My first album of the Stones. I like it today, too. Great songs, great guitar work, one super blues (Hide Your Love), great ballads (Winter, Coming Down Again, Angie), all in all very melodious, one rock killer with "Star, Star". I rate it to the ten best ones.
I think "Goats Head Soap" is the official 'most under-rated Stones album' ever. Coming after the Big Four it is of course a failure, and it seriously suffers from its weak opener, horrible "Dancing With Mr. D". Perhaps the weak condition or the actual collapse of Jimmy Miller is a reason for its bad production and tired over-all feeling. But there are lots of great, original moments in that album, especially lyrical co-work of two Micks (best is "Winter"). And of course, a classic "Angie" is over there... About rockers, as songs they have potential, but the actual results are not very great, but somehow thin and muddy (and in "Heartbreaker" the boys play in different tune! No energy to correct that). The edge of Exile is gone.
Another great 'under-rated' album is Black&Blue, album that has lasted the test of time superbly. And the groovy and decadent Emotional Rescue album with all its bad songs (a'la "Indian Girl", "Where The Boys Go", the title song, and "Send It to Me") is a secret love affair for true Stones fans... Me like!
Doxa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- >> seriously suffers from its weak opener, horrible > "Dancing With Mr. D". Perhaps the weak condition >").
Doxa, THere is a great live version of Mr. D from 73 Europe. If someone can post it for you I doubt you would ever call it weak again. IT KICKS ASS.
I could burn you a copy if you like I just don't know how to post it on this site.
Virgil; just go to [www.yousendit.com] Fill in the two windows Receiver, your Mail address & then browse for the song. When its uploaded, you´ll see a link. Just cut & paste here. Put it at the Buy/Sell/Trade-side.
As far as I'm concerned, Star Star is the juggernaut of the whole GHS album imo. There are other good ones as well, like 100 Years Ago and Coming Down Again, but I like that one in particular.
nikkibong Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Heartbreaker sucks. rest is decent - star, star is > the best. should be a warhorse!
Star Star WOULD be a warhorse if the lyrics weren't X-rated.
100 Yrs ago the best along with Hearbreaker & Star Star. Rest has mostly good stuff as well. Weakest of all tracks Coming Down Agian or Dancing with MR D & both those are good anyway. So Very Good album you are right! MEZ
Undercover is more of an underrated album, imo...at least GHS had a couple of hits on it. Man I'd love to hear an updated version of 'Pain Of Love' and especially 'She Was Hot'. DR
It's got swag, style, artistry, and the Stone's trademark--pioneering into new sounds for them. Miller's last magical contribution. Not a single track I can skip.
Can't understand people not liking Heartbreaker but everyone's entitled to have their say. Goats Head Soup is a wonderful album and often overlooked because it came straight after sticky and exile.
I never thought much of GHS save Winter and @#$%&, it just somehow sounds too tame and lacks energy. I agree with Dillard, Undercover is the most underrated Stones album.
Like Doxa says GHS opens with a dud. Ad that is always hard to get over. IMO "100 Years Ago" is not much better but I know many here love that song. The problem with GHS IMO are not the songs pre se. It is the awful recording quality. I don't know what else to call it. The mix, the mastering, the input levels, the clarity - it is all terrible. The songs, especially the faster ones suffer. It says a lot about the strength of "Silver Train", "heartbreaker" and "Starfxucker" that they are still hot. But the Stones almost butchered them completely. Maybe it was because Jimmy Miller was so heavily on the nod. where it really falls part is "Hide your Love" and "Can you hear the Music". CYHTM could have been a monster! That riff! But the leadfooted tempo and that silly flute, plus the general mud just keep the song from ever getting on it's feet. It is plain to see from the 73 live shots how hot Mr D and heartbreaker really are.
"...no longer shall you trudge 'cross my peaceful mind."
I just bought Goat's Head Soup last week...I enjoy it. The first time I ever heard the opening of Winter was on the "licks around the world" documentary, and it has stuck in my head since. Same thing with "She smiled sweetly", during the Germany part on the same documentary. I love having songs float around in my head for a while before I have them in my collection. When I was a kid, I heard "gimme shelter" dozens of times before I had the album...the desire for the song is much more when you can't instantly access it.