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Winning Ugly VXII

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HonkeyTonkFlash

I don't get how anyone can trash Still Life. The whole first side is exhilarating in itself, especially the first three songs. Then you've got the frenetic adrenaline rush of Let Me Go, a beautiful take on Time Is On My Side and a soaring jam on Just My Imagination. I'll concede that Start Me Up sounds a bit weak, but Satisfaction cooks. It's one of my favorite live albums.

It's most likely because :

1) The raw soundboards sound better for most,if not all of the tracks. The sound mix could have been better.

Shattered sounds better on "Twenty Flight Rock" EVA Records HB 2-2902 A/B and on "Hippy Happy Keith" as an example.

2) The track list. Signature songs from the tour are missing such as "Let it Bleed" and "Waiting On a Friend".

3) The sources of the tracks. "Twenty Flight Rock" from Largo,Maryland was not the best rendition they performed of the song.

4) Edits. "Imagination" was heavily cut (and poorly mixed). Once again,there are better soundboards out there.

I'll concede that the mix on Still Life could have been better. It doesn't really convey the way the guitars actually sounded. At the show I saw, the guitars had a much more raw sound. That aside, I still think the performances were very good. There's no way they could've fit all our favorites on a single disc, but now we have Hampton!

"Gonna find my way to heaven ..."

... and a SB boot of Hampton II which was an excellent show by itself.

I agree with you, HTF. I liked Still Life when it came out and I still like it. I like the Clearmountain mix on it and even the bright colorful album artwork.
I wasn't in to bootlegging then (didn't even know what it was) so it took me years before I got hold of the Hampton 3-lp set. Which, of course, completed the picture.

Also gotta say that the 1981 tour featured some of the best jams I think the band has ever done - at least on good nights. Some standouts would be Black Limousine, Let It Bleed, Just My Imagination, Beast of Burden, etc. All these often featured amazing interplay between Keith, Ronnie, and Ernie Watts, not to mention what Bill and Charlie were doing behind them. Great stuff!

"Gonna find my way to heaven ..."

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Winning Ugly VXII

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HonkeyTonkFlash

I don't get how anyone can trash Still Life. The whole first side is exhilarating in itself, especially the first three songs. Then you've got the frenetic adrenaline rush of Let Me Go, a beautiful take on Time Is On My Side and a soaring jam on Just My Imagination. I'll concede that Start Me Up sounds a bit weak, but Satisfaction cooks. It's one of my favorite live albums.

It's most likely because :

1) The raw soundboards sound better for most,if not all of the tracks. The sound mix could have been better.

Really? Where do I find these. Which ones? I'd love to hear them! Sounds better than Still Life? Cool!


Shattered sounds better on "Twenty Flight Rock" EVA Records HB 2-2902 A/B and on "Hippy Happy Keith" as an example.

2) The track list. Signature songs from the tour are missing such as "Let it Bleed" and "Waiting On a Friend".

3) The sources of the tracks. "Twenty Flight Rock" from Largo,Maryland was not the best rendition they performed of the song.

4) Edits. "Imagination" was heavily cut (and poorly mixed). Once again,there are better soundboards out there.

To the above three statements....If you are looking for the very best tracks of the tour and want a full concert, you'll never find this perfection even if you put it together yourself. Apparently the Stones were making a fast-moving live album. This would eliminate Waiting on a Friend and Let It Bleed.

My best guess is that the King Biscuit tracks were recorded for Still Life and were the left-overs. We were gifted with the KBFH Radio Concerts getting Let It Bleed and Waiting on a Friend, excellent versions. It seems apparent that they were considered for the '81 live souvenir.

The editing of Imagination was apparently to cut it down to fit on the live party album. I loved the edited version. I never knew it was edited until years after the album came out.

If you want to pick better versions of songs and what should consider Neighbors, Imagination and Black Limo from Tempe unedited.

If you want the full version and a whole concert, there's Hampton(s).

The Stones only recorded a few shows for Still Life in high quality.

I take Still Life for what it is - a great live party album with some great performances!

Twenty Flight Rock imho is better on the KBFH releases but I never really liked the song. Maybe the Largo version wasn't the best but there were only a few to choose from.

I love Still Life. You obviously want more and something that doesn't exist. I'm glad to have it. Thumb, Let's Spend the Night, Time is on My Side, Imagination, Go-Go on Still Life are among my favorite Rolling Stones recordings. I just love them. I wish everyone else did too.

Hippy Happy Keith isn't quite the sound quality as Still Life. I was hoping to mix some of those Hippy tracks with some KBFH and Still Life. The official release of this Hampton concert has a different mix than the Hippy PPV mix with a lot of audience mixed in which I don't like.

[www.discogs.com]


Once again, point us to these better soundboards, please!

<I love Still Life. You obviously want more and something that doesn't exist. I'm glad to have it. Thumb, Let's Spend the Night, Time is on My Side, Imagination, Go-Go on Still Life are among my favorite Rolling Stones recordings>

+1

Still Life is great for a single-disc souvenir of the tour. Of course everything from a two hour show could not be included. We have Hampton for that. Still Life is but one example of something that worked well in the age of vinyl. In the confines of 40-some minutes you could have a powerful and thoroughly enjoyable musical experience. With the CD age, bands gave in to the temptation to release longer albums, often with filler that made the albums seem over long and boring. Ya Ya's was a great single disc, too.

"Gonna find my way to heaven ..."

It is what it is. Glad to have it. Would it be better not to have it?

No way! 1981 documents the pinnacle of excitement and craftsmanship for this particular rock n roll outfit

Hampton FTW

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exilestones

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Winning Ugly VXII

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HonkeyTonkFlash

I don't get how anyone can trash Still Life. The whole first side is exhilarating in itself, especially the first three songs. Then you've got the frenetic adrenaline rush of Let Me Go, a beautiful take on Time Is On My Side and a soaring jam on Just My Imagination. I'll concede that Start Me Up sounds a bit weak, but Satisfaction cooks. It's one of my favorite live albums.

It's most likely because :

1) The raw soundboards sound better for most,if not all of the tracks. The sound mix could have been better.

Really? Where do I find these. Which ones? I'd love to hear them! Sounds better than Still Life? Cool!


Shattered sounds better on "Twenty Flight Rock" EVA Records HB 2-2902 A/B and on "Hippy Happy Keith" as an example.

2) The track list. Signature songs from the tour are missing such as "Let it Bleed" and "Waiting On a Friend".

3) The sources of the tracks. "Twenty Flight Rock" from Largo,Maryland was not the best rendition they performed of the song.

4) Edits. "Imagination" was heavily cut (and poorly mixed). Once again,there are better soundboards out there.

To the above three statements....If you are looking for the very best tracks of the tour and want a full concert, you'll never find this perfection even if you put it together yourself. Apparently the Stones were making a fast-moving live album. This would eliminate Waiting on a Friend and Let It Bleed.

My best guess is that the King Biscuit tracks were recorded for Still Life and were the left-overs. We were gifted with the KBFH Radio Concerts getting Let It Bleed and Waiting on a Friend, excellent versions. It seems apparent that they were considered for the '81 live souvenir.

The editing of Imagination was apparently to cut it down to fit on the live party album. I loved the edited version. I never knew it was edited until years after the album came out.

If you want to pick better versions of songs and what should consider Neighbors, Imagination and Black Limo from Tempe unedited.

If you want the full version and a whole concert, there's Hampton(s).

The Stones only recorded a few shows for Still Life in high quality.

I take Still Life for what it is - a great live party album with some great performances!

Twenty Flight Rock imho is better on the KBFH releases but I never really liked the song. Maybe the Largo version wasn't the best but there were only a few to choose from.

I love Still Life. You obviously want more and something that doesn't exist. I'm glad to have it. Thumb, Let's Spend the Night, Time is on My Side, Imagination, Go-Go on Still Life are among my favorite Rolling Stones recordings. I just love them. I wish everyone else did too.

Hippy Happy Keith isn't quite the sound quality as Still Life. I was hoping to mix some of those Hippy tracks with some KBFH and Still Life. The official release of this Hampton concert has a different mix than the Hippy PPV mix with a lot of audience mixed in which I don't like.

[www.discogs.com]


Once again, point us to these better soundboards, please!

Earlier in this thread I named some specific soundboards which all sound better than "Still Life" including the Hampton soundboard ; Saint Paul,Minnesota ; Hartford,Connecticut ; and Kentucky are probably the best from 1981.

There was a whole flood of '81 soundboards released about a decade ago. A bunch of good material in the lot. Maybe I am neglecting to mention some.

Then there were the soundboards mentioned above which were in circulation years earlier like Tempe which is good for some songs (but a no good "Let it Bleed") ; Detroit ; New Jersey and Seattle with a great performance of "When the Whip Comes Down" .

Many people seem to equate clear vocals with a good sounding recording. (As with the 2016 South American Tour 'in ear monitor' recordings Anaheim '99 , Japan '03 etc. .... clear vocals but otherwise sub-par). These types of recordings,as with "Still Life" ,albeit to a less dramatic extent,don't bring to the table the trademark raw guitar,bass,drum sound of the Stones.

The best tracks on "Still Life" are probably "Let's Spend the Night Together" , "Under My Thumb" , and "Going to a Go-Go" followed by "Time Is On My Side".

On the other hand,the "Still Life" mixes of "Shattered" and "Imagination" don't accurately convey the actual performances by the Stones. In reality,those were two prime examples of the Stones' rhythym section on their "A Game" , in top form but,especially in the case of "Imagination",it just is not captured by the "Still Life" album. The source for "Imagination" on Still Life is 12-19-'81 not 12-18-'81 but,the point remains the same. I'll listen to the Hampton soundboard albums over Still Life for those songs and for many others not included on the official album.

Quote
Winning Ugly VXII

Quote
exilestones

Quote
Winning Ugly VXII

Quote
HonkeyTonkFlash

I don't get how anyone can trash Still Life. The whole first side is exhilarating in itself, especially the first three songs. Then you've got the frenetic adrenaline rush of Let Me Go, a beautiful take on Time Is On My Side and a soaring jam on Just My Imagination. I'll concede that Start Me Up sounds a bit weak, but Satisfaction cooks. It's one of my favorite live albums.

It's most likely because :

1) The raw soundboards sound better for most,if not all of the tracks. The sound mix could have been better.

Really? Where do I find these. Which ones? I'd love to hear them! Sounds better than Still Life? Cool!


Shattered sounds better on "Twenty Flight Rock" EVA Records HB 2-2902 A/B and on "Hippy Happy Keith" as an example.

2) The track list. Signature songs from the tour are missing such as "Let it Bleed" and "Waiting On a Friend".

3) The sources of the tracks. "Twenty Flight Rock" from Largo,Maryland was not the best rendition they performed of the song.

4) Edits. "Imagination" was heavily cut (and poorly mixed). Once again,there are better soundboards out there.

To the above three statements....If you are looking for the very best tracks of the tour and want a full concert, you'll never find this perfection even if you put it together yourself. Apparently the Stones were making a fast-moving live album. This would eliminate Waiting on a Friend and Let It Bleed.

My best guess is that the King Biscuit tracks were recorded for Still Life and were the left-overs. We were gifted with the KBFH Radio Concerts getting Let It Bleed and Waiting on a Friend, excellent versions. It seems apparent that they were considered for the '81 live souvenir.

The editing of Imagination was apparently to cut it down to fit on the live party album. I loved the edited version. I never knew it was edited until years after the album came out.

If you want to pick better versions of songs and what should consider Neighbors, Imagination and Black Limo from Tempe unedited.

If you want the full version and a whole concert, there's Hampton(s).

The Stones only recorded a few shows for Still Life in high quality.

I take Still Life for what it is - a great live party album with some great performances!

Twenty Flight Rock imho is better on the KBFH releases but I never really liked the song. Maybe the Largo version wasn't the best but there were only a few to choose from.

I love Still Life. You obviously want more and something that doesn't exist. I'm glad to have it. Thumb, Let's Spend the Night, Time is on My Side, Imagination, Go-Go on Still Life are among my favorite Rolling Stones recordings. I just love them. I wish everyone else did too.

Hippy Happy Keith isn't quite the sound quality as Still Life. I was hoping to mix some of those Hippy tracks with some KBFH and Still Life. The official release of this Hampton concert has a different mix than the Hippy PPV mix with a lot of audience mixed in which I don't like.

[www.discogs.com]


Once again, point us to these better soundboards, please!

Earlier in this thread I named some specific soundboards which all sound better than "Still Life" including the Hampton soundboard ; Saint Paul,Minnesota ; Hartford,Connecticut ; and Kentucky are probably the best from 1981.

There was a whole flood of '81 soundboards released about a decade ago. A bunch of good material in the lot. Maybe I am neglecting to mention some.

Then there were the soundboards mentioned above which were in circulation years earlier like Tempe which is good for some songs (but a no good "Let it Bleed") ; Detroit ; New Jersey and Seattle with a great performance of "When the Whip Comes Down" .

Many people seem to equate clear vocals with a good sounding recording. (As with the 2016 South American Tour 'in ear monitor' recordings Anaheim '99 , Japan '03 etc. .... clear vocals but otherwise sub-par). These types of recordings,as with "Still Life" ,albeit to a less dramatic extent,don't bring to the table the trademark raw guitar,bass,drum sound of the Stones.

The best tracks on "Still Life" are probably "Let's Spend the Night Together" , "Under My Thumb" , and "Going to a Go-Go" followed by "Time Is On My Side".

On the other hand,the "Still Life" mixes of "Shattered" and "Imagination" don't accurately convey the actual performances by the Stones. In reality,those were two prime examples of the Stones' rhythym section on their "A Game" , in top form but,especially in the case of "Imagination",it just is not captured by the "Still Life" album. The source for "Imagination" on Still Life is 12-19-'81 not 12-18-'81 but,the point remains the same. I'll listen to the Hampton soundboard albums over Still Life for those songs and for many others not included on the official album.

I know that there are soundboards, etc. that better represent the tour, as well as the fact that the mix on Still Life doesn't really sound quite like they sounded at an actual concert. My saying how much I like Still Life was intended to be taken in the context of "official" releases that were available. At the time that was all we had and I was thrilled to have it. The only other thing we had officially was the film LSTNT and they didn't release a soundtrack from it. If they did, I would hope they would mix it better than the mix in the movie.. So until Hampton and Leeds came out, Still Life was something to treasure from that era.

"Gonna find my way to heaven ..."

STILL LIFE pops. It's probably their second best live album in regards to the "official" live albums up to the abominable SHINE A LIGHT (and of course, pre-LIVE IN TEXAS, LA FRIDAY Google releases etc).

HAMPTON is great to have.

Just can't go wrong with either one. SL is a perfect sample of the tour, even with the fixes in it. What makes it work is the older tunes (Thumb, LSTNT, Time Is On My Side especially), the newer tunes (only one from TATTOO YOU - that's a bit odd - Hang Fire was pretty good on that tour) and the 2 covers that aren't on any studio album.

Saw them in Syracuse day after Thanksgiving. Drove 5 hours with no tickets. Scored 7th row for $40 each a several "cigarettes.Still have the stub. I thought they sounded much better in 1989.Loved Under my Thumb as the opener.

Every time I saw the photo by Michael Halsband, I remember my trip in chase of the Stones from Coast to Coast over America around that time.
What a fond memory.







Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2017-02-14 06:08 by Toru A.

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steverogan
Saw them in Syracuse day after Thanksgiving. Drove 5 hours with no tickets. Scored 7th row for $40 each a several "cigarettes.Still have the stub. I thought they sounded much better in 1989.Loved Under my Thumb as the opener.

"Cigarettes?" Were you Rolling Stoned?


[www.youtube.com]
The Rolling Stones - Syracuse 11/27/1981


Rolling Stones 19811127 Carrier Dome, Syracuse
[www.youtube.com]

I still remember going to bed because it was a school night for this then 17 year old, listening to KSHE in St. Louis, and the DJ says major concert announcement now and I hear the opening chords from "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" (which every time I hear it I think of that and was thrilled to finally see them play it live with Mick Taylor in Chicago a few years ago)!

I don't think I slept all night. 1 arena show is all we got, and it was all mail order for tickets since it was shortly after The Who's Cincinnati tragedy. My mother suggested I drive downtown to the main post office to mail in a money order. Which I did and my tickets arrived 2 days before the show (they anounced it like 10 days before the show)! Which was certainly good advice as I think they said they got enough requests to fill our baseball stadium for a 5 shows, and all other post offices had to route their mail through the main one taking extra time, no way anyone who did that got tickets.

I remember people complaining about the ridiculous high prices of $17.50

There certainly weren't any bored people at the show I was at as was suggested earlier, was the wildest crowd I've ever seen up to that point and maybe since. And loud!

I remember seeing scalpers selling tickets, and getting, $200 a ticket and feeling like I had the golden ticket from Willie Wonka's in my pocket.

We kept sneaking down side of the stage where a bunch of the equipment was stored, kept getting run off by security, finally the last time a bunch of folks piled in behind us and we watched the last 30 minutes of the show or so maybe 15 feet from the stage.

I clearly remember Mick using oxygen after the last song before the encore as we could see backstage, which funny enough they made a big deal about decades later ("Jagger is so old he needs oxygen")...wrong, he did that in his 30's as well!

I could swear there was a special guest on sax during 1 song, David Sandborn who's from St. Louis, but I can't find anyone else who remembers that.

All truly one of my best memories during high school.

I don't know what you fans think of the tour musically...but I can tell you...
that tour was the most Stones hysteria ever in the U.S.

3 Million requests for 5 shows in the NYC area just alone.

It was absolutely insane.

BTW - That picture is from the European tour 1982 for certain.
Check out Mick's jacket..The guy that everyone thinks is Jeff Lynne is the guy from J. Geils and that's Chuck Leavell instead of Ian McLagan.

Pecman



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-02-14 03:13 by Pecman.

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Pecman
I don't know what you fans think of the tour musically...but I can tell you...
that tour was the most Stones hysteria ever in the U.S.

3 Million requests for 5 shows in the NYC area just alone.

It was absolutely insane.

BTW - That picture is from the European tour 1982 for certain.
Check out Mick's jacket..The guy that everyone thinks is Jeff Lynne is the guy from J. Geils and that's Chuck Leavell instead of Ian McLagan.

Pecman

The guy is Magic Dick and Chuck does look like Ian.

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exilestones
It is what it is. Glad to have it. Would it be better not to have it?

Hell no! That album helped me get through life! Loved it and still do!