The Rolling Stones “Some Girls” Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Clanceman, May 25, 2018.

  1. OldSoul

    OldSoul Don't you hear the wind blowin'?

    Location:
    NYC
    Interesting perspective. I don't Some Girls really sounds like anything else they had done up to that point.
     
  2. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!"

    Location:
    Canada
    What it all comes down, really, is the Stones knew damn well after the last couple of albums that they had to step up their game considerably otherwise they'd be written off as has beens -something Mick Jagger has a phobia of to this day. Another factor, of course, is given Keith's legal troubles at the time they sorta had to prove Keith had indeed cleaned up his act (which in actuality he really hadn't at that point), so that meant they couldn't do another album of what Keith himself termed "junkie music". Then you add Ronnie Wood into the mix being an active contributor to his first full album as a Stone- that alone gave them a bit of a kick in the ass, as all five Stones have acknowledged more than once over the years.

    Basically, with Some Girls the Stones felt that they had something to prove, in more ways than one, and they weren't going to accomplish that by doing the same ol' s--t they'd been doing.
     
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  3. OldSoul

    OldSoul Don't you hear the wind blowin'?

    Location:
    NYC
    Hmm OK. Guess I was conflating "calculated" and "by-the-numbers." I don't think ensuring a good album should be considered a strike, though.
     
  4. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!"

    Location:
    Canada
    Oh, of course not- that's just my personal take on the subject. Actually it occurs to me that Some Girls sort of is a bit of an anomaly with the Stones catalogue in that regard- some albums they made with very little commercial considerations in mind. Dirty Work, for example:laugh: Don't get me wrong, mind ya- the Stones were always out to sell record and have hits if they could get them, same as any other popular artist, but with Some Girls they really pulled out all the stops. Like I said, the album basically couldn't fail.
     
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  5. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    Only Racquel is alive.
     
  6. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    Yes Clanceman what are your 18 versions please? My 5 only vinyl copies are both the UK & US with hype stickered shrink (The UK Dead Wax being A-4U/B-3U) , Aussie, Dutch on Orange vinyl & Jap White Label Promo complete. As for the UK press iam pretty sure there are lower numbers. Q. Did our thread host purchase on ebay the UK pressing with the 5 photo press kit & red on white sample/demo cover sticker?
    It was a couple of years back and went for big bucks.
     
  7. Veggie Boy

    Veggie Boy still trudgin'

    Location:
    Central Canada
    Not quite my favorite Stones album (Get Yer Ya Ya's Out) but a close second.

    IMO Some Girls is the last good album the Stones released. It seems to me Emotional Rescue tracks were recorded at the same time as the Some Girls tracks but Emotional Rescue never did anything for me. Too much of a disco flavour. Miss You is dangerously close to the disco genre but I would let that slide given the rest of the album is that good.

    I prefer Side Two however I enjoy the whole album (Miss You included). Favorite tracks in order of most favorite down are:

    Shattered ~ I'm an I Heart NY kind of guy and this tune is a good descriptive of the dirty and dangerous NYC of the seventies.
    Far Away Eyes ~ I like the Stones take on southern country music (...I ran twenty red lights in his honour...Thank You Jesus...Thank You Lord)
    Just My Imagination ~ Really good cover of the Temptations tune
    Before They Make Me Run ~ A great contribution by Keith Richards
    Beast Of Burden ~ Just a good soul tune
     
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  8. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    You are absolutely correct in every way, please take a prize from the top shelf! Black and Blue was a strong comeback too but confused some in part by embracing so many styles at the expense of rock n roll. Some Girls was cohesive and a real show of solidarity and far closer to the zeitgeist than Black and Blue that is all.
     
  9. maui jim

    maui jim Forum Resident

    Location:
    West of LA
    Agree that they had something to prove after being slagged by the punkers. Critics took them to task for B&B which I thought was a good album, a big improvement over IORR.
    I am surprised though by all the comments that you think it’s a better record today than back in the day. Is that because outside TY they haven’t made a 4star album since? Just like most punk records, it feels dated and of the time.
     
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  10. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    Track Talk-

    Miss You: Superb vocal hook and bassline. Some are critical of this track but there is not much not to like. A rarity that a rock band's 12" is actually good and this is actually the best version to boot. I have enjoyed jamming this one live in clubs many times on guitar.

    When The Whip Comes Down: I love Mick's attitude, delivery and lyrics but the song musically is just ok to me.

    Some Girls: Great nuanced vocal with Sugar Blue the secret weapon on harmonica with some original lines & fitting the band like a glove. Who says you can't pick up something good on the Paris Metro. Wonderful lyrics include a reference to Dylan's divorce.

    Imagination: Probably the bands most accomplished motown cover. Great arrangement and Mick again is the standout, singing the tune his way and avoiding direct comparison with the brilliant Temptations more delicate pleadings.

    Lies: Filler, tons of better stuff in the can to substitute though i do like the "lies in my history books"

    Faraway Eyes: Tongue in cheek country that works. This gets a bit knocked at times but it is nothing new for the Stones to write a good country song. Love Wood's pedal streel here a great asset.
     
  11. Lynd8

    Lynd8 Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Thus is definitely one of their best ever - I wouldn’t change a thing but I was very disappointed with the deluxe version that came out a few years ago. So many more cool songs that should have been included! A real missed opportunity....it was nice to get the live dvd though.
     
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  12. uzn007

    uzn007 Pack Rat

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    Best Stones album since Exile and their last great album as far as I'm concerned.

    This album came out when I was 13, and right around the time I was starting to listen to my local "Album rock" FM station. So they played songs off this album *all* the time. And I loved them, but I never bought the album myself, and, for some reason, when I went to college a few years later, none of my friends who listened to Zeppelin or Floyd or Yes were into the Stones. It seems weird in retrospect, but I remember spending more time listening to the Beatles in college than the Stones (who were still together and putting out albums).

    Anyway, flash forward to 2017 and I find a nice clean copy of this in a used record store with one of the uncensored covers.

    As much as I've always loved the individual songs (and I'd heard almost all of them before) I didn't realize just how amazing the album as a whole is. At least 2/3 of the songs would be the highlights of any other albums they appeared on. The "worst" songs (imo) are "Lies" and "Respectable", and both of those are great rock & roll songs. The rest of the album is just on another level.

    I'm still trying to think of an album with better pairings of songs to open *and* close the album (i.e. "Miss You"/"Whip" and "Beast"/"Shattered"), and just how cocky and confident must the Stones have been to save "Shattered" -- one of the three or four best tracks they ever recorded -- for the album closer, instead of sticking it at the beginning of one of the album sides, like almost any other band would have done.

    In short, an all-time classic, and one of the best rock albums of the 70s.
     
  13. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    Sorry guys i wrote a track by track review and side 2 took 33 mins so 3 mins too long to add as an edit and then somehow side 1 disappeared as well.....ah that sums up me and computers!
     
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  14. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    Looks like side 1 Was actually saved but i can't rewrite side 2 now as........
    "It's 3am (Down under) and don't you people ever want to go to bed!"
     
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  15. SurrealCereal

    SurrealCereal Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    I love Some Girls. I avoided it for a long time because I read one bad review saying it was a cheap sell-out album that pandered to American audiences. Once I actually gave it a chance, though, I came to really like it. They did a really good and tasteful job of incorporating contemporary styles into their own sound without losing their group identity. The guitar sound in particular is a very interesting contrast to the Mick Taylor era. Instead of having two players with instantly distinguishable tones playing in instantly distinguishable styles, they both played riffs and melodic parts with a similar tone. You can still recognize who's who if you listen closely, but it gives it a fresh kind of interplay that is a nice step away from the equally brilliant playing of the Taylor era. I also have to commend them for their blending of genres. The styles they incorporated are inherently late 70's, but somehow the record doesn't sound dated and still holds up nicely. It's amazing that "Miss You" in particular even worked as a song, let alone a classic. Lots of rock bands tried disco, and most of the successful ones (the Eagles, Pink Floyd) minimized the campy elements of the genre, whereas the campier examples ("Do Ya Think I'm Sexy") turned out ridiculous. The Rolling Stones went full camp on "Miss You" and it somehow works. "Shattered" is another mystery of a song. I love all the punk infused songs, but my favorite moment on the album is the cover of "Just My Imagination."
     
  16. John Fell

    John Fell Forum Survivor

    Location:
    Undisclosed
    Personally, I feel this album is a bit overrated. Sorry @Clanceman.

    I can recall hearing quite a few of the tracks on the radio back in the day.

    My favorite tracks are When The Whip Comes Down and Respectable. Sort of punk influenced numbers with the latter also having some Chuck Berry influences also thrown into the mix.

    The tracks that bring the album down for me are Miss You and Far Away Eyes. Far Away Eyes is one of my least favorite Stones tracks and I have never liked when Mick Jagger sings in the fake hick accent. They should have used it as a b-side.

    Miss You was just ok the first 5 or so times but after hearing it constantly on the radio back then and it now becoming a concert staple in an extended version, I can no longer tolerate it.

    Before They Make Me Run is one of the better Keith songs and the lyrics are good as well.

    Some Girls is an underrated number that I thought I would never hear played live because of the lyrics.

    I like the cover of Just My Imagination but the original version is better.

    Shattered is an interesting track with the New York vibe. I like Charlie's drumming on it.

    Beast of Burden is one if their better ballads from this period.
     
    Last edited: May 25, 2018
  17. Doggiedogma

    Doggiedogma "Think this is enough?" "Uhh - nah. Go for broke."

    Location:
    Barony of Lochmere
    I was 10 when the Shattered 45" single came out and I bought that (still have it), and played that over and over trying to decipher the lyrics; All this chitter chatter, chitter chatter, about the :confused:. I thought that song was the coolest ever (still do). I've also always loved Beast Of Burden. A great album!
     
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  18. majorlance

    majorlance Forum Resident

    Location:
    PATCO Speedline
    Loved this album at the time of release. Its almost-punk energy was really refreshing after the "junkie riffs" downhill slide of the previous 3 albums (GHS/IOR&R/B&B).

    But I gotta say that 40 years later, it hasn't worn well for me. In fact, the only song I ever want to hear again is the one I hated most back in the day — "Miss You." Go figure.
     
  19. Isamet

    Isamet Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    When the Whip Comes Down was always one of my favs
     
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  20. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!"

    Location:
    Canada
    What always gets me with the Stones and "comeback" is this: they've never really gone away!
    Oh I dunno, it seems to me that unlike some other Stones albums that have sort of undergone a critical reappraisal over the years (Black And Blue, for example), Some Girls has always been regarded as one of their best albums, always mentioned up there in with the likes of Let It Bleed and Exile, etc.
    Well, since we're doing it that way...

    "Miss You"- needless to say, probably, this is one of my favourite Stones songs. It's just about perfect.
    "When The Whip Comes Down"- I admit, I like the grungy, twisty turny music for this song- it has an interesting guitar solo, for instance- but I can manage to both cringe and chuckle at some of the lyrics. Not one of my favourites in that regard.
    "Imagination"- I've never been too big on this one. Tend to skip it.
    "Some Girls"- I like this one. Jagger leads on guitar, and even without looking at the back cover you can tell Keith's playing bass. Ronnie's guitar solos sound dirty and angry, appropriate for such a snarky, sarcastic and hilariously unpolitically correct song.
    "Lies"- I think Keith said it best when he said, "What the f--k do we need to sound like The Sex Pistols for?":laugh: Next...
    "Far Away Eyes"- Exhibit A for why I wish Mick Jagger would approach country music 100% seriously when the Stones do it. He's done it before. Keith shows what he learned from Gram Parsons, who probably looked down and smiled. As always, Ronnie's pedal steel just about steals the show.
    "Respectable"- Much more convincing as a punk song than "Lies" because it's really the Stones laughing at themselves. Always liked Bill's bass on this and how Keith and Ronnie trade off on the solos.
    "Before They Make Me Run"- not another one of my favourites, sorry Keith. I'd take it a lot more seriously if you actually meant it at the time you wrote it...
    "Beast Of Burden"- This is just a cool song, what can you say? Keith Richards and Ron Wood in guitar heaven.
    "Shattered"- personally I will always associate "Shattered" with being the opening track on Sucking In The Seventies and not the closer on Some Girls, 'cos that's how I heard it first:D. Funky music, heavily processed Keith Richards guitars and Ron Wood's debut on bass with the Stones but Jagger's vocal affectations here annoy me.
    7/10
     
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  21. stewedandkeefed

    stewedandkeefed Came Ashore In The Dead Of The Night

    This is the best original Stones album that came out while I was a true fan. I was in England at the time so the punk influences made perfect sense to me. In fact "Respectable" was a single in England as opposed to "Beast Of Burden". Of all the things on it, the song that has stood up for me the most over time is the cover "Just My Imagination". I still play it over and over in the car from time to time. It is a true remake - it bears little resemblance to the Temps original other than the words. But more than anything, I love the vocals. Mick sounds truly vulnerable and it is one of the last truly great Mick Jagger vocals in my view. Also the backing vocals on "Imagination" are exceptional, quite countryish. In fact, I'd say it is a cover that is truly genre-busting - I have no idea how I might describe it to a total stranger because it touches so many different genres.
     
  22. vinyldreams

    vinyldreams Forum Resident

    Location:
    Main St.
    Respectable comeback (critically and commercially) for the Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the World. First album with Ronnie as a full fledged member playing on all the songs and showing he's got what it takes to be a Stone. Love all the stripped down rockers (Whip, Shattered, BTMMR, Respectable) and radio friendly tunes (Miss You, Beast). Overall an excellent album, though nowhere near as good as Sticky, Exile, etc. (but then what is?).
     
  23. Terry

    Terry Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee
    Stellar album.
     
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  24. joethomas1

    joethomas1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Yorkshire, UK
    I really like this album. High energy throughout which is refreshing considering that GHS, IORR and to some degree Black and Blue had a low energy drugged out vibe to them. Don't get me wrong I can appreciate these albums for their own vibe but it's a refreshing upward gear change in the Stones' discography IMO. Have they ever sounded so urgent and energetic before Some Girls or since?
     
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  25. jc1027

    jc1027 Forum Resident

    As stated a million times in the past..... The last of the great Stones records.
     
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