Tattoo You - *****
I like everything on this one, some a bit more, some a bit less, but the differences are only minor. So, for me, it's the best of the bunch.

Goats Head Soup - ****1/2
Could have got a five star rating, too, but it's not what it included, it's what's been left out (Separately, Through The Lonely Nights) that ranks it a tad lower than Tattoo You in my book.

Sticky Fingers ****
Could have been a five star rating with the inclusion of Travellin' Man and Hillside Blues (and, of course CS Blues, but I accept that they shy away from this one possibly forever!) and the inclusion of the complete Roundhouse show, because at least the handful of released Roundhouse tracks indicate that this was superior to Leeds. The "missing" two opening numbers from Leeds could have found place on the studio bonus disc.

Some Girls ***1/2
A pretty uneven release; first, for what's been left out (Everything's Turning To Gold, Miss You 12" version), then because it's a tad too country-heavy for me (and I usually like the Stones doing country!) and finally for including the absolute throwaway DOn't Be A Stranger instead of I Need You, Misty Roads and whatever. Oh, and while the version of We Had It All is good, I think the known bootleg version is simply better.

Exile ***
The most uneven and for various reasons unsatisfying release. Could and even should have included Travellin' Man, Hillside Blues and last, but not least a flexidisc noise-clean Exile On Main Street Blues from the original tape. Some newly recorded vocals don't sound right in my ears - So Divine should have been left instrumental, Dancing In The Light has the vocals mixed too loud for my taste and on Following The River Mick's simply overdoing things at the end which turns this otherwise great track almost unlistenable for me.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-02-13 14:00 by retired_dog.

Some Girls *****

Sticky Fingers ****

Tattoo You ****

Goats Head Soup ***

Exile **


The Exile deluxe disappointed me a lot, PMS, Sophia Loren and FTR are great but the rest of it do not hold up. The vox overdubs are rather over the top, it removes almost what that period is about, Mick being another instrument in the mix.

Some Girls was, on the other hand, a great SD package with nice pics and the best bonus disc of them all.

I love GHS but the SD version disappointed me, the best thing with it for me were the pics of Ted Newman Jones III backstage taking care of Keith's guitars.

Trouble's A Coming's first 45 seconds is almost as good as Keep Up Blues, those Tele-put-in-a-Twin reverb-drenched guitar intros are pure Low Down class!
I love Fiji Jim, both the new and old version but how they have managed to not include I Need You in the TY or SG boxes is beyond me. Misty Roads sounds too much like Trouble's A Coming though.

The SF SD version is beautiful and it feels like Mick put a lot of effort into it design wise.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-02-13 14:06 by MadMax.

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24FPS

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VoodooLounge13


Never understood all the love Plundered gets.

I was hooked the moment I heard Bill's taut but rubbery bass encircling the whole thing. It sounded like it belonged to the Exile era. I can see where the end product was a little too much like Tumbling Dice. To me it's the best song of all the bonus cuts. To each his own.

Me too. The first time I heard it, when Charlie's hi-hat and Nicky's piano came in almost cried. A new song, never heard before, from the greatest band in their prime. FTR is good but I can almost tell you the edits Don Was made, when MJ sing "calling out your name", he cut it and paste it for a repeat, and Nicky's beginning of the stanza too. He sure will have never played the same notes in similar places, he always have that magic sparkle. So the original take must be a one or two stanzas, and Don Was made the puzzle.

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"I'm gonna walk... before they make me run"

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-02-13 15:37 by dandelion1967.

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dandelion1967

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24FPS

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VoodooLounge13


Never understood all the love Plundered gets.

I was hooked the moment I heard Bill's taut but rubbery bass encircling the whole thing. It sounded like it belonged to the Exile era. I can see where the end product was a little too much like Tumbling Dice. To me it's the best song of all the bonus cuts. To each his own.

Me too. The first time I heard it, when Charlie's hi-hat and Nicky's piano came in almost cried. A new song, never heard before, from the greatest band in their prime. FTR is good but I can almost tell you the edits Don Was made, when MJ sing "calling out your name", he cut it and paste it for a repeat, and Nicky's beginning of the stanza too. He sure will have never played the same notes in similar places, he always have that magic sparkle. So the original take must be a one or two stanzas, and Don Was made the puzzle.

Whether or not it's a "Frankenstones Song", it definitely has the feel of authenticity and even greatness. If that had been released 'in the day' I'm positive that's a top ten single.

Instead, 40+ years on we're treated to something that we had no right to expect. If you compare it to Free As A Bird, or Real Love...they are of really minor value and just a curio to get you to think, "hey, the Beatles could even sound good on a poor song."

Plundered by contrast, is sublime.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-02-13 18:27 by treaclefingers.

1. Tattoo, for me bonus disc amazing

2. GHS, again bonus disc is brilliant. Love instrumentals - parts of it remind me of Curtis Mayfield Superfly

3. Exile, is great and i personally love Keef singing Soul Survivor

4. SF, bonus disc is good and i like some of the alternative versions particularly CYHMK. Could have been better i think

5. SG, For some reason i just cant get into the bonus disc. I'm sure the light will turn on one day.....

Goat's Head Soup only had three new songs. That's not much and maybe some/many thought that's not enough to buy a box. All other reissues have almost long player time alternatives!
If they had added some off the Jamaica recordings that went into Tattoo You Deluxe GHS would have had more value.

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BowieStone

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floodonthepage

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DandelionPowderman
***** Some Girls Deluxe
**** Goats Head Soup Deluxe
**** Tattoo You Deluxe
*** Exile Deluxe
*** Sticky Fingers Deluxe

The live concert/tracks on SF make it my favourite when I sum it up, though.

Yes, this is how I feel exactly. SF is my favorite because of full Leeds '71 and the killer extended 'Bitch', but as for "new" bonus tracks, 'Some Girls' by a country mile and 'Exile' a distant last.

It's all about the Roundhouse live tracks for me, Leeds never really did it for me.

Oh yes, the Roundhouse tracks are great. I just love that Leeds is now complete, having had the incomplete "Get Your Leeds Lungs Out" boot (disc 2 of "Hell's Stones") for 25 years or so.

***** Some Girls – The extra tracks form a very good album in its own right.
***** Get Yer Ya Yas Out – The bonus tracks enable you to re-construct the regular 1969 setlist in its entirety and in great quality (Sympathy can be completed by adding the missing bits from the acetate).
**** Sticky Fingers – Good to have the Leeds show in its entirety. Mastering too compressed, though.
**** Exile – The extra tracks are great even if they do not hang together as an album the way the Some Girls extras do. I really like the new overdubs.
*** Goats Heads Soup – Some interesting new tracks/mixes. Mastering of Brussels way too compressed. The 2011 official Archive download of Brussels still has the best sound.
** Tattoo You – The London show is good to have as an official bootleg type of release. I do not like the studio bonus tracks at all. The overdubs get in the way of the original recordings and the mastering is atrocious.

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treaclefingers

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dandelion1967

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24FPS

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VoodooLounge13


Never understood all the love Plundered gets.

I was hooked the moment I heard Bill's taut but rubbery bass encircling the whole thing. It sounded like it belonged to the Exile era. I can see where the end product was a little too much like Tumbling Dice. To me it's the best song of all the bonus cuts. To each his own.

Me too. The first time I heard it, when Charlie's hi-hat and Nicky's piano came in almost cried. A new song, never heard before, from the greatest band in their prime. FTR is good but I can almost tell you the edits Don Was made, when MJ sing "calling out your name", he cut it and paste it for a repeat, and Nicky's beginning of the stanza too. He sure will have never played the same notes in similar places, he always have that magic sparkle. So the original take must be a one or two stanzas, and Don Was made the puzzle.

Whether or not it's a "Frankenstones Song", it definitely has the feel of authenticity and even greatness. If that had been released 'in the day' I'm positive that's a top ten single.

Instead, 40+ years on we're treated to something that we had no right to expect. If you compare it to Free As A Bird, or Real Love...they are of really minor value and just a curio to get you to think, "hey, the Beatles could even sound good on a poor song."

Plundered by contrast, is sublime.

I agree with PMS, and not with FAAB or RL. Those songs really "flow" and are very well edited from the original source. To my ears, FTR doesn't sound authentic, only a personal opinion. But, always a pleasure to have Nicky Hopkins on a Rolling Stones' song

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"I'm gonna walk... before they make me run"

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dandelion1967

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treaclefingers

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dandelion1967

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24FPS

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VoodooLounge13


Never understood all the love Plundered gets.

I was hooked the moment I heard Bill's taut but rubbery bass encircling the whole thing. It sounded like it belonged to the Exile era. I can see where the end product was a little too much like Tumbling Dice. To me it's the best song of all the bonus cuts. To each his own.

Me too. The first time I heard it, when Charlie's hi-hat and Nicky's piano came in almost cried. A new song, never heard before, from the greatest band in their prime. FTR is good but I can almost tell you the edits Don Was made, when MJ sing "calling out your name", he cut it and paste it for a repeat, and Nicky's beginning of the stanza too. He sure will have never played the same notes in similar places, he always have that magic sparkle. So the original take must be a one or two stanzas, and Don Was made the puzzle.

Whether or not it's a "Frankenstones Song", it definitely has the feel of authenticity and even greatness. If that had been released 'in the day' I'm positive that's a top ten single.

Instead, 40+ years on we're treated to something that we had no right to expect. If you compare it to Free As A Bird, or Real Love...they are of really minor value and just a curio to get you to think, "hey, the Beatles could even sound good on a poor song."

Plundered by contrast, is sublime.

I agree with PMS, and not with FAAB or RL. Those songs really "flow" and are very well edited from the original source. To my ears, FTR doesn't sound authentic, only a personal opinion. But, always a pleasure to have Nicky Hopkins on a Rolling Stones' song

I find them excellent performances on average songs. I will maintain my judgement on those two.

With regard to FTR, I like that they attempted it, and it has possibilities but something is wrong with it and I'm not sure what it is. Mick's vocal? I don't even mind it, but not sure it works with the music.

I want to love it but just cannot.

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24FPS

I was hooked the moment I heard Bill's taut but rubbery bass encircling the whole thing. It sounded like it belonged to the Exile era. I can see where the end product was a little too much like Tumbling Dice. To me it's the best song of all the bonus cuts. To each his own.

I think it is a magical track. Mick does a wonderful work but the true magic - or something he beautifully co-works with - is in the backing track. The way Charlie, Bill and Keith are keeping up the groove is just amazing. That laid-back feel.. Pure sex. I guess back in the early 70's it was business as usual, and yeah, too close to "Tumbling Dice" I guess, but after hearing that again after all these decades was simply mind-blowing... And also like hearing plain and clear what had been 'wrong' or missing with all the stuff for ages... I hadn't heard that great 'new' Stones song since, shit, TATTOO YOU days. And Taylor's melodic 'no bullshitting' lead guitar straight from the start ices the cake... And Jagger, how he sounds like one instrument more, with his accents and all breathing the rhythm like no other white singer does.

One of those moments when hearing why the Stones are above anyone else - no other band can make such a beautiful noise. The song is more like a groove than a song. And probably that's why listening it was like once EXILE. First figuring out 'what the hell is this?', but as listening it more and more, the more capturing and magical it just got. Giving more and more. Finally totally hooked...

- Doxa

Good summary there! It reminds me a bit of how it felt when I really got into that song in 2010 when weren't used to getting so many outtake releases. And it still holds up today.

I'm kinda surprised that the Some Girls disc gets so much love. It's not bad, but I find it a little boring. The compositions don't stand out much, and the instrumental parts, so to speak, are a little repetitive.
I guess I'm too much of a sucker for the '68-73 era, where almost everything sound interesting to me.

I like it mostly just for the sound of a band having fun and loving to play.

No great songs but the band sound great ...and I've always liked their country tinged stuff too.

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jigsaw69
1. Tattoo, for me bonus disc amazing

2. GHS, again bonus disc is brilliant. Love instrumentals - parts of it remind me of Curtis Mayfield Superfly

3. Exile, is great and i personally love Keef singing Soul Survivor

4. SF, bonus disc is good and i like some of the alternative versions particularly CYHMK. Could have been better i think

5. SG, For some reason i just cant get into the bonus disc. I'm sure the light will turn on one day.....

Agree 100% with your ranking. I too just cannot appreciate SG bonus disc other than Claudine which I love.

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rebelrebel

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jigsaw69
1. Tattoo, for me bonus disc amazing

2. GHS, again bonus disc is brilliant. Love instrumentals - parts of it remind me of Curtis Mayfield Superfly

3. Exile, is great and i personally love Keef singing Soul Survivor

4. SF, bonus disc is good and i like some of the alternative versions particularly CYHMK. Could have been better i think

5. SG, For some reason i just cant get into the bonus disc. I'm sure the light will turn on one day.....

Agree 100% with your ranking. I too just cannot appreciate SG bonus disc other than Claudine which I love.

Is it the 'country' style? Because if that's it and you don't like them doing a 'country-blues' album I get it.

But otherwise I think "great tunes played really well, so what's not to like?"

I'd love them to do a country album along the lines of B&L.

Wouldn't be everybody's cup of tea but...

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Spud
I'd love them to do a country album along the lines of B&L.

Wouldn't be everybody's cup of tea but...

Yeah, something about the way they do country which I really like. I've made mixed tapes/cds in the past with exclusively country songs. They're great.