rambling thoughts - rolled gold

I recently played a chunk of Rolled Gold (a marvellous compilation of the best Rolling Stones songs from the 1960s). What a band, what songs, what attitude!!!

Early Stones songs walk, or should that be strut, a fine line between politeness and all out snarly swaggering.

Even really early stuff like “Tell Me” seems a little subversive for all it’s clean production and nice playing. Tracks like “Around and Around” almost catch fire, but maintain a weird air of restraint as if the producers just had to hold the band back for fear of scaring the Great British Public.

But then “The Last Time” hints at what’s to come, and then “Satisfaction” utterly throws caution to the wind and the Stones never looked back. Simply brilliant.

My favourite – “Have You Seen Your Mother Baby, Standing In The Shadows” which not only has a wonderful title but is quite bonkers, has oodles of feedback and distortion, and then all that loopy brass too.