Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St. box set with unreleased songs (Part 2)

"I thought you wanted my lovin' / But it's my heart that you stole / You were a trick up my sleeve / My ace in the hole."

I love you, Mick.

Lyrically and musically, this is sort of an alternate take on "Tumbling Dice" - same sort of groove, really, but, hey, this ain't the first time Keith has recycled a musical idea.

I love Love LOVE the old-school falsetto stray-cat-in-heat Stones backing vocals towards the end.

They remain the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band in my book.

 

Yep. This does not sound like a vintage '69-'72 recording. Sounds like they found the foundation of this song in the vaults and built onto it 3 decades later. It doesn't sound like a complete new recording, but it sounds extremely overdubbed and modernized.

I think you are correct!

It sounds good. A cool track. Would have preferred the outtakes to be authentic, historically accurate renditions (even if they were 'unfinished'), but this is what we're getting....

 

What is everyone smoking here? This DEFINITELY sounds like the majority of the backing track comes from the Exile sessions. It just sounds like it's been heavily remixed with pro tool plug-ins galore. The lead and backing vocals are new for sure, and I'd even wager that's a new Mick Taylor recording for the lead guitar. It's hard to tell from the youtube compression, but it sounds like there's some acoustic guitar in the background. Could this be one of the tracks that Keith admitted to "strumming along to" during the new overdubs. Either way, the backbone of the song sounds like it's primarily from `72. Just listen to the way their playing...they haven't sounded like that in years. Check out Charlie's fill at 2:18...very Exile sounding.

Either way, the song is out, we're listening to it, and it sounds great. If this turned out to be 90% 2010 overdubs, I'd perhaps be even more impressed. Plundered My Soul is the best Stones track in years, any way you slice it.

 

All of the backing tracks from the re-worked songs are from 1971.

On "Plundered," Keith added acoustic, Mick added lead vocals, and MICK TAYLOR added lead guitar.

 

X

 

Reb, can you confirm that the "All Down The Line" on there is in fact the album version?

 

At least some of the the backing vocals do sound vintage--not sure Keith could hit those notes now. I'm happy for Mick Taylor--not the greatest playing but I imagine he must have really enjoyed doing this.

 

i would kill for a needle drop.... well, not kill.. i'll just pray a friend does one, if they are lucky to get 1 of the 1,000 45's.

 

They're not quite that limited. My single is numbered in the 3000s. If you can't find one locally, you can hopefully grab one off Ebay. Good luck.

 

i'm certainly interested in every last detail about what was recorded when (and who played everything on it), but it doesn't color my feeling of the song as a whole. which i do believe to be incredible!

in my book, it's pretty awesome to have a rolling stones song i've never heard (or heard in any form prior) before come into my world that i instantly love. can't wait to hear the rest of the bonus stuff, though it's a crime nothing else unreleased is coming out on vinyl.

 

My copy is numbered in the high 5000's so I would think that it was only limited to 1000 copies in the UK.

FWIW, the personel listed on the label is Jagger on Vocals, Keith and Mick Taylor on Guitar, Bill Wyman on Bass, Charlie on Drums and Nicky Hopkins on Piano, as well as the two back-up singers.

 

Bobby Keys on Sax and the backing vocals are Lisa Fischer and Cindy Mizelle.

Jimmy Miller has a production credit as well, along with Don Was and the GT.

 

yes it is

 

Agreed - it's a great track irrespective of when all the parts were put together.

 

And if the other tracks on the bonus disc of the Exile set are halfway as good as this, the bonus disc will be the best ALBUM the Stones have released in decades.

 

Someone's posted some lo-fi snippets of some of the new EOMS outtakes on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suGp-NB9XYY&feature=player_embedded#!

 

"Time Out" magazine review of the new Exile:

The Rolling Stones “Exile on Main Street Deluxe Edition”: First listen


A few weeks back the clichéd children on American Idol took on Stones tracks. The biggest takeaway for anyone watching should have been just what an amazing, forceful and soulful singer Mick Jagger is. But, come on, you know this. It’s the freakin’ Rolling Stones. Singing the praises of the greatest rock and roll band of all time seems rather redundant, especially when it comes to the canonical and revered Exile on Main Street. Yes, I’m a weirdo that reaches for other Stones records first—Aftermath, Sticky Fingers and, yeah, even the underrated It’s Only Rock & Roll, Black & Blue or Emotional Rescue. Which is not to say Exile is worse. I just tend to stick up for the less ubiquitous underdogs in the catalog.

So it’s exciting to have the chance to listen to a remastered Exile with fresh ears, even if the record has been modernized with bright 21st punch (or “loudness”). Listening to the buffed up “Shake Your Hips” side-to-side with the original (or even the prior CD remasters) seemingly doubles the volume, which will undoubtedly lead to some kvetching about the loss of the record’s ramshackle charm. I have to say I’d agree. On first impression, it comes off more like the 1999 Yellow Submarine Songtrack than the mind-blowing 2009 Beatles remasters. The sound is clean and beautiful, and it’s hard to be critical of the job done, but it’s just a matter of preference, kind of like some people prefer hearing Beggars Banquet at the improper slow speed offered for decades before a 2002 remaster.

But, obviously, the huge draw with this reissue is the “discovered” “old” material. I use the quotes because Mick has admitted in recent interviews that these new tunes feature new percussion, new vocals and new guitar—in unspecified quantities. Without a doubt, these new songs lack the juice and je ne sais quoi the oozes from the original jamming. (Though, the mythology of those sessions is overblown.) But the songs are a win-win. Look at it this way: If Mick did blow the dust off a forgotten box of tapes, well, awesome. And if these are in fact new studio recordings doctored up to pass as 1970s material, then at least it’s proof the band still has it—and has one more great album in it. If they would only stop working with Don-*****ing-Was.

Here’s a track by track guide to the new stuff:

“Pass the Wine (Sophia Lauren)”
“Glad to be alive and kickin’,” Mick sings, giving the first clue he’s delivering the lines as a soon-to-be septuagenarian. Though the following bit, “Glad to have a pot to piss in,” seems somewhat ridiculous coming from a billionaire (or whatever). With woodblocks and rubber-band bass, this comes off like a War groove, or the Stones’ take on “Oye Como Va.” Just for the lesser traveled Latin waters of Stones, this stands out as a highlight.

“I’m Not Signifying”
Saloon piano rambles for a bit before Mick sidles up to the bar in his country twang. (This vocal sounds more discovered than recently recorded, but who knows.) Yep, just a solid blues number with bursts of slide guitar and wailing harmonicas. Still, it blows away what you hear in Kingston Mines. Mick says, “I ain’t signifying,” which would have been a better title, and more in line with the snottier, younger Jagger. The sudden blast of New Orleans horns in the coda make this a last minute winner.

“Dancing in the Light”
A casual blues shuffle with splashier percussion. Charlie gets a little loose on the cymbals as Mick breathlessly spits and rants about “basking in the spotlight” and “riding in a limo.” So far, the spotlight is indeed on Mick, which is not surprising considering his lead role in putting this together. But the guy is old form here. It’s the case where I hope this was put to tape in some Hawaiian studio in 2009.

“So Divine (Alladin Story)”
Ugh, that title. But, finally, Keith gets to show off a nifty new riff, even if it echos a half-speed “Paint It Black” rather audaciously. Some snake-charming saxophone wafts in and out, justifying the inane title, and goddam if it didn’t bring to mind Wreckx-N-Effect’s “Rumpshaker.” Mick purrs, “You say your love is like the potion of the night.” Likely to be another cherry-picked highlight, just for not being straight-up bluesy.

“Following the River”
Ah, the ballad. Sit, down, baby, and let Mick break it to you gently: “There’s something I should tell you… I like the way your comb’s tucked in your hair.” But it’s all break-up from there on, with plaintive piano, acoustic guitars and gentle tambourine taps. Backing “Ooooh” harmonies and judicious use of gospel singers add some color. Then come the violins. Dude, Phil Spector is jail. Did the world need another crime like his slathering of strings over Let It Be?

“Plundered My Soul”
Another sure bet to be a new vocal track, especially the gospel back-ups. A typical, bitter midtempo Stones track with horns putting some meat on the bones, alongside rambling piano and Jagger spittle flyin’ free. “I thought you wanted my money to plunder my soul!” he rasps.

“Good Time Women”
Now this is more like it—a true dusty, though bootlegged before. This boogie-woogie precursor to “Tumbling Dice” was cut around Sticky Fingers, and has the welcome hiss (and crying Mick Taylor guitar) to prove it. Frankly, I kind of prefer this to the finished version, for the lack of big, belting soul singers. Hearing this after the prior cuts only underlines their dubious claim to being “rarities.” This just has a utterly different feel.

The deluxe edition of Exile on Main Street is released on May 18.

 

After hearing the single "Plundered My Soul" I came to this conclusion: Mick Jagger became a great singer by incorporating many influences. He worked hard at mixing them into a soulful "version" of blues, gospel, soul and rock. He had perfected this by the time "Exile" was recorded and it was perfect for the style the band was going for, which was also a mix of musical influences, mostly American blues and soul. Hearing the newly recorded vocal on this song, it's obvious that Mick is no longer that great singer. He's no longer trying to sound like anything but himself, and he doesn't have that much soul. Sorry to say, I don't expect much better with the rest of these bonus tracks.

 

Whoa. This is good stuff. Even if most of these turn out to be new vocals/lyrics, I like what I'm hearing. Mick has ditched the "awful bad/sad" lyrics of Bigger Bang and if not fully obtains the bite and venom of his younger self, it's at least a great approximation. Pass the Wine in particular sounded gritty and slinky.

 

http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-q/2010/...r-and-keith-richards-on-exile-on-main-st.html

Straight from the horses mouth:

GQ: So this new material—my understanding is that it's stuff that was recorded during the Exile era. How finished were the new tracks when you left them? What state were they in?

MJ: They weren't finished. None of them had vocals on, which is probably one of the reasons they never came out or whatever. We had so many tracks, but—this is what I said to you before—I could've finished them, but I didn't.

 

That was a really good interview. Thanks.

 

No problem

I was kinda shocked to see it in not only GQ, but their online blog.
It seems to be the most candid Mick that I've read in years.

 

Thanks for posting that, "Plundered My Soul" is an instant classic Stones gem. However, not (1) of the songs in that clip moved me at all. Very disappointing -IMO.

 

http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-q/2010/...r-and-keith-richards-on-exile-on-main-st.html

GQ: Were there things about it that you'd always wanted to fix, things you were unhappy with? At one point, you said that you'd always wanted to remix it and see what would happen.
MJ: Yeah, one of the things people always said about Exile was that the mix was kind of weird. But that's the thing that people fall in love with—we'll never change that mix.
MJ: And some of the mixes were just messy, there's no clarity. I love the idea of remixing some tracks, just to see what they sound like, but to be honest, I didn't remix any of these tracks for this release.

A conflicted man.

MJ: But one of the things I did was, I had to remaster it for this rerelease for Universal. In fact, I remastered all the Rolling Stones albums, one after the other, basically. Some of them I remastered eight, ten years before for a previous record company

Interesting. I'd always assumed Ludwig had been left to his own devices on the '94 Virgin cds.

MJ: Some of them I really remembered, but some I didn't remember at all. Some of them were really together—maybe the one you've heard, it was called "Plundered my Soul," that was perfect, you didn't have to edit, it was all perfect. Some of the others were much more loose jams.

Perhaps this lends credence to those who feel this track (, outside of the lead and, perhaps, backing vocals) too be largely vintage?

MJ: There are a lot of tracks floating around, but not with the current vocals on them, because they didn't exist. We tried to use tracks that hadn't been so heavily bootlegged. I did find one of the tracks, "Aladdin Story"—that was actually recorded note-for-note by some other band. I was really surprised to find this outtake—someone got the bootleg and they just recorded it. I can't remember the name of the band. [It was Death in Vegas.]

Interesting. I vaguely remember something in the music press about this way back when, but didn't know it was this song! Anybody heard it? Seeing as it was Death In Vegas, I assume the original structure was completely disregarded and made as more of a mash up thing?