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GasLightStreet

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RisingStone

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GasLightStreet
Such an upheaval of time for The Rolling Stones while redefining themselves ala SOME GIRLS and EMOTIONAL RESCUE.

I know ER is skewed here but it really is a great album. Considering what they'd been through in 1977-78 it's really something they were able to create what they did for ER yet alone what was left off for what became TATTOO YOU.

The personal aspect of the band gets lost because of Miss You and Emotional Rescue, no tour for the second batch, and then a complete change from 1978 with 1981.

Just as they are now, with Charlie dying, they're people just like the rest of us. What Keith went through, and in result put the band through, in 1977 onward... where SG was a very focused Oh punk? kind of album, ER seemed to be more Let's expand.

The issue fan wise being the songs didn't reach like they did on SG. That's life. TY benefitted from it.

Pardon me for going off on a tangent. If Some Girls is the Stones’ ‘punk’ album, Emotional Rescue feels like their ‘New Wave’ album. The ambience of the soundscape they created on ER reminds me of some of The Police’s contemporary releases for example, Regatta de Blanc (out on 2 October, 1979) in particular. From punk to New Wave — seems to me a natural progression in parallel with the music scene of the day.

Your tangent is well put.

Although they've generally been beind the times regarding what was big, they nailed it with Miss You and Emotional Rescue as singles.

It seems that the esoteric romanticism of the era has been lost on a lot of people because of Miss You (or how great the LP was). What they did with SG and ER is remarkable, actually. The living era of that duration does not translate to now or a decade ago so it's viewed as weak.

ER is not like SG but it has some of the same energy (albeit a leftover or two). It, like UNDERCOVER, the true studio band recording follow up, is a great album for its time. The songs hold up etc.

I agree and will also add that the Stones showed a different side in the depth and maturity of the songwriting between the Twins and thusly evolved and stayed relevant as they were being cast off as dinosaurs and also coming off the fill in the blank for the Black and Blue album . This is showing off the Twins smarts in there writing abilities !

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RisingStone
A tangent further. Musically speaking, of the songs collected on Some Girls, those classified as ‘punk’ songs are When The Whip Comes Down, Lies, Respectable and Shattered — just four. Others are disco (Miss You), Motown cover (Just My Imagination), blues rock (Some Girls), country (Far Away Eyes and Beast Of Burden) and archetypal Stones signature rock ‘n’ roll (Before They Make Me Run) — quite a variety there. And especially considering that Miss You was chosen as the lead single, I sometimes wonder why SG is generally regarded as the Stones’ ‘punk’ album. Some of the music was certainly inspired by punk, but the end product is more than that.

It is more than punk, but I don't think we should underestimate the inspiration by the punk and of its attitude (with the punk, the latter is at least as important as the pure music as a some sort of musical genre or style). For example, we could hear that in the rough way they deliver "My Imagination" and how Mick delivers "Faraway Eyes". "Some Girls" sounds like coming from the Lou Reed side of New York. Of all SOME GIRLS numbers, I think only "Miss You" is totally 'punk-free'. "Before They Make Me Run" too, but since Keef is, like Mick said, an 'original punk rocker' there is a natural element of that...

But of all SOME GIRLS numbers they try somehow copy Sex Pistols style aggressive punk musically I think "Lies" is the closest. And I think it sounds artificial, both musically and lyrically. One cannot really get straight-forward punk out of the sublime rhythm section of Charlie and Bill... Thankfully the Stones generally knew better and just translated the simple punk energy into their own roots: 'hey boys, let' s play good old Chuck Berry stuff again'. And it worked mighty fine (especially in "Respectable" me thinks). "Shattered" still probably is the only supposed 'punk' number in the album that has its roots in punk influence that actually musically sounds a novel thing for them. The rest is more like retrospection or intropection with an attitude.

- Doxa

EDIT: of those 'punk-free' numbers I totally forgot there is a song called "Beast of Burden" on the album... Probably one could find something punk-inspired from Mick's vocals but that's pretty far-reaching...



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2022-09-21 14:27 by Doxa.

<Motown cover (Just My Imagination)>

I'm pretty sure that one should be included in the list of «punk»-songs as well.

At least, according to Mick.

That's half of the album. However, I agree with SG being a much more varied album musically than many give it credit for.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-09-21 14:46 by Big Al.

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DandelionPowderman
However, I agree with SG being a much more varied album musically than many give it credit for.

Well, Mick himself promoted the album by claiming it has more variance than their albums have had for ages. He said something to the effect that it is a "delicious cocktail, just like our old albums". But what the hell he meant by that, or what was the reference, I don't know... (well, Mick's talks at the time were pretty loose as far as facts go...)

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-09-21 14:36 by Doxa.

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Doxa

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DandelionPowderman
However, I agree with SG being a much more varied album musically than many give it credit for.

Well, Mick himself promoted the album by claiming it has more variance than their albums have had for ages. He said something to the effect that it is a "delicious cocktail, just like our old albums". But what the hell he meant by that, or what was the reference, I don't know... (well, Mick's talks at the time were pretty loose as far as facts go...)

- Doxa

Of course SG is not a punk album, not in any way. But the punk movement reenergized the Stones, it kicked them up the arse and slapped them in the face. Respectable, Shattered and Lies are not punk, but high energy rockers with tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

Mathijs

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Big Al
Of course, one could be obnoxious and argue that there’s nothing less ‘punk’ than a group of thirty-something jetsetters, trying to join-in on a movement that shouldn’t have concerned them. Then again, the dinosaur-tag must’ve grated on Mick’s nerves, prompting him to follow the day’s trends and hope to stay relevant. It evidently worked, as Some Girls sold bucket-loads in the States.

Yeah, the success of SOME GIRLS and its extraordinary sales are pretty much based on US market. For example, in Europe it didn't generally sell much better than their previous albums.

How much that is to do having a huge hit single out (that especially in US market helps to sell the album a lot), them touring behind the album, and the fact that punk wasn't commercially or otherwise that big phenomenon in USA as it was in Europe? I mean, one could listen SOME GIRLS as a pretty standard old school/mainstream rock album if one wants (and one couldn't care a shit about the whole punk movement). The punk influence was pretty indirect: the good old Stones just sounding more fresh and energetic than they had for some time.

- Doxa



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2022-09-21 15:04 by Doxa.

Some Girls being a punk album or not, that is the question.

Of course it's not a "Punk" album

But as Mathijs said " the punk movement reenergized the Stones, it kicked them up the arse and slapped them in the face."

Being mocked as dinosaurs by punk rockers, [half of whom secretly wanted to be Keith ] must have half irked and half amused ... prompting a bit of

" ..we'll show you who can play the most rough and ready, spiky Rock n Roll...we were doing it when you were in short trousers ! "

More like a punk-inspired album then — including the sleazy cover design.

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Spud
Of course it's not a "Punk" album

But as Mathijs said " the punk movement reenergized the Stones, it kicked them up the arse and slapped them in the face."

Being mocked as dinosaurs by punk rockers, [half of whom secretly wanted to be Keith ] must have half irked and half amused ... prompting a bit of

" ..we'll show you who can play the most rough and ready, spiky Rock n Roll...we were doing it when you were in short trousers ! "

Big time agree . Along with the notion of wanting to be like Keith , which on the one hand they were spitting hatred on the Stones while at the same time wanting to be Keith . I have to think this was rip roaring funny to Mick and Keith .

Before they morphed into punks, many of them had grown their hair long, worn flare jeans and indulged in the Stones, The Who, Hendrix, Zeppelin etc. Basically they had inherited the ethos of the hippie generation who preceded them into the 70’s, prior to throwing it all away in the trash can. Some of them were even prog rock fans. John Lyndon AKA Johnny Rotten’s preference for Van Der Graaf Generator is well known. Keith Levene worshiped Yes like god and worked as a roadie for them for one time. Viv Albertine was into King Crimson. Mark Perry, before founding the seminal punk fanzine Sniffin’ Glue, admired Emerson, Lake & Palmer in his writing.

"Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?"



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2022-09-22 22:15 by RisingStone.

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TheGreek

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Spud
Of course it's not a "Punk" album

But as Mathijs said " the punk movement reenergized the Stones, it kicked them up the arse and slapped them in the face."

Being mocked as dinosaurs by punk rockers, [half of whom secretly wanted to be Keith ] must have half irked and half amused ... prompting a bit of

" ..we'll show you who can play the most rough and ready, spiky Rock n Roll...we were doing it when you were in short trousers ! "

Big time agree . Along with the notion of wanting to be like Keith , which on the one hand they were spitting hatred on the Stones while at the same time wanting to be Keith . I have to think this was rip roaring funny to Mick and Keith .

Yep, I fully agree. A slap in the face! Keith in particular was put a pepper in his arse. Result ... a great album

I'm a GHOST living in a ghost town

Well some Americans think that Canada is in Europe.

Rolling Stones 1979 Tour
Oshawa, Ontario

[thepowergoats.com]