Rolling Stones - Some Girls

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Free Music Notes for Some Girls

Free Music Review: The "New York Album" - and the "Last Classic Stones Album"
Hit: 5 Stars

When this album, 'Some Girls', was recorded in Paris in 1977, the band was viewed by the punk and disco crowds as old, outdated, and on its way to jail.

The album became the masterpiece it is today because of Mick Jagger's efforts to 'keep up with the times' balancing out perfectly with Richards's desires for a traditional energetic rock'n'roll sound. The album (except for "Far Away Eyes") was set entirely in New York City, making a tremendous impact and describing the city in a startlingly clear light - reeling from the economic downturn of the 70's, the seedy underside of the streets paved with gold in America. It works, not like a concept album, but rather as a cohesive feel. It *describes* the city of that era.

The album opens with the disco dance-floor classic "Miss You". Almost everyone has heard this song with its strange falsetto chorus, even if you don't know the title. Although officially called disco, the Stones, under the ferocious stubbornness of Keith Richards, keep the song grounded in disco's funk roots as Mick Jagger sings, giving it a racy and dangerous culture-mixing feel. The song shot to #1 when it was released as a single. "When The Whip Comes Down" mixes another modern style with Richards and Wood's brilliant lead/rhythm 'weave': punk. The song, about rise of sadomasochism clubs in Manhattan, snarls and bites every bit as ferociously as the Ramones and even their archetypal predecessors The Velvet Underground. However, the Stones enhance the punk roots with their absolute mastery of their instruments, rather than the abrasive and tiring power chords of punk rock. "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" is a facelift of an old-time song, which the Stones have proven themselves accomplished with in 1974's "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" and 1977's blistering El Mocombo club live peformance of "Mannish Boy". Jagger pointedly changes the location of the song to New York in accordance with the song's musical change, making it another staple to the album. "Some Girls", the title track, is directed at all the groupies the Stones encountered through their long careers, taking a languid Dylan-esque air to it as they rattle off the racial and cultural stereotypes that they've seen, before mocking Bob Dylan in the chorus ("I'll buy you a house at the Zuma Beach and give you half of what I own" - referring to Dylan's divorce settlment). Side One closes with another punk rocker, "Lies", just as violent as "When The Whip Comes Down" - and a bit faster and harder. ("Lies! Lies! Lies! Why don't you go to hell!" roars Jagger)

Side Two opens on a completely different note. "Far Away Eyes", recorded in Jagger's strange drawl parodying the American South, recounts a story of stereotypical American life, love and religion. Ronnie Wood's brilliant pedal steel guitar is the highlight of this song and some would say his best playing with the Stones. "Respectable" is another hard rocker, this one with a much more noted political message. Jagger sings about the Stones's sudden new image as old men before starting to slag mercilessly on his wife, Bianca. "Get out of my life! Don't come back!" he screams as the song crashes forward. The song ends, and Keith Richards's second autobiographical number, a companion to 1972's "Happy", begins. "Before They Make Me Run", sung by the ragged-voiced Richards, rollicks along and recounts his new position teetering on the edge of destruction, playfully self-mocking his early years and committing himself to the band again after years of experimentation with drugs. "Beast Of Burden", the album's second very-well-known number, is very much the anti-love song of the time. Mick Jagger heartfully sings with the conviction of an old time crooner while in reality painting a picture of a man disillusioned with love. The album closes with the strange rhythmic rocker "Shattered", a song with punk energy and a strange experimentation of rhythmic speaking rather than singing - Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood mutter "Shidoobee, Shattered!" in the background as Mick Jagger simply spills his frustration with life in New York City. His hillarious lyrics also ring true with the economic crisis of the era: "Life's just a cocktail party! Livin' on the street! Big Apple! People dressed in plastic bags, directing traffic - some kinda fashion..." The album closes very suddenly, almost in mid-sentence, with a crash of the great Charlie Watts's drums.

Some say this was the last Stones album worth buying. This is not true - even 1980's much-reviled 'Emotional Rescue' is worth a listen, and 1997's 'Bridges to Babylon', 1981's 'Tattoo You' and 1983's 'Undercover' all have their moments of glory. But this is the last essential Stones album, the last Stones album any true fan of rock'n'roll must add to their collection. Called the "Bastard Child" of the Stones's earlier great quartet of albums ('Beggar's Banquet', 'Let It Bleed', 'Sticky Fingers' and 'Exile On Main Street') because of its position six years after 'Exile', it is also the only one of the classic albums to be released with Ronnie Wood - soon after he too would spiral out of control on drugs and alcohol, an addiction he would not recover from until the miraculous 2002 Licks World Tour.

Truly a masterpiece of Rock and a crossroads of 70s music and culture in New York City. A must own!

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