Before They Make Me Run ... Rolling Stones Some Girls Reissue & Show # 386

In 1978 The Rolling Stones released the album Some Girls, an album that is often referred to as the album that saved the Stones. At the time it was being recorded, the future of the band was uncertain. Keith Richards was busted for Heroin possession and on trial for drug related charges in Canada, there was the possibility of him going to jail. In addition to this, Punk and Disco music had taken over the younger generations of music fans, the bands future was as mentioned earlier uncertain. With Ron Wood of The Faces officially becoming a Rolling Stone, in October of 1977 the band began sessions for what was to become the Some Girls album. The sessions were recorded at Pathe Marconi Studios in Paris and were completed in March of 1978. This period in the bands recording history was extremely prolific, the band ended up with approximately fifty new songs, which would be released on bootlegs for decades. Several of these extra songs were also used on the albums Emotional Rescue and Tattoo You, albeit in alerted states, most notably the Some Girls outtake “Start Me Up” which wound up on Tattoo You. Further tracks would be released on the 2011 deluxe edition of Some Girls, but more on that later.

Some Girls yielded many bonafide Rolling Stones classics which absorbed influences from the bands past and present. “Miss You” was influenced by Disco, but there is an underlying Punk influence through out this album, Jagger has said in interviews that the album was very influenced by New York at the time which was in a state of transition from Punk to Disco. The influence of New York Punk is apparent on the track “Shattered”, where Jagger rants in a Richard Hell vocal style. The album is sleazy and raunchy, it is known for having a stripped back production based approach. Albums prior to this one such as It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll and Black And Blue had rotating casts of guest musicians and high production values. Some Girls also featured more classic songs such as “Beast of Burden” possibly one of the best Stones ballads ever released, “Lies”, the Country Parody “Far Away Eyes” “Respectable” Keith Richards outlaw anthem “Before They Make Me Run” and “When The Whip Comes Down”. Some Girls certainly packed a much needed punch for the band, and one that could have very well had a different outcome. In addition to this Mick Jagger played guitar on many tracks on this album and the album also produced much controversy lyrically on tracks such as “When The Whip Comes Down’ and “Some Girls”.

Visually the band also brought in another controversial element, the artwork. The albums cover which featured women in lingerie originally featured famous celebrities Lucile Ball, Farrah Fawcett, Raquel Welch and some others, they threatened the band with legal action. As a result a new cover was made, although several copies made it out to print with the original design. With all the factors that surrounded it, Keith’s drug charges, Ron Wood entering into the Stones fold, and most importantly the uncertainty, it produced a classic album which proved that following Keith’s dropped charges, The Rolling Stones weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Now fast forward to 2011, The Rolling Stones release a deluxe edition of Some Girls containing a bonus disc of twelve previously unreleased tracks from the Some Girls sessions. The album is just as gritty and raunchy as Some Girls was in 1978, but it addresses more of a R&B, Country Western, Blues and Boogie influence. There are inflections of Country which is not unheard of in The Stones catalogue. The album features several songs which were added to in the same way that the band did for the Exile On Main St. bonus disc of outtakes, but it is very hard to tell. Additions were made to songs, most notably “No Spare Parts” a song featuring newly recorded vocals from Jagger which has currently climbed the Billboard Hot Singles charts.

The album is a great companion to the Some Girls album, and although some fans may argue that there weren’t early versions of songs found on Some Girls or even the B-Side “Everything's Turning To Gold”, this bonus disc has plenty to offer that will appeal to any Rolling Stones fan. The album starts off with the controversial and filthy Boogie Woogie of “Claudine”, a song which lyrically is about Claudine Longet’s shooting of her boyfriend Spider Sabich. Other highlights includes the filthy cool of “So Young”, the Soulfully Keith Richards sung “We Had It All” a song originally by Waylon Jennings, a cover of the Hank Williams song “You Win Again”, a raunchy rendition of “Tallahassee Lassie”, and the greasy “I Love You Too Much”. The album ends with a short piano piece “Petrol Blues”, often labelled as a throwaway track, but one that fits perfectly with this collection of songs. When looking back on this release the bonus disc really does make it worth while, the twelve previously unreleased tracks pack enough sleaze and swagger to knock you out.

This Week's Play List:

1. Sonic Avenues – Television Youth
2. The Dry Heaves – Factory Punishment
3. Action Makes – Bellhop
4. Steve Diggle – Life On The Telephone
5. The Quiet Americans – Be Alone
6. Surf City – Teachers
7. Kinetic Ideals – Together
8. Logikparty – Anti-Omerta
9. Lightning Love - Deadbeat
10. John Cale – Whaddya Mean By That?
11. James OL & The Villains – Late Night Drive (2011 Demo)
12. The Schomberg Fair – Black Train
13. Solvents – Is It Really So Strange?
14. The Skaliwags – Turn Him Down
15. Mutts – Done It Again
16. Radiohead– I Might Be Wrong (Live)
17. Radio Birdman – What Gives?
18. Nothing At All – Busted
19. The Spits – Get Our Kicks
20. The Modernettes – Won’t Have To Worry
21. The Carbonas – Phone Booth
22. The Rolling Stones – Do You Think I Really Care
23. The Rolling Stones – Tallahassee Lassie

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 10. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Rolling Stones...Got LIVE If You Want It! & Show # 382

Released in 1966, Got LIVE If You Want It! is the first full length live album release by The Rolling Stones.  Its title is a play on words, the title originates from the Slim Harpo song "I Got Love If You Want It".  The album has undergone much controversy due to its sound quality and whether or not the album is all live recordings.  It has been released in various editions, some even featuring different mixes which can confuse even the most devout Rolling Stones fan. The album originally was released under the same title as an EP in the UK in 1965, becoming the last official EP from the band and one of the first live recordings of the band to be released, it was also only available in the UK. As part of a contractual obligation Got LIVE If You Want It! was released as an LP in the US for the bands US distributor. The band had already released a full length LP (Aftermath), and a compilation album in the very same year, the US market needed another Stones release to fill in the gaps due to the fact that their next full length album Between The Buttons would not be available in time for the Christmas season of that year. The US market for Rolling Stones products was in very high demand, so Got LIVE If You Want It! was released in December of 1966 on London Records.  With the exception of the song "I'm Alright", the Got LIVE If You Want It! LP featured a different track listing than the EP of the same name. 

The album claimed to have been recorded at Royal Albert Hall in the UK upon the bands return to the English stage on September 23rd, 1966, but it was not. The album was actually primarily recorded between October 1st and 7th of 1966 in New Castle and Bristol. Since most of the concerts in those days lasted sometimes barely thirty minutes and were often riotous, it has been suggested that although the recordings were attempted at Royal Albert Hall, they were unusable due to all of the chaos, and that is something that this album seems to capture very well, the riotous, energetic chaos of Rolling Stones concerts n the 60s. The album was also filled up with overdubs and studio recordings that were made to sound like live recordings. “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” was actually a studio outtake recorded in 1965 and featured overdubs of organ and screaming girls in order to match the rest of the live album sound.  The other studio recording found on this release was the song “Fortune Teller” a song which dates back to a studio recording in 1963 that was never issued, it of course featuring screaming girls and crowd noise overdubs. It should be noted that the original unedited versions of these two tracjs can be found on the More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies) compilation album. 

The sound of the original LP has often been scrutinized as being, muddled, off kilter and un-listenable, but despite this the album went to number six on the US Pop album charts in 1967, even going gold. The album was released for import purposes in the UK as Have You Seen Your Mother LIVE! by Decca Records, and as Hits LIVE! in Japan. In the 80s ABKO Records went back to the original tapes and re-edited and mixed Got LIVE for CD in consultation with the producer Andrew Long Oklham. In 2002, the album was re-mixed and re-mastered for CD and SACD, and proves to be one of the best sounding versions of the album. When comparing and contrasting the original Got LIVE If You Want It! LP from 1966 to the 1965 Got LIVE If You Want It! EP, there is a notable difference in sound quality, the EP is often praised for its superior sound.  The original 1965 UK EP of Got LIVE, features a different mix of the song "I'm Alright" the vocals on the EP differ from the LP version of Got LIVE, while the backing track remains the same. The additional tracks found on the 1965 EP were issued on the US albums Out Of Our Heads, and December's Childern (And Everybody's) ("I'm Alright", "Route 66", and "I'm Moving On"). The UK EP remained out of print for a long time until it was released in 2004 as part of the ABKO Singles 1963-1965 Box Set on CD.

The Rolling Stones themselves have been very vocal on the matter of this album, they were not happy with the original release and disowned it, stating that their 1970 live album Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out is the ultimate live Rolling Stones album and their true live debut album. Its hard to disagree with that statement, if you listen to Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out and Got LIVE If You Want It! back to back, but both serve as important historical documents in different eras of the bands history. While Got LIVE If You Want It! was initially labeled as a let down, it has aged well, serving as a historical documentation of Brian Jones era Rolling Stones. From the fast version of "Under My Thumb” to the whirlwind speed of “Satisfaction” Got LIVE If You Want It! displays The Rolling Stones in all their 60s Garage Rock ragged glory.

This week's play list:

1. Lost Patrol – Commanche
2. The Treblemakers – The Grudge
3. Fuzz Aldrin – Trailer Park Quarintine
4. The Cryptics – You’re Evil
5. Thee Oh Sees – Crushed Grass 
6. Ty Segall – Standing at the Station 
7. The Mekons – Where Were You? 
8. Black Flag – Wasted 
9. The Boomtown Rats – She’s So Modern
10. Indoor Voices – Like Your Own 
12. Wild Domestic – Universally Known/Already Forgotten 
13. Talking Heads – Air
14. Richard Hell & The Voidoids – Ignore That Door (Destiny Street Repaired Version) 
15. The Pogues - Cotton Fields
16. Gone Wrong – Our Last Storm (War of 1812)
17. Johnny West – Revenge Is Sweet
18. The Police – Fallout
19. Supergrass – Sun Hits The Sky
20. Klark Kent – Office Girls
21. Shannon & The Clams – Cult Song
22. The Sphinxs - Bad Head
23. The Standells - Dirty Water
24. The Rolling Stones – The Last Time (Live)
25. The Rolling Stones - 19th Nervous Breakdown (Live)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for December 13. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.