The Rolling Stones – Plundered My Soul

On Friday the new Rolling Stones song Plundered My Soul became available for download. The song will officially be released on Monday but as I have already downloaded the song from Sony Music, and listened to it, I thought that I would share my thoughts.

Plundered My Soul is one of the left overs from the 1972 Exile On Mainstreet sessions. For the digitally remastered version of Exile Mick Jagger was asked to delve deep into the archives to find some songs that could be used as a bonus track. Plundered My Soul was one the tracks that he discovered. Mick initially believed that there was nothing left unreleased from these sessions and said he was surprised when he found Plundered My Soul. He and Keith have since given the song a good spit and polish, digitally remastered it and added some new percussion to it.

Upon listening to Plundered My Soul I wonder whether it is really from the Exile sessions and is not from a bit later on. I don’t really want to question the great Mick Jagger but the drum beat sounds a little like it is from the Some Girls/Emotional Rescue/Tattoo You period and it is well known that there are a lot of songs from this period that are still undiscovered. (Thanks to the Jagger/Richards rift that was happening at the time!) Perhaps the problem is with Jagger and Richards’ tinkering with the song as it doesn’t sound like it is from the drug and booze hazed Exile On Mainstreet period, as it sounds a little too crisp and polished. It sounds a bit more like a hybrid of the the Stone’s from the 1990s/2000s, mixed with the early 80s drum beats and 1970s countrified soul, if that makes any sense at all. Still I do think that the song is very catchy and better than most stuff that you hear on the radio at the moment. (And there are some very horrible songs on the radio at the moment. Don’t believe me… turn on Nova or FOX right now and see what I mean.)

As for the remastered version of Exile On Mainstreet, I am not so sure whether I will purchase it when it is reissued into records shops next month. (I won’t download it, that’s for sure!) I already own Exile on CD and have for about 18 years, and am not sure whether the addition of new undiscovered songs will justify my purchasing it again. The new version does come with some sort of gimmick packaging, but it won’t be like the zipper fly version of Sticky Fingers (yes I do own the zipper fly CD version of Stick Fingers!!!).

For those who want to hear the new song it has been uploaded to Youtube.

I don’t know if I should be happy with this or not, but after perusing through the Youtube comments I see that there are some people who agree with my assessment that the song sounds like a hybrid of modern Stones (ala Don’t Stop, Keys To Your Love) and late 70s/early 80s Stones (Beast Of Burden/Emotional Rescue).

The credits for the song are…
Mick Jagger: Vocals, Guitar & Percussion
Keith Richards: Guitar
Charlie Watts: Drums
Bill Wyman: Bass
Nicky Hopkins: Piano
Mick Taylor: Guitar
Bobby Keys: Sax
Lisa Fisher: Background Vocals
Cindy Mizelle: Background Vocals…

I also have a feeling that it is Woody on lead guitar and not Mick Taylor but who really knows. (This is also being debated on Youtube!)

Kylie Minogue

Watching the late night news on Channel 10 the other night I saw Angela Bishop reporting that Kylie Minogue had joined the Wiggles to record the 1969 Toots and the Maytals’ song Monkey Man for their latest album. It’s a shame that this is not the Rolling Stones’ Monkey Man from the fantastic Let It Bleed album also from 1969. It would be interesting to see the Wiggles singing a song about drug addiction but I think it’s just a little inappropriate.

 

In a similar vein, yesterday the Herald Sun’s Susie O’Brien complained that lots of online music fans had criticised Kylie for agreeing to appear at the Sound Relief concert at the MCG next week. O’Brien asks the question, “I bet you’ve heard of Kylie Minogue – but how about Kings of Leon or Wolfmother? Or Liam Finn? Jack Johnson? … Probably not.”

 

Obviously O’Brien has been living under a rock for the last twelve months if she has not heard of Kings of Leon. Either that or she listens exclusively to ABC FM or talkback radio, because Kings of Leon have been played to death on every other FM station from Triple M to MIX 101, from FOX FM to Triple J. Even Gold 104 which only plays ‘good time oldies’, has spoken about how good Kings of Leon are and their chart topping song Sex On Fire.

 

Whilst I am unfamiliar with Liam Finn (Neil’s son?), even my Mum could tell you who Wolfmother are, as everyone knows that they are a Led Zeppelin cover band! (Only joking!) Jack Johnson is perhaps most well known for the song Upside Down from the Curious George soundtrack, and for hanging around with Ben Harper (another musician who Susie O’Brien hasn’t heard of?).

 

The sad thing about all this is that O’Brien does not look like she is 100 years old in her photograph above the article. This obviously makes her a nerd who does not listen to music radio or as I said earlier, only listens to ABC FM. Zzzzzzz!!! If this is the case then she really has no place in trying to discuss popular, music as she has no idea what she is talking about.

 

Just who is Susie O’Brien anyway? I rarely read the H’un and only do so when I am pointed to some piece of stupidity like this. All I know is that O’Brien is also responsible for THIS great piece of investigative journalism.

Happy Birthday Keith Richards

Amazingly enough Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones turned 65 today. What more appropriate way to celebrate this birthday than to play the classic Rolling Stones’ song Happy. Here Keef is joined by Sheryl Crow.

My 10 Favourite Rolling Stones Songs

With my new computer on the way one thing that I have to do that I loath, is to reload all of my music onto it. I have to do this to keep my iPod up to date. Whilst I don’t mind having to load up all of my many cds, there is a ton of stuff that I downloaded to my old computer that I have now lost. (The lesson is always make a back up copy of all your MP3 and photo files)

Anyway, in getting ready to do this onerous task, I thought I would list some songs that will eventually make it back onto my iPod.

One group that will definately make it back onto my iPod is The Rolling Stones. I had over 200 of their songs on my iPod previously, including a downloaded copy of the unreleased and banned final Decca single that they made in 1969. (Because it was banned, it is quite easy to find online!) Here are my 10 favourite Stones’ songs.

1. Sympathy For The devil
2. 2000 Light Years From Home
3. Happy
4. Jumpin’ Jack Flash
5. Shine A Light
6. Brown Sugar
7. You Can’t Always Get What You Want
8. Little Red Rooster
9. Honky Tonk Women
10. Paint It, Black