I totally disagree with the opinion that the Stones should not touch any of their un(der)played classics. Let them try and experiment..... in rehearsals, that is!

This is clearly a case of lousy rehearsal. I also don't understand why Jagger didn't pick up a guitar to play the rhythm part which is totally lacking. It should be slowed down at least 15 BPM as well.

Sway is all about feeling and passion, which is exactly what's wrong with this rendition. It doesn't do justice to at least the feeling that the song should evoke.

I'm all for experimenting and changing arrangements of songs, but isn't there anyone in the Stones entourage who can tell when something is working and when it's not.

As for the solo's.... they're just awful. Really, really awful. It's not THAT hard playing a solo over two (2!) chords! Cm pentatonic should get you a decent solo in about one minute, Ronnie!

I'm looking forward to the next version with hopefully Jagger on rhythm, Woody playing a practiced solo and a slower pace.

I guess if you like out of tune guitar and flat vocals then the performane live
would do justice to the original classic which was sung by jagger with a bad
attitiude and taylor's controlled solos(the point his slide solo never went out
ot tune.

It is interesting to see how many people could perform Stones songs way better than the Stones themselves. As Mick Jagger don't know what album Sway is from and he also tend to mix up lyrics at times, why not simply replace him with a great studio singer with an excellent memory? There must be at least 1 million singers attending the IDOLS competitions who could do this way better.

Wake up guys. It's the Stones. Just admit it. They are perfect as they are now. You can't replace the band members. They are the band. And we want them that way. But the fans can be replaced. If you don't like them anymore then go listening to some other perfect band who charge 20 dollars per ticket and who never mix up lyrics and never mix up guitar playing. Then you will be happy. Technically happy. But satisfied?

Bjornulf

I wouldn't call the vocals flat. IMO, only the ..."just that demon life..."-part sounded bad.

Bjornulf!

100% agree!

just listened to it and I think its awesome! and ronnie rocks!

bv Wrote:
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> It is interesting to see how many people could
> perform Stones songs way better than the Stones
> themselves. As Mick Jagger don't know what album
> Sway is from and he also tend to mix up lyrics at
> times, why not simply replace him with a great
> studio singer with an excellent memory? There must
> be at least 1 million singers attending the IDOLS
> competitions who could do this way better.
>
> Wake up guys. It's the Stones. Just admit it. They
> are perfect as they are now. You can't replace the
> band members. They are the band. And we want them
> that way. But the fans can be replaced. If you
> don't like them anymore then go listening to some
> other perfect band who charge 20 dollars per
> ticket and who never mix up lyrics and never mix
> up guitar playing. Then you will be happy.
> Technically happy. But satisfied?
>
> Bjornulf

And as an extension of this point, I would like to go back to the issue of criticism levelled by someone that plays in a Stones tribute band. Such a person cannot fail to look at different renditions of their own songs that the Stones perform with quite the same perspective as the rest of us mere mortals that don't wield the axe. When I go to see a Stones tribute band; the "Rollin Stoned" that play often here in London for example, I go for the specific purpose of hearing near as dammit faithful reproductions of all those fabulous songs. And that's exactly what they give me - faithful reproductions. If you were to listen to their version of Sympathy for example, you would hear the guy that plays Keith performs the solo from the Beggar's Banquet version, and the guy that plays Mick Taylor performs some of the solos from the Get Yer Ya Yas Out version. It's pure and utter replication, and it's absolutely divine to listen to. But the Rolling Stones themselves are (a) not a tribute band, and (b) under no particular obligation to replicate anything they've recorded in a studio to any specific standard. People might wish them to replicate certain songs or solos faithfully right to the last note or slur or bend, and with "some" songs on "some" occasions they get their particular wish granted, and with other songs on other occasions they plainly don't.

So yes, the version of Sway performed in Ohio was not perhaps a faithful repro of what resides on Sticky Fingers, but can we please not overlook the fact that it wasn't played for the sake of appeasing the purists and analysts, but rather for the tens of thousands of people in attendance at the show. Can we also not overlook the fact that their giving this particular song an airing was probably brought about by feedback they got from the fans. Should we not be just even slightly grateful that they actually respond to feedback ? I certainly think we should.

For Ronnie to be lambasted in quite the manner he was in Mathijs' opening post seems to me to be quite inappropriate. The guy does not warrant to be dismissed in the context of having his ass kicked, his guitar confiscated, and to be told to F-oxtrot O-scar and drink his beer and do his stupid paintings. Mathijs could do well to reflect on the fact that his own critique of the Stones in terms of what they play and how they play it arises from a perspective that differs from the "majority" perspective, and furthermore he could perhaps also do well to temper his unecessarily offensive language and adopt a more pleasant disposition.

Finally, having been in the NYC art gallery on Friday 16th September when Ronnie himself turned up, I would have to beg to differ with the view that his paintings are stupid. Having myself placed an order for a screenprint of his painting entitled Wild Horses, and being with friends who themselves bought nearly $10,000 worth of his work, as well as being witness to hundreds of thousands worth being sold on that night and the following day, I would venture to say that there are a great many other people out there who would similarly disagree with the view that this man's paintings are stupid.

Great post, pauly

Just as a matter of curiusity, where is it available? Can someone send it me?

C

Lets just make sure they keep it in the set list a small step in the rigth direction.

nice words paulywaul....ROCKMAN

It's just that demon life that got YOU (and everybody else probably) in its sway...........

"Well it just goes to show, things are not what they seem..."

Listen "Flip The Switch" band and you could hear the bigger piece of shit bang !!

I hate this kind of guys. Go to see Satriani and look all his guitar tech !

I hope Sway stay in the setlist for all the rest of the tour. I love when they played tunes they never played before. Just for the hardcore fans who travel around the world, and not for this kind of supposed fans.....

i have read some reviews on Shadobie land and here....give it a rest...already.....you bitch they dont play this or that and you bitch when they do play this or that....what is it that you people realy want?????? its about having a good grove and having fun ?????? to funny!! i wish i was there to hear it..!!

He wants to write like an expert, when the covers he plays are the actually chinese torture !!

Hey Mathijs, Why don't you go to a studio recorder, close the door and destroy the key? Sure you will be more happy than attend to any of the Stones shows !!

I must say in Keith's denfense that You Got the Silver in '99 Hartford was amazing.

#6 Wrote:
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> I must say in Keith's denfense that You Got the
> Silver in '99 Hartford was amazing.

I was also there, and yes, it was amazing.

"I hate this kind of guys. Go to see Satriani and look all his guitar tech !"

Jeez.. not meaning to defend Mathijs (he can manage), but Christ! Do.you.get.the.point? The point is not note-for-note-perfect renditions! Some people just don't like this version because:

a) it's too fast
b) the solo's are shite
c) there is no rhythm guitar
etc.

Mathijs was far too harsh en his comments for Ronnie are IMO inappropriate, but please listen to the song, count to 10 and come back and tell me it rocks. Because it doesn't. It's shit and they need to work harder.

Sway was basically a paid rehearsal!

I almost can't believe that I'm saying this but in Mathijs's defence . . .

The Alvin Youngblood version from Paint it Blue contains a nice solo (two actually, a little less ambitious than MT's but very workable), powerful yet softer voicing, and a (slightly) quicker beat that doesn't undermine the ragged-anthem pace of the original and yet makes the 4/4 more relentlessly driven. If the Stones shouldn't try to do the original, they certainly could kick the sh!t out of Alvin's version, including Ronnie.

I say "if" because I'm happy that the Stones have done it for us (they didn't do it for their own selfish interests). Period.

Yeah, I got the point. If Ronnie play note for note in perfect key, identical to the album version, our loved expert will say he hasn't imagination to perform a great live solo, and if he plays the solo he played and got the people who attend the show crazy, he must go to his home to paint.

Come on guys, go to see Stones and go crazy and shout like it would be the last day of your life.

Mathijs is very happy putting his shitty comments here, as he's a Guitar God, the Best Expert in The World, and he thinks we must read his fooly reviews to learn about how the Stones are playing now.

Ok, let me get this straight. The Rolling Stones (aka The World's Greatest Rock n Roll Band, formed 1962, and the sole reason for the existence of this web site) perfom a song (Sway), which tops the wish list for songs requested on the 2005-06 tour, and a song which they haven't performed since they left the studio 34 years ago. Then, less than 24 hours after the performance of this song we have people here denigrating a) Ronnie's solo, b)the tempo of the song, c) the key Mick sings it in, d)Keith's contribution or lack thereof, e)the conviction (or lack thereof) in Mick's delivery. I personally find the posts on this and related threads utterly incomprehensible and they say loads more about the posters than they do about the actual performance of Sway on Saturday in Ohio. I can't wait to hear Sway in Philly on 10/12 and if they play it, I'm going to soak in every flat vocal, bum chord and misplayed lead with a grin from ear to ear. Bash me if you will...I'm confident that my take on the matter is right on the money. '71 ain't coming back til 2071.

Very nice post, dj. Hope you enjoy 'Sway' in Philly.

tat2you Wrote:
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> i have read some reviews on Shadobie land
> and here....give it a rest...already.....you
> bitch they dont play this or that and you
> bitch when they do play this or
> that....what is it that you people realy
> want??????


we want to bitch just to piss off people like you....you have a problem with that?

RIGHT ON DJ!!!!!!! I was there Saturday night, and yeah, it didn't sound like the '71 studio version but I ENJOYED the hell out of it! I paid money for the Stones to entertain ME for the evening and they DID!! Hell, that song alone was almost worth admission. To the bitchers out there: enjoy the Stones,soak them in and be glad that they are on this earth for us to ENJOY....

rainhog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> RIGHT ON DJ!!!!!!! I was there Saturday night, and
> yeah, it didn't sound like the '71 studio version
> but I ENJOYED the hell out of it! I paid money for
> the Stones to entertain ME for the evening and
> they DID!! Hell, that song alone was almost worth
> admission. To the bitchers out there: enjoy the
> Stones,soak them in and be glad that they are on
> this earth for us to ENJOY....


you can bitch and enjoy the Stones all at the same time. just takes a little practice - try it!

Yes yes yes rainhog. You're a lucky man !!

Come on guys, play 'Sway' every night on this tour !!! New amazing live material !!

Hey StonesLicks2002!

Every word you wrote is all right with me!

I was also there Saturday and it was awesome. No it was not perfect but it was probably the best Stones concert I have ever attended. I thought the band and crowd had great synergy.
I took friends who were seeing them for the first time and they were totally blown away. They thought the setlist was perfectly balanced between rarities and hits.
This was my 13TH concert dating back to the 73 European tour.
Also a highlight for me besides Sway and Mr. Pitiful was 2 High5s from Ronnie during Shattered.

Thanks keefed.

I must say that I don't care how much perfect is the Alvin Youngblood version of Paint It Black. When the Stones play Paint It Black I usually spend three or four minutes jumping, shouting, clapping my hands.... I think Alvin Youngblood could go to Mathijs house to play the perfect cover of any Stones tune, but I need the guys in front of me playing loud.

Disagree or agree, everyone is entitled to their opinion. There's no need to de-humanize and denegrate someone just because they write something you happen to disagree with, is there?