Share a few words of wisdom: You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Yes, I’m as surprised as you are. Maybe he is too.
Early in the blog, on the significant birthdays of musicians, I would do this meme, answering questions based on the songs of the artist. Later, I started picking my favorite songs by the person, or group, but since I did that for the Rolling Stones only five months ago – around Mick Jagger’s birthday – thought I’d regress a bit.
Artist/Band: Keith Richards (b. 12/18/1943)
Are you male or female: Jumpin’ Jack Flash; Monkey Man
Describe yourself: Happy; I Got The Blues; Mixed Emotions; Sittin’ On A Fence
How do some people feel about you: Complicated; Out of Time; 19th Nervous Breakdown
How do you feel about yourself: I Can’t Get No Satisfaction; Waiting On A Friend
Describe what you want to be: I Wanna Be Your Man; Like a Rolling Stone
Describe how you live: Ain’t Too Proud to Beg; 2000 Light Years From Home; Tumbling Dice; You Gotta Move
Describe how you love: Blinded by Love; Empty Heart; Everybody Needs Somebody to Love; Heart of Stone
Share a few words of wisdom: Don’t Lie To Me; Get Off My Cloud; It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll; You Can’t Always Get What You Want
The Wikipedia describes “the hypnotic riff Brian Jones is playing during the verses pays a tribute to Bo Diddley’s song ‘Diddley Daddy'”
Mick Jagger at the White House
I started reading this Philip Norman book about Mick Jagger last month, and I’ve never understood the physical appeal of the man, but it is palpable from the very first chapter. He continues to be such an icon that there was a (relatively) recent song about him, Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5. A lock of his hair fetched $6,000 at auction recently; it was for charity to be sure, but still.
Anyway in honor of Sir Michael’s 70th birthday, here are my 20 favorite Stones songs. The album references are to the UK releases; worse than with the Beatles, the US record company could be swipe one song and stick it on another album, or two.
20. Start Me Up -Tattoo You (1981) Not sure I liked this song as much as appreciating another’s enthusiasm for it. I went to my 10th high school reunion, and it was deadly boring. Afterward, a bunch of us went to our friend Cecily’s house and partied until about 6 a.m.
My good friend Karen was playing this brand new song by the Stones; she must have listened to it a half dozen times or more that night, quite loudly, if memory serves. This was well before I heard it too often in a certain commercial.
19. You Gotta Move – Sticky Fingers (1971) A gospel standard that still sounds like the band.
18. Play With Fire – B-side to “The Last Time” single (1965) Love the contrast between the pretty guitar and intense feelings in the lyric.
17. Dead Flowers – Sticky Fingers I rather liked the faux country feel of the song. And for some reason, always liked the line about the US mail.
16. Ruby Tuesday – single (1966) It wasn’t as strong as Nirvana would do later, but they had a few songs where the verse is lovely and quiet, and the chorus more robust.
15. Lady Jane – Aftermath (1966) Brian Jones’ dulcimer helps to make this a beautiful piece. Sounds vaguely Elizabethan, or something.
14. Love in Vain – Let It Bleed (1969) A Robert Johnson song, played with a bit more country feel than the original.
13. Please Go Home – Between the Buttons (1966) It’s the echoey effect of the chorus, the distorted guitar, plus a theremin, played by Brian Jones, which gives it an almost early psychedelic feel.
12. Happy – Exile on Main Street (1972) This is Keith Richards’ signature song with the band. And with the brass, it sounds so, well, happy.
11. Jumpin’ Jack Flash – single (1968) Great guitar line. “But it’s all right.”
10. Backstreet Girl – Between the Buttons Brian Jones on glockenspiel and Jack Nitzsche on the harpsichord, plus an accordion. Lovely waltz that was a social commentary on some UK sex scandal of the day.
9. Street Fightin’ Man – Beggars Banquet Its muscular guitar playing and off-the-beat drumming give the song urgency. What is its politics is a bit unclear.
8. I Got The Blues – Sticky Fingers Bluesy organ of Billy Preston, not to mention the horns made this for me.
7. 19th Nervous Breakdown – single (1966) Wikipedia describes “the hypnotic riff Brian Jones is playing during the verses pays a tribute to Bo Diddley’s song ‘Diddley Daddy’… The song is also well known for Bill Wyman’s so-called ‘dive-bombing’ bass line at the end of the song.” The tune was ripped off by other artists, it was so infectious.
6. Mother’s Little Helper – Aftermath In some ways, an anti-prescription drug song: “And if you take more of those you will get an overdose No more running for the shelter of a mother’s little helper They just helped you on your way through your busy dying day”
5. I Am Waiting – Aftermath Another soft/loud song. Always loved the intentional echo effect in the vocal in the last chorus. There’s a great cover of this by a group called Ollabelle.
4. Paint It, Black – Aftermath Brian Jones’ sitar. “I want to see the sun blotted out from the sky.” When the press made it the “good” Beatles v. the “evil” Stones in the day, this full-bodied tune was a good example of the latter.
3. You Can’t Always Get What You Want – Let It Bleed I went to see the movie The Big Chill when it first came out in 1983. The first scene is a funeral, and the organist is noodling about when I recognize this song and started laughing; I’m the only one in the theater to do so for a long 30 seconds until other people start getting the joke. From the French horn opening to the great choir response, a tremendous song.
2. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction – Out of Our Heads (1965) What’s to say? One of the most recognizable riffs in all of pop music, often stolen. This song is always on the list of greatest singles, and rightly so.
1. Gimme Shelter – Let It Bleed My favorite song is this apocalyptic tune, with the great Merry Clayton vocal.
on what would have been Billy Preston’s 65th birthday, I’m making a pitch for him to make it into the rock hall as a session musician.
Billy Preston, George Harrison, President Gerald Ford, all deceased.
While I’m less and less caring about who gets selected for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Performer category, I’ve become more and more interested in categories such as early influences and non-performers. I’m especially intrigued by the sideman category since Leon Russell was inducted in 2011. After all, he was a performer of some commercial success, but not enough to make it as a performer. But he played on a lot of albums for other artists and was inducted based on that.
The late Billy Preston is similarly situated. He had greater singles success than Russell, with songs such as Outa-Space, Will It Go Round in Circles, Space Race, and Nothing from Nothing, though less so with his albums. But he was well known as a session musician. “Preston collaborated with some of the greatest names in the music industry, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Band, Nat King Cole, Little Richard, Eric Burdon, Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, George Harrison, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Sam Cooke, King Curtis, Sammy Davis Jr., Aretha Franklin, the Jackson 5, Quincy Jones, Mick Jagger, Peter Frampton, Phyllis Hyman, Richie Sambora, Sly Stone, Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Norah Jones, and Ringo Starr.” Not to mention gospel great Mahalia Jackson. Both Russell and Preston played on the legendary Concert for Bangladesh.
I was moved by this: Why didn’t I scream when I was raped?
I was 15 when it happened. Now, after a career as a terrorism expert, I want to find out what took place, and why, By Jessica Stern
I was encouraged by this:
There are now about 250 million people worldwide living in jurisdictions that provide for marriage equity, as this colorful chart will help to demonstrate. The big spike you see in 2008 is California recognizing gay marriage through the courts, and then un-recognizing it through the passage of Proposition 8. Right now, it’s possible to marry your same-sex partner in Buenos Aires, in Mexico City, in Ames, Iowa, and in Pretoria, South Africa, but not in San Francisco. With countries like Argentina and Portugal now recognizing same-sex marriages, however, the global trajectory has returned to its slow but steady upward pace.
I had forgotten about this: Evanier noted correctly that the last name of the Dennis the Menace creator is Ketcham, not Ketchum, as the copyright notice on the stamps suggests. While verifying the spelling, I came across arguably, the most awkward moment in Dennis the Menace history.
In honor of Mick Jagger’s birthday this month, I listened to this cover: Ollabelle – I Am Waiting For a reason listed above, listening to this song by the Box Tops: Sweet Cream Ladies, Forward March, which I only vaguely recall. It got to #28 in early 1969.
I hope to be listening to this soon: Music Legend Brian Wilson Completes Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin, A New Disney Pearl CD of George and Ira Gershwin Classics Set For Release August 17. Highlights include two new songs Wilson crafted from previously unpublished George Gershwin music
Yes, I’m as surprised as you are. Maybe he is too. 
