Release Date: December 5, 1969
Label: Decca (UK), London (US)
Popular Songs:
· You Can’t Always Get What You Want (YouTube link)
· Country Honk (YouTube link)
· Gimme Shelter (YouTube link)
Songs You NEED TO LISTEN TO:
· You Got the Silver (YouTube link)
· Midnight Rambler (YouTube link)
· Let It Bleed (YouTube link)
Let it Bleed was released in the middle of what many consider the finest stretch of albums in rock history. As Cosmo Kramer would say, it’s “perfectly sane” to believe Let It Bleed is the Stones finest album. Critics provide ammunition to support such a statement as Rolling Stone magazine placed it at #32 on their “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list. It is a FANTASTIC effort, the kind of album that creates a volume of memories every time you listen to it.
This is a massively notable album. The lyrics have woven themselves into everyday life. “Gin-soaked,” free-spirited and liberal with her affections – you know exactly the sort of person being referred to when you hear “Honky Tonk Woman.” Worldwide, on any given day I wonder how often parents utter the words “You Can’t Always Get What You Want?” 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of the release of this album; folks don’t celebrate 50th anniversaries of ho-hum things.
Excluding historians amongst us, it takes significant happenings for folks to remember an exact year. 1969 was such a case. Woodstock, Nixon moving into the White House, a fully raging war in Vietnam and the conclusion of a decade that saw significant civil rights struggles and shifting cultural norms. The tone, swagger, and multiformity of Let It Bleed perfectly encapsulated the moment. With the track “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” Let It Bleed leaves the listener on an upbeat and optimistic note – as if to call upon people’s better virtues as they embark on a new decade.
Much has been written about this record and rightfully so. Thus I’ll spare you a track by track walkthrough. A quick Google search will provide you with expert explanations regarding the musicianship and musical structure of this album. Instead, I aim to highlight the history behind the album’s most popular tunes and direct you towards some of the lesser-known gems within the album.
Lesser-Known Gems…
Soul, country, blues, pop…
Influences that used to shine prominently on a track by track basis in the early 60s blended to perfection in the late ’60s and early ’70s for the Stones. It’s an earthy sound that countless bands on barroom stages have tried to emulate. Like my friend Anna said, “there’s a million bands doing this; why do the Stones do it so well?” This sound is demonstrated most completely in the cover of Robert Johnson’s “Love In Vain.”
Rumor has it Mr. Johnson sold his soul in exchange for the ability to play the blues. The chance encounter with Lucifer happened at the intersection of highways 61 and 49 near Clarkdale, Mississippi. Check out Devil (Episode 14) of Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour for a good telling of how the exchange took place. Maybe the deal really did go down as the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, bluesmen, and rockers of all ilk have covered Johnson. “Love in Vain” is a downbeat Stones standard still routinely played live.
“You Got the Silver” is the first Stones song featuring Keith on lead vocals (source = Wikipedia). Richards songs in concert are amongst the most cherished memories traded by Stones fans. Typically he sings two, on rare occasion he’ll play three. Keith’s tunes afford Mick (and the audience) respite from Mick’s dizzying output of energy. “You Got the Silver” is perhaps my preferred “Keith” song. It’s tops because the tempo matches his gravelly, smoke riddled voice perfectly. Check it out for yourself!
Picking a favorite on an album like this is difficult and perhaps unnecessary. As is characteristic of most classic albums, individually the songs bounce into the mind’s eye at varying times, often hijacking one’s attention. Lord only knows what triggers a song’s reemergence. For example, it took several listens till “Monkey Man” hit me. But when it did I listened to it bunches of times in a row then sleuthed out live versions. To identify a favorite I’m reverse-engineering the question and asking, what song would I most miss if excluded from the album? The answer was striking and immediate – “Let It Bleed.”
The jamming in the back half of “Let It Bleed” is the Stones at their blues-rock finest. Everyone is represented: Keith and Mick Taylor provide the guitar traffic that is the hallmark of the Rolling Stones, Ian gifts us with his piano, Mick’s harmonica flutters throughout and the backdrop is provided by the guiding thump of Wyman’s bass and Charlie’s drumming. It might not be one of their chart-toppers, but this song definitely performs admirably in the role of title track. Let It Bleed
You Get What You Need…
Soda, a large choir, a defunct amusement park and a proud City Ambassador – the unique origin of one of rock’s most legendary tunes.
No, I’m not sitting at the bar in Jackson, I’m at Corner Drug on St. Clair and Snelling in Saint Paul with my friend Brad, bending an elbow at the soda fountain. In ’60s America soda fountains were in every neighborhood and Main Street. Phosphates, malts, and a myriad of soda flavors abounded. Today my drink is Cherry Coke, just like Jimmy enjoyed. Hand-mixed syrup and carbonated soda, mmm! Today, thankfully, they had my flavor but a while back, in 1960’s Excelsior on Lake Minnetonka, Jimmy wasn’t so lucky.
Excelsior is the kind of place you want to be. Located on the south side of Lake Minnetonka, it’s a place where all the things you desire for a Saturday afternoon intersect: the lake is nearby, Excelsior Brewery serves delicious suds, shops offering wares both needed and frivolous, cozy architecture, art fairs, wide shoulders for biking, kids walking around with ice cream cones the size of their forearms, parents pushing strollers…it’s a lovely place.
If you walked these streets anytime from the ’60s till 2007 you might have run into Jimmy Hutmaker, the city’s official ambassador. If lucky enough, he might have given you a business card with his name and title on front and on the back, lyrics to the Stones classic “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”
In 1964 the Stones played a concert at the now vanished Danceland Ballroom. Danceland used to be located at the western terminus of the Twin cities streetcar line and near the entrance to the Excelsior Amusement Park. The amusement park was the site of countless weekend sojourns for folks pouring out of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. By happenstance Mick was standing in line at the soda fountain behind an upset Mr. Jimmy. Upset because they were out of Cherry Coke. Jimmy voiced his discontent and the fountain attendant replied, “you can’t always get what you want.” That simple exchange inspired one of rock’s most recognizable songs.
Sadly Jimmy passed away in 2007 but people continue to honor him by leaving soda by a bench in town. You can visit Excelsior and leave a soda or enjoy a Cherry Coke in the same fashion as he would have, from the fountain at St. Paul Corner Drug.
In music discussions the term “classic” gets thrown around a fair amount; classic album, song, era, band, etc. It is a highly subjective term. For example, by most measures, London Calling by The Clash is a classic album; number 8 on Rolling Stone Top 500. It’s widely regarded as an essential listen in the punk genre. However, it’s not a favorite of mine, heck, I don’t even enjoy it! One thing is certain – classic albums are hard to come by.
Rarely do albums rise to a level that transcends classic, elevated to a level of universal acceptance as brilliant. Michael Jackson’s Thriller is an example. Brilliant songs are a little greater in number than albums, but still very rare. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is one such song. Think about it, if you play “You Can’t Always…” you’ll never be told to “turn that off!” You might be asked to turn it down, but no-one will be displeased to the point of demanding it be silenced. Audiophiles or Stones fans might request a specific version, but that finicky sort is never fully satisfied. That’s what is remarkable about Jimmy…one of the world’s truly classic and brilliant songs was birthed right here in Minnesota!
Prior to recording the song, Mick requested the participation of a few members of London’s Bach Choir. To his surprise the entire chorus showed up. The sound provided by the blending of the Stones and choir is a lofty, almost transcendental sound that is more spiritual than rockish. The song actually does have solid spiritual grounding. The Christian tradition encourages believers to submit to God’s will, aka God’s plan for you. Essentially we are called to forsake earthly trappings in order to serve a higher purpose. What’s the reward for your sacrifices and faith? God’s end of the bargain is “you get what you need.” Songwriters heed the following advice! Unique backstory, great instrumentation, collaboration with a world-renowned choir and lyrics with biblical depth – that’s all you need to craft a truly iconic song!
A Peak Moment but also One of Grief…
It’s impossible to not talk about Let It Bleed without mentioning the untimely death of founding guitarist and band leader Brian Jones and the addition of Mick Taylor to the group.
Others might have additional or less groupings, but I believe there are three major eras of the Rolling Stones. The first runs from 1964 – 1966 and could be loosely defined as their blues era. Let It Bleed was released in their second era which runs from 1968 – 1972 and I’m deeming the Mick Taylor era. The third era is 1972 onwards and can be referred to either as the Ronnie Wood or post Exile era. Both casual and hardcore Stones fans have varying affections for each era. Some listeners might further divide the Stones career into smaller eras. For example, an argument could be made for a Don Was era from 1994 onwards. Regardless of how people think of or categorize their history, many (and to some degree, the Rolling Stones themselves) categorize the period I call the Taylor era as their creative high point. Look at some of the songs that came out of this 5-year stretch!
“Street Fighting Man,” “Wild Horses,” “Loving Cup,” “Tumbling Dice,” “Gimme Shelter,” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Brown Sugar”
Mick Taylor came on board in 1969 and the guitar work he lent to the band had a natural, rough and hard-boiled feel. It was incorporated into the Stones majesty and the result was a bawdy, down-home blend that was uniquely Stones. Close your eyes and the tunes from this era invoke feelings of sitting on a porch, drinking late night at a bar, cruising fast down a road or dancing with thousands of others in a stadium. It’s wonderful stuff and many contend Taylor was the creative force steering this wonderful period. On Let It Bleed I offer two songs that strongly represent the superbness of the Mick Taylor era: “Gimme Shelter” and “Midnight Rambler.”
At nearly seven minutes long, Midnight Rambler is a roller coaster. Mick lays his vocals out for bare – demonstrating the swagger and confidence of a pop star then moments later displaying a nervous fragility. My favorite version of this song is the widely available 1970 live release Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out.
“Gimme Shelter” has a haunting, sinister tone. In the movie, Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese paired it perfectly with the chaos that Henry Hill’s life becomes because of drug addiction. The grace offered in “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” feels lightyears away for Mr. Hill as he spins into nauseating disarray. Unfortunately for the Stones, 1969 saw addiction claim one of their own.
Brian Jones wasn’t just the central figure in the creation of Rolling Stones – the Stones were his band. Without Brian there would be no Rolling Stones. Jones was largely absent from this album. According to Wikipedia and the liner notes, he provided only autoharp on “You Got the Silver” and percussion on “Midnight Rambler.” Jones was deeply succumbing to addiction throughout the recording of this album. He became increasingly disillusioned, speaking of grand, yet-to-be ventured upon projects like producing movies and forming a band with Jimi Hendrix. Jimi and Jones unfortunately both ended up members of the 27 Club – famous rockers who died at age 27. In “According to the Stones,” Mick, Keith and Charlie characterize his demise as:
Sad really, once the proud leader, he now struggled with no longer being the leader. Grand ambitions and a mind constantly derailed by substances. He ended up drowned in the pool at his house. At the peak of their creative prowess their founding member floating dead in his own pool.
Hardly a fitting end for a brilliant musician and bandleader. His ability to learn an instrument is legendary. I think his brilliance is best represented in the following songs: “I am Waiting” (instrument = dulcimer, album = Aftermath), “No Expectations” (instrument = slide guitar, album = Beggars Banquet), “Paint it Black” (Instrument = Sitar, album = Aftermath). Here’s an interesting article that ranks the Top 10 Brian Jones Multi-Instrumentalist Songs.
Let It Bleed isn’t my favorite Stones album, but I respect those who count it as their favorite. It came out in December and I bought it while Christmas shopping. A little treat for myself in the middle of buying for others…what a treat! Thus there’s always a little part of me that considers it a Christmas album. It really isn’t a holiday album but it is a terrific album that sounds good anywhere at any time. Enjoy!
Next up for Andy’s Stones…
You decide what’s next! April 15 is the anniversary of Aftermath. Aftermath is not only one of my Stones favorites but favorite albums period! April 16th is the anniversary of The Rolling Stones – the album that started it all! Shoot me an email and let me know which album you’d prefer. Please remember a preview will be sent a week prior to the full album review. Also, as mentioned earlier, be on the lookout as Stonesy content might float your way!
Post Script – Thank Yous, Shout Outs and Resources
Most of what I wrote above is a mishmash of personal memories and interactions with the album. Nonetheless, in addition to what is directly cited I also used the resources below to get the specifics about Jimmy Hutmaker’s story, e.g. name of the amusement park, ballroom and Jimmy’s official title: Minnpost Article, Wikipedia, Danceland
Regarding Jimmy…More than anything I wanna thank Tim Kopischke for telling me about Jimmy. Years ago he and I took a drive around Lake Minnetonka and he showed me Jimmy’s bench. It was also my first visit to Excelsior, which is a pretty cool place. Hey! Us St. Paul kids don’t venture that far west too often. Thanks TK!
It’s referenced endlessly it these reviews so here’s a link Rolling Stones Top 500
I checked the liner notes for the Let It Bleed, Beggars Banquet and Aftermath albums and Wikipedia pages for those albums to confirm who played what instruments, track listings, label information and release dates.
I also checked the Wikipedia page for London Calling to get this…confirm the type of music it is classified as (punk).
Thank you to those of you who’ve reached out to me about Andy’s Stones. I needed a break but knowing you appreciate the reviews makes my day! The other day Chels quoted a Stones song because of these reviews!
Thank you to grammerly.com and thesaurus/dictionary.com. Great resources! Please don’t judge them by my sloppiness! These apps/sites are trying to help me not butcher the English language!
I used an article from the Star Tribune from May 29th 2015 that summarized all the stones concerts in Minnesota to confirm the year they played in Excelsior.
I also recommend reading the book According to the Stones.
You Got Me Rocking,
gramsghost.com 