Ian Billen wrote on Jul 26
th, 2008 at 4:36pm:
Gazza Wrote:
"....the decision to relaunch the 'greatest rock n roll band in the world' as a recording act after eight years with a piece of MOR crap like 'Streets of Love' beggared belief in it's sheer stupidity. If anyone was wanting to get the message out that the band had returned with a back to basics, raw sounding new release, then this was a funny way of doing so."
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Your right. That may seem "bass-ackwads". I think SOL is a fine song. It IS the most radio friendly tune on the album, either that or Rain Fall Down, which takes a moderately close second spot as a "single" next to SOL.
However SOL it is no representation of the rest of the album at all...
Q. Why was it chosen as the first single when it is hardly a representation of the albums sound or the rest of the songs on the album?
A. Record Companies want a strong first single regardless and this, again, is the most single friendly track on ABB so they went with it. Secondly, the general public will buy an album, or purchase more downloads online from the album if they hear it on the radio, or hear the song in some way, in some market. Unless your a Stones fan, the general CD Purchasing crowd and Download purchaser population more-over could care less about how bare-bones and stripped down The Latest Rolling Stones album is. Record companies know that.
It wasnt 'friendly' for several reasons
Casual or hardcore rolling stones fans wouldnt have bought it or been impressed by it
The sort of audience who buy MOR crap arent going to suddenly become Stones fans on the back of a song like that. Its crossover appeal was negligible.
Rain Fall Down or one of the more traditional sounding Stones rockers on the album would have worked far better.