Just listened to the Metamorphosis CD I recently borrowed at the local library, man, what a mixed bag, but that brought back many memories of that old LP I had borrowed...er...25 years ago at another library and promptly taped.

Metamorphosis has a gem, Stevie Wonder's "I don't know why", the guitars, all Keith I would assume since Brian was reportedly drowning as they were recording it, are stellar and sound quite a bit like those on Gimme Shelter, that I would assume it predates...if that's the case, it's hard not to see that song as an "inspiration" for GS...naughty Keith. Still he was at the top of his game at the time.

According to Martin Elliott's "Unreleased Recordings" v1 bible, there are 7/8 minute versions, wonder if he's not confusing it with the "I don't know the reason why" jam with Mick Taylor though...especially since he doesn't mention them again in the second version of his book.

The Mick Taylor slide work on I Don't Know Why is stellar. So simple yet so effective. Keith's work is beautiful too.

I would love to hear some other versions, should they exist.

I feel a lengthy response from Gazza about Stones minutiea coming on.....

Stevie Wonders version-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkzwsKEOgXE

how did this not win a Grammy??....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTNkAZd-Vxk

Thanks for digging out the SW version, nice, but it could use Keith's guitars!

Is there slide on the Metamorphosis version? Didn't notice it, you're not referring to the "I don't know the reason why" jam are you?

"The Rolling Stones recorded a version of I Don't Know Why  on June 30, 1969, released on the Metamorphosis album in 1975.


They were mixing the song when they learned that Brian Jones had died. (July 3, 1969)"

fuman wrote on Jun 8^th, 2009 at 11:01am:

The Mick Taylor slide work on I Don't Know Why is stellar. So simple yet so effective. Keith's work is beautiful too. I would love to hear some other versions, should they exist.

Yep...this has long been one of my favorite Stones rarities...

It's also on the London Years box set...

Tumbled wrote on Jun 8^th, 2009 at 12:03pm:

"The Rolling Stones recorded a version of I Don't Know Why  on June 30, 1969, released on the Metamorphosis album in 1975. They were mixing the song when they learned that Brian Jones had died. (July 3, 1969)"

Thanks for the information, that's what they were doing when they heard the news.

Thanks for correcting this, although it's not very relevant to the topic at hand, which is Keith's stellar playing of days long gone.

I have it on "London Years" I like it too, great guitar, this must have been done in Let It bleed recording sessions period, Keith was great & inspired then, he did some great guitar work.

speaking of old Keith recordings.... in the new issue of Vanity Fair, the Johnny Depp article opens with him listening to the Keith Toronto tapes on his boat... "All I Have To Do Is Dream", "Nearness Of You" etc

Not exactly the same style...I tried to like that stuff, that was an expensive boot cd in 1990...no guitar playing to be heard there, only piano, supposedly played by Stu, but it's so bad it can't be him...Keith should stick to guitar, the GS style guitar we have here, not the latter pedestrian guitar of say "Too Tight" or even worse, most of what he plays on ABB, just plain boring, could be played by Mick...maybe it is Mick !