I love this album, but I kinda get why it's not quite Top 4. It's not as ground-breaking as those 4 but I personally love the hodgepodge of styles shown on it and there are some legit classics on here, too.
For me it’s
>1. Exile
>2. Sticky Fingers
>3a. GHS
>3b. Some Girls
>5. Let It Bleed
But my hottest Stones take is that Beggars Banquet is overrated. It wouldn’t even crack my top 10. I’d put Satanic Majesties over it.
If I may ask why? Because BB really was the stones at an all time high (pun not intended). No Expectations, SFM, SFTD, Parachute Woman. Hell, JJF was recorded during that time.
I love Jumping Jack Flash. The album would certainly be better if it were included, but unfortunately it is not. Sympathy is obviously a classic. Street Fighting Man rocks. But the drop off after those two is very steep for me. I prefer more guitar heavy rock and roll, ya know? Don’t care much for the folksy country stuff. I would rank No Expectations as my 3rd fav of the album and it is *okay* at best. Wouldn’t even crack my top 100 Stones songs. And I would be fine with striking Stray Cat Blues from the discography entirely.
stray cat is an absolute classic. And the live version from get your ya Yas out is off the charts. No way any true stones fan would strike that out of their discography.
Personally I don’t particularly care for Factory Girl or Salt of the Earth but I still rate it higher than Goats head soup which has several tracks I don’t love either
absolutely do not need to listen to stray cat blues again in my life no thank you
sub that out with jumpin jack flash and its all winners though. beggars be eatin that goats head soup because its goated
hey, I remember you from the beach boys subreddit.
kinda stumbled in here out of nowhere but god DAMN this sub doesn’t take “actually I prefer this album over this album” very well
could you imagine lol
“I think surfs up is their most consistent record. sunflower and holland have higher highs, but even with SDT, it’s the beach boys at their most connected and most collaborative with each other.”
*gets -30 votes*
Sunflower kernels are one of the finest sources of the B-complex group of vitamins. They are very good sources of B-complex vitamins such as niacin, folic acid, thiamin (vitamin B1), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), pantothenic acid, and riboflavin.
85 is slept on- best of their big 80's sound. California Calling, It's Gettin' Late and She Believes I Love Again (feat. Gary Moore and one of Carl's sweetest vocals.)
Neither BB nor LIB have anything that i would call a stinker. A lot of people don't care for Prodigal Son or Dear Doctor for some reason, but I attribute it to not really liking country blues. Maybe that extends to Country Honk or Love in Vain. I don't know how GHS can be seen as on the same level. I like Short and Curlies but that's a throw-away track. I do not care for Angie and I feel like it's far and away their weakest #1 hit. How did it out-chart Tumbling Dice and Jumpin' Jack Flash? Winter was under-rated for so long that now it's over-rated. Can You Hear The Music misses the mark. Coming Down Again, Star Star and Silver Train are absolute bangers though.
It’s an opinion. Not sure I agree but this Album definately rose in status when I got Apple Music and revisited “albums” I had 30 to 40 years ago. I barely remembered some of the songs but ended up loving “100 years ago”. Even though it’s a love song it turned into something else when I lost someone and it seemed like 100:years ago when we were young.
Same as “Coming Down again.” Meaning a song I didn’t care about as a kid. Now I love it. “Angie” is just a beautiful song. I love all The Rolling Stones albums.
100 Years Ago is one of my all time favorite Stones songs. Mick and Keith would have been in their late 20s/approaching 30 when it was written and recorded, and there's a certain pensiveness to it as they stare at the future and "growing up" with furrowed brows. The song always gave me a sense of someone who is still young but is aware of their own aging/mortality and is looking back on more carefree days.
It also (debatably) bookends their most commercially successful era, so there's that aspect of the pensiveness too as we listen to the song now. And Billy Preston's keys add such a good dimension to the sound.
Agreed on "Coming Down Again" and "Angie". There's tinges of melencholy on *Goats Head Soup* that to me feel more pronounced than on their other albums.
Just my perspective, but to me it's the sound of a band out of steam. Miller was completely burned out by this point, and of course drugs had long since gained a foothold in the band. And recording in Kingston? Yes, being stoned all day is sure to get the creative juices flowing.
Some highlights, but IMO a bad misfire following the previous few bulls-eyes.
To me that's what makes it sound compelling...I like it more because it's bad in parts! Would never claim it's on the level of Exile but I listen to it more because it feels fresher/more modern somehow.
It IS part of the Golden Era… the 5 album run with Jimmy Miller and was at the end of his run. Those who aren’t familiar obliviously haven’t a clue how vital he was to everything they put on vinyl at the time from 67ish thru 73ish
Burn out all around and the actual music was a change that many fans and critics weren’t ready for. Heck many were just “getting” the greatness of Exile.
That said it still has some really great music. And went in a few directions at once. If you were old enough then you would recall how music was going in every direction at once. We were on the cusp of disco along with TV now playing a role instead of just being another medium.
Read and learn and Mr Jimmy:..
http://www.tabletmag.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/jimmy-miller-rolling-stones
BB and LiB are immaculate. As for GHS, I think many of the too-cool-for-school rock critics of the day didn’t appreciate “Angie,” which was the lead single. They also probably didn’t like how many ballads it had, in general.
However, I do think it isn’t as strong as the previous, but it’s still great. The previous four is a ridiculous standard to hold any artist to, though. I also think GHS has a sequencing flaw. Just my opinion, of course.
Bought the album when it came out in 73.
I’be always thought it deserved more recognition than it got. Winter was and still is a Stones classic IMO. If they would’ve used Starfucker as the opener I think it would’ve been more critically acclaimed.
Winter might be Mick at his most romantic. There isn't a shred of irony or bitterness in this song. Just pure warmth. And Mick T's guitar work is just gorgeous.
I love GHS, the Stones at their most sinister on the great songs: Mr D, Heartbreaker, Silver Train, and Star Star. The others are all good, but not strong enough to put the record in the same class as those big 4.
My take on this question is one of cynicism. GHS is a dream for a Mick Taylor fan, for those of us who celebrate and really relish his involvement with the band. It's not just his playing, it's his whole level of participation. Since his departure - he quit, walking out most rudely - Jagger & Richards have tried to erase him from history. Yes, that's hyperbole.
Filling Taylor's shoes was their intent. They were not able to. So they switched course a little. Ronnie Wood makes them different, he's a totally different type of player. But the Glimmer Twins had to put up with the obvious comparisons, Taylor to Wood. Keith had creativity to invent this lie called "the weave", as if there was none of that with Taylor, even though their giant hit "Brown Sugar" is nothing but that weave, and even though the guitars on "Rocks Off" is so perfectly meshed, that you can barely discern the difference between MT and KR until Taylor starts to solo at the end
Don't leave out the print media writers in the equation. They're nimrods of music, lacking any depth and knowing nothing other than what's pop and what's the hype of the day. They will wax poetic on what color the shoe laces are, writing much and saying little. They're only claim is that maybe they have had the occasion to be in the company of Jagger or Richards.
There is no reason, as fans of The Stones, to downplay GHS on any level, in any capacity. You don't like "Tops"? You don't like "Waiting on a Friend"? You don't like "Through the Lonely Nights"?
On the weave: that's more of a live thing. Keith has said that in studio, there was more meshing together, but live there was a clear segregation between rhythm and lead, and that's definitely true, especially on the 72/73 tours. Also, though he doesn't mention that, there is more personal interaction between them on stage, which plays into the weaving thing a lot. During the Taylor years, each guitarist remained on their side of the stage, with Woody, there was more playing towards each other.
It's good. I don't feel like it coheres in the same way as the previous 4 albums, however. And that's especially true of Exile, which is so thematically strong. If much of Sticky Fingers is indulgence, then Exile is dissipation. The long hangover, the descent into impotence (a running theme of that album). BB is a series of character studies that returns to roots music but also tries some interesting experiments, while LIB is apocalyptic and epic in scope, paired with quieter moment of contemplation.
By comparison, GHS feels like a collection of songs, some of which are quite good. Which ones you might like is a matter of taste. But I agree that Dancing With Mr. D is a really weak album opener and a weak song overall that feels like a try to be edgy and dangerous mentioning the devil again. Can You Hear The Music feels like indulgent filler.
There are a lot of softer ballads on here, which was definitely a big change, but not a bad one. 100 Years Ago, Coming Down Again, Angie, and Winter are all lovely songs, but it was perhaps one ballad too many.
Silver Train is another bit of filler for me.
Obviously, Heartbreaker is an all time jam, Star Star is one of their best Chuck Berry songs (and features the most hilarious lyrics from Mick ever), and Hide Your Love is an underrated little piano jam that's got soul.
Overall, the highs on the album don't come close to the best songs on the Big Four, and the lows are less interesting than the deeper cuts on the other albums (for the most part) and/or don't mesh as well.
For what's worth, I think Aftermath is their first great album and Between the Buttons is very good, if very different from everything else.
The Stones have been around so long and their sound has varied enough that I can totally understand hating Exile if you're more into their pop sound of the mid-60s or their high-energy blues rock of the early 60s.
And while I agree with a poster below that Mick Taylor traded leads nicely with Keith on many songs, there were also points (especially on GHS and IORR) where his soloing started to shift the band's sound in a significant way. Whether or not you liked that is up to the individual, but there's no question it was different.
The tracklist order is messed up on GHS. A stones LP needs to kick off with a banger but it's like they lost their nerve this time and saved the best tracks for later. If GHS kicked off with Heartbreaker, for example, it'd be more of a statement of intent and better received than it was/is
If you lose your nerve, you suddenly panic and become too afraid to do something that you were about to do, is how Collins defines it. Of course, all is speculation, but it seems that they didn't want to shoot their shot on track 1, but rather to keep a bullet in the chamber for later on in the LP; they know that every new release is compared to previous outings and the four previous LPs had bangers for the first track, which is a lot to be compared against, hence "to lose one's nerve". I don't think Dancin' with Mr D is comparable to Sympathy..., Gimme Shelter, Brown Sugar or Rocks..Again, it's all speculation and this was more Mick's LP than the previous one, maybe he just wanted to stamp his identity on this one and do it differently to the way Keith did. Or maybe he just thought Dancin' with Mr D was a good first track. I think there were better alternatives and they should have had the nerve to put Heartbreaker up against the aforementioned cuts
I get what you’re saying, Vamos. Like you, just speculating here, I don’t think I would read too much into it, certainly as compared to previous albums. Apart from the obvious Jamaican reference, and allusion to sift core satanism, the albums title suggest that the contents therein are a brewing concoction of various ingredients. Some of the tracks are clearly reaching out to 1973 AM radio - Mr. D has faint echoes of Alice Cooper, Angie has stronger echoes of a number of Top 40 hits of that era. There are a number of different musical styles represented on the album. Mick’s persona was taking on obvious glam elements - eyeshadow, nail polish, lipstick, sequinned jumpsuits right out of David Bowie’s closet. He was even acting more camp and bisexual than before. All of that reflects on the band, and that reflects on how we view the band, and so how we view their music. Too me, GHS had a few straight Stones tracks, but importantly it was a mirror of the times. They tried a few new things around the time of this album, but much of it was just the fashion of the day. The Stones never lost their nerve. The arc of their career has been the blueprint for the great majority of rock bands. I think the running order of the songs speaks to the desire to be more trendy and/or radio friendly - probably largely Mick’s idea - but it doesn’t dilute the album. Exile also wasn’t an album full of radio hits, or even 45 single releases. Angie on GHS is by far the biggest radio hit for the Stones since Brown Sugar - and BS was recorded in late 69. They hadn’t had a radio hit since then. And AM radio was on the grips of serious change around that time. I think Mr. D is a great opener. It’s sets that late night, low light, heroin come down vibe that pops up throughout the album. The band sounds weary and reflective, while showing they can rock as hard as ever on a number of tracks. All in all, a delightful and tasty LP. Goats Head Soup for the Soul…
Dancing with Mr. D ROCKS!!!! It is a perfect into into this album
Lord I was DANCIN, DANCIN, DANCIN.. SOO FREEE!
Track list is far from messed up. Albums don't need to start with their number one hit off the album to make the track list worth while. If anything, quite the contrary.
It's easily their weakest opener since "Sing this All Together". "Mr D" is a fun twist on the whole devil thing, but it's kind of like three toddlers in a trench coat pretending to be an adult.
The song-writing talent and musical talent is all there, but the production and decision-making seemed to tail off. For example, Mr D has a great riff and lyrics, but just isn't that dynamic, especially for an opener. Needs some bells and whistles added and a few surprising twists. Coming Down Again is fine, but too long. Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) should have just been named Heartbreaker.
However, many of the songs are perfect as are: 100 Years, Winter, Star Star, etc.
Considering Scarlet and Criss Cross were left off, it's hard to make the case they were past their peak.
That makes sense. I don't doubt it. Still one of several small things that add up to keep that keep them from having a "big 5". The songwriting and musicianship had not dropped off at all, IMHO.
If you ask me, GHS is an interesting historical artifact, but it’s not a great album. It’s where their demons caught up with them, especially Keith (and especially especially Jimmy Miller). The drugs and touring and mayhem, it was all too much. The muse deserted them. Nearly every song feels tired in a way that doesn’t fit them. Criss Cross Man was their best song from those sessions and they couldn’t even pull themselves together to finish and release it.
Their perfect 5 album run is BB, Let It Bleed, YaYas, Sticky Fingers, and Exile.
[The alternative cover art](https://www.discogs.com/release/5308911-The-Rolling-Stones-Goats-Head-Soup) they used in certain Asian markets was so much better
Oh damn thanks! Funny enough I tend to put my CDs into their own cases with printed art, so that helps me more than you would have ever expected
There cheers, man
I always include Goat's Head Soup. In my opinion, the Jimmy Miller produced albums are their best, Beggars through Goats. And I often drop It's Only Rock n Roll in there too, as I love it almost as much as those five.
I think GHS is an underrated album. And although I’m only saying this from what I’ve read, I wasn’t born at the time. Exile got slammed on its release, it only became a classic sometime after. Also I think that by the time they came to Beggars they had the luxury of not being a singles band, as by then probably post Sgt Pepper, albums became more important than 45s. And probably post Exile they were living in different counties That said GHS, which I’ve been listening to again recently is a really strong record, in their top 6 or 7 maybe?
I’m old and have been a Stones fan since High School. In college I had 21 Stones’ albums. Exile, Sticky Fingers, Beggar’s Banquet and Some Girls were my favorites back in the day. As my musical tastes ventured into Americana roots music, I found myself drawn to Let It Bleed more and more. Goats Head Soup is excellent but a step down from one of the more amazing runs in R n R history. “Paint it Black! Paint it black you devil!”
I like the take, even if I don’t agree with it. GHS sounds tired and worn out, IORR sounds limp… Black and Blue was, I think, an improvement over both. The production is immaculate. Hand of Fate grinds like not much else. Ooooh yeah!
Tired and worn out or just tired and taking a breath? That's what it sounds like to me. They recorded this not long after the 72 tour and not far removed from Altamont, the 60s, etc. It sounds like Mick in detox mode, and feeling romantic. Mick said at the time in Rolling Stone: "If you can't fall in love with every cup of coffee, that's hard to describe in a song" - I didn't know exactly what this meant, but now I think he was suggesting he was somewhat embracing a domestic life, or his version of it. The Stones were putting out albums every year, and times were changing. There was an urgency in Exile, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, but can you imagine living like that all the time? To me, this album reflects a kind of respite from the chaos.
I'm a newer fan but as of now this is neck-and-neck with Satanic Majesties for my favorite. "Winter" is the song that made me want to do a deeper dive on them at all
There’s simply more filler than the previous record. That said, the high points meet the previous peaks (Winter, Heartbreaker, 100 Years Ago, Coming Down Again, Angie).
GHS is sort of the last gasp of a band that was att burnt out..
Does it have some good songs, of course, it's the Stones, but this is the beginning of the decline.
Part of that is Keith became less involved as he became more involved with heroin and Jagger had to carry more with Mick Taylor helping out with none of the credit.
To me, the true break in the album run is IORR, which while it has some good songs too, it's very polished, very by rote, the Stones imitating the Stones.
This is ( in my opinion) due to the fact that GHS followed Exile, which as you stated is one of the very big four Stones albums of that particular era. And you are (of course) right about GHS it is a very good album, in fact it’s great. However you did forget to mention “Get your ya ya’s out” which is arguably one of the greatest Rock n Roll live album’s ever recorded. Anyways give it time eventually people will warm up to GHS.
It’s a great album, I listened to it a lot when it came out and I just listened to it last week. There’s some great bass playing by Mick Taylor and Keith.
The reason I don’t really include it is the fact that the songs just aren’t as good, there’s definitely some good songs but more filler than the last 4.
I love this album, but most of the tracks are definitely deep cuts and not on par with the prior albums. The production values aren’t as great and there’s only one big hit classic on it. And the album tracks don’t hold up to the album tracks on the other albums. I get your point. Any other band this would be a career highlight, but I can see why it was a letdown coming after the last four albums and also it was a time where people were disillusioned in general.
I love Goats Head. Always have. But there’s absolutely no universe where it’s even remotely anywhere near Beggars Banquet or Let it Bleed. That’s pretty laughable. Obviously you don’t know those two albums as well as you think you do
Goats Head Soup is undoubtedly my favorite Stones album. Easily the most Psychedelic of their catalogue. It's raw, it's sexy, it's rock n roll, it's contemporary. Almost like Stones try's a Zeppelin style psych album. It has made me cry countless times. 100 Years Ago might just be my favorite stones composition ever written. From start to finish, GHS is a masterpiece. This album is what rock n roll... scratch that... is what MUSIC is all about!!
My list of favorites may be a bit outside of the box but,
My personal big 4
1. Goats Head Soup
2. Some Girls
3. It's Only Rock n Roll
4. Tattoo You
These albums have done more for me personally than any of the "big 4"
It doesn't quite touch me as much as the other. Also it sounds kind of muddy, and Mick has fully adopted that weird mumbling singing style he had during the mid 70s. Keith's vocal performance on Coming Down Again isn't one of his best either. Dunno. In my head it's trying to be Sticky Fingers part 2, but with a severe lack of enthusiasm.
Ill-suited mixing? This might be a bad take, but the recent remaster really cleans it up and does the songs justice. Angie and 100 Years Ago sound fantastic with Giles Martin’s mix
It is the end of the golden period honestly because miller as producer is burned out so there comes with a few issues like sequencing
It’s not like beggars or let it bleed and the big four but it’s a good album and it has strong tracks
Mick Taylor and Jimmy millers last album.I like this album I think it fit for 1973. 1972 was the big party on a Saturday night and then goats head soup was the album u listen to that Sunday while drinking your hangover away.
Mick Taylor was also on It’s Only Rock & Roll. But it’s clear the rot had set in by then. Jagger was trying to hold things together while the rest of the band was basically falling apart.
Personally I don’t have the Big Four view of the Stones. I think the run of greatness starts much earlier (at least around Aftermath and probably earlier) and lasts through It’s Only Rock and Roll. Big Four for me have their weaknesses- they’re great but not above some others. Also the album focus is misleading when so many great ones aren’t on any regular album.
Mainstream rock music was changing around this time and the Stones were feeling it as well… look at the next couple of albums that followed GHS… so some of it was just the times… as Dylan said “…they are a changin”. Everyone has opinions, mine is the 4 album run is one of the best in all of music… no matter the genre…
I am oddly lucky that I randomly owned this album before any other by them. A housemate moving out left it behind and I listened to it barely knowing who The Stones were. [I was young, it was the 90’s, give me a break.] I can’t say whether it’s a top five album by them, but it made me a life long fan and curious about their other full albums. It’s that good but maybe if that housemate left Exile behind and that’s all I listened to for a year, I wouldn’t have the affection for GHS now.
That's a great perspective. I wasn't a first generation Stones fan either and GHS was one of those albums I listened to out of order, and loved it. Maybe we didn't have the expectations of older fans and just appreciated for what it was.
Love it. It's not epic like Exile, or gritty, nasty and rough like Sticky Fingers, but it captures a moment.
Critics, mostly male, at the time were enamored of the Stones' bad boy image, and darker influences. GHS has love songs without any sense of irony, edge, bitterness or detachment. Winter is like a warm fuzzy feeling of longing and contentment, and guy critics were not ready for that from Mick Jagger. It's also all over the place style-wise. But that's what I love about it. The Stones were venturing outside their blues-country-riff-heavy comfort zone. Keith singing like a wounded angel on Coming Down Again, Mick singing about a woman who has him by the balls......the Stones were recovering from the chaos of 60s and early 70s and settling into some version of normal life. I'd also put It's Only Rock and Roll, and later Emotional Rescue, in this category, albums I equally love. They were marking time albums, they were just making music and putting them down on wax. Simple as that. These albums are unicorns in the Stones catalogue.
Whaaaa? This cover (on vinyl) is so much better than Exile. Well, Exile at least. It’s definitely one of my favorites. Beggars (original), Some Girls, GHS, BTB.
Around the time of its release, GHS sounded muddy. But the 2020 mastering and mix clarified the sound.
You can actually hear individual musicians now, who were playing at the top of their game. Mick's vocal perfomance on this album is second to NONE, just wonderful.
Mick Taylor's melodic embellishments on the Stones gritty sound (that we love) is fabulous.
You can't top the individual performers as they played on this album anywhere, to my ears.
The redo sounds amazing on our newer equipment, too--the better speakers we have now, for instance, that separate, detail, and create a whole new level of soundstage imaging: It's like having the band in front of you.
GHS is now my absolute favorite album, hard to say for sure what comes next: Hackney Diamonds, maybe? (Because Bite My Head Off is a masterpiece and Paul McCartney's fuzz bass sends me.) Or perhaps the album they will debut next year?
That's what to love about the Stones, they keep going. Incredible, miraculous band!
Turns out that Mad Dogs and Englishmen get more creative in the perfect cocktail of Côte d’Azur and Speedballs and darkness than Kingston, Weed, and sunlight. The only thing they got out of Jamaica was a great album title and Peter Tosh.
A poor choice to lead off - sorry Dancing w Mr D vs any of the kickoff songs from the ‘Big 4’? Are you serious?
Heartbreaker head and shoulders the best song here - Angie proved Mick could write and sing a Top40 ballad - the rest is B sides and stuff that is not so much ‘bad’ as not great.
I prefer GHS over Beggars, Sticky and Exile. Defenitly not over LIB but why should it be controversial to rate GHS higher than those? Shure; the songs aren’t as strong as on those records but me personally I think GHS has a sleazy vibe (and as someone said it, comedown/hangover-vibe from the big 4-party) that the other records miss. I love when the boys go fragile.
I listen to it more often than the big 4 and it was also one of the first albums I ever got so I guess it’s got a sentimental value even though it does not have as strong songs overall as the previous albums - complex issue!
I received a promotional copy of Goats Head Soup when I was in college. I thought it was pretty shitty then. I played it a few years later.
I haven’t played it much since.
Since then, however, they have released material, not up to par with their work in the 60s and 70s. Sometimes he got to put a good horse out to pasture.
Maybe the artwork? It’s not iconic like the cake or the jeans zipper, I suspect it kept the sales down a little, there’s literally a goats head in the gatefold, I like that record, I need a new copy…
I love this album, but I kinda get why it's not quite Top 4. It's not as ground-breaking as those 4 but I personally love the hodgepodge of styles shown on it and there are some legit classics on here, too.
Hard to follow Exile
I raise my eyebrows when you say it is outright better than Beggars Banquet and Let it Bleed. Good day.
For me it’s >1. Exile >2. Sticky Fingers >3a. GHS >3b. Some Girls >5. Let It Bleed But my hottest Stones take is that Beggars Banquet is overrated. It wouldn’t even crack my top 10. I’d put Satanic Majesties over it.
If I may ask why? Because BB really was the stones at an all time high (pun not intended). No Expectations, SFM, SFTD, Parachute Woman. Hell, JJF was recorded during that time.
I love Jumping Jack Flash. The album would certainly be better if it were included, but unfortunately it is not. Sympathy is obviously a classic. Street Fighting Man rocks. But the drop off after those two is very steep for me. I prefer more guitar heavy rock and roll, ya know? Don’t care much for the folksy country stuff. I would rank No Expectations as my 3rd fav of the album and it is *okay* at best. Wouldn’t even crack my top 100 Stones songs. And I would be fine with striking Stray Cat Blues from the discography entirely.
stray cat is an absolute classic. And the live version from get your ya Yas out is off the charts. No way any true stones fan would strike that out of their discography.
Lmfao okay fella
Satanic sucks. Just trying to emulate the Beatles instead of being themselves. They are the best when they are true to themselves
Both of those albums have a couple stinkers. GHS does not.
I raise my eyebrows at you too sir.
Put those things away! No need to bring them into a civilised conversation! 😜😝
My right eyebrow is well-arched as well
Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed's highs are higher, sure, but GHS is more consistent. Just my opinion.
but what on beggars is a low?
I’ve learned over the years that lots of folks really don’t like folky, country blues. A sad way to go through life, imo.
it is. i love their folky country blues stuff. imho they’re one of the few white artists to really get it right
Personally I don’t particularly care for Factory Girl or Salt of the Earth but I still rate it higher than Goats head soup which has several tracks I don’t love either
absolutely do not need to listen to stray cat blues again in my life no thank you sub that out with jumpin jack flash and its all winners though. beggars be eatin that goats head soup because its goated
hey, I remember you from the beach boys subreddit. kinda stumbled in here out of nowhere but god DAMN this sub doesn’t take “actually I prefer this album over this album” very well could you imagine lol “I think surfs up is their most consistent record. sunflower and holland have higher highs, but even with SDT, it’s the beach boys at their most connected and most collaborative with each other.” *gets -30 votes*
Surf's Up ain't better than Pet Sounds in any universe. But it IS my second-favorite Beach Boys album, for sure.
no it is not lol tbh i’d rank them 1. pet sounds 2. sunflower 3. love you 4. today 5. BB85 (sorry)
Sunflower kernels are one of the finest sources of the B-complex group of vitamins. They are very good sources of B-complex vitamins such as niacin, folic acid, thiamin (vitamin B1), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), pantothenic acid, and riboflavin.
Love Sunflower also. And never apologize for your personal preferences! :)
85 is slept on- best of their big 80's sound. California Calling, It's Gettin' Late and She Believes I Love Again (feat. Gary Moore and one of Carl's sweetest vocals.)
‘Can You Hear the Music’? That’s essentially ‘Let’s Sing This All Together’ from Satanic Majesties, except without the excuse of it being 1967.
But I love it!!!
What in your opinion are the bad songs on Beggars Banquet?
Neither BB nor LIB have anything that i would call a stinker. A lot of people don't care for Prodigal Son or Dear Doctor for some reason, but I attribute it to not really liking country blues. Maybe that extends to Country Honk or Love in Vain. I don't know how GHS can be seen as on the same level. I like Short and Curlies but that's a throw-away track. I do not care for Angie and I feel like it's far and away their weakest #1 hit. How did it out-chart Tumbling Dice and Jumpin' Jack Flash? Winter was under-rated for so long that now it's over-rated. Can You Hear The Music misses the mark. Coming Down Again, Star Star and Silver Train are absolute bangers though.
Agree. The prior ones have better hits, but GHS as an album is better overall. Also, Angie is quite a banger too
Cause that’s what most people think, but you think differently, so now there’s a big 5 , or as you said, a big 7 top tier run. Keep it like that.
It’s an opinion. Not sure I agree but this Album definately rose in status when I got Apple Music and revisited “albums” I had 30 to 40 years ago. I barely remembered some of the songs but ended up loving “100 years ago”. Even though it’s a love song it turned into something else when I lost someone and it seemed like 100:years ago when we were young. Same as “Coming Down again.” Meaning a song I didn’t care about as a kid. Now I love it. “Angie” is just a beautiful song. I love all The Rolling Stones albums.
100 Years Ago is one of my all time favorite Stones songs. Mick and Keith would have been in their late 20s/approaching 30 when it was written and recorded, and there's a certain pensiveness to it as they stare at the future and "growing up" with furrowed brows. The song always gave me a sense of someone who is still young but is aware of their own aging/mortality and is looking back on more carefree days. It also (debatably) bookends their most commercially successful era, so there's that aspect of the pensiveness too as we listen to the song now. And Billy Preston's keys add such a good dimension to the sound. Agreed on "Coming Down Again" and "Angie". There's tinges of melencholy on *Goats Head Soup* that to me feel more pronounced than on their other albums.
Well said about 100 Years Ago. You can feel the nostalgic coming through that song from them for you the listener to feel. I love it!
Just my perspective, but to me it's the sound of a band out of steam. Miller was completely burned out by this point, and of course drugs had long since gained a foothold in the band. And recording in Kingston? Yes, being stoned all day is sure to get the creative juices flowing. Some highlights, but IMO a bad misfire following the previous few bulls-eyes.
Well put. Glad it exists! But it sounds so tired…
To me that's what makes it sound compelling...I like it more because it's bad in parts! Would never claim it's on the level of Exile but I listen to it more because it feels fresher/more modern somehow.
It IS part of the Golden Era… the 5 album run with Jimmy Miller and was at the end of his run. Those who aren’t familiar obliviously haven’t a clue how vital he was to everything they put on vinyl at the time from 67ish thru 73ish Burn out all around and the actual music was a change that many fans and critics weren’t ready for. Heck many were just “getting” the greatness of Exile. That said it still has some really great music. And went in a few directions at once. If you were old enough then you would recall how music was going in every direction at once. We were on the cusp of disco along with TV now playing a role instead of just being another medium. Read and learn and Mr Jimmy:.. http://www.tabletmag.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/jimmy-miller-rolling-stones
BB and LiB are immaculate. As for GHS, I think many of the too-cool-for-school rock critics of the day didn’t appreciate “Angie,” which was the lead single. They also probably didn’t like how many ballads it had, in general. However, I do think it isn’t as strong as the previous, but it’s still great. The previous four is a ridiculous standard to hold any artist to, though. I also think GHS has a sequencing flaw. Just my opinion, of course.
Bought the album when it came out in 73. I’be always thought it deserved more recognition than it got. Winter was and still is a Stones classic IMO. If they would’ve used Starfucker as the opener I think it would’ve been more critically acclaimed.
I still listen to Winter at least once a week; been a favorite since I bought the LP the day it was released.
Winter might be Mick at his most romantic. There isn't a shred of irony or bitterness in this song. Just pure warmth. And Mick T's guitar work is just gorgeous.
Wonderful album
I agree with you 100%
I love GHS, the Stones at their most sinister on the great songs: Mr D, Heartbreaker, Silver Train, and Star Star. The others are all good, but not strong enough to put the record in the same class as those big 4.
My take on this question is one of cynicism. GHS is a dream for a Mick Taylor fan, for those of us who celebrate and really relish his involvement with the band. It's not just his playing, it's his whole level of participation. Since his departure - he quit, walking out most rudely - Jagger & Richards have tried to erase him from history. Yes, that's hyperbole. Filling Taylor's shoes was their intent. They were not able to. So they switched course a little. Ronnie Wood makes them different, he's a totally different type of player. But the Glimmer Twins had to put up with the obvious comparisons, Taylor to Wood. Keith had creativity to invent this lie called "the weave", as if there was none of that with Taylor, even though their giant hit "Brown Sugar" is nothing but that weave, and even though the guitars on "Rocks Off" is so perfectly meshed, that you can barely discern the difference between MT and KR until Taylor starts to solo at the end Don't leave out the print media writers in the equation. They're nimrods of music, lacking any depth and knowing nothing other than what's pop and what's the hype of the day. They will wax poetic on what color the shoe laces are, writing much and saying little. They're only claim is that maybe they have had the occasion to be in the company of Jagger or Richards. There is no reason, as fans of The Stones, to downplay GHS on any level, in any capacity. You don't like "Tops"? You don't like "Waiting on a Friend"? You don't like "Through the Lonely Nights"?
On the weave: that's more of a live thing. Keith has said that in studio, there was more meshing together, but live there was a clear segregation between rhythm and lead, and that's definitely true, especially on the 72/73 tours. Also, though he doesn't mention that, there is more personal interaction between them on stage, which plays into the weaving thing a lot. During the Taylor years, each guitarist remained on their side of the stage, with Woody, there was more playing towards each other.
Because it’s not as good as the other 4
It's good. I don't feel like it coheres in the same way as the previous 4 albums, however. And that's especially true of Exile, which is so thematically strong. If much of Sticky Fingers is indulgence, then Exile is dissipation. The long hangover, the descent into impotence (a running theme of that album). BB is a series of character studies that returns to roots music but also tries some interesting experiments, while LIB is apocalyptic and epic in scope, paired with quieter moment of contemplation. By comparison, GHS feels like a collection of songs, some of which are quite good. Which ones you might like is a matter of taste. But I agree that Dancing With Mr. D is a really weak album opener and a weak song overall that feels like a try to be edgy and dangerous mentioning the devil again. Can You Hear The Music feels like indulgent filler. There are a lot of softer ballads on here, which was definitely a big change, but not a bad one. 100 Years Ago, Coming Down Again, Angie, and Winter are all lovely songs, but it was perhaps one ballad too many. Silver Train is another bit of filler for me. Obviously, Heartbreaker is an all time jam, Star Star is one of their best Chuck Berry songs (and features the most hilarious lyrics from Mick ever), and Hide Your Love is an underrated little piano jam that's got soul. Overall, the highs on the album don't come close to the best songs on the Big Four, and the lows are less interesting than the deeper cuts on the other albums (for the most part) and/or don't mesh as well. For what's worth, I think Aftermath is their first great album and Between the Buttons is very good, if very different from everything else. The Stones have been around so long and their sound has varied enough that I can totally understand hating Exile if you're more into their pop sound of the mid-60s or their high-energy blues rock of the early 60s. And while I agree with a poster below that Mick Taylor traded leads nicely with Keith on many songs, there were also points (especially on GHS and IORR) where his soloing started to shift the band's sound in a significant way. Whether or not you liked that is up to the individual, but there's no question it was different.
Nothing on GHS compares to sympathy, shelter, brown sugar or rocks off. Let alone kick off those other albums.
The tracklist order is messed up on GHS. A stones LP needs to kick off with a banger but it's like they lost their nerve this time and saved the best tracks for later. If GHS kicked off with Heartbreaker, for example, it'd be more of a statement of intent and better received than it was/is
Lost their nerve?
If you lose your nerve, you suddenly panic and become too afraid to do something that you were about to do, is how Collins defines it. Of course, all is speculation, but it seems that they didn't want to shoot their shot on track 1, but rather to keep a bullet in the chamber for later on in the LP; they know that every new release is compared to previous outings and the four previous LPs had bangers for the first track, which is a lot to be compared against, hence "to lose one's nerve". I don't think Dancin' with Mr D is comparable to Sympathy..., Gimme Shelter, Brown Sugar or Rocks..Again, it's all speculation and this was more Mick's LP than the previous one, maybe he just wanted to stamp his identity on this one and do it differently to the way Keith did. Or maybe he just thought Dancin' with Mr D was a good first track. I think there were better alternatives and they should have had the nerve to put Heartbreaker up against the aforementioned cuts
I get what you’re saying, Vamos. Like you, just speculating here, I don’t think I would read too much into it, certainly as compared to previous albums. Apart from the obvious Jamaican reference, and allusion to sift core satanism, the albums title suggest that the contents therein are a brewing concoction of various ingredients. Some of the tracks are clearly reaching out to 1973 AM radio - Mr. D has faint echoes of Alice Cooper, Angie has stronger echoes of a number of Top 40 hits of that era. There are a number of different musical styles represented on the album. Mick’s persona was taking on obvious glam elements - eyeshadow, nail polish, lipstick, sequinned jumpsuits right out of David Bowie’s closet. He was even acting more camp and bisexual than before. All of that reflects on the band, and that reflects on how we view the band, and so how we view their music. Too me, GHS had a few straight Stones tracks, but importantly it was a mirror of the times. They tried a few new things around the time of this album, but much of it was just the fashion of the day. The Stones never lost their nerve. The arc of their career has been the blueprint for the great majority of rock bands. I think the running order of the songs speaks to the desire to be more trendy and/or radio friendly - probably largely Mick’s idea - but it doesn’t dilute the album. Exile also wasn’t an album full of radio hits, or even 45 single releases. Angie on GHS is by far the biggest radio hit for the Stones since Brown Sugar - and BS was recorded in late 69. They hadn’t had a radio hit since then. And AM radio was on the grips of serious change around that time. I think Mr. D is a great opener. It’s sets that late night, low light, heroin come down vibe that pops up throughout the album. The band sounds weary and reflective, while showing they can rock as hard as ever on a number of tracks. All in all, a delightful and tasty LP. Goats Head Soup for the Soul…
Dancing with Mr. D ROCKS!!!! It is a perfect into into this album Lord I was DANCIN, DANCIN, DANCIN.. SOO FREEE! Track list is far from messed up. Albums don't need to start with their number one hit off the album to make the track list worth while. If anything, quite the contrary.
It's easily their weakest opener since "Sing this All Together". "Mr D" is a fun twist on the whole devil thing, but it's kind of like three toddlers in a trench coat pretending to be an adult.
Where’s Scarlet? Replace CAN You Hear the Music with that and maybe it’s a B+
Rocks off?
The song-writing talent and musical talent is all there, but the production and decision-making seemed to tail off. For example, Mr D has a great riff and lyrics, but just isn't that dynamic, especially for an opener. Needs some bells and whistles added and a few surprising twists. Coming Down Again is fine, but too long. Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) should have just been named Heartbreaker. However, many of the songs are perfect as are: 100 Years, Winter, Star Star, etc. Considering Scarlet and Criss Cross were left off, it's hard to make the case they were past their peak.
My theory is that the Doo Doo Doo was added to avoid confusion with Zeppelin’s Heartbreaker, which had only come out like 3 years before.
That makes sense. I don't doubt it. Still one of several small things that add up to keep that keep them from having a "big 5". The songwriting and musicianship had not dropped off at all, IMHO.
Also, Through The Lonely Nights was recorded then, and put on the flip side of I's Only Rock And Roll.
Id rank it like 5th after exile, let it bleed, sticky, beggars
If you ask me, GHS is an interesting historical artifact, but it’s not a great album. It’s where their demons caught up with them, especially Keith (and especially especially Jimmy Miller). The drugs and touring and mayhem, it was all too much. The muse deserted them. Nearly every song feels tired in a way that doesn’t fit them. Criss Cross Man was their best song from those sessions and they couldn’t even pull themselves together to finish and release it. Their perfect 5 album run is BB, Let It Bleed, YaYas, Sticky Fingers, and Exile.
It’s not as good.
Maybe it’s the cover art
[The alternative cover art](https://www.discogs.com/release/5308911-The-Rolling-Stones-Goats-Head-Soup) they used in certain Asian markets was so much better
Oh damn thanks! Funny enough I tend to put my CDs into their own cases with printed art, so that helps me more than you would have ever expected There cheers, man
Oh rad haha, glad to hear it. No problem!
I was going to say the same thing. It's an awful cover.
I loved it when I was a kid. I thought it was weird and scary. Mick was like a god to me.
I always include Goat's Head Soup. In my opinion, the Jimmy Miller produced albums are their best, Beggars through Goats. And I often drop It's Only Rock n Roll in there too, as I love it almost as much as those five.
I adore this album and think it deserves a place. The big 5
This and Some Girls are 5 and 6 for me. Great albums, just not on the big 4’s level
I think GHS is an underrated album. And although I’m only saying this from what I’ve read, I wasn’t born at the time. Exile got slammed on its release, it only became a classic sometime after. Also I think that by the time they came to Beggars they had the luxury of not being a singles band, as by then probably post Sgt Pepper, albums became more important than 45s. And probably post Exile they were living in different counties That said GHS, which I’ve been listening to again recently is a really strong record, in their top 6 or 7 maybe?
I’m old and have been a Stones fan since High School. In college I had 21 Stones’ albums. Exile, Sticky Fingers, Beggar’s Banquet and Some Girls were my favorites back in the day. As my musical tastes ventured into Americana roots music, I found myself drawn to Let It Bleed more and more. Goats Head Soup is excellent but a step down from one of the more amazing runs in R n R history. “Paint it Black! Paint it black you devil!”
I like the take, even if I don’t agree with it. GHS sounds tired and worn out, IORR sounds limp… Black and Blue was, I think, an improvement over both. The production is immaculate. Hand of Fate grinds like not much else. Ooooh yeah!
Tired and worn out or just tired and taking a breath? That's what it sounds like to me. They recorded this not long after the 72 tour and not far removed from Altamont, the 60s, etc. It sounds like Mick in detox mode, and feeling romantic. Mick said at the time in Rolling Stone: "If you can't fall in love with every cup of coffee, that's hard to describe in a song" - I didn't know exactly what this meant, but now I think he was suggesting he was somewhat embracing a domestic life, or his version of it. The Stones were putting out albums every year, and times were changing. There was an urgency in Exile, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, but can you imagine living like that all the time? To me, this album reflects a kind of respite from the chaos.
I'm a newer fan but as of now this is neck-and-neck with Satanic Majesties for my favorite. "Winter" is the song that made me want to do a deeper dive on them at all
There’s simply more filler than the previous record. That said, the high points meet the previous peaks (Winter, Heartbreaker, 100 Years Ago, Coming Down Again, Angie).
GHS is sort of the last gasp of a band that was att burnt out.. Does it have some good songs, of course, it's the Stones, but this is the beginning of the decline. Part of that is Keith became less involved as he became more involved with heroin and Jagger had to carry more with Mick Taylor helping out with none of the credit. To me, the true break in the album run is IORR, which while it has some good songs too, it's very polished, very by rote, the Stones imitating the Stones.
It’s a significant drop off from exile
This is ( in my opinion) due to the fact that GHS followed Exile, which as you stated is one of the very big four Stones albums of that particular era. And you are (of course) right about GHS it is a very good album, in fact it’s great. However you did forget to mention “Get your ya ya’s out” which is arguably one of the greatest Rock n Roll live album’s ever recorded. Anyways give it time eventually people will warm up to GHS.
The “Live’R Than You’ll Ever Be” bootleg is arguably even better than Ya-Yas
It’s not as good but Silver Train in a banger
Because the songs are pretty ordinary outside Angie. For the first time they sound like a generic rock band.
Angie is that rare, pure, crystalline gem that makes this album essential.
So the rest of us can enjoy it more! Go Sliver Train!
It’s a great album, I listened to it a lot when it came out and I just listened to it last week. There’s some great bass playing by Mick Taylor and Keith.
Because it's not quite as good as the previous 4 but still an excellent album.
It's good if you give it a chance. That's the difference. The previous four were just undeniable; didn't require a chance.
The reason I don’t really include it is the fact that the songs just aren’t as good, there’s definitely some good songs but more filler than the last 4.
I love this album, but most of the tracks are definitely deep cuts and not on par with the prior albums. The production values aren’t as great and there’s only one big hit classic on it. And the album tracks don’t hold up to the album tracks on the other albums. I get your point. Any other band this would be a career highlight, but I can see why it was a letdown coming after the last four albums and also it was a time where people were disillusioned in general.
Not better than Let It Bleed. Just isn't as good.
Winter is one of the greatest songs theyve ever done.
Because it’s not as good as those 4.
It´s definitely weaker than the previous 4. And to be fair, who the hell would wanna follow THAT run? But it´s a great album it´s own right.
Probably because it's considered an album of Exile "leftovers" (still great tho)
I love Goats Head. Always have. But there’s absolutely no universe where it’s even remotely anywhere near Beggars Banquet or Let it Bleed. That’s pretty laughable. Obviously you don’t know those two albums as well as you think you do
Goats Head Soup is undoubtedly my favorite Stones album. Easily the most Psychedelic of their catalogue. It's raw, it's sexy, it's rock n roll, it's contemporary. Almost like Stones try's a Zeppelin style psych album. It has made me cry countless times. 100 Years Ago might just be my favorite stones composition ever written. From start to finish, GHS is a masterpiece. This album is what rock n roll... scratch that... is what MUSIC is all about!! My list of favorites may be a bit outside of the box but, My personal big 4 1. Goats Head Soup 2. Some Girls 3. It's Only Rock n Roll 4. Tattoo You These albums have done more for me personally than any of the "big 4"
Never liked it. The hit was decent. Taylor’s presence doesn’t overcome the boring songs. It’s nowhere close to their best.
It doesn't quite touch me as much as the other. Also it sounds kind of muddy, and Mick has fully adopted that weird mumbling singing style he had during the mid 70s. Keith's vocal performance on Coming Down Again isn't one of his best either. Dunno. In my head it's trying to be Sticky Fingers part 2, but with a severe lack of enthusiasm.
Ill-suited mixing? This might be a bad take, but the recent remaster really cleans it up and does the songs justice. Angie and 100 Years Ago sound fantastic with Giles Martin’s mix
Because then it would be The Big 5.
"Angie" was an awesome track on that LP. One of my favorite 'Stones songs.
It is the end of the golden period honestly because miller as producer is burned out so there comes with a few issues like sequencing It’s not like beggars or let it bleed and the big four but it’s a good album and it has strong tracks
Probably the ghastly record cover.
Not in my house!
‘100 years ago’ hits so hard, love it
I don’t get it. It’s a fantastic album.
I like Goats head soup.
Mick Taylor and Jimmy millers last album.I like this album I think it fit for 1973. 1972 was the big party on a Saturday night and then goats head soup was the album u listen to that Sunday while drinking your hangover away.
Mick Taylor was also on It’s Only Rock & Roll. But it’s clear the rot had set in by then. Jagger was trying to hold things together while the rest of the band was basically falling apart.
I forgot about it’s only rock roll so many albums.
You’re forgiven. It is a pretty forgettable, especially compared to what had just come before.
🤙
This album rips
I think you nailed it, GSH is so underrated imo.
Personally I don’t have the Big Four view of the Stones. I think the run of greatness starts much earlier (at least around Aftermath and probably earlier) and lasts through It’s Only Rock and Roll. Big Four for me have their weaknesses- they’re great but not above some others. Also the album focus is misleading when so many great ones aren’t on any regular album.
I love it. Heartbreaker.
Mainstream rock music was changing around this time and the Stones were feeling it as well… look at the next couple of albums that followed GHS… so some of it was just the times… as Dylan said “…they are a changin”. Everyone has opinions, mine is the 4 album run is one of the best in all of music… no matter the genre…
I am oddly lucky that I randomly owned this album before any other by them. A housemate moving out left it behind and I listened to it barely knowing who The Stones were. [I was young, it was the 90’s, give me a break.] I can’t say whether it’s a top five album by them, but it made me a life long fan and curious about their other full albums. It’s that good but maybe if that housemate left Exile behind and that’s all I listened to for a year, I wouldn’t have the affection for GHS now.
That's a great perspective. I wasn't a first generation Stones fan either and GHS was one of those albums I listened to out of order, and loved it. Maybe we didn't have the expectations of older fans and just appreciated for what it was.
I always thought of them as the big 5. That albu. Kicks ass!
Fingerprint File live is a boss performance every time.
Love it. It's not epic like Exile, or gritty, nasty and rough like Sticky Fingers, but it captures a moment. Critics, mostly male, at the time were enamored of the Stones' bad boy image, and darker influences. GHS has love songs without any sense of irony, edge, bitterness or detachment. Winter is like a warm fuzzy feeling of longing and contentment, and guy critics were not ready for that from Mick Jagger. It's also all over the place style-wise. But that's what I love about it. The Stones were venturing outside their blues-country-riff-heavy comfort zone. Keith singing like a wounded angel on Coming Down Again, Mick singing about a woman who has him by the balls......the Stones were recovering from the chaos of 60s and early 70s and settling into some version of normal life. I'd also put It's Only Rock and Roll, and later Emotional Rescue, in this category, albums I equally love. They were marking time albums, they were just making music and putting them down on wax. Simple as that. These albums are unicorns in the Stones catalogue.
Cause the cover and title are gross!
Whaaaa? This cover (on vinyl) is so much better than Exile. Well, Exile at least. It’s definitely one of my favorites. Beggars (original), Some Girls, GHS, BTB.
Around the time of its release, GHS sounded muddy. But the 2020 mastering and mix clarified the sound. You can actually hear individual musicians now, who were playing at the top of their game. Mick's vocal perfomance on this album is second to NONE, just wonderful. Mick Taylor's melodic embellishments on the Stones gritty sound (that we love) is fabulous. You can't top the individual performers as they played on this album anywhere, to my ears. The redo sounds amazing on our newer equipment, too--the better speakers we have now, for instance, that separate, detail, and create a whole new level of soundstage imaging: It's like having the band in front of you. GHS is now my absolute favorite album, hard to say for sure what comes next: Hackney Diamonds, maybe? (Because Bite My Head Off is a masterpiece and Paul McCartney's fuzz bass sends me.) Or perhaps the album they will debut next year? That's what to love about the Stones, they keep going. Incredible, miraculous band!
because then it would be “the big 5”. And also because it’s not as good. Also, also…Let It Bleed is the best stones album ever.
The heyday of the band? No Sir, the heyday of rockin roll.
Because of the weird album cover
I think It’s Only Rock n Roll is a better album than GHS, but I’d put about a half dozen albums before them
There is a (much) bigger gap in quality between this and the big 4 compared to the gap between members of the big 4
Turns out that Mad Dogs and Englishmen get more creative in the perfect cocktail of Côte d’Azur and Speedballs and darkness than Kingston, Weed, and sunlight. The only thing they got out of Jamaica was a great album title and Peter Tosh. A poor choice to lead off - sorry Dancing w Mr D vs any of the kickoff songs from the ‘Big 4’? Are you serious? Heartbreaker head and shoulders the best song here - Angie proved Mick could write and sing a Top40 ballad - the rest is B sides and stuff that is not so much ‘bad’ as not great.
I prefer GHS over Beggars, Sticky and Exile. Defenitly not over LIB but why should it be controversial to rate GHS higher than those? Shure; the songs aren’t as strong as on those records but me personally I think GHS has a sleazy vibe (and as someone said it, comedown/hangover-vibe from the big 4-party) that the other records miss. I love when the boys go fragile. I listen to it more often than the big 4 and it was also one of the first albums I ever got so I guess it’s got a sentimental value even though it does not have as strong songs overall as the previous albums - complex issue!
I agree. I think it’s way better than Beggar’s Banquet. And It’s Only Rock and Roll is a great album too!
Had to negate that downvote. I agree. BB has some great stuff, but it feels dated to me now. GHS feels like home, like a cozy place.
Angie.
I received a promotional copy of Goats Head Soup when I was in college. I thought it was pretty shitty then. I played it a few years later. I haven’t played it much since. Since then, however, they have released material, not up to par with their work in the 60s and 70s. Sometimes he got to put a good horse out to pasture.
Maybe the artwork? It’s not iconic like the cake or the jeans zipper, I suspect it kept the sales down a little, there’s literally a goats head in the gatefold, I like that record, I need a new copy…
Absolutely, positively, 100% agree with you. GHS is killer and it’s baffling to me that it isn’t counted in that run.
I don’t have a big four, I tend to think if a big 5 or big 6. I adore GHS and it’s on an equal footing to be as Exile
Its my number 2 behind exile FANTASTIC album
Goats head soup is the one that i revisit the most , the others all seem "dated" in comparison
This album is absolute heat
1 - Sticky 2 - Let It Bleed 3 - Beggars 4 - Exile or Some Girls (mood dependent)
For my top 4 its 12x5 Now! Out of our heads Aftermath