Hi there,this is my first time on the site and just want someone to help me out with a bit in the film.This is going back years, feel sure the film is Gimme Shelter.In the opening credits(or very near the start of the film)two of the stones are seen riding on donkeys on an unfinished motorway.The rumour at the time was it was filmed at Junction 9 of the M6 motorway in the West Midlands in England - can anybody confirm or deny that????

Thanks for your post and welcome

Moved this to the main board, mate as the 'help and suggestions' part of the board relates primarily to technical issues with the site itself.

The scene you're talking about is from 'Gimme Shelter' and is the one used for the front cover of 'Get Your Ya Yas Out'.

I thought it was shot in the US, myself.

Welcome aboard!

According to Wikipedia the footage was shot in Birmingham, England.
The cover is from another session in London.

Some of the performances, as well as the photography session for the album cover featuring Charlie Watts and a donkey are depicted in the documentary film Gimme Shelter, and shows Jagger and Watts on a road in Birmingham, UK, in early December 1969 posing with the donkey. The actual cover photo however was taken in early February 1970 in London, and does not originate from the 1969 session. The photo, featuring Watts with guitars and binoculars hanging from the neck of a donkey, was inspired by the lyrics to Bob Dylan's "Visions of Johanna" (although these lyrics refer to a mule).

>>The photoshoot was on the Gravelly Hill Interchange, Birmingham aka Spaghetti Junction, the construction of which started in 1968 and which was opened in 1972, so they wouldn't have had to close it off to traffic in 1970.<<

Posted by "Deltics" on IORR.

http://www.iorr.org/talk/read.php?1,1178810

left shoe shuffle wrote on Feb 28^th, 2010 at 4:39pm:

Welcome aboard! According to Wikipedia the footage was shot in Birmingham, England. The cover is from another session in London. Some of the performances, as well as the photography session for the album cover featuring Charlie Watts and a donkey are depicted in the documentary film Gimme Shelter, and shows Jagger and Watts on a road in Birmingham, UK, in early December 1969 posing with the donkey. The actual cover photo however was taken in early February 1970 in London, and does not originate from the 1969 session. The photo, featuring Watts with guitars and binoculars hanging from the neck of a donkey, was inspired by the lyrics to Bob Dylan's "Visions of Johanna" (although these lyrics refer to a mule).

Thanks. Isnt there a scene in the new bonus material part of the DVD that shows them filming it?

So, if I'm understanding this properly - the pic of Charlie on the GYYYO cover is from a session in London but the donkey walking behind him was photographed two months earlier 100 miles further north?

Odd.

Gazza wrote on Feb 28^th, 2010 at 5:12pm:

left shoe shuffle wrote on Feb 28th, 2010 at 4:39pm: Welcome aboard! According to Wikipedia the footage was shot in Birmingham, England. The cover is from another session in London. Some of the performances, as well as the photography session for the album cover featuring Charlie Watts and a donkey are depicted in the documentary film Gimme Shelter, and shows Jagger and Watts on a road in Birmingham, UK, in early December 1969 posing with the donkey. The actual cover photo however was taken in early February 1970 in London, and does not originate from the 1969 session. The photo, featuring Watts with guitars and binoculars hanging from the neck of a donkey, was inspired by the lyrics to Bob Dylan's "Visions of Johanna" (although these lyrics refer to a mule). Thanks. Isnt there a scene in the new bonus material part of the DVD that shows them filming it? So, if I'm understanding this properly - the pic of Charlie on the GYYYO cover is from a session in London but the donkey walking behind him was photographed two months earlier 100 miles further north? Odd.

It is included on the DVD for Ya Yas, & I thought it was New York since the Maysles Brothers filmed it, that's the only place where they (Maysles Bros) were, they were not in England, they only met The Stones when they were half way through the '69 tour.

Gazza wrote on Feb 28^th, 2010 at 5:12pm:

Thanks. Isnt there a scene in the new bonus material part of the DVD that shows them filming it? So, if I'm understanding this properly - the pic of Charlie on the GYYYO cover is from a session in London but the donkey walking behind him was photographed two months earlier 100 miles further north? Odd.

Yes, the DVD does include a few minutes from that shoot.
A cold and rainy day.

And yeah, guess Charlie was edited into that donkey photo...  

Heart Of Stone wrote on Feb 28^th, 2010 at 5:39pm:

Gazza wrote on Feb 28th, 2010 at 5:12pm: left shoe shuffle wrote on Feb 28th, 2010 at 4:39pm: Welcome aboard! According to Wikipedia the footage was shot in Birmingham, England. The cover is from another session in London. Some of the performances, as well as the photography session for the album cover featuring Charlie Watts and a donkey are depicted in the documentary film Gimme Shelter, and shows Jagger and Watts on a road in Birmingham, UK, in early December 1969 posing with the donkey. The actual cover photo however was taken in early February 1970 in London, and does not originate from the 1969 session. The photo, featuring Watts with guitars and binoculars hanging from the neck of a donkey, was inspired by the lyrics to Bob Dylan's "Visions of Johanna" (although these lyrics refer to a mule). Thanks. Isnt there a scene in the new bonus material part of the DVD that shows them filming it? So, if I'm understanding this properly - the pic of Charlie on the GYYYO cover is from a session in London but the donkey walking behind him was photographed two months earlier 100 miles further north? Odd. It is included on the DVD for Ya Yas, & I thought it was New York since the Maysles Brothers filmed it, that's the only place where they (Maysles Bros) were, they were not in England, they only met The Stones when they were half way through the '69 tour.

I seem to recall that Al Maysles said this was taken in the NY area. He gave a little speach before he showed the Gimme Shelter outtakes a couple of years ago at his school for a fundraiser, which I attended. That was way cool, Al is a sweet old dude and he is very friendly with a heart of gold. Loves the Stones! And he has additional footage from 'Shine A Light' that he is working on, with MICK & Keef's blessings!  

Definitely not NY.
You can see a sign for the M5 motorway in some of the shots...

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f256/leftshoeshuffle/Charlie-1.jpg

left shoe shuffle wrote on Mar 2^nd, 2010 at 8:52am:

Definitely not NY. You can see a sign for the M5 motorway in some of the shots... http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f256/leftshoeshuffle/Charlie-1.jpg

You're correct Left Shoe, but it couldn't have been filmed by the Maysles's, they said the first time they met The Stones was when they were half way thru the '69 tour, they started filming them then around the time they came to N.Y.

left shoe shuffle wrote on Mar 2^nd, 2010 at 8:52am:

Definitely not NY. You can see a sign for the M5 motorway in some of the shots... http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f256/leftshoeshuffle/Charlie-1.jpg

the M5 starts just outside Birmingham, so that woukd tie in with the M6/Birmingham/West Midlands/Spaghetti Junction theory.

Sorry, I remember reading that a few times but by Stanley Booth's account the brothers filmed them in England, so they knew them before N.Y.
"http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/104"

21st century at the same place : we miss the donkey !

http://i49.tinypic.com/4qfxw2.jpg

oops sorry I was thinking about the other pictures, when MICK & CHARLIE are wearing flags and hats! I'll look for it....and post it later.