Goats Head Soup

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Goats Head Soup
File:The Rolling Stones - Goats Head Soup.jpg
Studio album by The Rolling Stones
Released 31 August 1973
Recorded 25 November – 21 December 1972 and 23 May – 20 June 1973, Dynamic Sound Studio, Kingston, Jamaica, except Hide Your Love, recorded at De Doelen, Rotterdam, Netherlands, Summer 1973
Genre Rock, blues rock, rock and roll, funk rock, hard rock
Length 46:56
46:52 (The USA Collection - 2005 Remaster)
Language English
Label Rolling Stones
Producer Jimmy Miller
The Rolling Stones chronology
Exile on Main St.
(1972)Exile on Main St.1972		 Goats Head Soup
(1973)		 It's Only Rock 'n Roll
(1974)It's Only Rock 'n Roll1974
Singles from Goats Head Soup
  1. ""Angie"/"Silver Train""
    Released: 20 August 1973
  2. ""Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)"/"Dancing with Mr. D""
    Released: December 1973

Goats Head Soup is the 11th British and 13th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in August 1973. It featured the song "Angie", which went to No. 1 as a single in the US and top 5 in the UK. The album contained 10 tracks, all written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and achieved number one chart positions in the UK, US and several other World markets.

History

Recording

In November 1972 the band relocated to Kingston, Jamaica's Dynamic Sound Studios. Keith Richards said in 2002: "Jamaica was one of the few places that would let us all in! By that time about the only country that I was allowed to exist in was Switzerland, which was damn boring for me, at least for the first year, because I didn't like to ski... Nine countries kicked me out, thank you very much, so it was a matter of how to keep this thing together..."[1]

Of the recording process, Marshall Chess, the president of Rolling Stones Records at the time, said in 2002, "We used to book studios for a month, 24 hours a day, so that the band could keep the same set-up and develop their songs in their free-form way, starting with a few lyrics and rhythms, jamming and rehearsing while we fixed the sound. It amazed me, as an old-time record guy, that the Stones might not have played together for six or eight months, but within an hour of jamming, the synergy that is their strength would come into play and they would lock it together as one..."[1]

Jagger said of their approach to recording at the time, "Songwriting and playing is a mood. Like the last album we did (Exile on Main St.) was basically recorded in short concentrated periods. Two weeks here, two weeks there – then another two weeks. And, similarly, all the writing was concentrated so that you get the feel of one particular period of time. Three months later it's all very different and we won't be writing the same kind of material as Goats Head Soup."[2]

On the sessions and influence of the island, Richards said, "The album itself didn't take that long, but we recorded an awful lot of tracks. There were not only Jamaicans involved, but also percussion players who came from places like Guyana, a travelling pool of guys who worked in the studios. It was interesting to be playing in this totally different atmosphere. Mikey Chung, the engineer at Dynamic, for example, was a Chinese man — you realise how much Jamaica is a multi-ethnic environment."[1]

The first track recorded at Dynamic was "Winter", which Mick Taylor said started with "just Mick (Jagger) strumming on a guitar in the studio, and everything falling together from there."[2]

The album's lead single, "Angie", was an unpopular choice as lead single with Atlantic Records which, according to Chess, "wanted another 'Brown Sugar' rather than a ballad."[1] Contrary to popular belief, the song was not about David Bowie's first wife Angela; nor was it about Richards' first daughter, Dandelion Angela. The song was written before the sex of his upcoming baby was known. He says in his memoir, *Life*: "I just went, 'Angie, Angie.' It was not about any particular person; it was a name, like 'ohhh, Diana.' I didn't know Angela was going to be called Angela when I wrote 'Angie'. In those days you didn't know what sex the thing was going to be until it popped out. In fact, Anita named her Dandelion. She was only given the added name Angela because she was born in a Catholic hospital where they insisted that a 'proper' name be added." (*Life*, p. 323, Ch. 8.)

Despite its laid-back sound, many of Goats Head Soup's songs have a darker quality to them, such as the opener "Dancing with Mr. D" (D as in Death). An alternate mix version can be heard on bootlegs that features a Taylor guitar solo that was not featured on the album version.

Mick Taylor's contribution to the song "Can You Hear the Music" is an harmonized guitar solo with a tone that resembles the one favored by King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp.

Also featured is the Top 20 US hit "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)", which criticises the New York police for the accidental shooting of a 10-year-old.

This was the last Rolling Stones album produced by Jimmy Miller, who'd worked with the band since 1968's Beggars Banquet sessions. Miller developed a debilitating drug habit from his years spent with the band.

Aside from the official band members, other musicians appearing on Goats Head Soup include keyboard players Billy Preston, Nicky Hopkins and Ian Stewart.

Recording was completed in January 1973 in Los Angeles and May 1973 at London's Olympic Sound Studios. The song 'Silver Train' actually was a leftover from 1970s recordings at Olympic Sound Studios, and 'Hide Your Love' was recorded during rehearsals at De Doelen in Rotterdam. Goats Head Soup was also their first album to exclusively contain original material by the band since Their Satanic Majesties Request in 1967.

Release and aftermath

At the time of release, Jagger said, “I really feel close to this album, and I really put all I had into it... I guess it comes across that I’m more into songs. It wasn’t as vague as the last album which kind of went on so long that I didn’t like some of the things. There’s more thought to this one. It was recorded all over the place over about two or three months. The tracks are much more varied than the last one. I didn’t want it to be just a bunch of rock songs.”

Preceded by “Angie” as the lead single, which sailed to number one in the United States and became a worldwide hit, Goats Head Soup was released in late August 1973 and also shot to the top of charts worldwide. The Rolling Stones' autumn 1973 European Tour followed soon after, in which four slots in the set list were given to the new material: “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)”, “Star Star”, “Dancing with Mr D”, and “Angie” – although apart from a few earlier performances of “Silver Train” and “100 Years Ago” nothing else from Goats Head Soup has ever been played live by the Stones.[3] (The popular bootleg recording Brussels Affair would result from this tour.)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 3.5/5 stars[4]
Robert Christgau B[5]
The Great Rock Discography 6/10[6]
MusicHound 2/5[7]
NME 6/10[8]
Q 4/5 stars[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide 3/5 stars[9]
Stylus Magazine (favourable)[10]
Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music 3/5 stars[6]

Critical reaction to the album was varied at the time. Bud Scoppa called the album "one of the year's richest musical experiences"[2] in Rolling Stone, while Lester Bangs derided the effort in Creem, saying, "There is a sadness about the Stones now, because they amount to such an enormous 'So what?' The sadness comes when you measure not just one album, but the whole sense they're putting across now against what they once meant..."[2]

Goats Head Soup is now generally considered to have marked the end of the Stones' "golden age", with Stephen Thomas Erlewine saying, "Sliding out of perhaps the greatest winning streak in rock history, the Stones slipped into decadence and rock star excess with Goats Head Soup... This is where the Stones' image began to eclipse their accomplishments, as Mick ascended to jet-setting celebrity and Keith slowly sunk deeper into addiction, and it's possible hearing them moving in both directions on Goats Head Soup, at times in the same song."[11] Goats Head Soup has endured as a popular seller and has gone triple platinum in the United States.

The album cover was designed by Ray Lawrence and photographed by David Bailey, a friend of Jagger's who had worked with The Rolling Stones since 1964. The portrait of Jagger on the front cover was approximately life size in the original 12-inch LP format.

The sessions for Goats Head Soup were abundant with outtakes. Two of these — "Tops" and "Waiting on a Friend" — would surface on Tattoo You in 1981, and feature Mick Taylor on guitar; "Through the Lonely Nights" became the B-side to the "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" single and was released on CD for the first time on the 2005 compilation Rarities 1971–2003. It is a soft rock ballad that features Richards on wah wah/leslie speaker filtered guitar with Mick Taylor playing a brief solo.

In 1994 Goats Head Soup was remastered and reissued by Virgin Records, and again in 2009 by Universal Music. The first pressing of the Universal remaster contains a censored version of "Star Star" that was on the original US vinyl release, but not on the 1994 Virgin CD; later pressings contain the uncensored version. The album was reissued once more in 2011 by Universal Music Enterprises in a Japanese-only SHM-SACD version, which includes the uncensored version of "Star Star" with a previously unreleased fadeout.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

Side one
No. Title Length
1. "Dancing with Mr. D"   4:53
2. "100 Years Ago"   3:59
3. "Coming Down Again"   5:54
4. "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)"   3:26
5. "Angie"   4:33
Side two
No. Title Length
6. "Silver Train"   4:27
7. "Hide Your Love"   4:12
8. "Winter"   5:30
9. "Can You Hear the Music"   5:31
10. "Star Star"   4:25

Personnel

The Rolling Stones
  • Mick Jagger – lead and backing vocals; rhythm guitar on "Winter"; harmonica on "Silver Train"; piano on "Hide Your Love"
  • Keith Richards – electric and acoustic guitar, backing vocals; lead vocals on "Coming Down Again"; bass guitar on "100 Years Ago", "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" and "Silver Train"; lead guitar on "Star Star"
  • Mick Taylor – electric, acoustic and slide guitar, backing vocals; bass guitar on "Dancing with Mr. D" and "Coming Down Again"; rhythm guitar on "Star Star"
  • Bill Wyman – bass guitar
  • Charlie Watts – drums
Additional personnel

Charts

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Live debuts of each Rolling Stones song
  4. ↑ link
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ "The Rolling Stones: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived version retrieved 15 November 2014.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.Note: user must select 'The Rolling Stones' from drop-down.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Select THE ROLLING STONES and click OK
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Goats Head Soup in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

External links

Script error: The function "top" does not exist.

Preceded by UK number-one albums
22–29 September 1973		 Succeeded by
Sladest by Slade
Preceded by Billboard 200 number-one album
13 October – 10 November 1973		 Succeeded by
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John
Preceded by
Brothers and Sisters by The Allman Brothers Band
 Canadian RPM 100 number-one album
20–27 October 1973		 Succeeded by
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John
Preceded by
Forever and Ever by Demis Roussos
 Dutch Mega Chart number-one album
27 October 1973		 Succeeded by
Forever and Ever by Demis Roussos
Preceded by Swedish Chart number-one album
39/1973 – 44/1973		 Succeeded by
Portrett by Lillebjørn Nilsen
Preceded by Australian Kent Music Report number-one album
26 November – 17 December 1973		 Succeeded by
Hot August Night\ by Neil Diamond

Script error: The function "bottom" does not exist.

Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Goats_Head_Soup&oldid=2143957"