I hate saying this. It's all wrong, you're wrong. Flip the Switch is not faster than Rip This Joint. This is a fact.

"Beat-wise the fastest track the Stones have ever cut or any other rock and roll song. It even beats Rip This Joint, which is always considered to be the fastest track ever cut (laughs). But it does come roaring at this beautiful beat and that's why I've been saying about Charlie Watts. (The album) starts with Charlie and it actually ends with Charlie, the whole record, so you know, I can go on and on about him, and everybody else yeah, great, really. But to me the real pleasure is playing with Charlie Watts, who is right on the top of his game. And that makes it much easier for me. Then I can really fly, you know what I mean."

- Keith Richards, 1997

Are you a drummer? Or musician? Can you operate those tick-tock-time-keeper things? Ever work w/ midi? click-tracks? Any genral tempo-measuring device?

Sorry, Flip the Switch is not that fast. It CERTAINLY is not the fastest rock and roll song.

Are you baiting me to make fun of you? I'm not a mean person, so I'm not going to.

The Worst. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> are you sure they asked Bill to join the band
> before BTB? I've never heard that before alimente.
> I think once you retire from The Rolling Stones,
> you remain retired - at least in this case with
> Bill.

I heard this from someone working very close with them, inner circle so to speak. I could not believe it but he swore the story is true. the exact details are not known - whether he was asked to rejoin permanently as a full member or just as stage bass player (fans going to the shows would not have noticed the difference anyways, just like not many noticed that even Ronnie was just a hired hand and not full member in legal and financial terms during the most part of his first two decades with the band) is not known. reportedly Bill Wyman was pissed off by the fact that the Stones did not even have the guts to ask him directly but sent an "ambassador" instead with the task to check if he was basically willing to do it or not (probably done to avoid media hype like "Stones asked Bill but he said NO!"). in the end he was not willing to do it anyway, being pissed off by the way they approached him or not. basic story is that touring so soon after VL, Stones thought theyd better offer an additional attraction because they were unsure at the time if another tour within a short time frame (just two years) could be as successful as VL or even end as desaster in ticket sales. and they never want to step back as we know. they thought Bills return would create major hype and guarantee a even more successful tour than VL. in the end, worries proved totally unfounded because BTB tour was hugely successful even without "Bill is back"-gimmick. and thats the reason why Bill was never asked again. since BTB they knew they did not need him. thinking further, this may also be the reason why they never brought Taylor back for at least a couple of numbers, which would make sense musically, but economically he is not needed to sel tickets.

and speaking of this 'once you retire from The Rolling Stones, you remain retired' thing - the Stones always work more in a company way than us fans want to believe. if they feel they need certain people, they have no problem to bring them back. if they feel they dont need certain people, they can be cold as ice. thats probably one of the reasons why we dont see a return of Mick Taylor on at least a couple of numbers. it would make sense musically, but why share big bucks with someone who is not needed to be successful? just because it would be a great move for many of their older fans? the Stones dont work in such a romantic way.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2006-11-30 00:37 by alimente.

Keith wanted a string bass on some tracks, so that's where Jeff Sarli came in.
Jamie Muhoberac is a keyboarder playing keyboard bass.
Producer Danny Saber reportedly wanted to play with the band in the studio instead of staying behind the glass. The only vacant spot in the band was the bass.
Don Was started out as a bass player before he became a producer, so it's no surprise that he plays bass on his productions, too. In fact, I wonder why he doesn't do it more often.
Me'Shell got a unique sound that fits well to the experimental nature of the production of the song she's on, so Darryl couldn't have replaced her either.
Doug Wimbish may well have been auditioned here, but I doubt that Blondie and Pierre were considered as tour bassists, because they already have other jobs within the current Stones organisation.

ohnonotyouagain Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Halup Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Tralala Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Think he was working a lot for Sting back
> > then...
> > > (That f**king school teacher!, according to
> KR)
> > > And - good to see he's on the Keith tunes!
> >
> > Darryl only worked with Sting from late 1984 to
> > mid 1986. He played with Sting on 1 studio
> album,
> > The Dream Of The Blue Turles, the subsequent
> tour
> > and the live album and movie from that tour
> called
> > Bring On The Night.
>
> I have those albums but am not near them right
> now. What I'm wondering is, Sting is a bass
> player, so why did he need another bass player in
> the band? Or did he play guitar on that album and
> tour?


Sting did indeed play guitar on that tour. That was a cracking band, too - with Darryl on bass, Omar Hakim on drums, Branford Marsalis on sax

alimente Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Worst. Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > are you sure they asked Bill to join the band
> > before BTB? I've never heard that before
> alimente.
> > I think once you retire from The Rolling
> Stones,
> > you remain retired - at least in this case with
> > Bill.
>
> I heard this from someone working very close with
> them, inner circle so to speak. I could not
> believe it but he swore the story is true. the
> exact details are not known - whether he was asked
> to rejoin permanently as a full member or just as
> stage bass player (fans going to the shows would
> not have noticed the difference anyways, just like
> not many noticed that even Ronnie was just a hired
> hand and not full member in legal and financial
> terms during the most part of his first two
> decades with the band) is not known. reportedly
> Bill Wyman was pissed off by the fact that the
> Stones did not even have the guts to ask him
> directly but sent an "ambassador" instead with the
> task to check if he was basically willing to do it
> or not (probably done to avoid media hype like
> "Stones asked Bill but he said NO!"). in the end
> he was not willing to do it anyway, being pissed
> off by the way they approached him or not. basic
> story is that touring so soon after VL, Stones
> thought theyd better offer an additional
> attraction because they were unsure at the time if
> another tour within a short time frame (just two
> years) could be as successful as VL or even end as
> desaster in ticket sales. and they never want to
> step back as we know. they thought Bills return
> would create major hype and guarantee a even more
> successful tour than VL. in the end, worries
> proved totally unfounded because BTB tour was
> hugely successful even without "Bill is
> back"-gimmick. and thats the reason why Bill was
> never asked again. since BTB they knew they did
> not need him. thinking further, this may also be
> the reason why they never brought Taylor back for
> at least a couple of numbers, which would make
> sense musically, but economically he is not needed
> to sel tickets.


"basic story is that touring so soon after VL, Stones
thought theyd better offer an additional
attraction because they were unsure at the time if
another tour within a short time frame (just two
years) could be as successful as VL or even end as
desaster in ticket sales. and they never want to
step back as we know. they thought Bills return
would create major hype and guarantee a even more
successful tour than VL"

-that is an argument I understand alimente, but never heard of it. But maybe that makes sense regarding the special bass situation on the album.

I dunno, the last time I listened to it, I sorta got the impression that maybe Waddy Wachtel was on there because Woody was too out of it or drunk in the studio to cut his parts or something. There are a few tracks where the 2nd non-Keith guitar sounds a lot like Waddy's playing, meanwhile Ron Wood and Waddy and Keith are all mentioned in the guitar credits, but when you actually listen it's pretty much two guitars and you can't really hear anything much in the song that sounds distinctly like Ron Wood playing. Just saying -- ninety nine times out of 100, in the recording studio, if you have a band that already has a player on a certain instrument, and then suddenly there is somebody else on the record playing the same instrument on some songs, and the credits are vague and muddled like that (listing six people on "electric guitars" or whatever), then it usually means the first guy isn't getting the job done and they have had to bring in the hired guns. I've actually been in the studio with a band when this has happened, the usual lead guitarist is just screwing up take after take, so they get somebody else in, it's not pretty but it does happen.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2006-11-30 00:36 by Turning To Gold.

Turning To Gold Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I dunno, the last time I listened to it, I sorta
> got the impression that maybe Waddy Wachtel was on
> there because Woody was too out of it or drunk in
> the studio to cut his parts or something. There
> are a few tracks where the 2nd non-Keith guitar
> sounds a lot like Waddy's playing, meanwhile Ron
> Wood and Waddy and Keith are all mentioned in the
> guitar credits, but when you actually listen it's
> pretty much two guitars and you can't really hear
> anything much in the song that sounds distinctly
> like Ron Wood playing. Just saying -- ninety nine
> times out of 100, in the recording studio, if you
> have a band that already has a player on a certain
> instrument, and then suddenly there is somebody
> else on the record playing the same instrument on
> some songs, and the credits are vague and muddled
> like that (listing six people on "electric
> guitars" or whatever), then it usually means the
> first guy isn't getting the job done and they have
> had to bring in the hired guns. I've actually been
> in the studio with a band when this has happened,
> the usual lead guitarist is just screwing up take
> after take, so they get somebody else in, it's not
> pretty but it does happen.


Funny you mention that, before the BTB gig in Oslo the norwegian TV channel NRK made an interview with Mick and Ronnie. The reporter said something like this to Mick:
"I think Ronnie brings a lot of colour to the new record. Do you agree?"
Mick answers determined "No." - before adding "I don't know what it means".

Terje Svaboe was referring to the dobro on Already over me, I guess.