In my opinion, this album was the pinnacle of the Rolling Stones. Loved it when it was brand new, and still rank it as one of the best albums I have ever heard.
So cool when Clayton's voice cracks during her solo and you can hear Mick and Keith with a big "whoooo!!" in the background. Normally, that would mean another take but it's so emotionally raw so they kept it in 🙂
She has a solo version of this, well worth checking out. I believe she's toured with them ever since this as the band say no-one else can sing it like her
I read somewhere that Merry Clayton, the background singer, was pulled to the studio in the middle of the night, very pregnant to record her vocals for this track. She was shocked to see the lyrics they wanted her to sing but the session became memorable for everyone there. On the original backing track you can hear Mick hooting and hollering in response to how well she sang.
I heard that her hair was in curlers or something. And that when her voice cracked on the first take she offered to do it again and they said no were going with that
@@scottarnest8980 The loss of her baby during pregnancy gets talked about, but it cannot be attributed to her session with the Stones. It's something merely to add to the lore of making Gimme Shelter.
Start with some early Stones, these should move give you a good feel for the '65-'66 time. Satisfaction, Under My Thumb and Paint It Black are all great. I definitely enjoy your doing background info with your reactions.
I grew up with my mom listening to their albums all the time. I remember as a little kid, sitting on the floor while the music was playing and checking out all of their cool album art. I remember this album cover tripping me out and trying to figure out why there was a tire as part of a birthday cake. 😆 My mom told me that her older brother bought her the Get Yer Ya-Yas out as her first album, and she was totally hooked. I also remember the zipper on the cover for Sticky Fingers - that one had an actual zipper on the outer cover. The Some Girls album had this cool inner album sleeve where the faces were imprinted and the outer cover had cutouts where the faces went. So if you wanted to change the faces with the hairdos, you simply slid the inner album cover over one way or another to see someone else rocking the same 'do. I know some of y'all remember these! Thanks for covering this band, can't wait to see what else you react to of theirs. There's sooooo many to choose from. My favorite is Paint It Black. Have a great day!
The whole point of the artist is to sometimes express things that are uncomfortable. Obvious anti war song, where the decision to go to war rests on a knife edge. It's either war which is a shot away, or love which is a kiss away.
Can’t You Hear Me Knocking is a favorite of mine. It has the classic Stones hook and pop in the front, but turns into an extended improvisational jam at the end. Frankly it is a must listen.
Such a great rock and roll song, like cannabis friendly.. the guitar at the beginning is as good as anything.. and what can can you day about: "Ya all got cocaine eyes"
My all time favorite Rock group, no one is even close. Zeppelin my next favorite. So many great songs, just a few Wild Horses, Sway, Bitch, Brown Sugar, Midnight Rambler, Tumbling Dice, Jumping Jack Flash, Sympathy for the Devil, I , Moonlight Mile
🙌💯 Yes, yes, and more yes! “Wild Horses” is at the top of my list; Sticky Fingers is my favorite Stones album. Beggars Banquet is a close second; I love “Jigsaw Puzzle” and so many others on that album. All that said, @SalvoG simply *must* react to “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”! 💐
It is hard to believe any human being 20 or older has not heard at least a snippet of this song, they and this song have been absorbed into Pop Culture over the last 60 years or so, one of the best songs in all of rock. Also do their unreal jam from the legendary Sticky Fingers album, Can't You Hear Me Knocking. It is just as good in a different way but Wow, anyone who hears it is in nirvana. Enjoy! 🎵🎸🎤🎹🎶
I cannot imagine this song without Charlie or Jimmy Miller. Those thudding drum fills capture the dark underlays of the song. And Miller’s addition of the güiro and maracas was genius. It all drives the song.
The Jimmy Miller period was absolutely the Stones best work by far. The five albums he produced are an unmatched run of amazing music no band since has replicated.
In the same way as The Battle of Evermore is famous for being the only Zeppelin track with a female vocalist ( Sandy Denny), Gimme Shelter is famous for the addition of the studio singer Merry Clayton, who’s powerhouse voice elevated that song to iconic status
1969. 16 years old. The Let It Bleed tour. My first rock concert. I was absolutely blown away and totally hooked for life. This is definitely one of my desert island albums.
Sal, here’s the deal about the Stones. They were contemporaries of The Beatles. They were, together, the two most wildly successful of the first wave of the British Invasion. They were quickly cast in American culture as the opposite of The Beatles: The Beatles were clean-cut, Affable, “good” kids…”safe” The Stones were the “bad boys”, Ill-kempt , dark, “dangerous”. People would ask you “Beatles or Stones”? They figured they could tell allot about you by how you answered. Mick Jagger, by the way he moved onstage, the way he looked with those large, sensual lips, was a great frontman. The Beatles had no frontman… and there was no “sex” object there. Adoration, excitement, “puppy love” maybe. But the public image at first was one of innocence. With The Stones, it was immediately seductive and dark. The Beatles were strictly pop, until they morphed into the experimental musical force they are famous for in 1966. The Stones have stayed pretty much solidly on the blues and blues rock genres their entire career. A solid, bluesy rock and toll band. Their apex was reached from 1968-1972 with the release of four albums; Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Last Exit on Main Street. They are no doubt the longest/lived performing rock band in the world…more than 60 years at this point. It’s open to debate whether that’s too long… but Mick Jagger seems like he’ll never stop. The Stones are solid blues rock and roll. They were a top band in popular music for almost a decade, from their arrival in America circa 1964 to the early 70’s. Although they became less Main stream as musical tastes changed , they never stopped being a top touring band and their place in rock history as one of the greatest bands is secure.
This is one of my favourite ever songs, definitely in the Top 10. You were talking the other day about live vs studio versions - well, now that you've heard this one, I'd say check out a live version, maybe a fairly recent one . . . This official promo is a good place to start: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8kl6q_9qZOs.html Mick in all his glory, fantastic guitar from Keith and Ronnie, superb drums from the late Charlie Watts, great female vocals from Lisa Fisher - and an extended outro. I was about ten in 1969, and the talk of the playground was who did we like best, the Beatles or the Stones. For me it was always the Stones and I didn't really know why until much later - I'm really a blues baby.
@In A Corner Well it was recorded in the Summer of '68 when anti war and anti establishment protests were convulsing Europe and America and the devil, as the father of lies, claiming credit for wars humans are perfectly capable of starting by themselves looks like a satirical criticism to me.
@DevilDog53 Which begs the question about his boasting to the contrary. But again, in the context of the times pointing out the horrors of war is certainly sending a message.
@In A Corner No, I read it, but you should also note that the Stones were already under heavy political and police pressure from the British establishment over recreational drug use, so an overt, unencoded, criticism of imperialism and colonialism would have been unwise. From the same source: "The song was originally written with the line "I shouted out 'Who killed Kennedy?'" After Robert F. Kennedy's death on 6 June 1968, the line was changed to "Who killed the Kennedys?"." Not an outright accusation rather a more ambivalent statement. We could go all day at this, but given that the acceptance of Christian theology was at a very low ebb among youth in the late 1960s I still maintain that a political interpretation is plausible. The devil is in the detail after all.
Music was the language of our generation, Way more revered than today Everybody knew every word to almost every rock song of the 60's and 70's. You have computers today, we had music 🎶😎
"Start Me Up", "Angie", "Brown Sugar", "Get Off of My Cloud", "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "Sympathy for the Devil". The Stones made it a habit to push the boundaries with their music and lyrics. Just add some imagination and viola!
Yeah, it’s really very sad to realize that art, music, movies, TV…. All the arts, were allot freer 50 years ago than they are now. And that is NOT a good thing.
Its a shame that so many people have not experienced the pinnacle of rock and roll. Not to say The Rolling Stones are that. But they certainly embody that era in music. This song was released at the height of the Vietnam war. They were bringing attention to the feelings of the era. Honestly, I think its amazing that a British band was so in-sync with the feelings of the American experience at that time.
You've only have just scratched the surface of the Stone's discography. This was a good choice for first listen. There a literally so many great songs in their 6 decades long career. A few that I like are "Wild Horse", Moonlight Mile", "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "No Expectations" and their first big hit "Satisfaction" just name a few.
Merry Clayton's vocals made this song what it is... One of Ray Charles backing singers "The Raelettes" also sang backing vocals on so many legendary bands throughout history! 🎶
And also made a couple of good albums of her own around the time of this album, probably off the back of the impact she made on this track. That's certainly what made me look into them. Her 1980 album, Emotion, is well worth a listen if you haven't already.
Haha. Clayton’s vocals didn't “make this song what it is.” It's a crucial component, but Clayton’s voice means nothing without Charlie’s thudding drum fills or Keef's haunting tremolo pedal setting in the intro. Clayton’s more like the cherry on top.
This song was recorded during the Viet Nam War. During the draft. High School ended and people were taken to the jungle like it or not. It's totally unrelatable today. Also, Rock was still new. Everything had not yet been done.
I enjoyed this one. The Stones have done so many genres over the decades. Their ballad Angie has Mick's best vocals. Fool to Cry live is enjoyable as well.
This was definitely a good one to start with. I also love Street Fighting Man, 19th Nervous Breakdown, Sympathy for the Devil, and Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreakers). Many more besides that, but those are definitely in my top 10.
Loved your admittance ha ha . In truth being an old fart myself I don’t listen to or follow the stones as much as I should/should have so apologies myself to the stones fans …Zeppelin and Rush took my youth time . But ….The Rolling Stones are as big a group that all in our lifetime will ever know and in hundreds of years will be mentioned above most others … Just my thought …❤❤
I don't know why hearing good quality recorded music from 1969 sounds weird to you. But like you said it's just your perspective. It all had to start somewhere and the late sixties and all through the 70s as you know already had some of the best music ever recorded. It never made sense to me how the younger reactors think that our music back then was sticks beating on rocks. Believe it or not the wheel was not square back then eithet
O.k., here's my list for your consideration- Tumbling Dice, Paint it Black, Ruby Tuesday, Honky Tonk Woman, Start Me Up, You Can't Always Get Want You Want, Brown Sugar, She's a Rainbow, Blinded by Rainbows, and Mother's Little Helper. I've been a fan since I first saw them on the Ed Sullivan show in 1967 (I was 14).
Artists in general were very courageous and controversial back in these days. They were true rebels. They didn't care if the media didn't approve. They knew the record companies were making millions of their music, and that was the bottom line. They wanted to shock the sensibilities of the ruling class. I don't think musicians today have that same courage.
The Rolling Stones put out the best 4 album run in the history of rock: Beggar's Banquet, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street. They are all stunning. This song was a great place to start, it makes you want to hear more. Up next, I'd love to have you check out Sympathy For the Devil and Street Fighting Man. Although the song Let it Bleed and You Can't Always Get What You Want are must hears too. As far as downright dirty, no song beats Stray Cat Blues, it's filthy good. Jigsaw Puzzle is another favorite of mine as well as Tumbling Dice and Rocks Off. Just to start with... Great reaction!
YAAAAAS!! MY FAV STONES SONG!! 🔥🔥🔥 And he leads off with it!! ❤🎉😂🥳 Richards has perfected THE guitar riff. Please find Merry Clayton's naked vocal on YT to see her contribution to this song. Damn 69...AMAZING!! ❤😅
My favorite Stones song WILL always be Sympathy for the Devil although I also enjoy Paint It Black, Beast of Burden, Jumping Jack Flash, Time Is On My Side, Satisfaction, Mother's Little Helper, Ruby Tuesday, Brown Sugar, Wild Horses and You Can't Always Get Want You Want.
Welcome to the music from my high school days. BTW the scratchy percussion instrument Guiro, is pronounced ‘Wee-row’. It is common in Afro-Cuban rhythm.
Definitely The Rolling Stones along with The Beatles are really The gods of Rock n' Roll!!! This song is for the ages....because War is still destroying people's lives and is certainly not a good thing!!! And the song is talking about War....Flood....Storms...Fires....Killing....as destroying humanity and Love is just a Kiss away is the answer to restoring humanity. I love that theme....and it really makes the song relevant for today!!! And today's music shy away from such issues like racism....sexism...killings....and Destruction except this year and last we seeing groups like MGMT's "Kids" and Muse's "Kill Or Be Killed" and "Love on the Other Side" by Fall Out Boys expressing and addressing these world issues. It is refreshing! And makes music important!!!!
Rolling Stones are a deep rabbit hole. I love them dearly and I hope you checkout lots more, SalvoG. My choices are as follows: Street Fighting Man Satisfaction 19th Nervous Breakdown Paint It Black Ruby Tuesday Sympathy For The Devil Brown Sugar Let’s Spend The Night Together Under My Thumb It’s Only Rock N’ Roll Tumbling Dice Shattered Start Me Up Angie Wild Horses Emotional Rescue Just to name a few. 😉
Good Lord. This is akin to hearing a house cat's opinion of Shakespeare. How are people so insufficiently informed about the subjects on which they comment?
This is one of my favorite Rolling Stones songs. Having been born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland in the late sixties and early seventies during the "Troubles". Watching the Vietnam War unfold in all it's brutality before my eyes on T.V. .; this song always resonated with me.
It's not so much that you wouldn't get criticized or in trouble for the content and using the word "rape" -- it's that you WOULD upset a lot of people and you did it anyway. Because music in that era was the counterculture. Not all music, of course -- you had many "easier" bands and performers. But the late 1960s certainly had a lot of "F-you" music or even just "sex, drugs and rock & roll" music. The closest thing we have today to pushing those boundaries is rap, in my opinion, but I'll admit I probably miss a lot of amazing contemporary stuff. And the repetition of "rape" was MEANT to shock, to say something everyone knew but no one said, especially as regards to what happens in war. Wonderful reaction - thanks.
Back in the day if you bought the album it didn't always have the lyrics in it , cassettes usually did ..anyways .. I have been hearing this song for decades and never knew the lyrics until now ! thank you :)
I’ve been listening to rock music for over 60 years and I’ve never found another song that more completely manifests an overpowering reality of dread. I grew up hearing casualty counts and seeing body bags on the news every night. This song leads me right into impending doom.
Released in 1969 at the height of the Vietnam war, this song remains one of the most potent anti-war songs ever penned. The song makes shocking and graphic reference to the horrific My Lai massacre, in which an entire village is raped and murdered by U.S. troops during the Vietnam War. Yet, in a broader sense, the song remains - in no uncertain terms - a vivid and harrowing warning to all mankind : if we don't stop fighting each other, and if we don't start loving each other in this world, then War - with all of its horrors and its insanity - will end up right here on our own front doorsteps, literally "just a shot away" from us all.
This song is the Vietnam War to me. It takes me back to where guys just out of High School were petrified the day/night before they had to report. Then, they would come home and be so different, mentally and emotionally. The scars they carried were deep and ragged. They were in a state of confusion. They had spent time in a place from hell. I remember feeling useless because I had no idea how to respond. At night when it was quiet and dark, they would talk about an experience or two. I think that helped a little bit.
I think you should use the tried and true method of reacting; listen to the song, then look up more about it if you want to. As it stands now, you are reacting to other people’s reactions before you even hear the song.
Monkey Man by the Rolling Stones is a banger. Also this song was written during the Vietnam War, which was unpopular with many people so it's their anti-war song.
@@helenespaulding7562 I'm a very truthful liberal who generally has no ability to self censor, so I tend to say nothing or try to write everything ultra-censored. If I blurt shit out that floats around in my brain, it usually pisses off other people so I stopped.
I've been listening to this song since it was released and it's one of those that gets an immediate FULL VOLUME CRANK as soon as I hear those opening notes. Every time!
Star Star (Starfucker) has the best opening riff of all Rolling Stones songs. Period. If it wasn’t for the lack radio play due to the salacious lyrics, it would have been considered a top 3 song by the band. It’s my #1.
I had that song going on a turntable once as my mom was cleaning house. She "accidentally" dropped a heavy lamp on the record and said whoops. Still a great song...
Oh and one more thing about Merry Clayton's incredible performance, Bonnie Bramlett was supposed to handle the female vocal, and the style on the song is pure Bramlett. She was the other half of Delaney and Bonnie, an underrated and extremely influential group at the time. Officially they went by Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, and their band consisted of an incredible array of studio musicians including Leon Russell, Rita Coolidge, Bobby Keys, and other friends like Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and Duane Allman. Bonnie spent the day rehearsing the vocal with Jagger. That crack in Clayton's voice is Bonnie's signature. She was known to be able to scream in key. Unfortunately, she blew her voice out rehearsing and Merry Clayton agreed to fill in. And did an incredible job. Everyone assumed it was Bonnie singing when the song was released but she went out of her way to let everyone know it was Merry Clayton, she said it would be a big boost to Clayton's career. If you'd like to hear some Bonnie Bramlett, check out the song Dirty Old Man from the Accept No Substitute album or Lay Down My Burden from the To Bonnie From Delaney album. She's absolutely amazing!
@@jeffharness4392 Bonnie and Leon Russell wrote Superstar and her version is great. Rita Coolidge did a version that I saw on the Mad Dogs and Englishman tour; it was great too. Never did care for Karen Carpenter's version, very antiseptic. I wish Delaney and Bonnie would get more attention from the reactors, such a great band!
huge memories...1971...we were doing follow up meatball surgery on Vn Era casualties at Ft, Knox Irelan Army Hospital ..Dept. Surgery .CMS First Army MEDDAC . Surgery Op Rm. Techs....we played this song around the clock to keep us focused on the tasks at hand and off of the ugliness we had to witness in the surgical suites..db
SalvoG, you back story...so... At 7:25 of YOUR video, Merry Clayton, the supporting singer, sings so hard that her voice cracks (when she says "murder") and you can then hear Mick say "whoo". They called her to the studio at 4am. When she got there, they couldn't hear her at the front door of the studio. She had to open the huge door herself. She sang her guts out. She doesn't know if it was the heavy door or how hard she sang, but 2 days later, she had a miscarriage. She never felt any ill-will towards the band. She actually recorded the song herself on one of her albums.
the song STAR STAR was not allowed to be played on the radio it was a HUGE HUGE HUGE HIT played at ALL PARTIES at the time listen to the original they also did it the night of my 21st birthday in cleveland summer of 78 !!! the crowd went NUTS!!!!!!
