Waiting on a Friend was a pretty decent hit from what I remember.

IMHO If they played One Hit more often live that would be it or SOM has possibilities.

If "classic" and "hit" mean the same thing then SMU.

Too Tough is a classic IMO, the song has way more potential than what they put on the album. Needs more meaty sound and the echo on Jaggers voice in the chorus does not sound right. But classic guitars.

Start Me Up.

radio is partly the culprit, the readjustment to how the charts were compiled starting in 1989 is another. but the biggest factor may be that the stones 'drown their young' by never playing new stuff after the initial tour it is debuted on. you got me rocking is the only exception, but mixed emotions, love is strong, anybody seen my baby, out of control, rain fall down, and rough justice all had a chance to enter the pantheon of public conciousness but were ignored and underpromoted by the stones. i can think of lots of songs i consider A-level stones since SMU (thief, waiting on a friend, juiced, saint, back of my hand, etc. plus the ones i listed above) but none will match the public saturation of SMU.

StonesTod Wrote:
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> SMU is the undisputable answer. Nothing has come
> close to achieving that status - and none will
> ever again, it seems.


Undisputable (god I love that word) based on your opinion and view. It's like you ignored all the things said (mainly by LeedLungs) regarding time and place the Stones were at in the 70's (and 80's) and all the contributing factors at play in adding to SMU's longevity. It would have been interesting to see what our thoughts would be now of some of the ABB tracks had they been released in 1979.

That said I do agree for the most part regarding SMU, but I think a couple of the tunes from ABB could have been helped in the popularity category if given more commercial consideration by Stones marketing dicks, but to use my own words for what Leeds Lung has already expressed, "geezer-rock just isn't in the mainstream these days".

The last "classic" super-hit Rolling Stones song:

My Choices:

1) IT WON'T TAKE LONG (2005): The song that WOULD BE their last great super-classic if they decided to play it. An incredible "guitar-forward" live rocker. They played it like twice this entire tour, a super-monster both times but for whatever reason they don't keep at it.

2) YOU GOT ME ROCKIN' (1994): Simple stadium rocker that rarely fails, especially when the crowd IS rockin.

3) ONE HIT TO THE BODY (1986): What's not to like, "classic" Stones sound. If it came out in the 60's or 70s would probably be in regular rotation.

4) START ME UP (1981): The last of the "traditional" classics.

"It's just that demon life has got me in it's sway..."

What about Emotional Rescue, that was a pretty big hit.

I think either "It Won't take Long" or "Let Me Down Real Slow" would have been hits if U.S. radio (Clear Channel) would play new Stones. Sadly, they don't and won't play anything new from 60 year old rockers (has beens)...

FM Radio is so sad today in the U.S.

Does satellite radio push the new Stones album?

Yes, Sirius plays a good amount of "Bigger Bang" stuff!

LeedsLungs71 Wrote:
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> I think either "It Won't take Long" or "Let Me
> Down Real Slow" would have been hits if U.S. radio
> (Clear Channel) would play new Stones.

Why should Clear Channel play It Won't Take Long if the STONES won't play it ?????

If the Stones played it regularly this would be one of their greatest stage numbers, old warhorses included.

"It's just that demon life has got me in it's sway..."

Miss You and SMU are the last 2...........don't ask me why re: SMU..............not my favourite but it gets the crowd gowing it's used at stadiums throughout the world and of course tons of radio play(Keiths riff is probably why)

Miss You was their biggest commercial hit......it's easy to whistle and you hear people whisteling it all the time in elevators in the deli wherever it's played...it's infectious and it's a winner............Beast of Burden has potential too. Then I think they just stopped writing songs like that that would be radio or MTV friendly. VH1 hasn't played one new Stones video have they from ABB?...................and I just saw the Rough Justice video....promo only...which is swesome!!!!!!!!!!!!.............. but someone in Stones offices buried that perfoprmance..............so no hit!!

She Saw Me Coming,Let Me Down,Laugh,I Nearly Died & Rough justice really make me see there still is relevance in their music.If not because they've been around forever & in their 60's,these songs would fit very well on the radios of America.

When SMU was used on an Apple computer commercial early on,
that made it stuck in people's minds too, do you agree?

I believe you're thinking of Windows '95.At that point,it was already all over the place for a long time.
The answer,I believe,is a combination of points made in this thread.The Stones potential to produce commercial hits is steadily going further down hill with their age.Even in 1994,I remember Voodoo Lounge being all over MTV and in the U.S. press.This tour,I saw a couple of videos at 3:00 in the morning and that has been the extent of it.They still produce quality music but,how many bands made up of senior citizens make songs that catch on with people in the age group that determine which songs are hits?

Funny no one mentions ONNYA. Agreed the recording on ABB is not the best way in which it could have been done, but there was a video of a rehearsal of it just before the press conference in May 2005. To me that had all the qualities of an instant classic. But it's not the sort of music young people listen to. So it couldn't be a radio hit.

I like ONNYA... it's really been a good live number this tour, the best I've personally heard from ABB...

But it's got this sort of "lighthearted" edge, guess that's why for my personal taste I didn't list it as a "classic stones song"... which I think It Won't Take Long has more of that dramatic feel to it. But ONNyAs a good live number for real.

"It's just that demon life has got me in it's sway..."

YES....ONNYA is great.Sounds like it would fit on Some Girls,imo.

Thanks, Theif, yes, already around.
Okay, did anyone listen to them open their live internet broadcast with it from wherever the tour opened that year, 1997, perhaps?

If The Stones had have ran with Rough Justice/Back Of My Hand
as the first single from Bang they would have delivered a
"classic" double headed single....The guess is Mick wanted
his Streets as the top sider but if they'd have gone with
with the above choice then he'd have still landed one
of his songs on the single.

To accompany the single The Stones could've also ran wild with
a filthy rock video for Rough Justice and a blues like vid
for Back Of My Hand (Mick the wise Southern Preacher)....
The hefty lyrics of both tracks would have worked so-well
to push a whole assortment of earthy images....



ROCKMAN

It depends how the Stones treat the song. First off is it on the new album? How is it sequenced on the album? Opening song? Ending? last on Side 1? etc.
Where in the set are they doing it? Does it become a crowd sing along or a showpiece? Do they do it every show? Is there some form of special excitement about it? Or a story? Are the lyrics string and memorable? Is it a guitar song?
The last songs that fit all that IMO were Out of Control and Saint of me. They were both ready to become superhits. everything is in place. But they have quit playing them. I am willing to bet the farm, had they kept featuring them on Lix the way they are pushing YGMR eg they would be close to warhorse status by now.
Anybody seen my baby, Emotional resuce, Love is Strong, Mixed Emotions, all don't fit the mold in more ways than one.

"...no longer shall you trudge 'cross my peaceful mind."

Out of Control is pretty close to a classic. It's got a great live arrangement... nice and creepy... almost listed it as a classic.

"It's just that demon life has got me in it's sway..."

I don't think of Saint Of Me in this category.It's a good song (maybe a notch above that) and it got the crowds going in concert but,too many oh yeah oh yeah's to be a classic.Emotional Rescue is great as far as the club type songs go but,not quite on the same level of the classics.Mixed Emotions is a great song marred by the production/sound of its time - I wish they would bring it back for a bit to hear what it would sound like now.Anybody Seen My Baby is alright but,not by the standards the Stones set.Out Of Control should be a classic but,people who don't recognize it give up on it during the slow beginning before it takes off.Love is Strong is up there as well but,some live versions of it are uneven.Sad,Sad,Sad had some real potential.

Rockman Wrote:
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> The guess is Mick wanted his Streets as the top sider


Yeah, wish they'd have dropped out some "goddesinadoorway-albumlike" crap from ABB. Then it could've been a classic and in their top-5 studioalbums.

For example:

SOL out
SSMC out
BM out
DB out
LIND renew some lyrics
DTF out
Infamy out

> To accompany the single The Stones could've also ran wild with
> a filthy rock video for Rough Justice and a blues like vid
> for Back Of My Hand


SOL-video is just horrible.

IMO, Love Is Strong was the last classic Stones-song. It has everything; the riff, the catchy hooks and the cool guitars and vocals. But the production could have been better (but that goes for a lot of Stones classics).

Under The Radar has al lot of potential! It should have been on ABB, and it should have been their first single in Europe, instead of Streets. I think they underestimated the publics desire to be surprised. SOL isn't exaclty the song you download as a ringtone, and impress your friends with. It is a song you just silently enjoy when it is played on the radio. UTR on the other side has loads of sex apeal, just like Rain, Laugh, It Wont take Long, and Back Of My Hand. These songs have the power to make it on their own.

Get Off Of My Cloud was on the radio sunday evening. Listening to the power and the appeal of that, and now thinking of the smooth sofisticated sound of SOL, I would say: WE WANT DIRTY & FILTHY GROOVES!!! (At least I do.)

If the Rolling Stones want to be a counting factor again, they should let go of the conservativeness, and surprise the world with some serious daring and shocking attitude towards promoting their music to the general public. It should be COOL again to listen to the Stones. Release BOMH, it will make everybody run to the stores to buy ABB, because it ROCKS! Sell ABB as a double album with Exile in it for free, and it will make 'm download Sticky Fingers, Let it Bleed and Beggars Banquet! Probably at some lousy P2P site, but hey, who cares? No money earned in that one, but just imagine what happens if they would bring out their next album.

And as far as the classics are concerned: Paint It Black is absolutely in the same league as BS, Satisfaction, Sympathy, JJF etc. Just a question, I'm sure you can enlight me on this one. Why is Midnight Rambler never released as a single? Or is it, and did it simply not work as well as, lets say, Sympathy?

Jelle

I Go Wild, Saint Of Me, Rought Justice, Oh No, It Won´t Take Long.... sincerilly, for me.... Saint of Me should be a war-horse... I don´t know if in USA where people don´t react to this..... but in Europe and South America for sure!!!

In terms of quality, feel and appeal: Start Me Up and Waiting on a Friend.

S.T.P Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
The last classics I
> can think of right now, could i.e. be a song like
> Theif In The Night. The backing vokals in
> particular reminds me of songs written in the
> classic era (Sticky Fingers /Exile) It has that
> special Stones sound to it, if you know what I
> mean

Funny you say that because TINT sounds like a complete new departure to me. Those sinuously progressing chords even have moorish overtones in my ears. Greatest song of the '90's IMO - love it! (lacking in appeal to become a classic however)

----------------------------
"Music is the frozen tapioca in the ice chest of history."

"Shit!... No shit, awright!"

SMU is the last WARHORSE. The last classic Stones song is RJ.

JumpingKentFlash

sluissie Wrote:
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> Under The Radar has al lot of potential! It should
> have been on ABB


Yep, it has. Here's an alternate ABB. Just started to burn one:

1. Rough Justice
2. Let Me Down Slow
3. It Won't Take Long
4. Rain Fall Down
5. Look What The Cat Dragged In
6. Back Of My Hand
7. Oh No, Not You Again
8. Sweet Neo Con
9. Under The Radar
10. Laugh, I Nearly Died
11. This Place Is Empty



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-06-20 12:22 by Hurriganes.