Comments, input and alterations are very welcome!
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Flip The Switch
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

Ocean Way Recording Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US,
March 13 - July 1997

Mick Jagger - lead vocals, backing vocals
Keith Richards - electric guitar, handclaps, backing vocals
Charlie Watts - drums
Ron Wood - electric guitar
Waddy Wachtel - electric guitar
Jim Keltner - percussion
Jeff Sarli - upright acoustic bass
Joe Sublett - baritone saxophone
Blondie Chaplin - tambourine, backing vocals
Bernard Fowler - backing vocals

A scrap of flesh and a heap of bones, one deep sigh and a desperate moan
Three black eyes and a busted nose, I said: oh yeah, oh yeah
Take me up, baby I'm a-ready to go, yeah
Switch me up, baby I'm a-ready to go, yeah
Break me up, baby I'm a-ready, baby, baby I'm a-ready to go
Chill me, freeze me, to my blood

I'm not going to burn in hell, I cased the joint and I know it well
Maybe my carcass would feed the worms, but I'm working for the other firm
Shake me up, baby I'm a-ready to go
Fix me up, baby I'm a-ready to roll, yeah
Set me up, baby, baby, baby I'm a-ready, baby I'm a-ready to go
Chill me, freeze me, to my blood, flip the switch

I got my money, my ticket, all that shit, I even got myself a little shaving kit
What would it take to bury me, I can't wait, I can't wait to see

I got a toothbrush, mouthwash, all that shit, I'm looking down in the filthy pit
I had the turkey and the stuffing too, I even saved a little bit for you

Lethal injection’s a luxury, I wanna give it to the whole jury
I'm just dying for one more squeeze, oh yeah, oh yeah
Pick me up, baby I'm a-ready to go, yes
Take me up, baby I'm a-ready to blow
Take me up, baby if you're ready to go
Baby I got nowhere to go, baby I'm a-ready to go
Chill me, freeze me, to my bones, flip the switch

Produced by Don Was & The Glimmer Twins

First released on:
The Rolling Stones - “Bridges To Babylon” CD
(Virgin Records VJCP 25333) Japan, September 26, 1997



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-12-01 18:28 by René.

what wudda been a weak but fun lite rocker on a medium to good rolling stones album is like the holy grail on a trainwreck like bridges...

...i mean that in a good way... uh....

jeeze they got half the A team personnel in the industry on that cut and it's still a shallow little 'thru the motions' kinda deal...imo.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-05-10 09:23 by Beelyboy.

Have glued up a number of times but it always draws a comment...



Keith Richards .......... 1997



ROCKMAN

Beely, come on man. I love Bridges. A great acclectic album with some nice surprises. Flip the Switch is cool...kind of reminds me of Shattered with those convict backing vocals. Oh ya, oh ya....nice little rocker.

the lyrics can be interpreted so edgy considering the interview bit Rockman. and the death row scenario...still, for me, feels a bit forced; and comes off lite rock not heavy end of the world for the outlaw kinda deal...just one opinion tho.

i give it a fresh listen this very season Whitem8 thanks. i kinda listened at first upon release but for whatever reason at the time, it seemed easy to dismiss and i never went back with any kind of expectation of fun or entertainment. mebbe i'm missin' some things.
[www.iorr.org]
?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-05-10 09:43 by Beelyboy.

ohh yeah! :E
it shakes my tailfeather, plus which the lyrics are hilarious

it shakes my tailfeather, plus which the lyrics are hilarious

YEAH babe that's 'cause you got a rocknroll heart ... AND as you well know not every body has one of dem ....



ROCKMAN

the lyrix suk

i mean it all does but especially the lyrix.

oh my. from THESE writers? not even reasonably arguable imo.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-05-10 09:51 by Beelyboy.

Beelyboy my dear, we already get that you don't dig it.
maybe there's a thread about something that does groove you?
there's way more joy in pondering what moves us than harping on what doesn't ... truly

There are many jewelry between tracks , weaving guitars and voices many textures....for me it`s very impressive song with fresh fast groove.Very stylish as whole Bridges to Babylon.

Could have been a great track, but it sounds a bit unfinished to me. The live versions are great, though.

Priceless how Keith plays the main riff totally different towards the ending with lots of bum notes. Could have been avoided

Something about the guitar sound I don't like either. And the ending? Pfft, not good.

But the track itself is a good one. Like other songs on B2B (Out Of Control and Juiced come to mind), they sound lame on record, good live.

A very good Stones song, it rocked live on the stage.

Always liked Flip- one of the best rockers the stones gave us in 97.

Reminds me of "Wired All Night". But "Wired All Night" was better.

Drew

Good analogy drewmaster. Hmmmm...but I think I prefer Flip, it has more atmosphere.

Quote
drewmaster
Reminds me of "Wired All Night". But "Wired All Night" was better.

Drew

I think both are eggcellent - i like both equally

I like Charlie's manic tempo and Keith's throat cutting guitar playing, especially that bizarre use of notes, regardless of whether they are 'correct' or not (and live how he strayed from it and went up the neck). It's certainly a kickin' tune. Why lyrics have to be so serious I don't get. This tune worked fantastic live as well. Sarli really helps the song out too.

Is Ronnie even on this song?

Quote
whitem8
Beely, come on man. I love Bridges. A great acclectic album with some nice surprises. Flip the Switch is cool...kind of reminds me of Shattered with those convict backing vocals. Oh ya, oh ya....nice little rocker.

Shock Alert - First the first time, I completely disagree with you, Whitey. BTB is the worst Stones album EVER - yup, a bigger turd than Dirty Work, Emotional Rescue, A Bigger Bang and Voodoo Lounge. Flip The Switch, You Don't Have To Mean It and Anybody Seen My Baby are good to great. The rest is wretched, rushed, uninspired dross. No surprise that the album started (still) life as a Jagger solo album. A.W.F.U.L.

Great song on a great album.

JumpingKentFlash

>>It's also the fastest song the Stones have ever recorded.
Faster even than Rip This Joint if you analyse the beats per minute<<

hmmm, that may be true by a count-in click-track but RTJ seems faster from start to finish.
it even overtook itself live, while FTS got slowed down a lot.

I wish they'd played this more on their recent tours instead of "You Got Me Rockin'".

Awesome drums, ferocious Jagger vocal, and cutthroat guitars. Okay, maybe it doesn't make up the sum of those parts - it's not a terribly well written song, but it has some thrilling moments, and it has balls. I liked the live versions too except Mick just couldn't replicate the singing from the studio version. A great way to start an album though, overall.

Of the vega..hmmm... modern era Stones BRIDGES is my favourite album because it has (a) reasonable length, (b) most variance and (c) the best singular songs. But it also might have some of the worst moments and I take "Flip The Switch" be one of those. It is an opener track which sets the mood for the album and for that reason it took me years to really dig BRIDGES - the same effect as I had with "Dancing With Mr. D" and GOATS HEAD SOAP.

I dont know exactly what is so wrong with it. It is the same as "One Hit" I guess. Theoretically it's alright - it even tries to enrich the Stones rocker vocabulary - but somehow it sounds so... forced I guess. It sounds that it is too fast for them to really handle - like that madhouse song in STEEL WHEELS - it doesn't roll naturally. Jagger sound as 'out' as he does in "One Hit" - most likely it is Keith's song and Mick is just present to do his task without too much interest or heart in it.

To summarize: it sounds too stupid - now that is a word choice I know! - for being a good Stones rocker. What I know that it is one of the very rare Stones songs and soundscapes that I honestly don't like. Just not my cup of tea.

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-05-10 19:32 by Doxa.

I hate it when I've got three black eyes and a busted nose...

>>but somehow it sounds so... forced I guess. It sounds that it is too fast for them to really handle - like that madhouse song in STEEL WHEELS - it doesn't roll naturally.<<

I guess thats because it was still a fresh song. it did develope to a not so hectic pace when they played it live later on; all got sorted out.
like in: the meat I eat for dinner must be hung up for a week.

Quote
open-g
>>It's also the fastest song the Stones have ever recorded.
Faster even than Rip This Joint if you analyse the beats per minute<<

hmmm, that may be true by a count-in click-track but RTJ seems faster from start to finish.
it even overtook itself live, while FTS got slowed down a lot.

or even "i just want to make love to you"

Wish they would come up with more tracks like FTS. The last great Album opener from them. Liked Rough Justice, just something about ABB that feels contrived to me. A copy and paste cd. How many of the group members were ever in the same room at the same time...guess I got off the subject.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-05-10 20:38 by deeppurple.

Quote
deeppurple
Wish they would come up with more tracks like FTS.

or just more tracks at all?

This a respectable, let me go, ............ fight.......sequale
But very nice tune, i like it, even KR's out of tune notes