The Rolling Stones - All Down The Line

ORIGINATION Exile On Main Street
LAST LISTENED TO yesterday
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT pretty good
RATING

It's quite a good song, isn't it? And the album is, of course, rather good too. Famously so. The thing here, though, is that i have never listened to any of the tracks individually. I've only ever listened to the album as a whole. A bit odd, but that's just how it is. Which means for me that, due to the overall high quality of all the tunes, no one stands out above the others. Bits of tunes stand out, sometimes. This is the case for All Down The Line. It has some nice backing vocals and good brass support. Which is all i remember about the song. It's good, but it's not great. Am i being unfair? I hope not.

The Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want

ORIGINATION Let It Bleed
LAST LISTENED TO yesterday
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT mucho high
RATING

This is not my favourite Stones song and it probably never will be. But as a song it is perfectly realised. The slow build up through the gradual addition of instruments is nothing short of perfection. It seems rather pointless to describe fully the whole of this build up, as it is so well known. Instead i will single out a few particular moments that stand out.

First up is the crystal-clear diction of the choir at the opening, which never fails to bring a smile to my lips. This is followed wonderfully with a bare guitar, the sheer simplicity of which almost gives the impression of the song drawing breath before its climb. It also works as a great contrast to the very proper choir. The organ embellishments after the line 'I went down to the Chelsea Drug Store' are restrained but add a lovely touch of soul. Later, with the choir returning for just a few bars in anticipation of the climax, the song just steps up a gear, showing its power and depth. Then there are the piano rolls near the climax and finally the climax itself, particularly Charlie kicking into double time on the fade. Just wonderful.

Today i also noticed for the first time the quietly-mixed bongos that appear a few minutes in, which mesh with the drums to add just one more texture to this complex weave. This depth of layers is just one more great thing about the song.

As i wrote to being with, this is not my favourite Stones song. Only Gimme Shelter or Sympathy For The Devil will ever be that. This song, however, will never be less than third best.

And i've not even mentioned the resignation-to-redemption truth of the lyrics, that the music echoes and which drives home the utter correctness of the song's message: you can't always get what you want, but sometimes, if you try, you might get what you need.

The Rolling Stones - You Got The Silver

ORIGINATION Let It Bleed
LAST LISTENED TO a few days ago
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT pretty high
RATING

This week was Let It Bleed week. It was on a fairly continuous rotation in the mornings. Funnily enough, You Got The Silver is my least favourite track on the album. Not that that is saying much as in my opinion, Let It Bleed is one of the best Stones albums. It opens on Gimme Shelter (which would probably make my all-time top ten tracks by anyone ever, most days) and ends on You Can't Always Get What You Want, which is not just damned good advice, but also a bloody good song.

You Got The Silver is one of those rare outgings when Keith gets to sings (in fact, it was the first tiime he got a song to himself). His voice is really not all that bad, but you do get the feeling that this is a car with one wheel off. It's the Stones, but not really. Also, i've never been hugely keen on their country-ish style songs, such as this one. It's just a matter of taste, i do realise.

Given all that, i do still like the track. The vocals, for all their roughness, actually fit the down-to-earth feel of the tune. In some ways you can almost hear Jagger singing them, as Richard's phrasing and style clearly echo the singer's. The real star is Richard's slide guitar work, which is really quite pretty, especially over-dubbed on his accoustic strumming. The song is also quite short, building to a satisfying climax that is over and done before you really notice.

The Rolling Stones - Can You Hear Me Knocking?

ORIGINATION Sticky Fingers
LAST LISTENED TO last night
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT fairly good
RATING

If this song was by any almost other band, it would be a very good song. As a Stones song it only qualifies as good. Which is a shame, but really there's no changing it. It is a song that is essentially split in two pieces: firstly the actual with-words song, then an extended jam piece with some funky percussion.

The song portion is a good piece of blues rock, being especially notable for Billy Preston's soulful organ and some choppy guitar chords. The chorus is also pretty catchy and, as with the rest of this portion, there is something of a Southern feel to it. More than any other Stones song, this clearly inspired the Black Crowes who took the sound and pushed it out over a whole, very good, album.

The second portion of the song takes place mostly through two solos. First up is Bobby Keyes on tenor sax. He played on many Stones songs of the period and, against the odds (just think of your sax solos in rock history), produces a tasteful solo. New boy on guitar Mick Taylor is on next and gets the longer solo. It's blue in tone and quite laid back with some nice, understated support from both Preston and Keyes. Taylor runs on until Keyes's sax comes back in more forcefully just before the end of the tune.

All in all, it is a pretty good song. However, it is no Gimme Shelter, so it will never be anything better than good.

The Rolling Stones - Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) [3rd time]

ORIGINATION Goat's Head Soup
LAST LISTENED TO probably yesterday
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT improbable
RATING

It's back again! Granted it's a good song, but why it should appear three times in just over two weeks is something of a mystery, not to mention a surprise.

So, the last two times it's been: Funky. A killer chorus. Keith and a wah wah. Big brass. Love it. And you know, i don't really have much to add to that, as much as i feel that by doing so i maybe will exorcise the whole thing. Ok, i can add that the 'doo doo doo doo's are particularly enjoyable and can make a backing singer of anyone. That had better do it. Tomorrow had better be something unusual and not this for a fourth time.

The Rolling Stones - Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) [again]

ORIGINATION Goats Head Soup
LAST LISTENED TO a few days ago
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT probably quite good
RATING

A welcome return to this funky Stones track. As before: Funky. A killer chorus. Keith and a wah wah. Big brass. Love it.

The Rolling Stones - Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)

ORIGINATION Goats Head Soup
LAST LISTENED TO a few hours ago
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT bloody high
RATING

The Stones. Funky. A killer chorus. Keith and a wah wah. Big brass. Love it.