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tomk
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I swear I've seen a picture
of Brian with a accordian taken late '66 or early '67.
That bell-like instrument could be a celeste,
or it could be a Hammond.

I've never seen a photo of Brian with the acordion. Do you have it?

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tomk
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I swear I've seen a picture
of Brian with a accordian taken late '66 or early '67.
That bell-like instrument could be a celeste,
or it could be a Hammond.

I think I saw one as well...maybe here.

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stones78

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tomk
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I swear I've seen a picture
of Brian with a accordian taken late '66 or early '67.
That bell-like instrument could be a celeste,
or it could be a Hammond.

I think I saw one as well...maybe here.

The original post I did was from two years ago. Perhaps I was thinking of the picture of him with the cello (viola?) taken around the time of Buttons, as I've never come across a picture with Brian playing an accordian. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me. I'm willing to give the accordian part to Brian on this one, but I don't know...it sounds too professionally played to be him. Then again, he came up with some very interesting things. There must be some union session notes about these things.

A nice song. The accordion is a highlight. The song is a reflection of the typically English class society. I see some similarities with Lady Jane.

Beautiful!

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kleermaker
A nice song. The accordion is a highlight. The song is a reflection of the typically English class society. I see some similarities with Lady Jane.

I believe you are dead right, kleermaker. 'Back Street Girl' is up with 'Lady Jane' as one of my favourite Stones ballads. Jagger does have a habit of putting women down in the 1966 period, although with 'Back Street Girl', it is given a class twist. It amazes me how the Stones could shift so effortlessly from appearing young rebels, musically and visually (quite primitive at times too), yet were able to deliver songs with aristocratic connotations as with 'Back Street Girl' as well as 'Lady Jane', and sound so incredibly authentic. I think even in those early days Jagger was incredibly clever, cultivating a rebellious image to many, yet maintaining perhaps an aloofness, which maybe had less to do with the masses who may have felt represented by him. I'm sure Marianne Faithfull may have been responsible for leading him a little more in that direction, once he hooked up with her, and this may have resulting in him appearing a little more cultured, although he often did appear quite posh in his youth anyway.

'Back Street Girl' is perhaps my favourite song off 'Between The Buttons', along with 'Yesterday's Papers'.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-09-13 20:40 by Edward Twining.

funny how a beautiful song like this is considered "dated" and is a style the band only glancingly revisited in the mid-90s, whereas crap classic rock like most of the songs on ABB is somehow still considered current.

Let me add some opinion to BSG:

The accordion player, without a doubt, wasn't Brian. Brian have a "playing style" which, with every instrument he playd, remain the same style. I'm talking about "the riff". Listen close to what Brian did play in his guitar, even when he make "the second guitar", he plays like if he was playing an arrangement. He always did it. At least, one of two riff per song. Listen to the live version of "Not fade away" of Honolulu 1966, he plays the thing, and remain here. Under mu thumb, he plays the riff with the marimba, and remain here. The only difference I can add is "Ruby Tuesday", because he builds a whole melody, not a riff. But with BSG, surely is not his way of playing, the accordions plays melody, with sustained notes, single notes, double notes, is much more closer to a trained musician (I can offer Nicky Hopkins, but sure he wasn't in those sessions).

And to the one who said "Lastly, I will 'assume' that Brian played the accordion on because quite frankly it is so 'Brianesque'. Charlie once mentioned how Brian picked up the accordion and learned to play it in a couple hours (1999 MOJO)."
If you can play piano, you can play a millon of instruments, is not a matter of virtuso talent, but a disposition of the notes in the instrument. If you can play piano (either good or bad, doesn't matter), you can play Hammond, harpsichord, celeste, marimba, vibraphone, accordion, mellotron, moog, and other millons of instruments, of the same "family" (keyboards).

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"I'm gonna walk... before they make me run"

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This is slower. Player or mastering?

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dandelion1967
Let me add some opinion to BSG:

The accordion player, without a doubt, wasn't Brian. Brian have a "playing style" which, with every instrument he playd, remain the same style. I'm talking about "the riff". Listen close to what Brian did play in his guitar, even when he make "the second guitar", he plays like if he was playing an arrangement. He always did it. At least, one of two riff per song. Listen to the live version of "Not fade away" of Honolulu 1966, he plays the thing, and remain here. Under mu thumb, he plays the riff with the marimba, and remain here. The only difference I can add is "Ruby Tuesday", because he builds a whole melody, not a riff. But with BSG, surely is not his way of playing, the accordions plays melody, with sustained notes, single notes, double notes, is much more closer to a trained musician (I can offer Nicky Hopkins, but sure he wasn't in those sessions).

And to the one who said "Lastly, I will 'assume' that Brian played the accordion on because quite frankly it is so 'Brianesque'. Charlie once mentioned how Brian picked up the accordion and learned to play it in a couple hours (1999 MOJO)."
If you can play piano, you can play a millon of instruments, is not a matter of virtuso talent, but a disposition of the notes in the instrument. If you can play piano (either good or bad, doesn't matter), you can play Hammond, harpsichord, celeste, marimba, vibraphone, accordion, mellotron, moog, and other millons of instruments, of the same "family" (keyboards).

To me it sounds exactly like Brian trying the accordion, not "hard" to play but a clever choice and fitting melody.

Seems that it was Jack who played the accordian because someone at ABKCO said it wasn't Brian.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2012-04-05 13:45 by His Majesty.

I always thought it was "curtsy and look not too long just a little."

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His Majesty
Seems that it was Jack who played the accordian because someone at ABKCO said it wasn't Brian.

OK yeah makes sense with Jack Nietzsche

Wikipedia:

While organizing the music for The T.A.M.I. Show television special in 1964, he met The Rolling Stones, and went on to contribute the keyboard textures to their albums The Rolling Stones, Now! (or The Rolling Stones No. 2 in the UK), Out of Our Heads, Aftermath and Between the Buttons, as well as the hit singles "Paint It Black" and "Let's Spend the Night Together" and the choral arrangements for "You Can't Always Get What You Want". In 1968, Nitzsche introduced the band to slide guitarist Ry Cooder, a seminal influence on the band's 1969-1973 style.

I had to reup this one! I´m listening now very chilled for 7time in a row on headphones to this wonderful wonderfult tune ...

We should also add that, thanks to Andrew Loog Oldham, we now know it was Nick De Caro who played the accordian.

i like the song. i like the accordion, gives it a french type flavour. there's a nice melody; not overly complicated, but nice. the accordion kind of floats around it. and the lyrics are great, to me they harken back to the days when politicians and people of (probably born into) power (read aristocratic sh*thead's) had mistresses on the side but couldn't afford to be seen publically with them, and the whole affair had to be a big secret from the wife, family and political rivals. cruel? sexist? i suppose. i dunno. it just just kind of reminds me of back at the turn of the 20th century when all these politicians were having affairs with their nannies, maids, floor sweepers whoever; it reminds me of that era. i don't know why, really. i guess nothing's changed much

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donvis
I always thought it was "curtsy and look not too long just a little."

I have always heard, "Curtsy and look, don't you long just for me."

T@3

Thanks to:

www.spectropop.com/NickDeCaro/

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His Majesty
We should also add that, thanks to Andrew Loog Oldham, we now know it was Nick De Caro who played the accordian.

So I was right. And I was right too when I told that Stu did play live in 72 in Brown Sugar and Sweet Virginia... take a look on the footage of 1973





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"I'm gonna walk... before they make me run"

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I always felt that what made the song were the vibraphone/marimba notes played throughout the track, not so much the accordion.

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neptune
I always felt that what made the song were the vibraphone/marimba notes played throughout the track, not so much the accordion.

Lol.

.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-07-07 05:48 by treaclefingers.

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His Majesty

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neptune
I always felt that what made the song were the vibraphone/marimba notes played throughout the track, not so much the accordion.

Lol.

What's so funny about this? The vibraphone is the main riff of the song, and provides an air of elegance to the track.

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neptune

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His Majesty

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neptune
I always felt that what made the song were the vibraphone/marimba notes played throughout the track, not so much the accordion.

Lol.

What's so funny about this? The vibraphone is the main riff of the song, and provides an air of elegance to the track.

It's a nice little piece of atmosphere, and we don't know who played it, but no way is it the main riff like, for example, the Marimba on Under My Thumb etc etc is.

Is Keith playing in standard tuning tuned down like the guy in this video?

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Christian
Is Keith playing in standard tuning tuned down like the guy in this video?

Sounds right enough, so probably yes.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-08-26 14:44 by His Majesty.

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drewmaster
Never understood the appeal of this track, or for that matter, most of the others on Between the Buttons. Too me, they sound arty, stilted, and pretentious, without any of the soul and grit and bluesiness and salaciousness that I so dearly love about the Rolling Stones.

Drew

Well said, Drew.

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His Majesty

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Christian
Is Keith playing in standard tuning tuned down like the guy in this video?

Sounds right enough, so probably yes.

It's certainly not standard tuning, but the D is played on the 6th string. That guy also strums too much.