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Doxa

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Witness
One objection only, Doxa, but a vital one, now you are narrowing down the diversity of what Rolling Stones music may comprise with decency. The call in the opening post, however, was for songs that are described as "beautiful melodies". There are many, can I call it, idioms for that in the Rolling Stones canon. You seem to insist in excluding some of them. I am not embarassed by one of them more or less ( I would still say less) overlapping with a Beatles mode, but am attracted to them as well with their marked Stones characteristic difference. I am very surprised by your remark with a quite general aim that Beatles' songmaking was conservative, without qualification, then meaning all over. (I have never been attracted to Simon & Garfunkel, and I see no relationship there. The German Decca compilation box THE BEST OF THE REST has got a track, where the Stones are joyfully and shamelessly playing around with the Ronettes song " Be My Baby". I guess that you hardly can like or even accept it, where I do).

Ì may be attracted to music out of different reasons. What I am often attracted to, is music that I myself find has got an emotional intensity in some way, even if I may by taste exclude much music that also does. For instance, "Indian Girl" that possibly for you are easy listening music, to me has that superb quality. The two songs I nominate in this thread, may for some listeners be heard as easy listening. That is not the reason for their appeal to me.

By the way, apparently within your boundaries, there is one beautiful Keith sung song, not mentionned, I think. I seem to remember from earlier on that, surprisingly enough, the really beautiful "Coming Down Again" does not have so much appeal to you, whereas I may share your verdict on "All About You". The attraction of the latter to me, however, is not most of all its beauty, but the masterful way the song serves as a musical vehicle for expressing bitterness.

Thanks, good points. I need to clarify myself that I didn't mean to say all those rubytuesdays, ladyjanes, astearsgobys etc. were bad or that I disqualify them or something. Absolutely not! They all are great, beautifully written songs, and I like each of them very much. Like I do of many The Beatles, Abba or Simon & Garfunkel songs (but not so much as I do of the mentioned Stones songs). And I do accept the argument that it is that kind of more traditionally written songs one can whistle the catchy melody easily, are the ones belonging to the category of "beautiful melodies". But I was attracted to the word "most" here - while Jagger/Richards are able to write some damn beautiful melodies in that mentioned sense, I think their true uniqueness and strength - and the one which attracts me most - is their more idiosyncratic way to handle the melody in 'odd' contexts, such as in bluesy rockers. For example, I think "Sway" and "Rocks Off" and, say, "Soul Survivor" are masterpieces in this sense. I don't think anyone can do better than they do that, inwheras one could easily argue that writers like Lennon/McCartney or Paul Simon or the Abba guys are able to do a better work in that more traditional catchy melody field, think of things like "Yesterday", "The Winner Takes It All" or "The Boxer" (although I agree with you that the Stones ballads and melodically catchy tunes have a kind of 'Stonesy' idiosyncratic character in them). Plus Jagger/Richards have that "bluesy" feel in the their style of writing melodies they had learned by the time of making BEGGARS BANQUET, many of the songs being damn simple structurally. The 'less is more' philosophy there. They are bluesmen by heart. To me that sounds beautiful and clever melodically (although I am sure many in music world would oppose me here).

By the way, I belong to a small group of people who actually likes "Indian Girl" very much. As I do of "Coming Down Again". "Bye Bye Baby" is a fantastic song!

- Doxa

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Spud
A large part of their greatness is just the glorious noise they make.

It can make almost any song sound great .

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Rocky Dijon
Doxa is unquestionably the most articulate of all of us when it comes to expressing how the music moves him. The fact that he does so in a second language is even more impressive.

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Rockman
Doxa is wiser than many realize ……….. he can see things that others can't ...

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Chris Fountain
Maybe this song meets the criterion:

Hannah honey was a peachy kind of girl
Her eyes were hazel
And her nose were slightly curved
We spent a lonely night at the Memory Motel
It's on the ocean, I guess you know it well
It took a starry to steal my breath away
Down on the water front
Her hair all drenched in spray
Hannah baby was a honey of a girl
Her eyes were hazel
And her teeth were slightly curved
She took my guitar and she began to play
She sang a song to me
Stuck right in my brain
You're just a memory of a love
That used to be
You're just a memory of a love
That used to mean so much to me
She got a mind of her own
And she use it well
Well she's one of a kind
She's got a mind
She got a mind of her own
And she use it mighty fine
She drove a pick-up truck
Painted green…

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micawber
WINTER
and no other song ever came close to it's melody.
Simply GREAT.

On a literal basis the only nominee can be: Melody

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lem motlow

When they are gone and people do the inevitable sifting through and fine tooth combing of what they left us,then and only then will the superiority of the Stones be realized.
Trust me, they will be digging up Memory Motel,Till the next goodbye,Wild Horses,Out of tears and dozens of other beautiful melodies that will show how adults bare their souls.

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shortfatfanny

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lem motlow

When they are gone and people do the inevitable sifting through and fine tooth combing of what they left us,then and only then will the superiority of the Stones be realized.
Trust me, they will be digging up Memory Motel,Till the next goodbye,Wild Horses,Out of tears and dozens of other beautiful melodies that will show how adults bare their souls.

Wonderfully summed up...

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DandelionPowderman

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micawber
WINTER
and no other song ever came close to it's melody.
Simply GREAT.

On a literal basis the only nominee can be: Melody

Do you mean what Mick sings or the guitar/strings-theme?

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micawber

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DandelionPowderman

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micawber
WINTER
and no other song ever came close to it's melody.
Simply GREAT.

On a literal basis the only nominee can be: Melody

Do you mean what Mick sings or the guitar/strings-theme?

Both.