I was trolling through the Billboard.com site and discovered they have a video database. I Looked up the Stones and saw a video for Highwire. I never knew that existed. A few observations:

I remember buying the Highwire / Sex Drive in "Cassingle" format before Flashpoint was released.

It looks like they filmed the video on the remnants of the Urban Jungle stage

Wyman isn't in the video. Did he call it quits immediately after Urban Jungle wrapped up?

I wonder if Wyman played bass on the HW / SD or if Keith or Ronnie covered it?

I don't believe keef is anywhere on Highwire == all mick and ronnie (and charlie)

cbtaco19 Wrote:
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> I was trolling through the Billboard.com site and
> discovered they have a video database. I Looked up
> the Stones and saw a video for Highwire. I never
> knew that existed. A few observations:
>
> I remember buying the Highwire / Sex Drive in
> "Cassingle" format before Flashpoint was
> released.
>
> It looks like they filmed the video on the
> remnants of the Urban Jungle stage
>
> Wyman isn't in the video. Did he call it quits
> immediately after Urban Jungle wrapped up?
>
> I wonder if Wyman played bass on the HW / SD or if
> Keith or Ronnie covered it?


Bill was still in the band and didnt quit officially until December 1992
he just refused to fly to new York to take part in the video shoot

The song info from the Time Is On Our Side site:

Probable line-up:

Drums: Charlie Watts
Bass: Bill Wyman
Electric guitars: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards (incl. leads) & Ron Wood
Lead vocal: Mick Jagger
Background vocals: Mick Jagger & Bernard Fowler


A quote from Mick about the song...pretty interesting:


(I can mimic Keith's guitar playing style, including the 5-string open-G stuff.) I can't do it ALL maybe as well as him, but I can do a lot of it. Like on Highwire, I do it.

- Mick Jagger, 1994


That's pretty true. It's obvious Mick was channeling Keith when he wrote "Don't Stop."

where was the song recorded? keith really wasn't involved?

cbtaco19 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was trolling through the Billboard.com site and
> discovered they have a video database. I Looked up
> the Stones and saw a video for Highwire. I never
> knew that existed. A few observations:
>
> I remember buying the Highwire / Sex Drive in
> "Cassingle" format before Flashpoint was
> released.
>

Me too. I still have it. The thing I remember most is that the Gulf War (which the song was targeted at) only lasted eight days more after the single was released. It was only about 30 days total. I still think Highwire was a good song, music-wise and message-wise ("We sell 'em missles/we sell 'em tanks/We give 'em credit/You can call the bank.")

By the time Rolling Stone magazine (no website in those days) came out with the headline and story "Stones Target The War" the war and the single were both already old news. Those were the days when guys named Bush knew how to go in, make their point, and not be stupid enough to try to stick around as an occupying force.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-03-16 03:10 by ohnonotyouagain.

Recorded London Jan 7-11, 1991
You can hear Keith on about half of Highwire and pretty much of Sex Drive.

That middle guitar passage in "Highwire" is really good stuff. I guess that's mostly ron.

cc Wrote:
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> where was the song recorded? keith really wasn't
> involved?


Look at the post by Justin.

The studio sessions for Highwire and Sex Drive ran from January 7th to January 18th 1991.Ron Wood is said to have been there only from the 7th to the 11th.

Keith is in the video, folks:

Theif in the Night Wrote:
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> Look at the post by Justin.
>
> The studio sessions for Highwire and Sex Drive
> ran from January 7th to January 18th 1991.Ron Wood
> is said to have been there only from the 7th to
> the 11th.

That's the "probable" line-up, according to a fan site. mick's comment seems more relevant.

Jumpin'JackFrash Wrote:
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> Keith is in the video, folks:
>
>



Are we talking about the video? I thought we were talking about the recording of the song.

Ron plays the first part of the solo then Keith plays a few licks towards the end of the solo. Jagger's on rhythm guitar as Justin said, in open G. Keith plays the cool leads at the fade out (crank it up to hear it!).

I believe the video was filmed in Brooklyn. NY

And after that, no Stones for four-plus years, the longest gap ever at that point. A long wait at the time, as I recall.

Actually the break was 3 years and 3 months between Flashpoint and Voodoo Lounge.

This song is okay, but the video is cool.

The video was actually premiered on Channel 4 along with exclusive interviews with Mick and Keef talking about the song.Interesting how Keef just falls in line agreeing with Mick.

a pitty that this song hasn't been played live.

Highwire should have been a hit,one of the most powerful song regarding the WAR
in gulf,so many inocent people got killed and 3/4 years later it still goin on.
BUSH AND BLAIR HAVE CREATED MORE TERROR THAN BEFORE.JAGGER GOT IT SPOT ON.

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> cbtaco19 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I was trolling through the Billboard.com site
> and
> > discovered they have a video database. I Looked
> up
> > the Stones and saw a video for Highwire. I
> never
> > knew that existed. A few observations:
> >
> > I remember buying the Highwire / Sex Drive in
> > "Cassingle" format before Flashpoint was
> > released.
> >
> > It looks like they filmed the video on the
> > remnants of the Urban Jungle stage
> >
> > Wyman isn't in the video. Did he call it quits
> > immediately after Urban Jungle wrapped up?
> >
> > I wonder if Wyman played bass on the HW / SD or
> if
> > Keith or Ronnie covered it?
>
>
> Bill was still in the band and didnt quit
> officially until December 1992
> he just refused to fly to new York to take part in
> the video shoot

Is the SD video shot previous before the HW video?
Because BW is appearing in that one and not in the HW video.
I can understand why Bill was in the SD video.... ;-)

Ed

Mick definitely plays the intro like on "Sad, Sad, Sad." He even plays it in the video. Keith and Woody handle most of the guitar work although the entire middle section is all three on rhythm guitars and a very nice recreation of the patented SOME GIRLS los trios guitares bit first heard in "When the Whip Comes Down" and "Just My Imagination." Wyman is on bass despite his absence from the video. His last act as a band member was shooting the "Sex Drive" video in June 1991 at Pinewood Studios. He did not sign the Virgin Records contract with Mick, Keith, Charlie, and (for the first time as a full band member) Ronnie in November of that same year. His departure was not officially announced until December 1992.

Stoneswolf Wrote:
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> a pitty that this song hasn't been played live.


I fully agree

Did anyone notice that during the video there was a + left on the film ?

Do you think it represented a gun sight ?

Mr.Ed Wrote:
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shoot
>
> Is the SD video shot previous before the HW
> video?
> Because BW is appearing in that one and not in the
> HW video.
> I can understand why Bill was in the SD video....
> ;-)
>
> Ed


I think the 'Sex Drive' video may have been done in London, in which case the flying issue wouldnt have been a problem. the single came out about 3 months after 'High wire' so presumably the video was filmed some time after the High Wire video.

Bill stopped flying to gigs during the 1990 European tour

georgelicks Wrote:
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> Actually the break was 3 years and 3 months
> between Flashpoint and Voodoo Lounge.

Oops, you're right. 3-plus years, not 4-plus years. It seemed longer. Math was never my best subject anyway.

so "Highwire" seems like a mick-dominated tune... if keith doesn't have much to say in the interview, he probably didn't have much interest in the song. Which is probably why they never tried it live.

I'm always surprised how good mick can sound on guitar in the studio, when even on the recent tour, he was shaky and kept low in the mix.