Most underrated Rolling Stones album?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by JohnnyQuest, Dec 19, 2014.

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  1. michael landes

    michael landes Forum Resident

    For most of the last fifty years I would say Satanic Majesties, which I have always loved. So much that I had no problem forgiving them
    (and skipping) the two duff jams. For forty years, the line on that one was that it was the loony half brother living in the attic that no one
    talks about. But, there seems to have been a swing the last 5 or 10 years and there appears a lot of appreciation for it now.
    So now I'd say, Black and Blue. That is to say there still seems to be a huge gap between the concensus on that one, and how much I personally
    enjoy it. Not their greatest, but I like it a lot more than emotional rescue, not to mention stuff like Goat's Head, It's Only R&R, or Undercover all of which I find unlistenable.
     
  2. michael landes

    michael landes Forum Resident

    The critical concencus on goat's head for forty years was that it was their worst album. PERIOD.
    Even an awful lot of those many people that bought it, seemed to agree. as did I. In fact, it only lost that honor when they released Undercover, as I recall.
     
  3. michael landes

    michael landes Forum Resident

    I don't know if I'd bother trying to rank those three. But I also like it as much as those other two and think they never did better.
     
  4. riverrat

    riverrat Senior Member

    Location:
    Oregon
    Everyone is entitled to an opinion, obviously. But to say there was or is any kind of "critical concencus" (sic) to this effect is pretty laughable.

    Please tell me, where did you find this critical consensus?

    Emotional Rescue is certainly a contender for worst RS album. But Goat's Head? Not even close.

    In my opinion of course!
     
  5. BlueJay

    BlueJay Forum Resident

    I always thought Goats Head Soup was a bit of a 'return to form' after the rambling Americana of Exile. O.K. I'll go hide under a chair now.
     
  6. Baba Oh Really

    Baba Oh Really Certified "Forum Favorite"

    Location:
    mid west, USA
    Undercover.
     
  7. Baba Oh Really

    Baba Oh Really Certified "Forum Favorite"

    Location:
    mid west, USA
    Emotional Rescue is in no way, shape or form a contender for the worst stones album.
     
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  8. bibijeebies

    bibijeebies vinyl hairline spotter

    Location:
    Amstelveen (NL)
    That 1st LP in mono on vinyl is really great.
     
  9. bibijeebies

    bibijeebies vinyl hairline spotter

    Location:
    Amstelveen (NL)
    I never play it and it has to do with Summer Romance and Where The Boys Go, I thought the rockers were awful in 1980. The disco and dance influences were great on Emotional Rescue though.
     
  10. Baba Oh Really

    Baba Oh Really Certified "Forum Favorite"

    Location:
    mid west, USA
    I think the entire album is amazing from beginning to end and Summer Romance is definitely a high point of the album.
     
  11. riverrat

    riverrat Senior Member

    Location:
    Oregon
    Sometimes I agree with critics and sometimes not. But here's Steven Thomas Erlewine from allmusic.com on Emotional Rescue, in an opinion that pretty much parallels mine (and many others it seems):

    "Coasting on the success of Some Girls, the Stones offered more of the same on Emotional Rescue. Comprised of leftovers from the previous album's sessions and hastily written new numbers, Emotional Rescue may consist mainly of filler, but it's expertly written and performed filler."


    For many years, I eagerly looked forward to each and every new Stones album and bought them as soon as they were available. I remember being HUGELY disappointed in ER, an opinion that has not changed much to this day. It is the RS lp I listen to the least. I don't think it is under-rated; it richly deserves the generally low marks it receives.

    I'd say that GHS or BNB are contenders for most under-rated, personally.
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2014
  12. John Fell

    John Fell Forum Survivor

    Location:
    Undisclosed
    I was very disappointed in both Black And Blue & Emotional Rescue when I bought them. Each one has only about 3 tracks that I actually listen to occasionally.
     
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  13. sami

    sami Mono still rules

    Location:
    Down The Shore
    I just finally picked up an unboxed mono 1A/2A No.2 in pretty good shape, and I don't know if it is underrated, but it might be the best early Stones record. Opening with a five minute R&B cover was a pretty ballsy move, and it just flows beautifully from beginning to end.
     
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  14. EasterEverywhere

    EasterEverywhere Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque
    Tied with Still Life for the second worst Stones record of the 80s,after Emotional Rescue.I have begun to see even Dirty Work might have even some redeeming qualities,and I hated that one for years.

    Do agree that Black and Blue has become undeservedly forgotten,though.
     
  15. wavethatflag

    wavethatflag God is love, but get it in writing.

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    A Bigger Bang is definitely underrated. I also think Bridges To Babylon and, to a lesser extent, Voodoo Lounge are underrated. I've listened to all their late output lately, and it's all very solid and there are some very good highlights. "Saint Of Me" is an awesome track, for example.
     
  16. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Never heard the first Stones album in mono on vinyl or otherwise. Would it change my mind? Maybe, but I'm just not a huge fan of super-early Stones - I don't think they really developed their own personality until a few years in... :shrug:
     
  17. Thomas Casagranda

    Thomas Casagranda Forum Resident

    Goats Head Soup is a great album; however, the tracks come into themselves with the 1973 live tour, highlighted on Brussels Affair, their greatest live album, and only available, alas, on the stonesarchive website.

    I would also plum for Bridges to Babylon as underrated: there's some great tracks on that album, and the sound is excellent.
     
  18. dino77

    dino77 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    2/3 of the record sounds like Status Quo without a sense of humour. Boogie rock. The title track and "Dance" are pretty interesting.
     
  19. misko

    misko Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia, Pa.
    ER has some great rocking slashing guitar work. I love that bass riff that opens 'She's So Cold'.
     
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  20. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    Well, if you think it's their worst album...and you think everyone else thinks so as well, that would still not make it their most underrated album.

    There's a lot of love for GHS in this forum.


    Here's the original Rolling Stone review

    http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/goats-head-soup-19731108
     
  21. masterbucket

    masterbucket Senior Member

    Location:
    Georgia US
    I do have to say the overall recording quality of Black and Blue was superb.
    Crank up the volume on Hot Stuff on the Shm Sacd.......wow!!
     
  22. michael landes

    michael landes Forum Resident

    You are right. Where would one find such a thing? And Of course it has had it's champions. So let's go with this: in the first thirty years following it's release I must have read at least a hundred reviews, formal opinions and passing comments from the critical community about this record. In the case of no other Stones record pre-Tatoo You, with the possible exception of Satanic Majesties, have I come across such a preponderance of negativity. Now that doesn't say anything about what you are I might feel about the record of course. I was not speaking to my personal opinion at all, however. For example, I personally can't listen to Goat's Head, but I quite love Satanic Majesties, in spite of the two jams. But both records were at the very very bottom of critical response to Stones records of the sixties and seventies. Now there seems to
    have been a bit of turnaround critically on Satanic Majesties since 2000, although when this happened I can't say. My impression is the last five years or so. Has there been
    a turnaround with Goat's Head? Dunno. It always had it's champions. But I suspect it's still generally reviled. Maybe not. Sadly, at this point, the mediocre records have piled so high that it hardly sticks out anymore. More interesting to me is the following. My experience with the critics, and anyone elses, is going to be skewed mightily, as I only read the critics that I've personally found useful, not a random sample of all critics. Your list of interesting critics will be very different from mine. The only way, (but a good one) to get a read on the general position of U.S. critics on records is the Village Voice Pazz & Jopp annual list and I don't it started until 1974. Too bad! I'm wondering now what the result would have been qua this record.
     
  23. zen

    zen Senior Member

    Excellent choices.
     
  24. michael landes

    michael landes Forum Resident

    Yeah, I was responding to another post, not to the OP's topic. There is indeed a lot of love on the forum for this.
    Most importantly, thanks for the Bud Scopa review. Really nice. For me the bottom line is the playing. Bud finds it fresh and exciting and such.
    I find the playing slovenly and directionless. To me they sound bored or ..... distracted. To me it sounds like THEY are not excited by the material,
    like they don't want to be there. That's how it feels to me.
     
    GetRhythm likes this.
  25. Last time I listened I had exactly the same impression. Not a big fan of Goat's Head either, but this is measurably worse. In my mind, without question their worst studio release at least up until Dirty Work.
     
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