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His Majesty
Yeah, LIL dates back to before Taylor even joined.

Kind of makes sense of Taylor not playing on it and Nicky playing mellotron.

Since you are the "Mellotron Majesty", which was the last track they used it on?
(I mean 60s-70s)

For me the mellotron has always been bugging me, it sort of dates the track sure, but there is something about the elaborate arrangement on LiL - could they really have a basic track to such an elaborate arrangement in the can already in 69 - ready to insert the piano, horns, vocals and backupsingers? It seems so "planned" from the get go, if you get my drift.

The guitarsound also seems so "rich", compared to the 69 stuff. I mean one must assume the guitar is one of the things from 69? And while Charlies snare sure has a bit more of that top-end lacking from some of the other Nellcote tracks, the tom toms sounds almost distorted at times, more reminicent of the Nellcote vibe again.

A favorite subject of mine and one we probably will not know fully, which is the magic of it, no?

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RobberBride

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His Majesty
Yeah, LIL dates back to before Taylor even joined.

Kind of makes sense of Taylor not playing on it and Nicky playing mellotron.

Since you are the "Mellotron Majesty", which was the last track they used it on?
(I mean 60s-70s)

For me the mellotron has always been bugging me, it sort of dates the track sure, but there is something about the elaborate arrangement on LiL - could they really have a basic track to such an elaborate arrangement in the can already in 69 - ready to insert the piano, horns, vocals and backupsingers? It seems so "planned" from the get go, if you get my drift.

The guitarsound also seems so "rich", compared to the 69 stuff. I mean one must assume the guitar is one of the things from 69? And while Charlies snare sure has a bit more of that top-end lacking from some of the other Nellcote tracks, the tom toms sounds almost distorted at times, more reminicent of the Nellcote vibe again.

A favorite subject of mine and one we probably will not know fully, which is the magic of it, no?

A most excellent subject it is. Not sure if you're only talking about the Mellotron; but your analysis of the guitar and toms is deep.
I still hear a good bit of Mellotron used in music today; it is just not an actual Mellotron used anymore.

Let it Loose is the last stones mellotron track.

As for the guitar sound, it's a guitar put through a leslie, a very in thing in 1969. Blind Faith used it within the same time frame. Distorted toms, quite a few distorted drum recordings from Olympic.

Getting down a basic backing of guitar, bass, piano and drums was common practice for them. Take away the leslie effect and it's not all that different to what they were doing in slow Sympathy in 1968.

I think the gospel vocals and horns give the track an extre dimension and take the ears away from London and plants you in the deep south.

When ever it is from, it is magic.



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 2018-10-24 17:10 by His Majesty.

It is a funny masterpiece that EXILE ON MAIN STREET. I have sometimes tried to figure out a single album version of it, but it always turns to sound torso-like or somehow flat compared to the real deal. Something essential would be lost, no matter which songs you leave out or leave in.

Take, for example, that version of RollingFreak above (mine would be a rather similar). Surely, all those songs are dear to our EXILE-shapen heart, but, let us be frank: Would that be a strong enough follower of STICKY FINGERS (and LET IT BLEED and BEGGARS BANQUET before it)? My picture is that if having released as a single album in any form, the album wouldn't be considered such a masterpiece as it done now (even more, I think it would have seen as an example of a slight artistic downhill after the three obvious masterpieces, each of them containing classical 'war horses' songs. One "Tumbling Dice" wouldn't have changed that that verdict).

I think the strenght of EXILE is, with its incredible flow, its lenghth as well. The EXILE songs alone wouldn't be such memorable ones as the peak ones in their three previous albums, but since you have so many of them, one after other, each like completing each other, there comes the unique artistic statement of the album. You need things like "Hip Shake","Just Wanna See His Face" or "Turd On The Run" or [put any number here] to get the non-compromised point and nature of EXILE. There wouldn't have been place in their albums for many songs of EXILE before - no simply room for such things. The over-all quality of songs, and of their performances, is damn high. But unlike with STICKY, BLEED and BEGGARS, there aren't those 'key numbers' a'la "Sympathy For The Devil", "Street Fighting Man", "Gimme Shelter", "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "Brown Sugar", "Moonlight Mile", etc. around which to construct a helluva strong single album. The flow and constitution of EXILE is so different compared to those three.

One could even claim that the lack of clearly outstanding songs (of that caliber of best 1968-71 songs), is compensated with the quantity (but which allows unusual depth and variance). But the result is if not better, at least as good. For me EXILE ON MAIN STREET is their greatest artistical statement ever. The album, with its no excuses, no hostages attitude is an incredible statement! No wonder they were creatively exhausted after it.


- Doxa

Changing anything on Exile would be madness. Either removing from it or adding to it. It's perfect just as it is.

Edited because I wrote a load of old B%llocks



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2018-10-25 16:28 by Spud.