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Alrighty, here we are at Goats Head Soup, the eleventh British studio album and thirteenth American studio album by The Rolling Stones. Released August 31, 1973 on Rolling Stone Records, the album was largely recorded in Jamaica with additional overdubs in London and Los Angeles. The album is the last to feature production by Jimmy Miller, who was becoming increasingly impaired by heroin addiction, which also resulted in decreased involvement by Keith Richards. Although the album went on to go Triple Platinum, the album gained mixed reviews by critics, though the album has gained higher esteem among fans over the years. So who is right on this one? Welllllll…..

1. “Dancing With Mr D” (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards ):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9hw1SKn5eFM

We open the album with “Dancing With Mr. D”, which features Mick Jagger on lead and background vocals, Keith Richards on rhythm guitar and background vocals, Mick Taylor on lead guitar and bass, Charlie Watts on drums, Nicky Hopkins on piano, Rebop Kwaku Baah on congas, and Pascal on percussion.

The song has this dark, murky feel to it, a very seductive feel to it. Mick deliberately leaves the lyrics cryptic so as to leave it up to you to conclude what Mr D is-death, the Devil, drugs, or even a bit of each. Rhythmically the track possesses a sort of dark island vibe to it thanks in large part to Rebop and Pascal, while Taylor’s bass and Nicky Hopkin’s piano largely lurk underneath Taylor and Keith’s guitars. The track is like the Loch Ness Monster, slowly moving underneath your boat or your steps at all times, giving the listener a sense of doom and gloom in a way that few others bands can nail.

This track was a bit of a grower for me, I was totally puzzled by it on first listen. But like with a lot of Exile (and yes, I will review that bad boy eventually), it starts to slowly piece together and then you have that a-HA! moment.

2. “100 Years Ago” (Jagger/Richards):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CrciVFFw3iQ

From Dancing with Mr D to a stroll down Memory Lane, this track features Mick on lead vocals, Taylor on guitars, Keith on bass, Charlie on drums, Nicky Hopkins on piano, Billy Preston on clavinet, and Jimmy Miller on tambourine. The track was written while Mick was reflecting on his past relationship with Marianne Faithful.

Where do I begin with this song? The mellow section takes me through a forrest at Autumn time, strolling though with the leaves slowly falling as the speaker reflects on all the good times and bad times with his past lover. At this time, the Stones were all about to turn thirty (or already were in Bill’s case), and rock was a young person’s game. They’d been the voices of the youth, but here they were, now old(er) while an entire new crop of bands were overtaking them. As a result, we see Mick in an uncharacteristically open and confessional matter, looking back and wondering if he lost his chance at a normal, happy life.

Then we get to my favorite part, the one that clenches this as my favorite song on the album and a Top 5 Stones track for me, the jam. Taylor on guitar and Billy Preston ripping away on clavinet, the cosmos explodes as we relive the fiery passion of past romance, the anguish of losing it forever, attempting feebly to recapture it, wow. That outro is sex out to music, and this song is one of the greatest of all time.

3. “Coming Down Again” (Jagger/Richards):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lfPgsNN2EbA

After that jam, we go into the token Keith sung tune on the album, a slow sort of ballad. The personnel on here are Keith on lead and backing vocals/guitars, Mick on harmony and backing vocals, Taylor on bass, Charlie on drums, Nicky Hopkins on piano, Bobby Keys and Jim Horn on saxophones, and Pascal on percussion.

The song has long been speculated to be about Keith’s then parter Anita Pallenberg leaving Brian Jones for him, though Keith has denied it. Then again, this is the same guy that claims Stu formed the band and that Howlin’ Wolf was painting the ceiling in Chess Studios. What I’m saying is that as much as I love Keith, you have to take a fair amount of what he says with a grain of salt, especially if it concerns Brian. There’s also been speculation about it relating to heroin, or it’s a bit of both. I’m leaning towards a bit of both. Heroin was really gnawing it’s claws into both of them at this point, and he might have been in a more reflective mood (and that’s without pointing out that the band often resurrected old ideas for newer records).

The track as a whole has this very hazy yet euphoric feeling that heroin users have described while taking the drug, very mellow and feelgood type of stuff. I also have to give Taylor some props for his bassline, it really pops and gives the track some meat to it. And man, Bobby’s solo just fits right in, his solo careening you on this euphoric ride. But let’s zoom in on the lyrics,

Slipped my tongue in someone else’s pie

Tasting better every time

He turned green and tried to make me cry

But bein’ hungry, it ain’t no crime.

One of my favorite Stones verses, so nasty and filthy like you want your Stones. And that verse is what convinced me this was about Brian. Despite never saying it, it sometimes seems that Keith has some sort of guilt over Brian and that whole matter, which he buries with anger like “why did he have to…” While Brian was certainly upset by what Keith did, he was able to move on from Anita by ’69, and in later years, I think he and Keith would have patched things up. But since he died, there’s no real closure on that issue.

If I was forced to make a criticism, I’d say have Bobby’s solo fade into the piano outro and cut the repeat of the chorus, but otherwise this is an absolute gem.

4. “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)” (Jagger/Richards):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sqUiWpGGCmI

Here we are at the second single off the album, featuring Mick on lead and background vocals, Keith on rhythm guitar/bass/background vocals, Taylor on lead guitar/background vocals, Charlie on drums, Billy Preston on clavinet/piano/synthesizer/background vocals, Bobby Keys and Jim Horn on saxophones, Chuck Finley on trumpet, Rebop on congas, and Pascal on drums.

The first verse is believed to be inspired by the death of Clifford Glover, a ten year old who was fatally shot by New York police in 1973, and the second verse describes a girl hooked on heroin. Indeed, the song paints a grim picture of the urban life that drips of death and tragedy, filled with doomed youth. This song perfectly encapsulates the dense urban character that reoccurs throughout the album, with an almost cinematic flair at times. A gorgeous solo by Mick Taylor and some raging horns and keyboard work is just icing on the funky cake.

5. “Angie” (Jagger/Richards):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RcZn2-bGXqQ&feature=emb_title

Closing out Side One is the biggest hit off the album, “Angie”, in which Keith initially written about his daughter Angela, before Mick fleshed out the song. This is the first track to feature Bill Wyman on bass; Wyman largely sat out of the sessions after his hotel room was attacked and his then girlfriend was sexually assaulted, resulting in her and Bill leaving Jamaica. Rounding out the personnel is Mick on lead vocals, Keith and Taylor on acoustic guitars, Charlie on drums, Nicky Hopkins on piano, and unidentified string players.

Kicking off the track is Keith’s acoustic picking, which, combined with Nicky’s piano, sets a very delicate tone for the track. Bill And Charlie reserve themselves for the chorus, adding subtle accentuations to the track. I gotta say, the Stones did some really awesome ballads-“Lady Jane”, “Ruby Tuesday”, “Love In Vain” (And yes I realize that’s a cover), “Moonlight Mile”, and I think this is another on that list. Really beautiful song, and for me, the stand out is Nicky Hopkins. That man spun just about everything he played on into gold, and this is no exception. There was some burnout for a time with me, but that’s passed. It’s still not my favorite but it’s still a worthwhile track.

6. “Silver Train” (Jagger/Richards):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i3c2WUVZ9NQ

Let’s flip the album over for all you vinyl folk, and let’s get on the Silver Train. The personnel are Mick on lead and background vocals/rhythm guitar/harmonica, Keith on rhythm guitar/bass/backing vocals, Taylor on slide guitar, Charlie on drums, Jimmy Miller on percussion, and Sixth Stone Ian Stewart on piano.

This was a grower for me when I first got this album, it just seemed like a generic blues tune. Revisiting this track, wow, it’s absolutely great! Charlie really smokes on this track, his drumming really makes you feel like you’re on a train traveling through the countryside, and Stu’s piano really helps make this track swing. One thing I especially love about the Stones is that sense of freedom you feel when you listen to them, and this tracks makes me feel like I can go anywhere in the world, time/money/resources be damned. I’ve only gotten to ride a train once in my life, and it was when I was a kid enjoying A Day Out With Thomas (speaking of which, ohmyga, Beatles!), and it was the best feeling in the world. I hope I get to ride a real steam train again at some point, because there’s something really special about it. It’s fast enough but slow enough at the same time, you really get to soak in the world in a way that you can’t with a car, ya know?

Enough about trains. This song is a favorite of mine, and if you haven’t already, check out Johnny Winter’s cover.

7. “Hide Your Love” (Jagger/Richards):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xo94dLN_0ZA

“Hide Your Love”, which came about when Mick was screwing around on the piano and Andy Johns, the engineer, suggested recording it for later use. Besides Mick on vocals and piano, the track also features Keith on bass, Taylor on guitar, Charlie on drums, Jimmy Miller on bass drum, Bobby Keys on saxophone, and Rebop on percussion.

This one has a cool vibe to it as Andy Johns noted. In fact, this isn’t too far removed from something off Exile, very hypnotic groove, all you really have to do is dirty it up a bit. And I was surprised to find out it was Mick since I figured Stu was playing the piano, so good going, Mick.

The song is filler, but it’s killer filler.

8. “Winter” (Jagger/Richards):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=frt_f0eP_Hs

Ahhhh, “Winter”, the epic ballad of the record, featuring Mick on lead vocals/rhythm guitar, Taylor on lead guitar, Bill on bass, Charlie on drums, Nicky Hopkins on piano, and string arrangements by Paul Buckmaster.

I just have to say….wow. There’s a stark beauty in this track, the speaker trailing across the snowy grounds. The strings swell and crescendo as the track progresses. And Taylor’s solo at 3:19, My God. He is pouring his heart out, really tugging those strings. So much feeling, so much emotion, that sense of melancholy present throughout this song comes to the forefront in this solo. And of course, Bill and Charlie are in fantastic form instrumentally. Taylor really was an incredible addition to the group, he opened up certain dimensions for the band, and when he left, those dimensions were gone. I do love Ronnie a lot, certainly love Faces, but he really is mostly there to look good in photo shoots. Granted, just about anyone who would have replaced Taylor would have met the same fate-dummy up and take your check. And the band ultimately suffered for it. Then again, Taylor has never recaptured that spark since leaving the band, so it’s a two way street.

If “100 Years Ago” is my favorite song off here, consider “Winter” Second Place.

9. “Can You Hear The Music” (Jagger/Richards):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=suMgW0KW3jQ

From the epic “Winter”, we go into “Can You Hear The Music”, featuring Mick on lead and background vocals, Keith on rhythm guitar/backing vocals, Taylor on lead guitar, Bill on bass, Charlie on drums, Nicky Hopkins on piano, Jim Horn on flute, Rebop on congas, Pascal on percussion, and Jimmy Miller on tambourine.

Man, this song is so lame, so hokey, it’s terrible, worst track on here by a wide margin. This song is so bad, the band fired Jimmy Miller for letting it get on the album. Small wonder this song was never played live, because this would have cleared out half the stadium. Drugs couldn’t make this shit sound good.

10. “Star Star” (Jagger/Richards):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iudmMgbAAmI

Let’s end this record by getting back to basics. This song-featuring Mick on lead and background vocals, Keith on lead and rhythm guitars/background vocals, Taylor on rhythm guitar, Bill on bass, Charlie on drums, Stu on piano, and Bobby Keys on saxophone. The song, written as an ode to the groupie scene, was originally entitled “Starfucker”, but ended up censored by label demand.

This is total Chuck Berry, and Stone doing Chuck Berry rules. This was apparently the last song recorded for the album, and it does have that spontaneous feel to it. Not overthought, just a bit of fun to end the album on. I love it, and I’m all about starfuckers, starfuckers rule! Sluts rule!

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Although the album doesn’t quite live up to the standards of the Big Four, Goats Head Soup is still quite a strong effort by the band. With some stellar Stones tracks as well as some excellent guitar work by Mick Taylor, the album demonstrates itself as a more than worthy addition to the Stones’ catalog. Whereas Exile is the hazy party, this album is like the hangover from said party. It’s not so pleasant, you’re all fucked up and wondering what the hell has gone on.

Would I recommend the album? As a starting place with the Stones, no. As another Stones album, definitely. If you heard it and put it aside, give it another shot, there are some real gems on here.

Wellthat’s my review of Head Soup, and I should let readers know that I have finals next week so there will not be a review next week. In the meantime, be sure to comment, subscribe, and spread the word.