"It’s among their best late-1960s recordings, the band locking into the song’s groove while new boy Mick Taylor adds scorching slide guitar and Ian Stewart boils on piano. Mick Jagger, not a singer known for his emotional eloquence, engages deeply with the lyric’s hurt. Yet The Stones themselves didn’t release “I Don’t Know Why” — it finally appeared in 1975 on Metamorphosis, a grab-bag LP of demos and out-takes their former manager Allen Klein and label Decca compiled to cash in on a 1975 US tour.

Why did The Stones leave the song unreleased? Legend has it they were working on it on the evening of July 3 when a phone call to the studio informed them that Brian Jones, the band’s founder they had fired a month earlier, had drowned. Did this taint the song for the band? It’s certainly stronger than some of the material that ended up on 1969’s Let It Bleed album. The band made amends when they invited Wonder to support them on their 1972 US tour":

[ig.ft.com]

<It’s certainly stronger than some of the material that ended up on 1969’s Let It Bleed album>

Is it? I don't know about that (probably not, imo), but it's certainly very good.

Here's the Track Talk for I Don't Know Why, btw, with more info: [iorr.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-05-24 15:50 by DandelionPowderman.

It's a good recording, but I get the impression it may have never been intended for Let it Bleed. If I'm not mistaken, it's a short take, which repeated to booster it's length. B-side material, in my opinion. Mind you, this is an era when the flip-side of a single was more than worth paying attention to! Old Brown Shoe, etc.

Great tune, definitely deserved a higher profile release.

But...STRONGER than some of the material that ended up on LIB???

Ludicrous.

One of their better cover tunes with the Stones stamping their mark all over it in contrast to something like their timid/weak rehash cover of Under the Boardwalk.
Love Stevie' original also...even more so than the Stones version.

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

One of my all time favorites. Gives me goosebumps everything. Not sure it would have fitted on one of the albums at the time.

The bill for "I Don´t Know Why" was footed by Klein (£11,617, to be exact, check cleared on 25/8/69, recording said to stem from 30/06/69 according to papers from the litigations.). Thus the master-rights to the track belonged to Klein.
That explains, I think, their reluctance to do anything with it and why it ended up on Metamorphosis.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-05-24 22:57 by RobberBride.

I love the track. But it’s not stronger than anything on Let It Bleed.
That says quite a lot, that they could leave things like this on the floor.
With that said, Stevie Wonder’s own version remains stronger and is the definitive version.

Quote
treaclefingers
Great tune, definitely deserved a higher profile release.

But...STRONGER than some of the material that ended up on LIB???

Ludicrous.

Ludicrous? Well, it always lies in the eyes of the beholder. For me, it's certainly stronger than "Country Honk", a nice little ditty, but nothing more. And while I'm a huge fan of "Love In Vain", it's the live versions where it came to full fruition while I find the studio take a bit dragging.

Quote
treaclefingers
Great tune, definitely deserved a higher profile release.

But...STRONGER than some of the material that ended up on LIB???

Ludicrous.

Its not stronger than anything on Let it Bleed IMO.I think Going Down was stronger than I Don’t Know Why.Plus it was written by Stevie Wonder.Unless you are referring to Hillside Blues



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-05-25 02:01 by Taylor1.

Quote
Taylor1

Quote
treaclefingers
Great tune, definitely deserved a higher profile release.

But...STRONGER than some of the material that ended up on LIB???

Ludicrous.

Its not stronger than anything on Let it Bleed IMO.I think Going Down was stronger than I Don’t Know Why.Plus it was written by Stevie Wonder.Unless you are referring to Hillside Blues

I'm not referring to anything. All I said was I Don't Know Why is a great track, but not greater than anything already on LIB.

That there is a perfect album.

Hillside Blies
Loving Cup
I don't know why
Jiving sister fanny
Sister morphine
I'm going down


With a few more songs they were working on which appeared on later albums, Let it Bleed would have been a wonderful double album. Wasn't there talk about that as a possibility at the time?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-05-25 04:03 by Mr. Jimi.