Sticky Fingers

This is an exceptional LP; I wholeheartedly concur with the general consensus. Tracks like "Moonlight Mile," "Sister Morphine," "Dead Flowers," "I Got the Blues," "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'," and "Sway" truly stand out. The entire album is a masterpiece that only seems to grow in appreciation over the years. I want to delve into one of the most famous tracks, "Brown Sugar." Can there ever be a more politically incorrect hit song? This remarkable rock anthem showcases a complex blend of themes such as racism, sadism, sexism, violence, and cruelty. The lyrics are delivered with clarity, yet they are mixed in a way that ensures they don’t fully reveal their darker meanings all at once. Moreover, the craftsmanship of the words is so fluid and literate that many listeners may not immediately grasp the severity of what they’re hearing. The song offers an exhilarating narrative from the perspective of an individual involved in the slave trade—a "slaver" who transported slaves to market. In contrast, Randy Newman's "Sail Away," which explores a similar theme, comes across as considerably safer and more explicit. This observation underscores my broader point about the Rolling Stones. As we remember their legacy today, the spotlight tends to focus on the sheer brilliance of their music, the iconic status of Mick Jagger as a singer and performer, and the outstanding musicianship of Keith Richards and Charlie Watts. Their enduring presence in the music industry, along with their provocative image associated with sexuality, satanism, and the "bad boy" archetype, often overshadows another pivotal aspect: they were also among the most astute satirists in the realm of rock music. Their earlier work, particularly from the Andrew Loog Oldham era, is rife with biting sarcasm and social commentary. The Stones tackled the same societal issues as Bob Dylan but delivered their messages with far more humor and irony. Similar to Randy Newman, Ray Davies, and Warren Zevon, they frequently adopted the personas of obnoxious, loathsome, or even dangerous characters to convey their themes. They ingeniously gave these morally ambiguous figures enough rope to metaphorically hang themselves, illustrating the complexities of human nature and power dynamics. "Brown Sugar" epitomizes this approach, pushing the boundaries of satire to their absolute limits. The song unapologetically forces the listener to confront and, in a sense, identify with the dark, hedonistic pleasures experienced by someone wielding absolute power—the "whip-hand." It is a brilliant piece of art that is both frightening and rife with devilish irony. This intricate layer of the Rolling Stones’ artistry is often overlooked or insufficiently acknowledged by both critics and fans alike, yet it is a vital aspect of what makes their work so compelling and thought-provoking.

For many Stones fans this album is the bands greatest recorded moment, for me that award goes to Exile On Main Street, but this album runs it very close and is one of the great rock albums. Recorded in America and the UK in 1970/71 it comes right in the middle of the Stones purple patch, they'd just come off a successful American tour, albeit with the disaster that was Altamont still ringing in their ears, and were at the top of their game. Crammed full of Stones classics such as Bitch, Can't You Here Me Knocking, Moonlight Mile and, of course, concert favourite Brown Sugar. The Deluxe 2 CD edition has one disc of the original album and one disc of alternate takes and 5 live tracks recorded at London's Roundhouse on the tour to promote the album. The album has been remastered, by the same guys who remastered it back in 2010. There is an improvement in the sound, a bit more kick here, better definition on the instruments there, but to be fair not hugely different to the previous edition. The real reason for investing in this edition comes on disc two. Those of us who have purchased the Deluxe Editions of the Zeppelin remasters will know that not all alternate takes offer up something interesting. Hearing some of those songs with missing lyrics has hardly set the heart pumping, and other tracks seemed to show no difference with the released version leaving a feeling that we'd been sold the emperor's new clothes. But here we have alternate takes of Brown Sugar, Wild Horses, Can't You Hear Me Knocking, Bitch and Dead Flowers that are instantly recognisable as being different to the released versions. The one that has garnered the most interest has been the version of Brown Sugar with Eric Clapton on guitar. Available on various bootlegs and on Youtube for years, here the sound is nicely cleaned up and although not better than the version on the album still an exciting version of a classic track. Wild Horses is an even more acoustic version of a song that was already soaked with acoustic guitars. Can't You Hear Me Knocking is a very raw early version without the extended sax and guitar break at the end and no keyboards. Bitch is a much longer version than that on the album with the whole band cutting loose for final two minutes and the alternate version of Dead Flowers is clearly another raw work in progress. Next up we have the 5 live tracks. I've used the word raw a few times already in this review but it is the best word to describe these five tracks. Remember these were recorded back in 1971, no auto tune here, when a guitar went out of tune it stayed out of tune to the end of the song. But what may have been lost in tunefulness is more than made up for in the performance level. It's widely acknowledged that the bands two best live albums are the official Get Yer Ya Ya's Out from 1969 and the not quite as official The Brussels Affair from 1973. This performance sits right in the middle of those two recordings when The Stones were right at the height of their live powers, perhaps only The Who could touch them at this time, and that live prowess just shines through on these recordings. One other reviewer has said these are the same recordings as Ya Ya's, they are not, they may have been previously available on bootlegs but this is their official release debut. A full gig from Leeds University is available of the Super Deluxe edition but I wasn't prepared to fork out an extra £60 for some vinyl I can't listen to and this gig. If you feel the same but want to hear the Leeds gig it's on Spotify Overall this is a very good reissue, the slightly improved sound, the excellent alternate takes and of course some live tracks to show what the band was really capable of. My only gripe would be the lack of any liner notes. It would have been interesting to have some scribe tell us how the album was recorded and especially how, and where EC, came to be involved in a recording of Brown Sugar.

Disco imprescindible!

Disque vinyle: album de grande qualité, disque épais, pas mince, lourd environ 182 grammes, vérifé sur la balance pour cette galette. Pas de voile ! très bonne qualité de pressage, pas de bruit de surface perceptible (pourvu que cela dure) sur les blancs entre les plages ni sur les passages musicaux, pas de craquement ou presque un seul sur "Dead flower". Bonne richesse spectrale, bonne dynamique, bon niveau à la gravure pas besoin de pousser le bouton de volume de l'ampli. Pour la pochette on peut regretter que la pochette ne soit pas l'originale avec sa fermeture éclair qui révèlait...... un homme en sous vêtement dit la légende, mais bon j'aurais pu l'acheter avant..... Excellent album des Stones s'il en est, célèbre pour l'emblématique "brown sugar" ; "sister morphine" reste mon préféré avec Ry Cooder à la slide guitar une merveille; je retiendrai aussi "Sway", "Wild horses" et surtout "can't you hear me knocking" avec les riffs de gitares de Keith Richard et Mick Taylor. Album très bluesy, mais très varié avec balades et morceau plus rock , Mick Jaggaer au sommet au chant, incontournable pour qui aime les Rolling Stones et ce son si particulier.

Someone stole my original so I needed another copy... Still one of the greatest albums of all time...

Je denkt ik krijg 3 cd,s maar de foto hoord niet bij de aanbieding ,als je goed kijkt klopt het niet je krijgt maar 2 cd,s.

Awesome album with nice music !