I was re-listening to a re-mastered GHS yesterday. Once again, after a million listens, I found new angles, and excitement.
IMO this album suffered from bad mastering. Because I'm listening yesterday, and thinking (especially on "Dancing w/ Mr D) that if they had only released these way hotter mixes, the album would have been tougher. then I went and checked, and realized these were the actual mixes. But through hot mastering job, the songs take on SUCH a new look, a new meaning.
It was incredible how DWMrD sounded. Once you get rid of that rather lame guitar riff up front, and boost the bass, and the percussion it all makes sense. It actually makes sense to be called "Dancing". I don't like calling a Stones guitar riff 'lame'; and esp. not on an opening cut. But on official albums, you get that guitar, a rather plain snare. It is just A minor groove 101.
Coming Down Again was another inspiration. Always a beautiful track, but - and this is odd - his 70's Keith ballad actually benefits from a clean-up. This type ballad should get all its charm from the tracks cuddling up together; and with the phaser stirring the pot even more. But Keith's vocal stands on its own; it is so good, it doesn't need to be xtra-sweetened. Now we can make out Jagger's BU vocals much better, and we hear him doing the "sky falling down" parts better. We can really hear how they have two saxophones doing the solo.
By keeping each go around so different from the one before the song seems shorter.
On Silver Train" the piano is boosted much more.
But the biggest revelation so far was "Hide Your Love". Always seen as a filler track, I was blown away by this one. The track has a lot more going on than just piano, lead guitar and drums. Even the second tier is kind of old hat: the bass drum, the hand claps. But I heard a good bit more percussion; the Baritone Sax was crystal clear. You can actually hear it ready-ing itself.
And I like the bass. It is obviously overdubbed, and since they were following Jagger's piano, it had to have been rough going. That's what makes the song even more organic to me.
Angie, on the other hand sounded MORE unified. This was a very strange mastering, very good. Because it seems they altered heir approach trying to meet the song, to make sure the song got what it needed and deserved.
Angie, which on official album sounds disjointed in headphones gets pulled together.
PS they add "Criss Cross" after HYL. One of the great lost Stones tracks.

PR2000 I also revisited GHS yesterday.

My impression was that this album is mastered awfully but it's a really solid effort. It's not as Mellow as I remembered for being labeled mellow. The UM remaster boosts the bass, there is some really nice bass throughout but Mick Taylor on Mr. D wow! And yup Hide Your Love was an eye opener, very good.

Was this a strained period for Mick and Keith? There's no doubt Jagger had a heavy hand with Keith only participating on six of the ten releases and other songs with Keith being left off. Keith's solo on Star is his finest.

I'm a bit curious. How does one "re-listen" instead of listen?

Which remaster are you talking about? From what I can tell it seems that you're talking about the UMe remaster since you say it's hot - but then say that they put Criss Cross Mind in after Hide Your Love. So it's not the UMe remaster.

What one is it?

Dancing With Mr D's riff is strictly Keith's own stealing of his riffage from Satisfaction from the 1969-70 tours. It's just transposed to A instead of E.

Or there's always the possibility that it's a goof on The Beatles' Day Tripper.

DWMD is slinky. I think it's a great lick, the speed of it is hilarious. It's a goofy song but it's cool. There's something very cool about it.

VERB

[NO OBJECT] To listen to something again.

relisten - definition of relisten in English from the Oxford dictionary
[www.oxforddictionaries.com]


a;so [www.yourdictionary.com]

GHS is brilliant, really. It's so completely different from The Big Four, it's kind of a reprieve, a bit of a breather. 100 Years Ago and Can You Hear The Music are excellent songs. So many interesting sounds on GHS.

been listening to a lot of stuff on this album recently.

did suffer from weaker production and is obviously not as good as exile and suffers by comparison but the more i listen the more i dig it.

always liked silver train, star star and heartbreaker, now i love these songs, and have also got into angie and winter, 100 years ago, can you hear the music, coming down again, dancing with mr d and hide your love have something going for them too, great to hear other versions of these songs on youtube, goats head soup is a very good album and not the damp squib that it gets credit for being.

Always been my favourite.

i like the groove on Dancing with mr D.

and I think 100 Years Ago is certainly an underrated, great trrack.

not crazy about Can You Hear the Music.

...Comin Down Again.. lovely, bittersweet track.

I believe Palace Revolution 2000 was listening to MickBoy's remaster DANCING SO FREE. I could be mistaken, of course.

Yeah, probably Mickboy's remaster. I wasn't that impressed by it, but more power to the ones who like it.

I don't think he had access to other stuff than the sound files and a digital mastering effect, though. That may open up the soundscape, resulting in frequencies of instrument channels (not one single instrument) becoming more (or less) audible.

Taylor's 12 string and Nicky's piano on Angie are more audible, if memory serves.

Did I miss something? Is Criss Cross now on an official release?

No thanks I don't revisit Goat's Head Soup, ever.
Blasphemy?
A spades a spade, I am not a everything turned to gold just because RS, etc.
And, oh yeah, our RS passions are all slightly varied, lucky us, because the pot of gold is indeed huge.
Blah blah,
I only like 'Winter'
Now, 'Winter'
'10'

That's my .02 cents.

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71Tele
Did I miss something? Is Criss Cross now on an official release?

Mickboy's remaster.

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DandelionPowderman

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71Tele
Did I miss something? Is Criss Cross now on an official release?

Mickboy's remaster.

Ah.

Heartbreaker, Silver Train, Hide Your Love and Star Star are the only songs I can listen to without disappointment. Only four outstanding songs means a total failure by Stones-standards.

All in all it´s their most uninspired, most boring album ever.

The "Mickboy-Remaster" is a bit booming to my ears. I like the official releases better, the japanese mini-lp-sleeve-replica is best, I guess. Btw, I never thought of the album as sounding bad, the sound of Exile is much worse, imo.

Anything following Exile would suffer in comparison but this is still very good, you just need to get through the lame opener.

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Rocky Dijon
I believe Palace Revolution 2000 was listening to MickBoy's remaster DANCING SO FREE. I could be mistaken, of course.

Rocky, u r so good. Yes, I should have mentioned that this is the one I was listening to. But - and I could be wrong here - I think this remaster sounded better to me than the original one. Like Dandy, I was never all that blown away by the Mickboys. I had them all, and love them for what they are. Back in the day this was a cool series IMO. I liked what he was doing. But were they that impressive? I m not sure. Mainly because I don;t have them anymore, LOL. But I have this 30 year anniversary edition. And for GHS it was appropriate.
Through the years I have read many posts like Maindefender wrote; and I myself still drift towards that opinion: that there is something mellow about that album. And then I listen and say "Its not that mellow".
It had the big misfortune of coming after 'Exile". And once again - a bad mastering job. But not only are they very quality songs; they are also jamming hard. And there is a lot of life in those tracks. I think that is what we subconsciously miss, and are searching for on GHS; the life, swamp and Blues that Exile has in every groove.
Take '@#$%&" e.g. Keith plays a great solo, and does his whole Berry thing throughout. During the actual solo Taylor starts riffing a bit too, and gets a bit of a weave happening. But nothing close to Exile; to the real mud. But I have heard Keith and Taylor do that very same set-up and sound a lot dirtier. again - I think the sound of the studio, the mastering - something kept it too clean, and also muffled. I think, even IORR tracks sound nastier than @#$%&.
I read somewhere that Mick played Rod Stewart an early pressing of the album, and he said "Oh good, no more chicks singing".
There's just more going on in the songs than I immediately recall. And sometimes I need to remind myself that this is a very good album.

I think that GHS might have been better received had the running order of the tunes been different. For instance, I always liked Dancing with Mr. D but I always felt that it was a poor opener. Just my opinion.

GHS was the first album I ever bought, being 13 back when it was released. Thus it will always have a good place in my heart. I've always loved it even though I've realized that there are certainly better Stones albums. I feel it still holds it's own in their discography.

"Gonna find my way to heaven ..."

Regardless of the mix or sound, I think it's an enjoyable album. Not a great album, but a good one.

Of course, it suffers in comparison as it was the first album released after Exile On Main Street. It's at least as enjoyable a listen as the IORR and Black and Blue albums that followed.

Star Star
Silver Train
100 Years Ago
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Dancing with Mr. D
Can You Hear the Music
Hide Your Love
Coming Down Again
Angie
Winter

No matter how the sequencing is, it doesnt make a better album of GHS.

Star Star
Silver Train
100 Years Ago - BORING
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Dancing with Mr. D - BORING
Can You Hear the Music - BORNG
Hide Your Love
Coming Down Again - BORING
Angie - BORING
Winter - BORING

Anyway You Look At It (!) the album is a wreck.
A Stones-album should not be boring. GHS is.
That is the major problem.

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HMS
No matter how the sequencing is, it doesnt make a better album of GHS.

Star Star
Silver Train
100 Years Ago - BORING
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Dancing with Mr. D - BORING
Can You Hear the Music - BORNG
Hide Your Love
Coming Down Again - BORING
Angie - BORING
Winter - BORING

Anyway You Look At It (!) the album is a wreck.
A Stones-album should not be boring. GHS is.
That is the major problem.

You HMS bores the daylight out of me.
Go listen to Dirty Work while I have another listen to GOAT'S HEAD SOUP.
I'd say I listened to Goat's Head Soup 600 times since 1978 (I started collecting past albums after SOME GIRLS) and to Dirty Work 85 times since 1986.
How come? I am so BORING!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-08-04 00:52 by RipThisBone.

Never cared much for this one. Star Star, Dancin' with Mr. D and Heartbreaker are imitations of the Stone menance, just lightweight.
Keith's influence is barely felt. The Silver Train riff could have maybe been developed but the song is flat.
I like Angie when it comes on the radio and Winter shows the potential of a Jagger-Taylor team had Taylor stuck around. Coming Down Again is fine.
But not much there there.

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GasLightStreet
Star Star
Silver Train
100 Years Ago
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Dancing with Mr. D
Can You Hear the Music
Hide Your Love
Coming Down Again
Angie
Winter

Much better running order

"No Anchovies, Please"

Quote
HMS
No matter how the sequencing is, it doesnt make a better album of GHS.

Star Star
Silver Train
100 Years Ago - BORING
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Dancing with Mr. D - BORING
Can You Hear the Music - BORNG
Hide Your Love
Coming Down Again - BORING
Angie - BORING
Winter - BORING

Anyway You Look At It (!) the album is a wreck.
A Stones-album should not be boring. GHS is.
That is the major problem.

I disagree with you on Angie, Coming Down Again, and 100 Years Ago. They're not boring, at least as songs. You can think what you want of them as actual recordings, or as rock tracks. But those are decent songs.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-08-04 00:07 by nightskyman.

Quote
RipThisBone

Quote
HMS
No matter how the sequencing is, it doesnt make a better album of GHS.

Star Star
Silver Train
100 Years Ago - BORING
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Dancing with Mr. D - BORING
Can You Hear the Music - BORNG
Hide Your Love
Coming Down Again - BORING
Angie - BORING
Winter - BORING

Anyway You Look At It (!) the album is a wreck.
A Stones-album should not be boring. GHS is.
That is the major problem.

You HMS bores the daylight out of me.
Go listen to Dirty Work while I have another listen to GOAT'S HEAD SOUP maybe.
I'd say I listened to Goat's Head Soup 600 times since 1978 and to Dirty Work 85 times since 1986.
How come? I am so BORING!

You've listened to Dirty Work 85 times???
You deserve a medal for bravery above and beyond the call of duty!


"As we say in England, it can get a bit trainspottery"

You deserve a medal for bravery and a chest to pin it on .... HHHaaaaaHhee



ROCKMAN

It's an OK release. Whilst there are a few genuinely monumental moments, it also served to represent the first real misstep of the Taylor-era Rolling Stones: Hideaway and Dancing With Mr. D, for starters.

The edit? 'Hideaway'

It would be an insult to the masterful, Freddie King. Of course, I meant; 'Hide Your Love'



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-08-04 00:19 by Big Al.

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GasLightStreet
GHS is brilliant, really. It's so completely different from The Big Four, it's kind of a reprieve, a bit of a breather. 100 Years Ago and Can You Hear The Music are excellent songs. So many interesting sounds on GHS.

i agree and also about the outtake mixes, the rougher ones make this a brilliant new record