Just went out today and bought Live Licks. I must say I am not so impressed. After having listened to No Security many times i thought the sound on this might be simular, but in general it is very muddy. Yeah muddy is the best way I can discribe. No Security has far better sound and the band plays better.

Highlights:

Paint it Black. I knew this was the version on Four Flicks and I really bought the album cuz of this song. Very good version. Very close to the original and better sound and good crowd paticipation.

Brown Sugar. never thought this to be a highlight but it is a nice version. Good loud guitars and nice crowd (woo hoo's) make it. Mick sounds a little flat though.

Rocks off. Again I love this song. Even if the post production cut the middle of the song out. What the hell?

Worried about You. Nice



low lights:


Start me Up. ok version i guess, but brings it home how weak this song is live IMHO. Keiths riffin is o.k, but Mick shouts, not sings alot and Ronnie? Where is he? The original has two guitars playing the main riff. But now ronnie plays the odd bend here and there and his solo is off. it sound like a Country song now with all the string bends.


Street fighting Man. Doesn't hold a candle to the Stripped version. Sloppy and Too fast.

Gimmie Shelter. Oh dear. This is terrible. From Paradiso to this in 7 years? The No security version is better and even that is average. Slowly they have taken all the magic out and made a caberet version.



In general this album is just Mick and Kieth. There is no Ronnie. The bass and mids are not very clear and the crowd is not mixed in as well as on No Security. Disapointed

I don't have it myself nor have I heard it. So interested what overall feedback will be to your thread. Hows it compare to No Security, Flashpoint, Still Life other recent "live official" releases. Lets see MEZ

In my opinion disc one sounds almost like a bootleg. Loud, rough mix and not in the best way.

Disc 2 has better sound quality but what was done to Rocks Off is just incredible. I still cannot believe they allowed that song to be put out like that.

Monkey Man and Whip are from the MSG show that was on HBO. I was at that show and the version of Can't You Hear Me Knocking was far superior to the one that made it onto Live Licks. The version of Midnight Rambler was also the best I ever heard them do since the Ya-Ya's version. No overdubs on any of the MSG songs

They lopped off a few seconds of The Nearness of You and overdubbed an acoustic guitar part. Why? There was no need. It was the same version from Four Flicks, the Paris show.

It baffles me as to why Live Licks is uneven in so many ways. I know disc one was for the avaerage Stones fan.....so why give them such a brutal bootleg type sound? Disc 2 was for the hardcore. There was an opportunity to put some hidden jems on it, like the live version of Before They Make Me Run from the Four Flicks Paris show. They have never released an official live version of that song

We will never know why.

Milo, NYC
I was driving home early Sunday morning

I was just listening to it this morning. True, I have only played disc 1 a couple of times, but disc 2 is really nice. Ofcourse there are boots with many other songs, and without overdubs, but they are not of this sound quality. So at some points disc 2 is fake. That being said, disc 2 is really nice to listen to. It's worth it getting the japanese version, with the extra "If you can't rock me".

Hey thanks Milo. Glad someone agrees. Yeah the sound is real rough eh? They should haven't even released it. I am positive Mick or keith had little to do with it. Compared to No Security which i know Keith spent time on and said at the time it was thier best live recording since Ya Ya's.

Immensely disappointing release, no more than a quick cash-in on the 'Licks' tour. The edit of "Rocks Off" is just disgraceful and completely unnecesary. I can't believe that edit was the band's doing, and it's even more damning if someone other than the band did it and the band either didn't know or didn't care. Really crap booklet too, that could and should have been a lot better also. Such a shame, as fans I'm sure would have loved a decent souvenir of such a well-received tour. Very surprising that the companion CD is so poor as so much loving work went into the DVD release. In the bargain bin already at my local store, and I can't say I'm surprised either.

imo cyhmk is the killer track , its incredible ,but ya got 2 play it loud ,2 give u that u r there vibe ,also beast of burden good version , the rest of it they should of left in the vault

Well if it's in the bargain bin, then surely go get it.
Disc 2 is the reason why.

Would somebody please explane to me what exactly they did to Rocks Off?

They grabbed the tape. At two random places they cut it in two.
Then they threw the middle part away and put the two ends together.
It's a very rough edit, but hey, any second you get is still a nice second.

I think licks was the worst tour,when it comes to their playing.Specially keith
and Ronnie.Only good thing was set lists.

Whale, I already have it, and sadly I paid the original price of admission...

Whale Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They grabbed the tape. At two random places they
> cut it in two.
> Then they threw the middle part away and put the
> two ends together.
> It's a very rough edit, but hey, any second you
> get is still a nice second.
>

Damn, I just listened to it, that's awful! And that's the best part of the song they did it on! The sunshine bores the daylights out of me!

Otherwise, 2 great CD's!

I like the whole disc very much. Nice collection IMO. Definently worth a buy if you ask me. The only thing that sucks about it is the edits that's been done here and there. Rocks Off is mangled by the edit, and Brown Sugar sounds weird in the beginning because of the edit in there.

JumpingKentFlash

maybe two great cds to you , but its not a great live album , none
of them are except ya yas which is the greatest ever for all bands

the most disappointing thing is that all tracks (exepct for everybody needs somebody) are from the four flicks discs-they could at least put the different versions!a rip off!

llaushin Wrote:
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> the most disappointing thing is that all tracks
> (exepct for everybody needs somebody) are from the
> four flicks discs-they could at least put the
> different versions!a rip off!


No, The most disappointing thing is just like all the threads about the setlist on this tour. I can deal with some songs sounding shitty and some sound great. The Variety of songs that were played on the licks tour was awesome. But they give us a rehash of the songs that are on all the other live albums, that is what urrks me. like when they left 2000 LY's off Flashpoint. The first reeports of what was going to be on live licks was awesome than they changed it too bad.

I would rather have a mediocore version of Stray cat or Loving cup than a great one of Brown sugar.

It's worth getting for the second disc alone. And also for the hilarious, listening pleasure of Rons slide solo in Happy - sounds like a demented wasp.

The only part Ronnie played well is Beast Of Burden (fair, not great) and Rock Me Baby. Keith and Ron play this song very well. Can't You Hear Me Knocking is great except for some bits of Ronnie's playing (but okay I guess).
Monkey Man is a killer version, really, the whole sound, Keith and Ronnie both play great. Best live version ever.
I also like this Street Fighting Man version a lot. Really rocking! I skip the rest of disc 1. Gimme Shelter is real shit, how can they ever play that magic song like that? You Can't Always Get.. shit also, Start Me Up is not interesting... Brown Sugar is okay, except for the beginning.

The songs taken from the club show in Paris (Everybody Needs Somebody, Worried About You, Neighbours) don't sound well, there is something about it, maybe a little flat.. I don't know. Ronnies solo on Worried About You is dissappointing. Too little guitar on Neighbours, but great version though. The MSG recordings sound much better!

Yes I miss Stray Cat Blues, If You Can't Rock Me (which I think they nailed that song during the Licks Tour, real rocking version), Loving Cup, all though Keith never played his original rhythm part which I like very much and missed it on this tour. Other songs should have make it to the album: Midnight Rambler from MSG (best version since Ya Ya's), Dance Part 1, Don't Look Back, Let It Bleed, etc.. all those real gems should have made instead of disc 1.

They missed another chance. Great effort, but dissapointing in the end. Like other people say: It's a great bootleg recording!

I am really surprised that the Stones put much effort to the sound of their live and studio albums, it's very variable: Voodoo, Ya Ya's, Love You Live, Still Life, Bridges To Babylon, Sticky Fingers, all sound great.
Steel Wheels, Flashpoint, Bigger Bang sound thin (great albums though!)

Too bad.

sorry its not compressed ,but heres a great jjf from la wiltern theatre 11-04-02 from boot" get licked around the world 2002/3 soundboard collection "from exile records lable [s39.yousendit.com]

chippy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> sorry its not compressed ,but heres a great jjf
> from la wiltern theatre 11-04-02 from boot" get
> licked around the world 2002/3 soundboard
> collection "from exile records lable

Sorry? I hate compression! This is allot better.

Thank you.

i wouldn´t buy it a 2nd time! i think most songs are taken from the four flicks dvd.we don´t deserve it!nevertheless,disc 2 is very nice..they should have put more of such great songs on disc .

Reptile Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Would somebody please explane to me what exactly
> they did to Rocks Off?


effectively, they shot it through the back of the head and then buried it in a shallow grave

Also IORR has Chucks keyboard way high in the mix. I mean they are not just little piano parts to add to the song, but plain Las Vagas plinking. I understand he gets carried away in the live moment when playing with the band. I would too if I could play piano, but the mix is way high.

Also there is very little separation between instruments and the vocals are foggy.

I agree that the MSG recordings sound the best. Midnight Rambler should have been on there. Thru in Thru as well!

This is in my opinion the weakest tour in recent years. It seems so many songs are just put out with simular backing from chuck and the band. Probably because so many songs were played they didn't master them. However on tracks which they spent time on, like CYHMK and Worried about You, Midnight Rambler and Paint it Black their are top performances. I think the Warhorses were dialed in most of the tour and it is a shame they released them. Satisfaction is really weak compared to the B2B version or VL tour.




"Is Our Children Learning? "

G.W.Bush



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2005-11-13 23:40 by uz2bstoned.

I was lucky - I got it as a Christmas gift! Good thing too! Not one of their better live albums imo! I'll have to listen to Rocks Off again just to hear what they did to it.

"Rocks Off" - They cut out the last (and best) verse. What were they thinking?

Take it for what it's worth. Essentially, it's a soundtrack to the Four Flicks dvd's (I'm aware of the differences it has as well). So if you want a compilation of those tunes, it's great. I have got to agree however that Midnight Rambler from MSG should have been on it, that version is just as enjoyable to me as the version Brussels. Street Fighting Man is great on it (I don't care if it's overdubbed) as is That's How Strong My Love Is.

Hi Virg, FYI 2000 LY although not released on "Flashpoint", was officially released around the same time on a "Highwire" EP. Also included on it is "Sympathy for the Devil" (same version as "Flashpoint"), and "I just wanna make love to you" unavailable elsewhere. This EP (That's the cd era version of the single with more than one b-side) may be somewhat difficult to find nowadays.