How Mick Jagger made the greatest blues album he's never released

By Paul Rees



Mick Jagger in 1992 and The Red Devils' Lester Butler in 1993 (Image credit: Jeff Kravitz/ Frans Schellekens/Getty Images )

In the early 90s, Mick Jagger teamed up with LA blues band The Red Devils for what could have been a return to his roots

In the spring of 1992, Mick Jagger was in Los Angeles preparing his third solo album with Rick Rubin. Jagger’s two previous efforts outside of the Rolling Stones, 1985’s She’s The Boss and 1987’s Primitive Cool, had been little loved and fast forgotten.

He’d brought in Rubin to lend him some much-needed credibility. The producer had made his name piloting the Beastie Boys and Run DMC to international acclaim and was fresh from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ multiplatinum Blood Sugar Sex Magik album. 

Rubin was also working with an LA bar band called the Red Devils at the time, masterminding their debut album for his own Def American Recordings label. A fiery blues collective, the Devils had come to his attention playing a weekly residency at a poky LA club called the King King, a former Chinese restaurant on the corner of 6th and La Brea. 

As well as Rubin, the likes of ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, AC/DC’s Angus and Malcolm Young and actor Bruce Willis had been seen mingling with the regular Monday night crowd at the King King, won over by the Devils’ raw power, and in particular their charismatic frontman, Lester Butler, who blew a mean harmonica.

In May 1992, Rubin coaxed Jagger down to the King King to check out the Red Devils. Jagger was impressed enough get up and jam with them, performing blazing versions of Bo Diddley’s Who Do You Love?, which was a staple of the Stones’ early sets, and Little Walter’s Blues With A Feeling. 

Jagger seemed in his element, as though returned to his youth. The following month, Rubin took him and the Red Devils into Ocean Way Recording studios in Hollywood. 

“It was a one-day marathon,” recalled the Devils’ guitarist, Dave Lee Bartel. “We cut 13 tunes in 14 hours, all old blues songs, with Mick singing live.” 

These tracks were done in three or four takes, and among them were raucous renditions of blues standards like Muddy Waters’ Forty Days And Forty Nights and Bukka White’s Shake ’Em On Down. Jagger sounded as engaged as he’d been in years – his voice raw but impassioned – and Rubin left convinced he’d got his album in the can. 

In that respect, he was to be frustrated. Soon enough, Jagger determined that the Red Devils tracks sounded too rough for release and pursued a more commercial sound. He recruited high-priced session men such as keyboardist Benmont Tench and drummer Jim Keltner, spending months with Rubin honing a slicker set of songs. 

Released early the following year, Wandering Spirit went Gold in the US but it barely resonated. It would be Jagger’s last solo album of the 90s and he returned instead to the Stones’ bosom. 

Fate dealt the Red Devils a harder hand. Their Rubin-produced album, a live affair titled King King, won rave reviews but tanked. Ground down by Butler’s escalating substance abuse, they disbanded in 1994. Butler died of a heroin overdose in 1998, aged 38. 

The embers of that day at Ocean Way burn on, however, and the full session has been posted on YouTube. Jagger, though, has released just the one track from the session, popping a cover of Sonny Boy Williamson’s Checkin’ Up On My Baby on to his 2007 Best Of…, and he shows no inclination to put out the rest. 

“There’s a side of me that thinks [that session] could’ve been so much better,” the Red Devils’ guitarist Paul ‘The Kid’ Size recalled. “On a couple of the songs, there was no groove. But then the others, man, they were rocking."

[www.loudersound.com]

Hmm... a bit lazy journalism. Like it was a choice between a blues cover album with The Red Devils recorded in one day and WANDERING SPIRIT. And had they opted with the former that would made better than selling gold and resonating more? Hmm.. years later BLUE & LONESOME was a surprising commercial success, but I have my doubts that the Devils album wouldn't have much impact at the time. If that had been relaesed (instead WANDERING SPIRIT) probably Mick had won some street credibility back among his toughest critics (Stones fans, rock press), but thats' about it. Besides WANDERING SPIRIT was a nice commercial success plus it had that 'getting credibility back' effect after the fiasco of PRIMITIVE COOL. For many the 'best Stones album' for ages.

In reality there was never that 'choice'. The whole Red Devils thing was a side project that took place alongside WANDERING SPIRIT main project. Rubin just took Mick to their gig and later to studio with them to loose him up or vitalize him or something. The results were good enough for a nice side release (that never happened), but the goal was all the time WANDERING SPIRIT based on original material.

The dude is re-writing history there to make a point I guess...

- Doxa



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2021-04-21 10:02 by Doxa.

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Doxa


In reality there was never that 'choice'. The whole Red Devils thing was a side project that took place alongside WANDERING SPIRIT main project. Rubin just took Mick to their gig and later to studio with them to loose him up or vitalize him or something. The results were good enough for a nice side release (that never happened), but the goal was all the time WANDERING SPIRIT based on original material.
- Doxa

Yup Rubin is/was famous for encouraging the artists he produces to "go back to their roots". For instance he encouraged Metallica to go back to standard tuning for "Death Magentic".
As for Mick, going back to his Blues roots was obviously obvious... (pardon the pun). Ecept Mick doesn't give a toss about his roots, his motto being "forward forward forward!".
Therefore I think Jagger threw Rubin a bone by saying "yes" to the Red Devils.
"I'll lose just one day of studio time then Rick will help me finish Wandering Spirit".

<Yup Rubin is/was famous for encouraging the artists he produces to "go back to their roots">

He really was a producer who didn't compromise at all.

That's easy to hear with a band like The Cult. For their Electric-album Rubin made sure that they peeled off their signature sound, to make them sound like a pure rock'n'roll band - like The Stones/Zeppelin/AC/DC etc. That album was originally named Peace, and sounded like an extension of their latest album, Love, with effects, mystical guitar parts and an airy sound.

Instead, The Cult came out with AC/DC, Zeppelin and Stones-based riffs (Start Me Up), sounding mean and heavy.

This sound lasted for one album only, but that was the album that really made them famous...

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Doxa
Hmm... a bit lazy journalism. Like it was a choice between a blues cover album with The Red Devils recorded in one day and WANDERING SPIRIT. And had they opted with the former that would made better than selling gold and resonating more? Hmm.. years later BLUE & LONESOME was a surprising commercial success, but I have my doubts that the Devils album wouldn't have much impact at the time. If that had been relaesed (instead WANDERING SPIRIT) probably Mick had won some street credibility back among his toughest critics (Stones fans, rock press), but thats' about it. Besides WANDERING SPIRIT was a nice commercial success plus it had that 'getting credibility back' effect after the fiasco of PRIMITIVE COOL. For many the 'best Stones album' for ages.

In reality there was never that 'choice'. The whole Red Devils thing was a side project that took place alongside WANDERING SPIRIT main project. Rubin just took Mick to their gig and later to studio with them to loose him up or vitalize him or something. The results were good enough for a nice side release (that never happened), but the goal was all the time WANDERING SPIRIT based on original material.

The dude is re-writing history there to make a point I guess...

- Doxa

I remember it a bit differently. From a report back then, I recall that Atlantic were presented with the blues recordings as Jagger's solo album and turned it down due to "lack of commercial value" and insisted on an album consisting of all-new Jagger originals (and obviously didn't mind a cover or two in the end). The story was that Mick did the blues recordings with the Red Devils to get out of the contract with Atlantic, indicating that he indeed tried to save the songs for the upcoming Stones album, at least the songs that were Stones-compatible (and that's true for the majority of Wandering Spirit imo).

<and obviously didn't mind a cover or two in the end>

Or four...

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retired_dog

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Doxa
Hmm... a bit lazy journalism. Like it was a choice between a blues cover album with The Red Devils recorded in one day and WANDERING SPIRIT. And had they opted with the former that would made better than selling gold and resonating more? Hmm.. years later BLUE & LONESOME was a surprising commercial success, but I have my doubts that the Devils album wouldn't have much impact at the time. If that had been relaesed (instead WANDERING SPIRIT) probably Mick had won some street credibility back among his toughest critics (Stones fans, rock press), but thats' about it. Besides WANDERING SPIRIT was a nice commercial success plus it had that 'getting credibility back' effect after the fiasco of PRIMITIVE COOL. For many the 'best Stones album' for ages.

In reality there was never that 'choice'. The whole Red Devils thing was a side project that took place alongside WANDERING SPIRIT main project. Rubin just took Mick to their gig and later to studio with them to loose him up or vitalize him or something. The results were good enough for a nice side release (that never happened), but the goal was all the time WANDERING SPIRIT based on original material.

The dude is re-writing history there to make a point I guess...

- Doxa

I remember it a bit differently. From a report back then, I recall that Atlantic were presented with the blues recordings as Jagger's solo album and turned it down due to "lack of commercial value" and insisted on an album consisting of all-new Jagger originals (and obviously didn't mind a cover or two in the end). The story was that Mick did the blues recordings with the Red Devils to get out of the contract with Atlantic, indicating that he indeed tried to save the songs for the upcoming Stones album, at least the songs that were Stones-compatible (and that's true for the majority of Wandering Spirit imo).

That's more than interesting! I have never heard anything of the sort!

But the bit about "get out of the contract with Atlantic"... wasn't WANDERING SPIRIT just a one album deal with Atlantic? His previous solo albums were part - infamously married with the Stones albums - of the Columbia/CBS deal. The Stones were at the time negotating a new deal (that they ended up making with Virgin) and my picture is that Mick made sure that his solo album was not associated any way with it. That's why Atlantic (of course, a familiar company for him from the past).

Of course, it being just one album deal doesn't mean that Mick didn't tried to fill it with a blues album. But that presupposes that he had changed his mind and instead of using his new material there he wanted to save them for the Stones (oh man, how much better VOODOO LOUNGE had been...).

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-04-21 12:17 by Doxa.

The Red Devils live "king King" is great but did not sell at all; Jagger was right not to bother releasing a blues cover album at that time. Jagger was very strong and he was rocking hard in the early 90's." Wandering Spirit" is without any question a project that needed to be released.
Rockandroll,
Mops

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Doxa

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retired_dog

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Doxa
Hmm... a bit lazy journalism. Like it was a choice between a blues cover album with The Red Devils recorded in one day and WANDERING SPIRIT. And had they opted with the former that would made better than selling gold and resonating more? Hmm.. years later BLUE & LONESOME was a surprising commercial success, but I have my doubts that the Devils album wouldn't have much impact at the time. If that had been relaesed (instead WANDERING SPIRIT) probably Mick had won some street credibility back among his toughest critics (Stones fans, rock press), but thats' about it. Besides WANDERING SPIRIT was a nice commercial success plus it had that 'getting credibility back' effect after the fiasco of PRIMITIVE COOL. For many the 'best Stones album' for ages.

In reality there was never that 'choice'. The whole Red Devils thing was a side project that took place alongside WANDERING SPIRIT main project. Rubin just took Mick to their gig and later to studio with them to loose him up or vitalize him or something. The results were good enough for a nice side release (that never happened), but the goal was all the time WANDERING SPIRIT based on original material.

The dude is re-writing history there to make a point I guess...

- Doxa

I remember it a bit differently. From a report back then, I recall that Atlantic were presented with the blues recordings as Jagger's solo album and turned it down due to "lack of commercial value" and insisted on an album consisting of all-new Jagger originals (and obviously didn't mind a cover or two in the end). The story was that Mick did the blues recordings with the Red Devils to get out of the contract with Atlantic, indicating that he indeed tried to save the songs for the upcoming Stones album, at least the songs that were Stones-compatible (and that's true for the majority of Wandering Spirit imo).

That's more than interesting! I have never heard anything of the sort!

But the bit about "get out of the contract with Atlantic"... wasn't WANDERING SPIRIT just a one album deal with Atlantic? His previous solo albums were part - infamously married with the Stones albums - of the Columbia/CBS deal. The Stones were at the time negotating a new deal (that they ended up making with Virgin) and my picture is that Mick made sure that his solo album was not associated any way with it. That's why Atlantic (of course, a familiar company for him from the past).

Of course, it being just one album deal doesn't mean that Mick didn't tried to fill it with a blues album. But that presupposes that he had changed his mind and instead of using his new material there he wanted to save them for the Stones (oh man, how much better VOODOO LOUNGE had been...).

- Doxa

Maybe someone here who has his old music mags better organized and categorised, better still: digitalized, can help me out, but the aspect that Atlantic did not accept the blues album sticks in my mind. Keeping in mind that an early batch of sessions for Wandering Spirit had already took place in March 1992, only to be continued in June after the Red Devils affair plus the fact that Mick and Rick Rubin reportedly did not go along very well, it's very plausible that Mick saw this as an "escape" from the situation. Add to this the ongoing negotiations for a lucrative new Stones record deal and the fact that it could have helped to present some "demos" of excellent new material - good reasons enough for Mick to focus his creativity once more on the Stones and fulfil his solo obligations as quick and easy as possible.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-04-21 15:58 by retired_dog.

Nothing on that Red Devils album is as good as Love in Vain live 1972 or Stop Breaking Down from Exile

This should be a RSD release...I think it would be a relatively big seller and not that Blue and Lonesome did so well it would definitely find an audience, maybe not huge but what the hell.

The news of a Rubin-produced-blues-album-with-Mick-Jagger was very intriguing, but the end result was quite lame - for me, of course.

Part of the blame goes to the Red Devils, a very good bar-cover-band but when you hear the great ones, the Muddy Waters, the Howlin Wolfs, the John Lee Hookers etc. etc., well, it is something else, not even the same sport!

That said, I am afraid that also the mighty Rubin is not exactly the best choice to produce a blues album. I mean, do you really need a "producer" to record a blues album?

C

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retired_dog

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Doxa

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retired_dog

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Doxa
Hmm... a bit lazy journalism. Like it was a choice between a blues cover album with The Red Devils recorded in one day and WANDERING SPIRIT. And had they opted with the former that would made better than selling gold and resonating more? Hmm.. years later BLUE & LONESOME was a surprising commercial success, but I have my doubts that the Devils album wouldn't have much impact at the time. If that had been relaesed (instead WANDERING SPIRIT) probably Mick had won some street credibility back among his toughest critics (Stones fans, rock press), but thats' about it. Besides WANDERING SPIRIT was a nice commercial success plus it had that 'getting credibility back' effect after the fiasco of PRIMITIVE COOL. For many the 'best Stones album' for ages.

In reality there was never that 'choice'. The whole Red Devils thing was a side project that took place alongside WANDERING SPIRIT main project. Rubin just took Mick to their gig and later to studio with them to loose him up or vitalize him or something. The results were good enough for a nice side release (that never happened), but the goal was all the time WANDERING SPIRIT based on original material.

The dude is re-writing history there to make a point I guess...

- Doxa

I remember it a bit differently. From a report back then, I recall that Atlantic were presented with the blues recordings as Jagger's solo album and turned it down due to "lack of commercial value" and insisted on an album consisting of all-new Jagger originals (and obviously didn't mind a cover or two in the end). The story was that Mick did the blues recordings with the Red Devils to get out of the contract with Atlantic, indicating that he indeed tried to save the songs for the upcoming Stones album, at least the songs that were Stones-compatible (and that's true for the majority of Wandering Spirit imo).

That's more than interesting! I have never heard anything of the sort!

But the bit about "get out of the contract with Atlantic"... wasn't WANDERING SPIRIT just a one album deal with Atlantic? His previous solo albums were part - infamously married with the Stones albums - of the Columbia/CBS deal. The Stones were at the time negotating a new deal (that they ended up making with Virgin) and my picture is that Mick made sure that his solo album was not associated any way with it. That's why Atlantic (of course, a familiar company for him from the past).

Of course, it being just one album deal doesn't mean that Mick didn't tried to fill it with a blues album. But that presupposes that he had changed his mind and instead of using his new material there he wanted to save them for the Stones (oh man, how much better VOODOO LOUNGE had been...).

- Doxa

Maybe someone here who has his old music mags better organized and categorised, better still: digitalized, can help me out, but the aspect that Atlantic did not accept the blues album sticks in my mind. Keeping in mind that an early batch of sessions for Wandering Spirit had already took place in March 1992, only to be continued in June after the Red Devils affair plus the fact that Mick and Rick Rubin reportedly did not go along very well, it's very plausible that Mick saw this as an "escape" from the situation. Add to this the ongoing negotiations for a lucrative new Stones record deal and the fact that it could have helped to present some "demos" of excellent new material - good reasons enough for Mick to focus his creativity once more on the Stones and fulfil his solo obligations as quick and easy as possible.

I already read everything on the Stones at the time and don't remember that, here's what I do remember :
- Sessions has indeed started in early 1992 (maybe even earlier) as Vanity Fair from 02/1992 had a long feature on Mick including some recording sessions in London with his "musical aide-de-camp" Matt Clifford as they were working on "Don't Tear Me Up" where there was a discussion the lyrics 'Don't poison my blood" being about AIDS and about Mick "dancing" when he thought the track was working and little James was doing the same.
- Philippe Manoeuvre wrote in "Rock and Folk" in February 1993 that Ahmet Ertegun had nixed the new album twice and asked for changes.
- Mick said in the Musician interview in March 1993 that he wouldn't tour the album as he was way behind schedule and had to meet up with Keith. This does point to delays/rejections.

So here are some questions :
- Clifford was only credited on "Angel In My Hear" in WS so something must have "happened" during the sessions, especially since he was nowhere to be found on Voodoo Lounge. Everything points to a "clash" of some sort with Mick.
- What two projects did Ertegun nix : the sessions with Clifford ? Told him to go work with Rubin ? And then did Jagger/Rubin really offer the "blues sessions" ?

Chances are we'll never know !

--------------
IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

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treaclefingers
This should be a RSD release...I think it would be a relatively big seller and not that Blue and Lonesome did so well it would definitely find an audience, maybe not huge but what the hell.

I'd get in line for that...

I love that boot cd and personally put it way over any other jagger solo release. Whether or not it is better than some way back release by the Stones is totally beside the point. Just listened to it the other night and was reminded how good it was.

jb

I find this session somewhat pale. Nice at first listen, but then it dies off, it's too slick and business-like. Like a catwalk of the blues. The Wandering Spirit album has a lot more pathos and power.

A shame Mick never released it officially - as a whole it's WAY better than any of his other officially released albums.
Similar to many fans thinking Blue and Lonesome as a whole is better than all of the last 35+ years of Stones albums,
the same could be said for the Mick and the Red Devils sessions being better than all his other lame albums.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

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Hairball
A shame Mick never released it officially - as a whole it's WAY better than any of his other officially released albums.
Similar to many fans thinking Blue and Lonesome as a whole is better than all of the last 35+ years of Stones albums,
the same could be said for the Mick and the Red Devils sessions being better than all his other lame albums.

I'm pretty sure if Keith had added a few licks on Wandering Spirit, you would call the very same album a "masterpiece".

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retired_dog

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Hairball
A shame Mick never released it officially - as a whole it's WAY better than any of his other officially released albums.
Similar to many fans thinking Blue and Lonesome as a whole is better than all of the last 35+ years of Stones albums,
the same could be said for the Mick and the Red Devils sessions being better than all his other lame albums.

I'm pretty sure if Keith had added a few licks on Wandering Spirit, you would call the very same album a "masterpiece".

I'm pretty sure you are wrong about that.
Keith adding a few licks certainly could have helped, but highly doubtful it could ever be a "masterpiece",
Probably end up similar to A Bigger Bang or some other mediocre Stones album.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

More Mick and the Red Devils threads from the past:

- Mick and the Red Devils

- Mick and the Red Devils II

And there's probably been several others posted throughout the years.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

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Hairball

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retired_dog

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Hairball
A shame Mick never released it officially - as a whole it's WAY better than any of his other officially released albums.
Similar to many fans thinking Blue and Lonesome as a whole is better than all of the last 35+ years of Stones albums,
the same could be said for the Mick and the Red Devils sessions being better than all his other lame albums.

I'm pretty sure if Keith had added a few licks on Wandering Spirit, you would call the very same album a "masterpiece".

I'm pretty sure you are wrong about that.
Keith adding a few licks certainly could have helped, but highly doubtful it could ever be a "masterpiece",
Probably end up similar to A Bigger Bang or some other mediocre Stones album.

I'm pretty sure you don't tell us the truth.

And if you tell us the truth, I'm pretty sure you don't like Stones music all too much, because that's what Wandering Spirit basically is.

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retired_dog

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Hairball

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retired_dog

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Hairball
A shame Mick never released it officially - as a whole it's WAY better than any of his other officially released albums.
Similar to many fans thinking Blue and Lonesome as a whole is better than all of the last 35+ years of Stones albums,
the same could be said for the Mick and the Red Devils sessions being better than all his other lame albums.

I'm pretty sure if Keith had added a few licks on Wandering Spirit, you would call the very same album a "masterpiece".

I'm pretty sure you are wrong about that.
Keith adding a few licks certainly could have helped, but highly doubtful it could ever be a "masterpiece",
Probably end up similar to A Bigger Bang or some other mediocre Stones album.

I'm pretty sure you don't tell us the truth.

And if you tell us the truth, I'm pretty sure you don't like Stones music all too much, because that's what Wandering Spirit basically is.

I'm pretty sure you're wrong again, as Wandering Spirit is very far from being the Rolling Stones - not basically, and not even close.
Sounds to me like you're telling us you don't like the Stones all too much, and prefer Mick Jagger solo albums better. Very strange.
And for the record, I always tell the truth, and for me the truth is Mick and the Red Devils is far better than anything else he's released.
In fact it's actually closer to the Stones than anything else he's released - going back to his the roots with blues covers ala Blue and Lonesome.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Nothing on the Jagger/Red Devils stuff
comes even close to the greats on Blue & Lonesome ...

Image the devils trying to play the delicacy
of what The Stones did with Little Rain ....
itd be more like an execution ....



ROCKMAN

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Hairball

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retired_dog

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Hairball

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retired_dog

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Hairball
A shame Mick never released it officially - as a whole it's WAY better than any of his other officially released albums.
Similar to many fans thinking Blue and Lonesome as a whole is better than all of the last 35+ years of Stones albums,
the same could be said for the Mick and the Red Devils sessions being better than all his other lame albums.

I'm pretty sure if Keith had added a few licks on Wandering Spirit, you would call the very same album a "masterpiece".

I'm pretty sure you are wrong about that.
Keith adding a few licks certainly could have helped, but highly doubtful it could ever be a "masterpiece",
Probably end up similar to A Bigger Bang or some other mediocre Stones album.

I'm pretty sure you don't tell us the truth.

And if you tell us the truth, I'm pretty sure you don't like Stones music all too much, because that's what Wandering Spirit basically is.

I'm pretty sure you're wrong again, as Wandering Spirit is very far from being the Rolling Stones - not basically, and not even close.
Sounds to me like you're telling us you don't like the Stones all too much, and prefer Mick Jagger solo albums better. Very strange.
And for the record, I always tell the truth, and for me the truth is Mick and the Red Devils is far better than anything else he's released.
In fact it's actually closer to the Stones than anything else he's released - going back to his the roots with blues covers ala Blue and Lonesome.

You two should combine profiles as your temperament is quite similar. Maybe your new profile name could be "Hair of the Dog"?

Imho the results of Mick’S session with the Red Devils were underwhelming compared to the Red Devils’ King King album. The whole was not greater than the sum of its parts.

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RnT
Imho the results of Mick’S session with the Red Devils were underwhelming compared to the Red Devils’ King King album. The whole was not greater than the sum of its parts.

Yes they were great without Mick - as Billy Gibbons stated "Oh man, they were quite an outfit to be reckoned with".
Still though, their contributions as a backing band for Mick resulted in his best solo material imo - a shame it was never officially released aside from one tune.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

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Hairball

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retired_dog

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Hairball

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retired_dog

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Hairball
A shame Mick never released it officially - as a whole it's WAY better than any of his other officially released albums.
Similar to many fans thinking Blue and Lonesome as a whole is better than all of the last 35+ years of Stones albums,
the same could be said for the Mick and the Red Devils sessions being better than all his other lame albums.

I'm pretty sure if Keith had added a few licks on Wandering Spirit, you would call the very same album a "masterpiece".

I'm pretty sure you are wrong about that.
Keith adding a few licks certainly could have helped, but highly doubtful it could ever be a "masterpiece",
Probably end up similar to A Bigger Bang or some other mediocre Stones album.

I'm pretty sure you don't tell us the truth.

And if you tell us the truth, I'm pretty sure you don't like Stones music all too much, because that's what Wandering Spirit basically is.

I'm pretty sure you're wrong again, as Wandering Spirit is very far from being the Rolling Stones - not basically, and not even close.
Sounds to me like you're telling us you don't like the Stones all too much, and prefer Mick Jagger solo albums better. Very strange.
And for the record, I always tell the truth, and for me the truth is Mick and the Red Devils is far better than anything else he's released.
In fact it's actually closer to the Stones than anything else he's released - going back to his the roots with blues covers ala Blue and Lonesome.

I'm pretty sure I did not say Wandering Spirit is the Rolling Stones but that it's Rolling Stones music (=Stones compatible), and yes, I like it far better than Voodoo Lounge.

As a fan of the Red Devils, too I would love an official release with better sound quality; it's great but not better nor worse than WS imo.

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retired_dog

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Hairball

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retired_dog

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Hairball

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retired_dog

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Hairball
A shame Mick never released it officially - as a whole it's WAY better than any of his other officially released albums.
Similar to many fans thinking Blue and Lonesome as a whole is better than all of the last 35+ years of Stones albums,
the same could be said for the Mick and the Red Devils sessions being better than all his other lame albums.

I'm pretty sure if Keith had added a few licks on Wandering Spirit, you would call the very same album a "masterpiece".

I'm pretty sure you are wrong about that.
Keith adding a few licks certainly could have helped, but highly doubtful it could ever be a "masterpiece",
Probably end up similar to A Bigger Bang or some other mediocre Stones album.

I'm pretty sure you don't tell us the truth.

And if you tell us the truth, I'm pretty sure you don't like Stones music all too much, because that's what Wandering Spirit basically is.

I'm pretty sure you're wrong again, as Wandering Spirit is very far from being the Rolling Stones - not basically, and not even close.
Sounds to me like you're telling us you don't like the Stones all too much, and prefer Mick Jagger solo albums better. Very strange.
And for the record, I always tell the truth, and for me the truth is Mick and the Red Devils is far better than anything else he's released.
In fact it's actually closer to the Stones than anything else he's released - going back to his the roots with blues covers ala Blue and Lonesome.

I'm pretty sure I did not say Wandering Spirit is the Rolling Stones but that it's Rolling Stones music (=Stones compatible), and yes, I like it far better than Voodoo Lounge.

As a fan of the Red Devils, too I would love an official release with better sound quality; it's great but not better nor worse than WS imo.

I'm pretty sure you inferred that Wandering Spirit is "basically" the Rolling Stones music by saying "...you don't like Stones music all too much, because that's what Wandering Spirit basically is".
But by listening to and looking at the credits for Wandering Spirit, hard to see how it can even be "basically" similar or "compatible" to the Rolling Stones music (to use your words).
No Keith, no Charlie, no Bill, no Ronnie. No Chuck, Darryl, Lisa, Bernard, etc., etc, etc. Instead there's a lengthy hodgepodge/mish mash list of musicians from Flea to Benmont Tench to Lenny Kravitz to whoever else.
Some of it might be an attempt to be a facsimile to the sound of the Stones' music, but alas it's bogged down with too many cooks, and ultimately comes nowhere close to the Stones imo.

David Bianco – synthesizer
Curt Bisquera – drums
Lenny Castro – percussion
Matt Clifford – virginal, harpsichord
Flea – bass guitar on "Out of Focus", "Use Me" and "I've Been Lonely for So Long"
Lynn Davis – backing vocals
Jim Keltner – drums on "Evening Gown"
Lenny Kravitz – vocals on "Use Me"
JayDee Maness – pedal steel guitar
Jean McClain – backing vocals
Pamela Quinlan - backing vocals
Robin McKidd – fiddle
Brendan O'Brien – guitar
Jeff Pescetto – backing vocals
John Pierce – bass guitar (tracks: 1, 4, 5, 7 to 11, 13, 14)
Courtney Pine – saxophone
Billy Preston – piano, Hammond organ, clavinet
Jimmy Rip – lead guitar, percussion
Frank Simes – guitar
Benmont Tench – piano, Hammond organ
Doug Wimbish – bass guitar on "Sweet Thing"


As for Mick and the Red Devils, again it's far better than anything else Mick has ever released outside of the Stones IN MY OPINION, and it's a shame it's never been officially released!

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-04-22 09:47 by Hairball.

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A shame Mick never released it officially - as a whole it's WAY better than any of his other officially released albums.
Similar to many fans thinking Blue and Lonesome as a whole is better than all of the last 35+ years of Stones albums,
the same could be said for the Mick and the Red Devils sessions being better than all his other lame albums.

I'm pretty sure if Keith had added a few licks on Wandering Spirit, you would call the very same album a "masterpiece".

I'm pretty sure you are wrong about that.
Keith adding a few licks certainly could have helped, but highly doubtful it could ever be a "masterpiece",
Probably end up similar to A Bigger Bang or some other mediocre Stones album.

I'm pretty sure you don't tell us the truth.

And if you tell us the truth, I'm pretty sure you don't like Stones music all too much, because that's what Wandering Spirit basically is.

I'm pretty sure you're wrong again, as Wandering Spirit is very far from being the Rolling Stones - not basically, and not even close.
Sounds to me like you're telling us you don't like the Stones all too much, and prefer Mick Jagger solo albums better. Very strange.
And for the record, I always tell the truth, and for me the truth is Mick and the Red Devils is far better than anything else he's released.
In fact it's actually closer to the Stones than anything else he's released - going back to his the roots with blues covers ala Blue and Lonesome.

I'm pretty sure I did not say Wandering Spirit is the Rolling Stones but that it's Rolling Stones music (=Stones compatible), and yes, I like it far better than Voodoo Lounge.

As a fan of the Red Devils, too I would love an official release with better sound quality; it's great but not better nor worse than WS imo.

I'm pretty sure you inferred that Wandering Spirit is "basically" the Rolling Stones music by saying "...you don't like Stones music all too much, because that's what Wandering Spirit basically is".
But by listening to and looking at the credits for Wandering Spirit, hard to see how it can even be "basically" similar or "compatible" to the Rolling Stones music (to use your words).
No Keith, no Charlie, no Bill, no Ronnie. No Chuck, Darryl, Lisa, Bernard, etc., etc, etc. Instead there's a lengthy hodgepodge/mish mash list of musicians from Flea to Benmont Tench to Lenny Kravitz to whoever else.
Some of it might be an attempt to be a facsimile to the sound of the Stones' music, but alas it's bogged down with too many cooks, and ultimately comes nowhere close to the Stones imo.

David Bianco – synthesizer
Curt Bisquera – drums
Lenny Castro – percussion
Matt Clifford – virginal, harpsichord
Flea – bass guitar on "Out of Focus", "Use Me" and "I've Been Lonely for So Long"
Lynn Davis – backing vocals
Jim Keltner – drums on "Evening Gown"
Lenny Kravitz – vocals on "Use Me"
JayDee Maness – pedal steel guitar
Jean McClain – backing vocals
Pamela Quinlan - backing vocals
Robin McKidd – fiddle
Brendan O'Brien – guitar
Jeff Pescetto – backing vocals
John Pierce – bass guitar (tracks: 1, 4, 5, 7 to 11, 13, 14)
Courtney Pine – saxophone
Billy Preston – piano, Hammond organ, clavinet
Jimmy Rip – lead guitar, percussion
Frank Simes – guitar
Benmont Tench – piano, Hammond organ
Doug Wimbish – bass guitar on "Sweet Thing"


As for Mick and the Red Devils, again it's far better than anything else Mick has ever released outside of the Stones IN MY OPINION, and it's a shame it's never been officially released!

I'm pretty sure I know what I meant, and if you claim that the majority of Jagger's compositions on WS would have sounded out of place on Stones albums (of course played by the Stones in this case!) it smells like strategic denial. You remember how and when Keith used the term "Stones music"?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-04-22 10:48 by retired_dog.

I'm pretty some of Jaggers compositions might not seem completely out of place on a Stones album if played by the Stones themselves - after all he's written and co-written many Stones tunes - some good, some bad.
But if you paid closer attention to what I had already replied to you, if Keith had added a few licks it would probably be similar to several other mediocre Stones albums such as A Bigger Bang.
The tunes Mick wrote just aren't that great to begin with IMO, just as a majority of just about everything he's written in the last few decades isn't that great (solo and Stones)- even a long list of guest musicians couldn't help.
You might think everything about it is great, and that's great for you. And had Keith added a few licks, for you it might even be a "masterpiece", but in my opinion it would be far from it.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-04-24 07:03 by bv.