Nice to see quite many acknowledging Jagger's great vocal performances on BLUE & LONESOME. To me he really outdo any expectations I had of his singing capabilities there. Probably most convincing stuff he has done since the incredible B-side of TATTOO YOU (that truely is a Jagger show), although there've been many great moments along the years, for sure. But a great latter-day peak. I would say that it was his singing that actually made B&L so distinctive. The band could have been 'just another great blues band', but Jagger put an unique stamp on it, making it sound different than any other blues album.

But what goes for truely highlight performances from the legendary days, there are so many of them that I need to give them some thought. But nice to read the examples people give here. My mind goes like 'yeah, true that one as well. And that one..'

As a rock singer screaming his lungs out I think the fast stuff on EXILE is his peak. "Rocks Off", "Rip This Joint", etc. Some mind-blowing performances there. I don't think his voice never been that strong as it was there.

- Doxa



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2023-04-05 19:18 by Doxa.

Off the top of my head - Sympathy.

From the opening demonic grunts and growls, to the eloquent almost spoken words of the first parts of the tune, to the screeching, yelping, and howling during the latter parts of the tune, Sympathy has it all.

And then there's Gimme Shelter. And Brown Sugar. Tumbling Dice. And many more that rank very high. And can't forget Stoned - even though there's minimal vocals, one of my all time favorites.

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

Two of my favorites:

All Down The Line
Sway

...." followoing the river" on EOMS double...

-



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-04-05 23:37 by Stoneage.

Long Black Veil with The Chieftains

No Use in Crying. Coulda been a great live one.

"Laugh I Nearly Died" on Bigger Bang.. obscure but I sure noticed his vocals

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drewmaster
In spite of his 60 years of worldwide fame, I think Mick is actually UNDER-appreciated by the general public when it comes to his abilities as a singer.

If you had to pick ONE studio track with Mick’s most jaw-droppingly amazing vocal performance, what would it be?

For me, at the moment at least, I would choose “All Your Love” from the Blue & Lonesome disc. Possibly the most stunning vocal performance ever recorded. Especially given that this is a 72-year-old singer. Unbelievable.

Drew

I’ve always also thought how much he is under appreciated by a lot of the public tbh.
So many songs obviously, memory motel, moonlight mile, sister morphine.

All of side 2 of Tattoo you incredible. Let it Loose, Winter, Sway, Moonlight Mile to name a few.

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ProfessorWolf
this is not something i can easily answer but without giving it much thought the two that spring immediately to mind are

i don't know why

and

watching the river flow

I thought his vocal on that song was pretty much a career low point. Totally over the top. Recorded during that period where he seemed to be oversinging almost everything

'Let It Loose' is his high watermark as a vocalist IMO

Let it Loose, for sure. There’s a passion and emotion in that song he never reached on record again. A Lightening in a bottle type vocal take.

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liddas
Easier to list Mick's "lame" vocal performances ... are there any?

Look no further than his solo material where there are quite a few whoppers, but if we're sticking with Stones, there's several from the "nasal era"/"over-enunciated era" that come to mind.
Not a fan of his singing on Plundered, nor Watching the River Flow, nor Biggest Mistake, nor Streets of Love, nor most of the ABB album, nor the Stripped version of Wild Horses, nor this nor that.
But all that lameness aside, he's one of the greatest vocalists/frontmen ever in the history of rock and roll - for sure the greatest frontman!

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

I Ain't Signifying is absolutely brilliant

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Gazza

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ProfessorWolf
this is not something i can easily answer but without giving it much thought the two that spring immediately to mind are

i don't know why

and

watching the river flow

I thought his vocal on that song was pretty much a career low point. Totally over the top. Recorded during that period where he seemed to be oversinging almost everything

I agree 100%. I was shocked that anyone would rank that as one of his best.

Here's my quote from a post I did about the song back in 2016:

The problem is that Mick literally phoned this in. He over-sings with an intensity dialed up to "11." If he had modeled his performance after Bob's laid-back, breezy approach it would have been much, much better.

Had he been in the same room when the track was recorded, I'm sure that the other Stones would have suggested that he ease up. Plus the whole idea that the Stones were back together playing with Bill "for Stu" was really undermined by him not actually being there.

His vocals ruin the whole thing.

Mick really came into "his own" with UNDERCOVER.

The last album of Mick singing with himself. Great work.

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loog droog

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Gazza

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ProfessorWolf
this is not something i can easily answer but without giving it much thought the two that spring immediately to mind are

i don't know why

and

watching the river flow

I thought his vocal on that song was pretty much a career low point. Totally over the top. Recorded during that period where he seemed to be oversinging almost everything

I agree 100%. I was shocked that anyone would rank that as one of his best.

Here's my quote from a post I did about the song back in 2016:

The problem is that Mick literally phoned this in. He over-sings with an intensity dialed up to "11." If he had modeled his performance after Bob's laid-back, breezy approach it would have been much, much better.

Had he been in the same room when the track was recorded, I'm sure that the other Stones would have suggested that he ease up. Plus the whole idea that the Stones were back together playing with Bill "for Stu" was really undermined by him not actually being there.

His vocals ruin the whole thing.

glad i can shock you

seriously though in the part of my post that isn't quoted above i did mention that these are probably not very objective examples but just what sprung into my head at the moment

but i can see how wtrf is perhaps not the best example of mick singing

it just holds a special place for me because it was the first new song the stones released after i became a fan

however with more thought i'd keep i don't know but also add

commit a crime

one hit

let it loose

angie

shine a light

ain't no use in crying

heaven

down home girl
(not his best but god i love how he sings it)

you got the silver (mick version)

and to shock you again i genuinely love his singing on pass the wine

but keep in mind if i was asked to choose 11 of micks best songs tomorrow i'd probably choose another 11 different songs

he's so good i find it almost impossible to just choose a couple and stick with it

every time i listen to him i find something new in his voice that i hadn't noticed before



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 2023-04-06 09:17 by ProfessorWolf.

I keep going back to his b side Blue and the guest vocal with U2 of Stuck in a Moment.

Time waits for no one

As for the live performances I doappreciate the 1971 and the 1973 tours.

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ProfessorWolf


you got the silver (mick version)

Terrible thing imo... so terrible that I suspect Mick flunked it deliberately to make way for Keith’s version on LIB.

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dcba

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ProfessorWolf


you got the silver (mick version)

Terrible thing imo... so terrible that I suspect Mick flunked it deliberately to make way for Keith’s version on LIB.

agree to disagree there

and yes keith's version is far superior

My top three:

- Let it loose
- Sympathy
- Angie

.......Stoned

Jagger's singing on "Stripped" and "Stripped Companion" is outstanding. During the tour of 81/82 he had great nights - and nights which were not great at all. "Winter" and "Moonlight Mile" are sung very well. On "Tattoo You" Jagger is great, even if I always disliked the falsetto on "WAY".

For me it's his live vocal performance in 1969 with Gimme Shelter. Stunning!

Pop Go the Sixties 1969
[youtu.be]

Oakland 1969
[youtu.be]

Blue and Lonesome is a phenomenal performance. For anyone, let alone a 72 Yr old.
I get chills listening to that track with MJs delivery.

I agree with Gazza that " Let It Loose" is Mick's very best vocal performance EVER! There are dozens of others that may come close like " That's How Strong My Love Is" live but as far as letting it all out, it has to be " Let It Loose".

Worried About You.

Let it loose.

To me Jagger is one of the most soulful singers in his chosen field, a self-made man who has "the blue note". You cannot miss it.