Sticky Fingers

Release Date: April 23, 1971

Label: Rolling Stones

Spotify Link to Sticky Fingers

Popular Songs

·         Brown Sugar (YouTube)

·         Wild Horses (YouTube)

·         Dead Flowers (YouTube)

Songs You Need to Check Out

·         I Got the Blues (YouTube)

·         Sway (YouTube)

·         Moonlight Mile (YouTube)

What a curious moment summer 2020 has been – these are heavy times. Summer days typically filled with fun in the sun are now occupied with trying to stay healthy and socially distant, figuring out how to navigate a dire economy, and following George Floyd’s murder, rooting out racist biases lurking in the corners of my conscience. I’ve always thought Sticky Fingers as the embodiment of cool – cherry red Corvette Stingray kind of cool. In the nervous moments of what have been Summer 2020, the rock and roll masterpiece Sticky Fingers didn’t quite match my mood.

As summer progressed, angst partly subsided and has been replaced by opportunity. Slowly, Sticky Fingers in its hefty bravado made sense because at its heart, Sticky Fingers is a pivotal, evolutionary moment for the Stones; it is a transitional album in a transitional time. In 1971 when this album was released, opportunity, on Sticky Fingers fourth track asked, “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking?” In many ways that knocking persists today. Some circumstances are obviously different, but at this moment (as the folks did in the early 70s), we have the opportunity to dislodge a scumbag from the Presidency and throw the punch that’ll knockout systemic racism. What a time we are lucky enough to occupy! With an artfully cool intensity, Sticky Fingers is an album that offers boundless energy and toughness, qualities that are needed in abundance right now.

A Moment of Transition for The Rolling Stones

By 1971 the English blues band that a few short years ago humbled themselves by recording in a temple of the blues (Chess Studios in Chicago) were now “The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World.” Why did the Stones choose this route? Countless theories exist. Did they not choose and let Mick pull them into it? Perhaps the tragedy of the Altamount Concert shook their conscience and led them to isolate from normal folk? Maybe they just really got into the flow of it – luxury is attractive! Was rock star’ism (a term I just made up) a coping mechanism, a means of shielding themselves tumultuous times of the politically and socially charged 60s? Whatever the reason, from here on out, they are a ROCK band.

Rock and roll stardom comes with baggage: run-ins with law enforcement concerning drugs, tax problems, tabloid gossip about who dated who, scrutiny (sometimes justifiable) about culturally inappropriate (if not criminal) lyrics, disputes over songwriting credits, public disputes within the band, troubles with promotors, broken friendships…my goodness it’s tough being a rockstar! The Stones OBVIOUSLY are no stranger to these side stories. Endless reading about their troubles is only a Google search away. I’ve never been terribly interested in the zeitgeist surrounding the Stones. For me their albums have been enough to hold my attention. Nonetheless, at this point in their career, woven into the fabric of Sticky Fingers are many side stories. Tabloid nonsense and disputes typically just yield irritation, but on Sticky Fingers these side stories in many ways actually helped craft the album. If I were to write in detail about all these subplots this review might be endless. For this reason I will introduce them and offer you resources so you can dive deeper into side topics (if you so choose).

Sticky Fingers is the first album on their own label (Rolling Stones Records). With their own label they control production which affords them almost exclusive control over their image and promotion. This is the birth of the Stones as a marketing machine. Onboard to help promote, there was album artwork designer and world-famous artist, Andy Warhol. Marketing prowess is further evidenced by the logo they created for Rolling Stones Records – the Lips & Tongue. In time the tongue would become one of, if not the most iconic rock and roll symbols of all time.

·         Learn more about the famous tongue and lips logo – How the “Greatest Rock and Roll Band  in the World” Got its Logo (Joobin Bekhrad, NY Times, April 2020)

The album cover is one of the most popular of the Stones. Album art and cover were created by Andy Warhol, a prominent artist in the Pop Art movement. Warhol’s most recognizable work is Campbell’s Soup Cans. Original versions of Sticky Fingers featured removable panties when you loosened the zipper. Warhol created numerous album covers for various bands with my personal favorite being 1967’s Velvet Underground & Nico.

·         For more information about the creation of the album cover visit here.

I believe what makes the Stones the greatest is they never abandoned their roots. Sticky Fingers features a bluesy tandem of tunes that serves as the core of the album. Emanating outward from this core, every song on the album has a bluesy or down-home gravity to it. I feel as if the Stones could rip the tunes “I Got the Blues” and “You Gotta Move” out of this record, supplement with a few more tracks, and BOOM…they’d have the blues album they wished Blue and Lonesome would have been. The representation of the blues is a testament to the Rolling Stones greatness; on an album as iconic as this, arguably their seminal work, in the middle of their most celebrated era, the spine is the uniquely American sound the Stones have always loved – the blues.“I Got the Blues” feels like a hangover. It’s like what plays in your head when you have to tackle a task or demon, but just don’t have the energy – physically or spiritually. Mick pours himself into the lyrics, his desperation is palpable. Here’s an exceptional live version: “I Got the Blues.”

“You Gotta Move” is a quintessential blues song. I feel as if Mick and Keith, in a movie-like way, could walk into a Mississippi Delta blues hall and play this tune. Surely with their British manner and flowing hair they would raise eyebrows, but after dropping this tune they’d have hold of every ear in the room. The duo of “I Got the Blues” and “You Gotta Move” are some of the finest blues music the Stones have offered and Mick Taylor’s contribution on guitar might be the reason why.

Sticky Fingers RIPS open with  “Brown Sugar.” The song is a classic, ranking #495 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. As Rolling Stone points out, the song is “The Stones take on slavery, sadomasochism, interracial sex – and they make it catchy as hell.” Viewed strictly from a commercial standpoint, “Brown Sugar” is the Stones last megahit. Sure Charlie and company had numerous chart-toppers and fantastic songs after “Brown Sugar,” but what record label people were hoping for hitwise was another “Brown Sugar.” Sorry “Start Me Up” – you aren’t quite as grand, but you’re still a fun tune! To this day “Brown Sugar” is a concert staple.

Nobody really knows for certain the story behind the sordid lyrics. Consistent in descriptions of the song is that it came together quickly with Jagger almost free-flowing the lyrics. Mick admitted in a 1995 interview he would not have written the song, instead would have “censored himself.” Is “Brown Sugar” simply Jagger exposing raw lustings? Are the lyrics laid out so viscerally as to highlight the pathetic nature of racism and slavery? Nowadays Mick changes the lyrics when playing live, but how can this song really be made totally acceptable amidst the #metoo movement?

Brown Sugar:

Gold Coast slave ship bound for cotton fields
Sold in the market down in New Orleans
Scarred old slaver knows he’s doin’ all right
Hear him whip the women just around midnight

Brown Sugar, how come you taste so good
Brown Sugar, just like a young girl should

Drums beatin’ cold, English blood runs hot
Lady of the house wonderin’ when it’s gonna stop
House boy knows that he’s doin’ all right
You should have heard him just around midnight

Brown Sugar, how come you taste so good
Brown Sugar, just like a young girl should

Brown Sugar, how come you dance so good
Brown Sugar, just like a black girl should

I bet your mama was a Cajun Queen,
And all her boyfriends were sweet sixteen
I’m no school boy but I know what I like
You should have heard them just around midnight

Brown Sugar, how come you taste so good
Brown Sugar, just like a black girl should

I said, yeah, yeah, yeah, wooo
How come you, how come you dance so good
Yeah, yeah, yeah, wooo
Just like a, just like a black girl should
Yeah, yeah, yeah, wooo

Songwriters Keith Richards/Mick Jagger

Label: Rolling Stones Records

Two scenarios dictate how I enter into this album: 1) start it proper and am leveled by the force of “Brown Sugar,” 2) skip “Sugar” and proceed to the second track “Sway.” Either way, “Sway” is my favorite track. If I pass go and proceed to “Sway,” the rawness is grounding; before the music starts Jagger counts the band off, 1 – 2 – 3. It’s a brief moment allowing for a deep inhale before taking in a fantastic album. If I start with “Brown Sugar” the pause between tracks coupled by Mick’s calming countdown affords my nerves a moment to stand down. “Sway” has a live feel to it, which is pleasing because the song doesn’t frequent their setlists. The soul searching content of the lyrics intertwine with Richards and Taylor’s guitar play lend a contemplative air to the track.

Sway:

Did you ever wake up to find
A day that broke up your mind
Destroyed your notion of circular time

It’s just that demon life has got you in its sway
It’s just that demon life has got you in its sway

Ain’t flinging tears out on the dusty ground
For all my friends out on the burial ground
Can’t stand the feeling getting so brought down

It’s just that demon life has got me in its sway
It’s just that demon life has got me in its sway

There must be ways to find out
Love is the way they say is really strutting out

Hey, hey, hey now
One day I woke up to find
Right in the bed next to mine
Someone that broke me up with a corner of her smile, yeah

It’s just that demon life has got me in its sway
It’s just that demon life has got me in its sway

It’s just that demon life has got me in its sway
It’s just that demon life has got me

It’s just that demon life has got me

Songwriters Keith Richards/Mick Jagger

Label: Rolling Stones Records, Virgin

Gram Parsons – a trust fund equipped, Harvard dropout, country music impresario becomes fast friends with Keith Richards and the Stones are never the same

Legend has it Gram Parsons was touring with the Byrds in London and refused to continue onwards to South Africa because of apartheid. After ditching the tour Keith met Gram and thus began their friendship. Gram was a legendary songwriter and guitarist who by bending country and rock, founded Cosmic American music. Cosmic American is today’s alt-country. The Eagles, Wilco, Jason Isabel, the Jayhawks and countless others owe a debt of gratitude to Gram.

This period of rock’s history (late 60s/early 70s) was the span of time that lost the most artists to the infamous 27 Club. Despite dying at 26, Mr. Parsons is very much a member of this club. What a life though, in his short time he was a part of 3 different bands that produced three different albums on the Rolling Stones Top 500 albums of all time. Here are some links to fantastic tracks on those albums:

·         #120 – The Byrds, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, “Nothing Was Delivered”

·         #192 – The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Gilded Palace of Sin, “Dark End of the Street”

·         #425 – Gram Parsons, Grievous Angel, “Return of the Grievous Angel”

Gram was a child of incredible wealth (his family owned vast orchards in Florida) who left Harvard to pursue music.  He had an encyclopedic knowledge of country music, as an expert himself, reportedly taught Keith how to play country/western-style guitar. Grams’ influence can be heard in numerous Stones songs including Torn and Frayed, Country Honk, and Far Away Eyes. His influence is so profound that it is rumored he wrote one of Sticky Fingers’ most fantastic songs – “Wild Horses.”

Did Gram write Wild Horses? I don’t know, the internet is indecisive on the subject. I will say it feels more authentically country-ish than many Stones country tunes. It has the casual, small-town Main Street kinda pace conjured in Gram classics like “Hickory Wind” and “That’s All It Took.” For Sticky Fingers, “Wild Horses” lends a soothing tempo amidst soul-wrenching blues and intense rock songs. It is worth noting controversy surrounding song credits have surfaced throughout the Stones career. Mick Taylor, whose guitar elevated this period of the Stones career, would leave the band a few years after Sticky Fingers amid disagreements about writing credits.

Here’s the Flying Burrito Brothers (with Gram) and the Stones versions of the tune – Take a listen and ask yourself, does it really matter who wrote it? If you are interested in finding out the truth, peruse this article to start on your quest.

I am inspired by Gram’s freedom. Jesuits call it “interior freedom” and basically it is the ability to confidently do as you are called. Here’s Parsons, a guy who could have completed his Harvard degree and then tackled industry. He could very likely be alive today and fantastically wealthy. Who knows, maybe today we’d be drinking Parsons brand orange juice instead of Dole. Instead Gram exercised his interior freedom and today we have Cosmic American music because of it. So no, I don’t really care if “Wild Horses” was stolen from him. I don’t care because if not for my fascination with the Stones who knows WHEN I would have found out about Gram Parsons, perhaps never? For me their stories are woven together and I am thankful for both.

Grams’ influence on Sticky Fingers is heard beyond “Wild Horses.” In particular, Parsons’ presence on “Dead Flowers” is embedded deep within the fast-paced but lyrically grim tune. “Dead Flowers” is a sauntering song chock full of country music components including twangy guitar, heck…Mick even sings in a Southern drawl! “Dead Flowers” is standard Americana, country-rock fare these days. For example, recently, while listening to Sticky Fingers on a jog through the neighborhood, I encountered a garage band performing for a small (socially distanced) crowd of folks in lawn chairs. Upon removing my earbuds I was pleased to hear “Dead Flowers.” How perfect a tune for a spring evening! 

Did Santana Influence Sticky Fingers smoothest song?  

At 7:14 “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” is one of the Stones’ lengthier album tracks. It’s a smooth song whose sound is a rich blend of blues-rock and Latin soul. If I were strutting down Ocean Drive in Miami I imagine this tune would be playing. It’s the Latin/Chicano sound that leads many to believe Santana influenced or perhaps even collaborated on the track. Mick Taylor and Keith swear Santana’s influence was coincidental. Heck, in a 2002 interview Keith went as far as to say they didn’t even know the technician “kept the tape rolling” – they were just jamming! Sorry to discredit Mr. Santana but more than likely this song just represents Mr. Taylor’s growing influence on the Stones. Sticky Fingers is the second album Mick contributed to and at the time of this album’s release, Mick had already toured with the band. Simply put, this record was released in the middle of his tenure so it makes sense his influence would be felt on this tune and throughout the album.

It’s probably no surprise a jammy song like “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” sounds fantastic live. It remains a fixture of Stones’ lineups. Being it is one of his favorite songs, I suggest listening to a version from Mick’s tenure with the band. Here’s a treat for you – Mick rejoined the Stones recently for some concerts; take a listen to him plying his craft in 2013. 

Rounding Out The Album – Don’t Overlook These Great Tracks!

“Sister Morphine” successfully introduces listeners to the lonely depths of a morphine experience, it is a rambling, haunting tune. You feel the depravity and hollowness an addict stumbles through. It’s not one of my favorites of the album, but in many respects, my opinion is counter how many feel about the “Sister Morphine.” Rolling Stone Magazine lists it amongst the Stones Deepest Cuts. Its inclusion on a Stones album is unique because it is a Mick Jagger/Marianne Faithful collaboration. Marianne was Mick’s partner and their relationship, as well as Faithful’s own musical career, could be another side story to this album.

The horn section steals the show from Mick and Keith’s guitars on “Bitch.” This tune sounds exactly how you feel when you speak the word bitch – simultaneously ashamed, angered and relieved. This tune is fun in the sense it affords the relief of expelling frustrations, but with how the horns wrap around the guitars, you’ll also feel like dancing. Joy and relief in one song – fantastic!

The orchestrations for Sticky Fingers are really pretty straight forward – it plays as if it were live. The listener feels like they are jamming with the band in a music hall. All tracks feature what you might find at a concert, including a horn section, guitars, drum kit, and piano. The exception to this basic formula is the more heavily orchestrated concluding track – “Moonlight Mile.”

Sticky Fingers opens at a gallop but ends on a stroll with “Moonlight Mile.” It is a wonderful tune that previews the sound of future mid-70s Stones records, notably Goats Head Soup, Black and Blue and It’s Only Rock and Roll. The subtle blending of blues, rock and country results in a sort of timeless quality to this album. From your first listen onwards it seems to come equipped with patina. “Moonlight Mile” is an opportunity to savor this hefty, full-throated, classic album.

Misogyny laden lyrics, iconic artists literally putting their stamp on this production, the birth of a marketing entity, a musical friendship so thick that it’s near impossible to discern who wrote what, a band and society moving onwards from an angst-filled decade – it’s a miracle anything of quality emerged with all these factors circling this album. Or perhaps it’s the Stones accepting of their station in life, as the “World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band,” that enabled them to pull from all these factors to craft a truly monumental rock album? Ultimately it doesn’t matter, 50 years later they are still the greatest and Sticky Fingers is amongst the best in their storied catalog.

In challenging times the inclination is often to flock towards folksy, contemplative albums, Dylan’s The Times They Are a-Changin’ for example. But movements also need energy and the raw energy presented in Sticky Fingers provides inspiration and vigor. So the next time you’re waltzing down Main Street and see a kickass, cool car rolling proudly, stealing everyone’s attention – tune your ears because you’ll probably hear Sticky Fingers escaping from its speakers. 

Next For Andy’s Stones

“Flip the Switch” on that old dial-up modem! We’re diving into the 5th year of Bill Clinton’s presidency with 1997’s Bridges to Babylon! “You Might as Well Get Juiced” because we’ll give you the “Low Down” on this far from classic but enjoyable album. Bridges to Babylon features plenty of often-overlooked delights that will bring delight to your ears. So bust out that cozy GAP sweatshirt, pull Hanson’s MMMBop Middle of Nowhere out the cd tray and ready yourself for this fun album. This review will on or near Oct. 18th.

Until Next Times Stones Fans…

You Got Me Rocking!

Peace and Cheers,

a.t.

Postscript and Other Thoughts

• Many, many thanks for your patience in waiting for this review. It was a laborious effort, one paragraph at a time, sometimes not even that! 
• About sources:
  • Album info (i.e. release dates, track listings, label info) was retrieved from the Sticky Fingers Wikipedia page. 
  • Photos (album cover and lips & tongue) were retrieved from www.rollingstones.com 
  • The preview to this review incorrectly cited Casey Andrus as editing this review – that was INCORRECT! Editing help was provided by someone other than Casey who wishes to remain anonymous. It makes sense if you think about it as Mr. Andrus typically scant assistance to anyone!
  • Other sources are embedded in the paragraph of which they are referenced.
• Remember to VOTE and make sure everyone you know VOTES!
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• Get ahold of me with feedback, be it an irritant, praise, idea, or general comment regarding the Stones and/or these reviews. 
• A sincere thank you to all who reached out to Chels and me following the death of her Grandpa Roe and our hound Mulligan. It was a darn lousy August but how folks flooded us with love and concern was helpful. As Bono noted, the world works in Mysterious Ways and to that effect we’re excited to welcome a new pup into our home – Tilly Ruth Trcka.