Ruminating on GHS must ultimately lead to what I think is a much better album (if you would like to call it that) and that is "It's only Goat's Head Soup but We Love It. Maaan, that cd is perfect with wonderful alternate mixes from the GHS record PLUS it feels like a 2-LP set with the additon of the b-side. The great "Fingerprint File" that closes it is the icing on the cake. It is the equal of "RSVP" and "Taxile on Main St" imho. I would never say that for the original GHS although I agree with what was said before that is the best sub-par album of their career.

Sincerely,

Charles Baudelaire
1821-1867, and then reborn and dead in 1869 all over again

Niklas Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Black and Blue a pile of shit? Hmmm, you must be
> out of tune man.....
>
> Niklas
> Cousin Minnie says: How delecious!


To each their own....I rarely play Black & Blue, and when I do I skip more songs than I listen to.





the shoot 'em dead, brainbell jangler!

The reason is the Bass guitar is out of tune on almost every track.

It is one of the only albums where the bass was recorded last...the piano and the keyboards at the studio were slightly out of tune with the guitars...so when they dropped the bass which was last, it had to be in tune with either the guitar or keyboard but couldn't be both...thus, you get that wishy washy sound...which made fans feel...wishy washy about the record...give a good listen to Heartbreaker and you'll hear the out of tune instruments..especially if you are a musician.

However, 100 Years Ago and Winter are in my opinion two of the best tracks they ever laid down...too bad Mick & Keith didn't support those songs.

Pecman

As an album there is no "punch" to it. The mood is that everyone is playing while doped up on some really good opium and skunk weed.

I think it is more of a mood piece. I would put IORR and Black & Blue in that catagory also. You have to be in the mood to hear those songs on those albums, IMO.

Milo NYC
It's very complicated

Have only read the initial post - but wonderful to hear you making such perfect sense, darryljones.

And you are spot-on about Charlie's drum work on Winter. Was just listening to that the other day. You can tell that he enjoyed getting into the mood of this one. He really excells on 'mood' tracks like this. You get glimpses of this former glory on tracks like Laugh I nearly Died but generally they don't write such songs like this anymore where he can realy get in the groove. Another (obvious) example is Time Waits For No-One.

Love GHS, hugely underrated, especially "Hide Your Love"- loose, funky, piano-driven, with very tasty licks (presumably MT). C'mon folks, what's this "engine"stuff you're referring to? We're all grown-ups here you know...

To me it´s not underrated! I don´t consider it a weak album (only in comparison to its 4 forerunners), but it is not the "typical" Stones sound I am so fond of. It is too much melody than riff orientated, it lacks energy ("raw power"), and even some of the faster tracks like for example "Silver Train" I don´t really appreciate. I like Dancing with Mr. D., Heartbreaker, Angie, Hide your love and @#$%& though.

Goats Head Soups has always been one of my favourite Stones albums.
I guess it's underrated because it was the first album after the "classical stage" of the Stones from 1968 to 72, even though it was recorded in 1972. Musically, it's a weak album, incomparable to the four studio albums before. It seems Keith lacked ideas, Mick lacked enthusiasm but they did a good job.

But songs such as "Angie", "@#$%&", "Heartbreaker", "Winter", "Silver Train" even "100 Years Ago" and "Coming Down Again" have become classics later on. These are more classic songs than from Black & Blue, Emotional Rescue or Steel Wheels. Still love listening to GHS.

I always disliked "Silver train".

But "Angie", "Doo doo doo doo doo" and "@#$%&" are classics and I also love the funky psycho style of "Dancing with Mr. D" and "Can you hear the music" (that later developed into "Fingerprint file" and finally "Hey negrita").

Goat's Head Soup is undercooked but still tasty

Just listened to this album today... Hide your love could have been on Exile, would have fit right in.

Bigbang,

I always thought the same thing.

PECMAN