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Virgil

Shine A Light

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by
Virgil
, 04-13-2008 at 08:50 PM (3901 Views)
I’ve mentioned it in a number of places on the forum, but I’m a big Rolling Stones fan. I just love this band. Something about them just clicks with me. The blues oriented rock, the chugging guitars of Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, the great rhythm section of Charlie Watts on drums and Bill Wyman (who actually retired from the band in 1993) on bass, and the great lead singing of Mick Jagger. I grew up listening to these guys, know all their songs and albums.

People may wonder why the fit between the Stones and me. Certainly politically we’re from tow opposite ends of the earth. I guess it’s the personality of the band, petulant, extrovert, they have a swagger that I love. But really it’s the music. The music just makes aesthetic statements. Yes they have their share of socially active songs, which really doesn’t move me. But what they do differently is at their best they integrate a musical statement to the song’s themes. The fuzz guitar and the “Hey, hey, hey” of Satisfaction, the delicate, fragile flute in Ruby Teusday, all reflect the themes. I couldn’t care less about anti-war songs, but Gimme Shelter transcends the trite message by not preaching but making you feel the danger and fear. Or the raw sexuality of Brown Sugar rooted in that rhythmic play of guitars and drums and sax. Or how imaginative can you get in a song where the narrator of Miss You drops into a speaking voice and says:
I've been walking in Central Park
Singing after dark
People think I'm crazy
I've been stumbling on my feet
Shuffling through the street
Asking people, "What's the matter with you boy?"
And is there a greater rock song than Jumping Jack Flash. The hard rhythmic guitars, that great riff, the rebellious narrator, that’s the essence of rock and roll all in one song. That song just blows me away. Again no preachy statement, it’s sixties rebellion through music and story.

Martin Scorsese, the movie director, apparently loves the Stones as much as I do. He features their music in many of his movies. Well, for those that may not know, he filmed the Stones in concert and the movie came out last week. It’s called Shine A Light. Shine A Light is a not so well known song, but outstanding. Here are some of the lyrics:
When you're drunk in the alley, baby, with your clothes all torn
And your late night friends leave you in the cold gray dawn.
Just seemed too many flies on you, I just can't brush them off.
Angels beating all their wings in time,
With smiles on their faces and a gleam right in their eyes.
Whoa, thought I heard one sigh for you,
Come on up, come on up, now, come on up now.
May the good Lord shine a light on you,
Make every song you sing your favorite tune.
May the good Lord shine a light on you,
Warm like the evening sun.
That's another thing about the Stones. I don't think people realize just how good their lyrics are, probably because it's hard to understand exactly what they're saying.

Last night I dragged my wife to see the movie. It was fabulous. The theatre was hardly filled, so I guess it won’t do that great. Just a bunch of seedy old timers, like me. Hahaha. They, the Stones, are in their sixties, but they can still do it. Jagger is just high energy and though his voice has lost a little (he doesn’t seem to hit the notes like he used to, but I did notice a hearing aid) and Keith is a little lack luster at times, but they can still bring it. Ronnie Wood seems to get better with age on lead and Charlie has not lost a beat. Even my wife said it was ok, and she’s not a fan. I also got the CD that day. (A great deal at Costco for $12.99; it’s a double disc, and I found the last one) and didn’t play it until after I saw the movie. The CD is outstanding, one of their best live albums. Here are a couple of clips from youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDHbn...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHtKZ...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXLqk...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2lxG...eature=related

And here are some pictures:







I could go on forever about the Stones. If anyone ever wants to talk about their music, I would love to.
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Comments

  1. Granny5's Avatar
    I love the Stones. We saw them in Little Rock in I think 94
    on the Voodoo Lounge tour. They are great, outstanding
    really...If I could move like Mick.....well, Poppy's heart you know. LOL
  2. Virgil's Avatar
    Oh I forgot to mention I've only gone to one concert, the 1981 Still Life tour. Great story associated with getting the tickests. That tour the Stones raffled the opportunity to get tickets so people wouldn't stay out all night on a line waiting to buy the tickets. You had to send in a post card and if you were selected you got something in the mail and you took that to buy the tickets. Well, I mailed away and not only got selected but got tickets around 20 rows from the stage. Can you imagine? Madison Square Garden in the orchestra seats 20 or so rows from the stage? It was awesome. I don't win at raffles evere, but I won that one, it remains one of the highlights of my life. Well you can actuall look up the concert you were at here: http://rocksoff.org/gazzassetlists.htm I was at the Nov 12th, 1981 concert and you could look up the setlist here: http://rocksoff.org/1981b.htm. Granny you probably saw them on Nov 11th 1994. Here's your setlist: http://rocksoff.org/1994b.htm
  3. Shalot's Avatar
    I used to have a thing for the Stones. I still like their music, but I have just played the heck out of it and I have to give it a rest. I love Gimme Shelter - on the album track that woman's voice with Jaggars is magical (for lack of a better word). I love Paint It Black. I love Miss You with those Puerto Rican girls who are just dying to meet you. I love Shattered. I used to have Some Girls but I lost it, and there was a song on there "Far Away Eyes" - it's hilarious. I bought it just for Beast of Burden, but it soon became one of the skip songs after hearing the rest of it. I too have only been to one Stones concert back in 2002 I think. I was so far away from the stage and even those tickets were outrageously expensive (IMO). If I had two thousand to waste, maybe I would have tried for floor seats. If I had a time machine...
  4. Virgil's Avatar
    I won't go to stadium concerts. It's a waste. You can't see anything. And wow I agree Shalot the price of tickets are outrageous these days. Here are the lyrics to Far Away Eyes: http://www.keno.org/stones_lyrics/farawayeyes.html. That whole Some Girls album is great.
  5. Virgil's Avatar
    Anti, I love classical too. Actually my music spans everything, classical, baroque, jazz, broadway, blues, country, rock. I'm really into early music. And yes the Rolling Stones are very much classic rock. I love Southern Rock myself. Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers.
  6. Virgil's Avatar
    Anti, I love classical too. Actually my music spans everything, classical, baroque, jazz, broadway, blues, country, rock. I'm really into early music. And yes the Rolling Stones are very much classic rock. I love Southern Rock myself. Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers.
  7. mtpspur's Avatar
    Had one album in the teen years. The one that had You're Playing with Fire. Yes they are legends in so many ways.
  8. B-Mental's Avatar
    Virgil, my favorite Sergeant frome the Army told me one thing. "The Beatles were playing 'I wanna hold your hand', when THE Stones were playing 'Sympathy for the Devil'. I've been a convert ever since. Cheers, B
  9. Virgil's Avatar
    Rich, Play With Fire was off of Out of OUr Heads, 1965. That might have been the flip side of Satisfaction as a single, but I'm not sure about that. "Well, you've got your diamonds and you've got your pretty clothes /And the chauffeur drives your car /You let everybody know /But don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire" B-M, absolutely. The Beatles sang "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" while the Stones sang "I can't get no satisfaction." You know, holding hands is nice, but it's not everything.
  10. 1n50mn14's Avatar
    Ahhh the Stones... the music has transcended to another generation, as I've grown up with them too. Some of my favourite memories are driving long-haul transport with my Dad, listening to the Stones. XD

    On a related note: Virgil, have you seen Pirates of the Carribean 3? ... it's what Keith Richards would look like without plastic surgery now. lol!
  11. Shalot's Avatar
    I forgot about Play With Fire until just now! I used to ride around in the car and listen to that cassette tape (hey kids - ever seen an eight track?). I would play it when I felt trod upon...I must go find that song and listen to it sometime tonight. Good Blog Entry, Virge.
  12. Virgil's Avatar
    Thanks Shalot. Play With Fire: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3DBRbrbHnc. Lip synching but what the heck. Must be from those old TV shows.
  13. kiz_paws's Avatar
    Yeah, I liked this Blog entry a lot, Virgil! One song that still tears at my heart is "Wild Horses" -- there is just something about it. And then there is "Angie", OMG, no one sings like this. No one. (not even Rez). And now if you will excuse me, I am going to blast a little "Brown Sugar", I mean, why the hell not! You rock!!
  14. Shalot's Avatar
    I forgot to add that my parents had "Some Girls" on vinyl. When I was really young, I used to pull that record off the shelf and stare at the album cover. On the outside, there were Rolling Stones' faces wearing girly sixities wigs. Upon further investigation, I found that the outer jacket was like some kind of cardboard cut-out thing. There were wigs with no faces - i.e. punch out holes. Beneath the outer jacket with the punch out holes, there was the record jacket with pictures of the band and their faces were in line with the outer punch out covering, and as you moved the outerpiece over their faces, you could give each bandmember a different early sixites girly hairdo. It was really cool.
  15. Virgil's Avatar
    Hahaha, that's right Shalot. I still have the vinyl somewhere in my basement. The Stones have had some great album covers. Andy Warhol designed their Sticky Fingers album cover.
  16. Anza's Avatar
    you groupie...
    Lol!
  17. Virgil's Avatar
    That's funny Anza. I guess I could be a Stones groupie.
  18. downing's Avatar
    Wow, Virg, it was so nice to read this entry! I too absolutely adore The Stones! I am listening at the moment to ''Play with fire''. I'm crazy after ''Already over me''! I keep listening to it all the time(almost haha). There is Angie,Satisfaction,It's only Rock'n'Roll, Brown Sugar,Sympathy for the Devil and many many many many melodies!!!!!! The Stones rock!!!! There is also Start me Up...and oh there are so many! I have the entire discography and I can never get tired of them! And among the lasts: Streets of love...wowy!
  19. GrayFoxDown's Avatar
    I loved the Stones since I was a kid and always will. My favorite album of theirs, come hell or high water, is BEGGARS BANQUET with "Sympathy For The Devil" at the top (it's the old "rebel without a cause" in me). Finally, if Jagger could still jump around to "Jumpin Jack Flash" at his age (ten years older than yours truly ), there's hope for me yet.
  20. PabloQ's Avatar
    My favorite Stones song of all time is Gimme Shelter. They're not my favorite band, but I do like a lot of their songs. It's amazing that they can still get it done.