And the electrical outages had their human equivalent. "The talent, when it surfaced," says Johns, "had to cut through this sort of armor plate of boredom three inches thick. There was so much waiting around and hanging about."

Richards' explanation is so disarming that you can understand why they've carried on for all these years — in addition to the fact that without his guitar, there is no Rolling Stones. "It's not me being arrogant or anything," he says. "It's just that I was asleep."

Excellent article about EOMS that I've never seen before. A lot has been written about EOMS but this article gets right down to it. The Stones' view on UMe reissuing EOMS is a bit strange - certainly they didn't think anything of Virgin reissuing EOMS along with everything else.

[www.rollingstone.com]

Charlie... this is hilarious.

Charlie Watts (December 2009): Nixing a proposal to perform Exile On Main Street live

It would have been great. Universal - I had to think which record company we were with - Universal suggested we play the whole album from start to finish, but some of them are quite difficult to do, unfortunately. Ventilator Blues has never quite worked, see, there's a difference between playing a song and performing it, and Mick is a performer. Ventilator Blues doesn't give him much to go on. A few songs, like Hip Shake, you could do in a club quite easily, but when you get out there in front of 50 000 people - well, it's not quite one of those, isn't it? You're better off doingAll Down the Line. Or Tumbling Dice, that's very popular.

[www.timeisonourside.com]

Thanks for posting. One of my favourite Stones songs btw.

It'a amazing they stuck together in such circumstances.
Forced to leave their home country, in debt, beset with legal issues, still dealing with the trauma of losing Brian -- in most bands the bass player and drummer would have gone back to England and the two leaders would have fought. Somehow they held it together.
I do believe it exile was ultimately not the best thing for any of them. It made them gypsies and made things like recording far more difficult, in that now you couldn't ring up your band members and ask them to come 'round to the studio in London; now you had to get everybody to agree to meet in Germany or the Caribbean. Again, it is amazing Charlie and Bill went along with this.

They didn't even TRY Shake Your Hips in a club or small venue in 45 years, not once. At least it was rehearsed. They played Torn And Frayed - a song like made for live appearances - three times in two of 31 years. It's hard with this band that doesn't want to play even their best songs.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2017-12-02 20:59 by Monsoon Ragoon.

Another great one that I always thought would work well live was "Soul Survivor". The jam out at the end is awesome. I've never heard a live version. I actually really like the 1 with Keith singing on the extra disc.

Face it, those songs have become to difficult for this Heritage Band codgers to pull off, let alone remember. You just know they would hear some songs and say, "We recorded that?"

I got the Springsteen album with "Born In The USA Live" as bonus DVD. That is awesome, but all songs are very radio-friendly and could have been singles; more than half of them were actually singles. You cannot do that with such a difficult album as Exile, but it is a shame that half of Exile was NEVER played, although some of them had probably worked on stage. Some songs of the other half we get in nearly every show since 1972, always the same.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-12-02 21:18 by Monsoon Ragoon.

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wonderboy
It'a amazing they stuck together in such circumstances.
Forced to leave their home country, in debt, beset with legal issues, still dealing with the trauma of losing Brian -- in most bands the bass player and drummer would have gone back to England and the two leaders would have fought. Somehow they held it together.
I do believe it exile was ultimately not the best thing for any of them. It made them gypsies and made things like recording far more difficult, in that now you couldn't ring up your band members and ask them to come 'round to the studio in London; now you had to get everybody to agree to meet in Germany or the Caribbean. Again, it is amazing Charlie and Bill went along with this.

I don’t think it was amazing at all.
They were young, and needed the money.
What a hardship, good looking and famous in the glorious south of France -
I wish I was exiled to France with a job residence in a stone mansion on the water. Well, I’m too old now but...

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35love

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wonderboy
It'a amazing they stuck together in such circumstances.
Forced to leave their home country, in debt, beset with legal issues, still dealing with the trauma of losing Brian -- in most bands the bass player and drummer would have gone back to England and the two leaders would have fought. Somehow they held it together.
I do believe it exile was ultimately not the best thing for any of them. It made them gypsies and made things like recording far more difficult, in that now you couldn't ring up your band members and ask them to come 'round to the studio in London; now you had to get everybody to agree to meet in Germany or the Caribbean. Again, it is amazing Charlie and Bill went along with this.

I don’t think it was amazing at all.
They were young, and needed the money.
What a hardship, good looking and famous in the glorious south of France -
I wish I was exiled to France with a job residence in a stone mansion on the water. Well, I’m too old now but...

Agree.

I fell in love with France last October,
it just might be the single greatest country ever.

I had a ‘woo woo’ moment Paris 2, Keith Richards, Keith Richards
playing guitar in front of me!
The architect of Exile On Mainstreet
created in France, and here WE ARE IN FRANCE

Where ELSE should the highest form of rock n roll created art occur BUT France!

Back to topic,
live Exile tracks,
especially and particularly from 1972 performances
with Jim Price, Nicky Hopkins, Bobby K etc
are extremely rare gold
‘Sweet Black Angel’
‘Torn and Frayed’
(I have a hard time trying to describe Exile/ what it means to me)

I don't think they all really loved the south of France. Like the story says, they were in a foreign country and didn't speak the language, away from their friends and family in London, uncertain about their future. They got chased out of there pretty quick and didn't return.

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wonderboy
I don't think they all really loved the south of France. Like the story says, they were in a foreign country and didn't speak the language, away from their friends and family in London, uncertain about their future. They got chased out of there pretty quick and didn't return.

I thought they (except Mick T) subsequently bought homes in France, which apart from Keith they still own?

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wonderboy
I don't think they all really loved the south of France. Like the story says, they were in a foreign country and didn't speak the language, away from their friends and family in London, uncertain about their future. They got chased out of there pretty quick and didn't return.

It was the lack of proper black English tea and whatever that ridiculous condiment they can’t live without.... what?
Hindsight 20 20 grass greener all that.

quotes by wonderboy
"I don't think they all really loved the south of France".
Didn't Bill and Charlie buy a house there in the following years?

"they were in a foreign country and didn't speak the language"
They had Tarlé to do the translating job.

"They got chased out of there pretty quick and didn't return"
Well 5 years later they were in Mougins (40 clicks from Villefranche) to rehearse for the 76 tour.
In fact they could have moved back to France as early as 1974 when a new "young" more liberal president was elected.

Maybe I am projecting my own feelings onto this.
Personally, I would have rather remained at home, bought a nice flat close to the studio, near my family, in my home country, where I could go round and see bands and things in London, than going to a foreign country (and no offense to the French) and working in a basement with Keith's drug friends upstairs.
We know that Charlie and Bill didn't care for it. Mick didn't enjoy it. What Mick Taylor thought about this and most things is unknown.
In the larger picture, that kind of a gypsy lifestyle was bad for them, imo. Because they were exiles, they had to record in the islands (where Bill had a terrible experience) and other European cities. It must have contributed to Keith's drug problem and some of their other personal problems, in that they weren't grounded by their homes and home people (like Ian Stewart).
Even look at them now where they can't just ring each other up on a Sunday night and schedule a studio session the next day because all five of them are living in London. That's sort of how the Sticky Fingers sessions went, for example. Those went well -- they got a great album and also put down some of the songs that wound up on Exile. And they all got to go home.
And again, I am projecting, but I'd rather work and live that way than the Exile way.

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crholmstrom
Another great one that I always thought would work well live was "Soul Survivor". The jam out at the end is awesome. I've never heard a live version. I actually really like the 1 with Keith singing on the extra disc.

That may be one of the dark matter aspects of this era for the Stones - where as Bitch is a chugging rocking song with some screaming vocals, Soul Survivor is a chugging rocking song with screaming vocals that... wasn't released as a B-side (nor included on MADE IN THE SHADE) like All Down The Line Was, which may be the third most played song live from EOMS.

Pure speculation, of course, but Mick probably doesn't even know about Soul Survivor and if he did he sees zero reason to play it live.

Consistently they've played Tumbling Dice, Happy, All Down The Line and Rocks Off over the years.

The 1972 AMERICAN TOUR they played 6 songs for almost every show and the 1973 winter tour it was 5 for a majority of the tour:

Happy
Tumbling Dice
Sweet Virginia
Rip This Joint
All Down The Line
Rocks Off

Their 1973 EUROPEAN TOUR for GOATS HEAD SOUP they played 5 EOMS tracks from the start and it went down to 4 for a majority of the tour.

So as diverse and awesome of an album that EOMS is, the Stones don't seem too interested in it. So they've played Loving Cup and Shine A Light a few times since 1995.

Which is a shame. Who wouldn't love to hear Casino Boogie, Turd On The Run, Soul Survivor and or Let It Loose live? Aside from the casual HOT ROCKS fan, a lot of Stones fans would.

I am sure Mick is quite familiar with ‘Soul Survivor’ after the EOMS reissue
2010 where he stated he had spent days hours weeks combing thru all the Exile tapes.

There is a different feel in the soil, air, sea and rocks from country to country.
And LA recording studios. Who knows, coulda been the weed of the 70’s, lol.

At any rate, they all have access to fast short private aero plane rides.
And a private bed. And an assistant to pack and fold.

GasLightStreet I am reading your link now (and like you am sure I’ve read everything RS at least 2x) but this is good except this quote (ouch)

‘And if it depresses you to think that the music's defining masterpiece came out the same year as the first hand-held calculator, ‘

He doesn't want to play Soul Survivor, he wants to perform Rocks Off or All Down The Line, because his guitarists and 20 % in the audience (not 5 %) know these tunes. That's the problem. A live version of Soul Survivor would probably work, but didn't even happen in 2012/13 club concerts, shortly after the EOMS rerelease.

Richards: ‘"If they'd look up the court records," he says, "they'd have more facts than I do."

Ugh this article is one I wish they would have had a better PR or fan rep or fan advice b4 they spoke about the double album da Vinci of rock:

“writers have sweated bullets for years trying to come up with fresh adjectives for Exile, and as far as I know, "quirky" is a first.”

that was Mick, but total props for him following with: just being honest

Here is Keith’s famous line
Richards, always ready with a quotable metaphor, says the guiding principle behind spiffing up the outtakes was "not to repaint the smile on the 'Mona Lisa.' It's a unique piece of work, done in a unique place, and it should sound like that."

ETA: I should have read the article b4 responding!

"Hey, what's so difficult about cutting a record on the Riviera?" Richards remembers thinking. "You know, lying on a beach in the sun? Jesus Christ, who could ask for anything more?"



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2017-12-03 18:43 by 35love.

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Monsoon Ragoon
He doesn't want to play Soul Survivor, he wants to perform Rocks Off or All Down The Line, because his guitarists and 20 % in the audience (not 5 %) know these tunes. That's the problem. A live version of Soul Survivor would probably work, but didn't even happen in 2012/13 club concerts, shortly after the EOMS rerelease.

Yep. That sums it up perfectly, really. Aside from the 1972/73 tours for EOMS, they'd've played other songs in 1995 when they did those few shows that resulted in TOTALLY STRIPPED and during the LICKS tour. Those are the only other realistic times they would've (or could've) done them.

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35love
Ugh this article is one I wish they would have had a better PR or fan rep or fan advice b4 they spoke about the double album da Vinci of rock:

“writers have sweated bullets for years trying to come up with fresh adjectives for Exile, and as far as I know, "quirky" is a first.”

that was Mick, but total props for him following with: just being honest

I read that and thought it was a bit of a smirk because of how reviews have been 'their best since...' or 'it's a throw back to' and so on so maybe it's a bit of wink towards the absurd about EOMS' reputation.

Then again, it is accurate. What more is there to say about some pile of an album that was half leftovers from LET IT BLEED and STICKY FINGERS that nobody liked for years and then became the greatest rock'n'roll album of all time and blah blah blah?

Has anyone ever described it as eclectic? Because it is truly that.

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GasLightStreet

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35love
Ugh this article is one I wish they would have had a better PR or fan rep or fan advice b4 they spoke about the double album da Vinci of rock:

“writers have sweated bullets for years trying to come up with fresh adjectives for Exile, and as far as I know, "quirky" is a first.”

that was Mick, but total props for him following with: just being honest

I read that and thought it was a bit of a smirk because of how reviews have been 'their best since...' or 'it's a throw back to' and so on so maybe it's a bit of wink towards the absurd about EOMS' reputation.

Then again, it is accurate. What more is there to say about some pile of an album that was half leftovers from LET IT BLEED and STICKY FINGERS that nobody liked for years and then became the greatest rock'n'roll album of all time and blah blah blah?

Has anyone ever described it as eclectic? Because it is truly that.

Yes, eclectic is okay, but (and I hate trying to write this)
there is a spirit underneath the album. It captures it and relays.

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35love

Quote
GasLightStreet

Quote
35love
Ugh this article is one I wish they would have had a better PR or fan rep or fan advice b4 they spoke about the double album da Vinci of rock:

“writers have sweated bullets for years trying to come up with fresh adjectives for Exile, and as far as I know, "quirky" is a first.”

that was Mick, but total props for him following with: just being honest

I read that and thought it was a bit of a smirk because of how reviews have been 'their best since...' or 'it's a throw back to' and so on so maybe it's a bit of wink towards the absurd about EOMS' reputation.

Then again, it is accurate. What more is there to say about some pile of an album that was half leftovers from LET IT BLEED and STICKY FINGERS that nobody liked for years and then became the greatest rock'n'roll album of all time and blah blah blah?

Has anyone ever described it as eclectic? Because it is truly that.

Yes, eclectic is okay, but (and I hate trying to write this)
there is a spirit underneath the album. It captures it and relays.

And it’s never dated.
I loathe Don Was comment from this article: ‘it’s just easier to put on Let It Bleed instead’

Speaking of France,
and not giving away anyone’s privacy
there is a video footage interview Keith in Paris cafe before 1981 tour
and he says he has always had apartment in France
we know Mick has a private residence in the country
if sayin it seems they do indeed love French
and if they need a housekeeper house sitter
have passport will travel

You know what’s never mentioned in all of Exile?

How magnificently soulful Mick Jagger’s harmonica playing.

HP Sauce....never underestimate HP Sauce. Keith never travels without it, Bill was also quite fond of it. Classic English condiment and I also would never be without it! HP sauce was the secret ingredient to Exile,,,,and pretty much every other Stones album!

Marmite? The love it/hate it stuff
They are said to love it
And it's not ridiculous, nor is HP Sauce. Just English
Try them both when you come to the concerts next year........