The Cavern
Rock & Words
OUT OF OUR HEADS (The Rolling Stones, 1965)
Artist: The Rolling Stones (A)
Date of Recording: Nov ’64 – May ‘65
Date of Release: July 30, 1965. UK
Record Label: Decca / London Records
Producer: Andrew Loog Oldham
Rating: 8
Era: Rock & Roll II, Early Sixties (1960-1966)
Subgenre: British Invasion
Satisfaction: Satisfaction, Satisfaction y SATISFACTION.
Canciones: 1) Mercy Mercy; 2) Hitch Hike; 3) The Last Time; 4) That's How Strong My Love Is; 5) Good Times; 6) I'm Alright; 7) (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction; 8) Cry To Me; 9) The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man; 10) Play With Fire; 11) The Spider And The Fly; 12) One More Try.
This is a transitional album for the Stones, which makes it very difficult to assess. First of all, this is the track listing for the American version, released in July, two months before the British version, which underwent so many changes that they only share six tracks. The rest were replaced with singles that had already shown some success on the UK charts, but somehow they make the European version seem less impressive. So, since I don't intend to do a double review just because the record labels decided to create a huge mess by rearranging the tracks to squeeze money out of audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, we'll only look at this version of Out of Our Heads, which, in my opinion, is superior. We'll have enough to deal with in December's Children, which is a complete chronological mess.
This is a deceptive album because many say it's a significant improvement over its predecessor, that it has a generational anthem and a landmark in rock history like "Satisfaction," that Jagger/Richards finally reveal themselves as songwriters, and so on; and just as many say it's rubbish, that there are still a huge number of covers, and that it's softer than on Now!, leaning too much towards the Motown sound, and full of filler. And you know what? For a change, both sides are right, so I'm declaring it a tie, and for me, it's neither superior nor inferior to its predecessor. It has the same 8 rating as Now!
But let's take it one step at a time, as they say in Tepito. The album is slightly overrated because it contains the iconic "Satisfaction." This happens with many albums that get blown out of proportion because they have one great song, like the Moody Blues' Days of Future Passed, Queen's Hot Space, or the Eagles' Hotel California. However, the fact that I consider this album overrated doesn't mean that "Satisfaction" is. It's undoubtedly a great song, with a very simple yet powerful riff and lyrics that are more relevant every day than when they were first written, but we'll get into that later. Another issue is the stagnation caused by the lack of original material. It's true that by this point the Beatles were already making entire albums of their own material, but there's a notable improvement in the songwriting quality of Jagger and Richards, with three good songs (one of them a great blues track), and some filler that adds little. But to compensate, there's one absolute banger that, up to that point, blows any solo Beatles song out of the water. Yes, any of them. The Stones' creative duo hadn't quite found their footing yet, but they were gaining confidence and showing increasingly interesting things, so this slow transition that begins here would eventually be rounded off with the impeccable Aftermath the following year, solidifying their position on that album as the only songwriting partnership capable of competing with Lennon/McCartney.
As for the selection of covers, I don't see it as a complete step backward. It's true that they're songs with a softer, less dark and biting sound than those on Now! and England Newest… but Brian and Keith make changes to their respective sounds, and that's something that's generally overlooked. It's a point in their favor, because without that risk, Jones would have continued giving a Muddy Waters-esque blues sound until the end of time (or until he crossed a swimming pool) and Richards would have continued doing Chuck Berry imitations until wrinkles ate him alive. Here, they both take risks in searching for a more original sound, arpeggios and cyclical figures in the riffs, and they dare to transform some of the covers in surprising ways. Unfortunately, none of them achieved the status of "Susie Q," "Under the Boardwalk," "Time Is On My Side," or "Route 66," which even now are more associated with the Rolling Stones than with their original authors. The search for new sounds, then, may not entirely favor reworks, which are not necessarily bad, but this still timid experimentation will fully take shape in Aftermath, an album in which the guitar partnership of Jones and Richards reached its greatest synergy and perfection.
The album opens with Don Covay's "Mercy Mercy". The song starts tremendously, very promising, with a dark mini-intro, reminiscent of "Down Home Girl" from the previous album, which immediately launches into a driving, elastic, and cyclical riff, laden with fuzz. Incidentally, this use of cyclical riffs will be a recurring feature of this album and one of Keith's experiments that works very well. In addition to the energy provided by the fuzz guitar, Mick delivers a great vocal performance, using overtones and emphasizing certain syllables, and at 1:39 he even throws in a very interesting falsetto. It's not an impressive rocker, more of a mid-tempo song, but even though the circular riff can become a bit tiresome, it has enough energy to make a good opener.
Marvin Gaye's "Hitch Hike" is practically a twin brother to "Mercy Mercy." Its structure, tone, mid-tempo feel, and overall atmosphere are an exact clone of the former, making it feel completely unnecessary, or at least out of place, immediately following such a similar song. Even so, it's not bad; the riff is different and manages to work, the choruses repeating "Hitch Hike" over and over in the background are catchy hooks, and at least the song is interesting despite the resemblance. I don't know if it's just my nerves, or if the Velvet Underground blatantly stole this intro riff from the Stones' version of "There She Goes Again."
"The Last Time" is the first original track on this album, and prior to the LP, it had already been a hit as the first Jagger/Richards song to reach number one in the UK. Therefore, this would be the single that truly launched them, not "Satisfaction" as is commonly believed. Once again, Keith plays with a cyclical riff that repeats throughout the song, requiring excellent guitar work to provide the precise pauses and cues to avoid making it tedious. Fortunately, Keith, who would eventually be called the Riffmaster (and deservedly so), already demonstrates this mastery, giving the song a playful and dynamic feel. This, combined with Mick's vocal harmonies, makes for a fun, engaging, and catchy track. Like its predecessors, it's not a wild rocker, and it completely lacks the darkness of "Heart of Stone," for example, but it has enough energy and shows signs that the creative duo is maturing—perhaps not yet at the level of the Beatles, but certainly well above the average of groups like The Animals, Pretty Things, or The Who at that time. It's not a classic, but it's very well made and their original material begins to stand out more than the covers.
Next up is Roosevelt Johnson's "How Strong My Love Is". I find it a very tiresome song, with that waltz-like rhythm repeating the sequence of notes with that frenetic wrist action. Repetitive to the point of exhaustion, and not even a guitar solo! The only noteworthy thing is Mick's impressive vocal performance. He's never been able to sing like a Black man, but he uses a myriad of his own resources to give soul to this Motown-style song.
Then there's Sam Cooke's "Good Times", which seems like a poor choice as a cover. That's one of the album's issues: the Stones seem to be leaning back towards the Motown sound again, and that's not a good thing. Despite all the professionalism with which they play them and all the heart with which Mick sings, the songs sound weak, lightweight, and like filler. In this particular case, despite the lovely vocal harmonies, it falls short of Sam Cooke's original version, sounding even more timid and poppy. It's not bad per se, but it seems completely out of place and out of style, and these kinds of songs make the Stones' early albums lose their impact and appeal.
Next up is Ellas McDanie's "I'm Alright". This is a live take from the British EP *Got Live If You Want It* (not to be confused with the LP of the same name). The song starts off strong, full of energy thanks to the girls' screams and that (again, cyclical) riff, while Mick and the guys build to a fun and incredibly energetic crescendo, very much in the style of the Isley Brothers. I have nothing against that electrifying energy you can feel in a live performance, but the song is too simplistic for my taste—just the guys having fun on stage.
Now comes a new chapter. I could write a review dedicated exclusively to “Satisfaction”, but I’ll try to be as brief as possible. “Satisfaction” is a true historical curiosity. From the way it was conceived—we all know that Keith Richards envisioned it as a slow blues (something similar happened to McCartney with “Yesterday”)—and they couldn’t get it to work in the studio until they sped it up, Mick raised the pitch by an octave in the pre-chorus bridges, and Keith added that tremendous, historic, fuzz-laden riff, perhaps the most famous in history. Curiously, Keith himself didn’t consider it a serious contender for a single. Not only was it a single, but it spent weeks at number one on both sides of the Atlantic, earned them their first gold record in the USA, became an anthem of ’65 about the disillusioned attitude of the new generations, transcended to become THE rock song of the decade (completely untouched by the hippie influence), and for many, THE rock song of all time. And it remains in effect.
The curious thing about this song is that it's really simple, which is why Keith didn't see much potential in it. And it's true, musically it's nothing special; it's not very energetic, nor is it particularly loud or wild… The Who or the Yardbirds were doing much louder and more complex things. The riff is ridiculously simple, barely three notes! There's no guitar solo! However, "Satisfaction" could win the universal award for perfect balance, so perfect that perhaps even the Stones themselves weren't aware of it when they recorded it. It's not wild like "Wild Thing" or "My Generation," but it rocks like crazy, and even now it's capable of getting entire stadiums jumping, and in this original version, it even seems like they do it effortlessly. The song also exudes courage, regardless of the lyrics; the perfect equalization of the buzz in the guitar, Charlie's wonderful beat (which is left alone at times, holding the song together), Mick's enormous fury singing in the choruses, and that almost desperate quality of the verses elegantly finished off by Keith and the phenomenal crescendo bridge with the "and I try, and I try, AND I TRYYYY!!" created a strange chemistry in all the teenagers who were also pissed off without knowing exactly why or with whom.
Another wonderful aspect is the riff, which, as we've already mentioned, is probably the most famous of all time. It's the simplest thing in the world, just three notes that have nothing to do with the complexity of Clapton's "Layla" or Hendrix's "Purple Haze." But its power lies in that simplicity, and it's as catchy as bubblegum. Only Keith could have taken those three notes and given them the timing, the pauses, the charm, the elastic effect, the fury, and the exact fuzz equalization to definitively put an end to all fuzz riffs back in 1965. And this is where what he learned from "The Last Time" shines through, because thanks to the confidence gained from the success of that single, he was encouraged to create this riff, also cyclical, but with an aura of grandeur that is unmatched by any other cyclical riff in history.
Finally, the lyrics. And this is where Mick and Keith's evolution shines through: Keith came up with the idea, as part of his dream contained the phrase "I can't get no satisfaction..." after which he woke up startled, grabbed his guitar, turned on the recorder, and recorded a couple of minutes of what he'd heard in his dream. He fell back asleep and recorded another 40 minutes of snoring. But the rest of the lyrics are Jagger's, and they are decidedly unlike anything he'd written before. While some of his lyrics were sexually provocative and threatening in their defiant attitude, this is an open battle cry, not only in the sexual sense, which I think is secondary, but also in the social sense. Jagger takes a completely anti-consumerist and denunciatory stance, loudly proclaiming his dissatisfaction with the world and its frivolity, with being told what to do and how to do it, what to buy, what to think, or how to live, and with the loss of individuality he perceived in his generation in the mid-60s, still repressed by the establishment and the morality of the previous generation. Can you imagine the impact these lyrics had on the millions and trillions of young people who felt exactly the same? The song had to be banned in Europe, but pirate radio broadcasts and its success in the USA (where they didn't react in time) forced commercial radio to play it. I'm not saying this song single-handedly caused the revolution that would come in '66 and '67, but we could say it was one of the catalysts, or the first rock song (not folk) to directly confront the system, opening the door for bands to take their role as communicators more seriously and forcing, along with Dylan and Lennon's tentative forays in For Sale, a remarkable evolution in rock lyrics. That's perhaps why it's the quintessential song of the '60s, and why it hasn't lost its relevance; rather, the lyrics become more and more valid with time, as society becomes more consumerist and individuality is further eroded by electronic media. Therefore, I wouldn't hesitate to call it THE best rock song in history, despite the musical simplicity we already mentioned and despite the fact that the Stones themselves have much more musically accomplished pieces. Or at least I'd put it among the top 5.
And as a final irony, Jagger, who became a generational leader against the establishment overnight, would end up becoming a symbol of it by the 70s, more concerned with his image, his clothes, and the socialite scene than with rock music. Today, "Satisfaction" can be used to attack its own creators…
After such a powerful song, “Cry To Me”, a Bert Russell-esque soul number, sounds completely out of place and even awkward. At least the electric guitar work of Brian and Keith stands out; they seem to understand each other better and better outside their respective natural environments, and the vocal ending is quite intense. But I maintain that these tracks add nothing to the Stones' sound.
“The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man” is an R&B song, a bit more rhythmic and in which the group feels slightly more comfortable, with Brian's harmonica playing as a highlight and the return of Keith's circular riffs, which even allow him to rack his brains on the lead guitar, but it is not one of the band's most outstanding compositions, very average.
Fortunately, "Play With Fire" arrives, imbued with all the darkness and Stones-esque aura already present in "Heart of Stone," demonstrating their progress in songwriting. The song is very basic, featuring a folk-like acoustic arpeggio and a harpsichord played by Jack Nietzsche, giving it a psychedelic and almost gothic feel a year before tracks like "Lady Jane" or "Paint It Black." It's very simple, but it works perfectly and has that menacing aura so characteristic of the Rolling Stones, making this track the second best on the album.
“The Spider And The Fly” is another original, with the novelty that this time they dare to create a very polished blues, one that doesn't sound generic, but rather imbues it with their own personality and signature style. Besides the very elegant and refined musical finish, the lyrics are hilarious, parodying themselves and poking fun at their opportunities to pick up girls as a famous musician. Moreover, Mick sings them with exquisite nonchalance, cynicism, and cadence. In the 90s, the song experienced a resurgence through several remakes, appearances in films, and its inclusion on the album “Stripped.” Frankly, it's a belated recognition of the song, which I think was unjustly forgotten. It's a great blues song and features some of the Stones' funniest lyrics.
“One More Try” is a rather insubstantial original R&B track that closes the album. Recorded specifically for the US release, it sounds rushed, careless, and merely filler to pad out the runtime, which thankfully is no more than two minutes. It's a below-average song that any average band of the era could have written during a moment of low inspiration.
The greatest strength of this album is that the best songs are original compositions by the band. This isn't just due to a poor selection of covers—soft, soulful tracks that don't suit the Stones' sound—but also because the Jagger-Richards duo is making steady progress and gaining confidence as songwriters, and the band itself, under the pseudonym Nanker Phelge, is working as a team while evolving individually. Jagger has now fully developed his vocal style, while Brian and Keith are increasingly in sync in areas beyond blues and rock & roll.
The album, then, is far from perfect, and the covers significantly diminish its impact compared to previous albums, where they were known precisely for their excellent reinterpretations and for making other artists' songs their own. However, in retrospect, this is good news. The great tracks on this album are solely and exclusively original to the band! Even so, this is the album that contains the legendary "Satisfaction," and for that reason alone, some have hailed it as one of the best albums of all time. Don't be fooled, the album isn't insulting, but were it not for "Satisfaction" and "Play With Fire," which are light years ahead of the rest of the material and greatly elevate the album, contributing significantly to its 8 rating, this LP would have been a mediocre effort by Rolling Stones standards.
By Corvan
Jan/5/2010
