the mix here better than the Stones archive series download.

I like the live "Neighbors" quite a bit in the live Hampton, VA '81 setting. They take an average tune and it becomes a screamin' hot scorcher, Woody's lead guitar, Keith's rhythm with the

sax is simply cookin'.


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Lil' Brian wrote: My favorite of all the Tattoo Boards is Dallas on Halloween. Jagger can be really funny sometimes.





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Culpa wrote: I always thought the best thing about both Still Life and the Lets Spend the Night Together film was Under My Thumb. A nice new arrangement, and a pretty exciting way to open a show.

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