Goats Head Soup - Rolling Stones (The) (CD 1994)

The task must have been daunting. What kind of songs do you write? What styles do you use? Even for a band such as The Rolling Stones, following up a certifiable masterpiece such as Exile On Main Street must have been a chore.

Goats Head Soup would become (in my mind) the beginning of the Stones' slide into 1970's mediocrity and mainstream accessibility. Traces of the grit and honesty that had filled previous watershed albums such as Let It Bleed, Beggar's Banquet and Exile On Main Street can be found scattered throughout this album, but in smaller doses. Mick Jagger's vocals aren't as urgent. Keith Richards' and Mick Taylor's guitars don't blaze as much as they once did, and Bill Wyman's bass part is buried in the mix somewhere.

All this is not to say that Goats Head Soup isn't a good album in its own right. It features a few incredible tracks that grip your heart and tug it 'til it bursts. My main problem is my bias and reverence towards earlier blues-centered albums. Jimmy Miller's production is dead on - for a 1970's rock album. It's just that as the band's music isn't as urgent, neither is the production. Gone is the dirty echo. Gone is the tape hiss. And for the most part, gone is the grit one plus - like a few of their previous albums, the Stones employed some great backup musicians to sit in on the studio sessions. You'll find Beatle favorite Billy Preston on the piano and clavinet (along with standbys Nicky Hopkins and Ian Stewart). The horn section is also talent-packed with the likes of Bobby Keys on sax, Jim Horn on flute, and Chuck Finley on trumpet.

Dancing With Mr. D is a crisp blues driven number where Mick Jagger lets loose, and drummer Charlie Watts shines. Is Jagger singing about dancing with the devil? It really doesn't matter what the lyrics are saying - what's important is that Keith Richards' guitar part has some great hooks, and the rhythm section keeps this one bouncing along. 100 Years Ago, a forgotten gem, is one of my favorite Stones tunes of all. If you listen close enough you might hear glints of Van Morrison's influence on Mick Jagger's vocals. This, interlaced with an incredibly funky middle section makes this tune one not to miss.

Coming Down Again, while being really pretty seems to last an eternity. Listen for some throaty vocals from Keith Richards, and some interesting lyrics -- the fact that the tune is over-produced and inorganic sounding overshadow these pluses. Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) might have one of the most absurd titles in the history of rock (slightly behind the Police's De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da), but it's both addictive and well - rocking. This is Mick Jagger at his finest, wailing at the top of his lungs over the horn section as Taylor and Richards lay down some of the best guitar riffs on the album. "The Police in New York City / Chased a boy right through the park / In a case of mistaken identity / they put a bullet through his heart / heartbreakers with your .44 / I wanna' tear your world apart!"

Angie is one of those songs that's fun to sing along to. You can't take it too seriously once Jagger starts whispering lyrics into your ear, but that's okay. I stand by my declaration that as far as range and melody, this is Jagger's finest vocal performance -- he hits notes in this song that he doesn't dare attempt in other tunes. The lyrics themselves are pure schlock and syrup, but there's something life-affirming about the line "All the dreams we held so close / seemed to all go up in smoke / let me whisper in your ear". Or how about "Oh Angie don't you weep / all your kisses still taste sweet / I hate that sadness in your eyes"?

The next two songs (Silver Train and Hide Your Love), are revisits of sorts to styles used on Exile On Main Street. Piano, slide guitar, harmonica Silver Train starts out promising, the only problems are the lyrics obvious references to drugs can only take a song so far, and after a couple of minutes this song gets really boring. The same fate meets Hide Your Love. Even though there's an inspired guitar solo near the middle of the tune, it's not nearly enough to save this average-at-best track.

Winter boasts impressively crisp production complete with echoed vocals, and a unique atmosphere. Charlie Watts' drums take on a jazzy feel, and the music itself is inspiring. Unfortunately the song seems to meander along for far too long, clocking in at almost six minutes. Although I hate to like the over-production on Can You Hear the Music, I must admit the song is catchy, but once again lasts too long.

Star Star is a return to roots rock and roll. It's an obvious throwback to the sound of Chuck Berry and similar guitar pioneers. The lyrics are great - up to the chorus, which lacks any hint of originality. I can't really repeat what's said, but rest assured a better title for the tune would be Star F*****.

Goats Head Soup is truly hit and miss. There are some incredible tunes early on, but the album seems bogged down with mediocrity near the end. It's truly a sign of what was to come in the following two decades to the group that had once been 'the greatest rock and roll band in the world'.

OVERALL GRADE: B