Brainbell Jangler
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Rocks Off Rules You Bastards
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Portland, OR
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When I was in high school, I wrote an album review column ("Sound Effects") for the school newspaper. Like most music critics, I knew nothing about the topic. I recently ran across the first installment, published on October 7, 1971, when I was 17:
The greatest rock'n'roll band in the world recently put out a new album. The Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers, released late last spring, is their first album since Let It Bleed. The album reveals a new maturity in the Stones' musical style. "Brown Sugar," the album's first single hit, is classic Stones. Charlie Watts' familiar drum style is evident, as is the expected emphasis on the rhythm guitar. Jagger's vocals are hard, as in most of the Stones' previous big sellers (such as "Honky Tonk Women" and "Satisfaction"). "Sway" and "Can't You Hear Me Knocking?" are familiar because of their radio popularity. Indeed, all of the cuts on the first side of the album have been played quite extensively. "You Gotta Move" is unique because of its use of a bottleneck guitar. "Wild Horses" presents another side of the Stones. This cut is a profound and sensitive love song. The feeling in Jagger's singing is amply reflected in the instrumentals of the song. Although all are excellent, a few songs on the second side of the album deserve special mention. The acoustic guitar lead-in on "I've Got the Blues" is reminiscent of such earlier Stones songs as "Stray Cat Blues" and "Love In Vain." Hard drugs are looked at from a personal point of view in "Sister Morphine." The album is instrumentally outstanding. Keith Richard shows himself to be an even more talented composer than in previous releases. Mick Taylor's guitar is impressive. Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts perform superbly. Other guest artists add to the album's fine quality.
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