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slashsfro
 Rep: 53 

Re: Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds album

slashsfro wrote:
James wrote:

I even started wondering this in my youth when it became obvious he was more bark than bite...why doesn't anyone call his bluff?


I'm not sure Slash could do it. He doesn't seem like a fighter. Duff or Matt could've handled him.

I also agree it would've changed the dynamics completely. One ass kicking would've put a stop to constantly walking on egg shells around him.

The one guy that could have done it and had cred with both factions would have been Izzy.  Axl wouldn't have pulled off  all of that 90s bullshit if Izzy had set him straight.  Maybe Adler but he was too fucked up on drugs.  And Izzy just didn't give a fuck say past 1989 or 90 for his own reasons.

By the time Matt tried it , it was too late and he was still more or less a hired gun even though he had been with the band for years.

Great RS article by the way.  I'm not a fan but Lady Gaga seems like an interesting person to hang around with.

The other two guys (Slash and Duff) were always kind of passive aggressive and in the case of Duff "spineless".

exoterica
 Rep: 18 

Re: Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds album

exoterica wrote:

Single with exclusive artwork.
New album with cool cover and full tracklist.
T-shirts and merch with new album iconography.
Music video with hot actress.
Retailer exclusives including vinyl colors.
Collaborated with industry greats like Stevie Wonder and talented pop stars like Lady Gaga.

I can only tip my hat.

polluxlm
 Rep: 221 

Re: Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds album

polluxlm wrote:

This release inspired me to revisit their old albums and I think I've found a real gem in the last album with Mick Taylor, "It's Only Rock N Roll".

The record is not packed with hits like some of the better known titles from this period and I think it has gone under the radar for that reason. But this is a really great effort, as good as anything they have done imo. Mick and Mick working together produced some of the most elegant, soulful pieces of music the band ever made. As an album and not just a collection of songs this really comes together. After this point they became a little too "AC/DC" for my taste, so in that regard this represents the height of their creativity for me.

The album cover I also think is their best. It's epic and decadent in a way that really fits the character of the band.

James
 Rep: 664 

Re: Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds album

James wrote:

I should give that a listen. I don't think I've heard that whole album since the 90s.

While the Stones do have some killer albums obviously...and this is sacrilege to some...I consider them more of a singles/songs band. The huge amount of compilations does them no favors in this regard. You essentially grow up on comps of different eras and then dive into the albums.

Even the albums I've always loved like Steel Wheels have been boiled down into a smaller set of songs. I just checked...this is Steel Wheels in my house...

Mixed Emotions
Terrifying
Rock and A Hard Place
Can't Be Seen
Almost Hear You Sigh
Continental Drift
Slipping Away

Still waiting on a proper deluxe/box set for this album. They pulled a GNR UYI with this and turned it into a live set. Supposedly a real deluxe will come at some point.


Speaking of potential lost gems, many hardcore fans recommend Black and Blue...the follow-up to It's Only Rock N Roll. Just looked at its track list. I only have Fool To Cry and Hot Stuff.



I was checking Wiki and I find this statistic very hard to believe....

Rock and A Hard Place was the Stones last Top 40 single in the US. That doesn't seem possible. Voodoo Lounge had 3 killer singles. Maybe the MTV play was more substantial than radio although I do remember You Got Me Rocking all over radio for awhile. Interesting.

polluxlm
 Rep: 221 

Re: Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds album

polluxlm wrote:

I would have to agree. Even their main titles are not so much albums, more like miniature greatest hits. Exile stands out as their most consistent album, and now I think I will include Goats Head Soup and It's Only Rock N' Roll as well.

Black and Blue is for me the beginning of their "filler records" with a handful of pretty good/great songs and phoning in the rest.

While the frequency started to diminish, the quality was always consistent. Take a song like Mixed Emotions and it's as good as pretty much anything they made in the 60s and 70s. Imagine GN'R creating a song as good as Nightrain or Mr Brownstone 30 years on, unthinkable. On the other hand I would say GN'R peak level surpasses the Stones.

Love Is Strong only charted at #92 so the stat is probably correct. It's been a little quiet since then.

James
 Rep: 664 

Re: Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds album

James wrote:

Love Is Strong only charted at #92 so the stat is probably correct. It's been a little quiet since then.

That's crazy. Hell...they performed it at the VMAs!

You'd think that would've led to enough single sales to allow the song to crack the Top 40. Maybe people just bought the album.

Great performance though. This Stones era is underrated. They're holding their own up against all those killer artists of the early 90s.

Exile stands out as their most consistent album

I hate that album. I should probably give it another listen. It's basically an album of deep cuts.

If I had to pick a stand out album, it's probably Sticky Fingers.


Imagine GN'R creating a song as good as Nightrain or Mr Brownstone 30 years on, unthinkable.

Yep. Literally unthinkable. It simply doesn't compute.


On the other hand I would say GN'R peak level surpasses the Stones.

My extreme fandom would give GNR the edge but man...it's close. Early-mid 70s Stones are incredible. What really helps GNR are those epics. The Stones simply weren't that kind of a band.

polluxlm
 Rep: 221 

Re: Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds album

polluxlm wrote:

Massive performance. Axl used to have that type of acumen, just think the Freddie Mercury performances. Not so much after he embarrassed himself at the VMA's in 02. I guess that was a major blow to his self esteem. 

They had become too old to resonate with the younger fanbase. I was 11 that year and kids were either into MJ, GN'R, Nirvana or Madonna. An oldies band from the frigging 60s didn't even compute. To me that was like watching the news with my dad, boring grown up stuff! Even something more recent like Queen was already firmly in that category. Stones? Literally ancient. Of course our dads bought it in droves, but they would have bought the album as you say.

Hate Exile? Damn, that is not just a great Stones album but maybe the best Southern Rock album of all time. Imo the best "album albums" don't have many hits. In the same way you can't have too many strong colors in the same room. This is why I practically never listen to Appetite. I much prefer Live Era where the big hits are spaced out with deeper cuts. 

I think at their peak both bands were equally talented at songwriting, but Axl takes you further with his vocals and Slash is frankly a better soloist than Keith. I can't see Richards ever pulling out an Estranged solo.

slashsfro
 Rep: 53 

Re: Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds album

slashsfro wrote:
James wrote:

While the Stones do have some killer albums obviously...and this is sacrilege to some...I consider them more of a singles/songs band. The huge amount of compilations does them no favors in this regard. You essentially grow up on comps of different eras and then dive into the albums.

This is true, for me anyway.  Those comps are fine for me, especially Hot Rocks (I think that the name of the compilation).  The only Stones album I can make it all the way through is Sticky Fingers.

James wrote:

I hate that album. I should probably give it another listen. It's basically an album of deep cuts.


It's also got that Illusions-ish problem of being too fucking long.  I should give side 2 a listen.  But I usually tap out after Happy.  And that's only the tenth song.  But it does include some of my faves like Rocks Off, Happy, Tumbling Dice, and Sweet Virginia (you can tell the Jagger is doped out on this song).

James
 Rep: 664 

Re: Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds album

James wrote:

Took me awhile to find it...the Stones have 28 Best of/Greatest Hits CDs...but this is the one in heavy rotation during my teen years....

Rewind (1971-1984)

Track list

Miss You
Brown Sugar
Undercover Of The Night
Start Me Up
Tumbling Dice
Hang Fire
It's Only Rock'N'Roll
Emotional Rescue
Beast Of Burden
Fool To Cry
Waiting On A Friend
Angie
Heartbreaker

We had Steel Wheels in heavy rotation 89-90 and also had Flashpoint...the 1991 live album that also had the new song High Wire...which was awesome...a song about Desert Storm in the midst of Desert Storm.


I didn't own Hot Rocks until mid-late 90s.


One of my aunts had this LP...


BigHitsUS.jpg

Not a very good track list. Not all that surprising I always favored the Wood era Stones.

James
 Rep: 664 

Re: Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds album

James wrote:

New song on the launch pad...


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