Brian Jones at the Rock N' Roll Circus

Yep. I think their friendly competition with Beatles did nothing but good for the Stones by pressing them to write the best stuff they could, but I digress.

 

Run For Your Life says 'what?'

 

I'll raise your Run for Your Life in terms of edginess with Mother's Little Helper, directly addressing prescription pill addiction.

 

Also, if we're going for "threatening women tunes", I prefer Play with Fire. It's got a much more subtle menace built right into it.

 

I was just referencing a Beatles tune as direct as UMT or Stupid Girl.

 

I'd love to hear a mix of the RNR Circus where Brian is audible.

 

And Brian May, that martyr!

 

Keith has said the only reason it was never released is because they (the Stones) thought their performance wasn't up to snuff. They'd had been up for something like 36 hours trying to get the show organized. Brian was so out of it, quite sad. One could look at it that Jagger and Richards stole his band, Keith stole Anita and they reduced him a nobody, According to Charlie and even people like Glyn and Andy Johns he wasn't showing up to sessions or was completely out of it or was a pompous "insert bad word here", or all 3.

 

I love it ALL.

ALL Stones is great Stones. Early blues/Chuck Berry covers, mid 60s pop/psychedelia/singles, back to the roots late 60s, the Mick Taylor era, Ronnie joining through the present. It's ALL fantastic.

 

I probably should have worded that better. I certainly didn't mean that the Stones music became less interesting when MT joined (that would happen years later...beginning when he left), but that the things that happened to them and around them slowed down a bit.

Now I think of it, there's plenty of action in the first 3 years of the Taylor era too: Altamont, Nellcote, '72 U.S tour, etc...

 

You forgot "Bitch", "Dead Flowers", "Rocks Off", "Sweet Virginia", "Happy", "Let It Loose", "Shine A Light", "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)", "Hide Your Love", "Coming Down Again", "If You Can't Rock Me", "Till The Next Goodbye", "Fingerprint File" and all of Ya-Ya's, Brussels and the awesome live material from the deluxe Sticky Fingers.

 

Nah, I'm just lazy.

 

It took a bit, but yeah once Taylor left it was the beginning of the decline. I felt Goats Head Soup was a step down from Exile, and it was, but still a good record. It's Only Rock and Roll at first sounded like it had some good rockers, but it was kind of a safe album at the time, and in hindsight another drop down. Taylor left the band after that probably for a couple of reasons, I guess some of it had to do with the choice not to tour after R&R. After that, well, yeah, some interesting stuff like Some Girls, and I liked a lot of Tatoo You. But increasingly less interesting.

 

You cited Anita suffering violence from her first partner as the probable reason for her being violent towards Brian in response to him being violent to her. That's a suggestion for which you have offered absolutely no evidence. Unless you can point to material on which you're relying to make the suggestion, you're just speculating about the dynamic of a relationship and Anita's state of mind at the time, and drawing a near-conclusion on the basis of your speculation.

 

I'm not, I should have used possibly, rather than probably.

I have read something from Anita talking about her violent partners, but that was years ago.

 

Mick Taylor a poor fit for the Rolling Stones?
How ridiculous.

 

But that's the only one, isn't it. More exception than rule for the fabs, though both bands' lyrics reflect the ancient gender stereotypes of the (early) 60s.

 

Lennon became more direct afterwards, for sure.

"I Want You (She's So Heavy)" is very direct, emotionally. "I'm So Tired", too.

 

My opinion, feel free to disagree. I prefer when they sound like a seamless whole. For a few years there was icing on top of the cake, and I found it a cloying sweet distraction.

 

Some of the best material from the Stones were with Taylor.
What in the world was cloying?
I know, it's an opinion...but..it's a bit perplexing.
Carry on.

 

I totally disagree with dissing Mick Taylor. Jagger himself has said more or less that the Mick Taylor years were their best.

 

I personally regard their peak as '66 - '72, but certainly Mick Taylor was a valuable asset, particularly on tour.

 

Yeah and Jagger thought all his own solo albums were worth releasing so he isn't necessarily the best judge of things.

I grant that Sticky Fingers and Exile are among their top 10 albums, but I think that's more based on the songs than the lead guitar. I could do without the extended jam in CYFMK for sure.

 

Is CYFMK "Cant you hear me knockin?"
Is the offense that the solo sounds like Santana?
That's the issue?
Well, when the Stones toured, and recorded with Mick Taylor, they were on all cylinders and at their peak.
The Stones were unmatched in the short period that Mick Taylor came aboard and kicked the Stones in high gear.
"Exile" and "Sticky Fingers" with Mick Taylor are 2 of the greatest records in all of rock.
The other stuff he did with them ain't too shabby either.