Comments, input and alterations are very welcome!
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Almost Hear You Sigh
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards / Steve Jordan)

Air Studios, Montserrat, West Indies, March 29 - May 5, 1989 and
Olympic Sound Studios, London, UK, May 15 - June 29, 1989

Mick Jagger - lead vocals, backing vocals
Keith Richards - classical acoustic guitar, electric guitar, backing vocals
Charlie Watts - drums
Bill Wyman - bass
Ron Wood - electric guitar, backing vocals
Chuck Leavell - keyboards
Matt Clifford - keyboards
Luis Jardim - percussion
Bernard Fowler - backing vocals
Lisa Fisher - backing vocals
Sara Dash - backing vocals

I can almost hear you sigh, I can almost hear you cry
On every crowded street, all the places we would meet
What will I do without ya, they say that life goes on
I'm feeling sorry for myself, can't believe you're gone
And you acted much too calm, you turned on all your charm
You had a cold look in your eyes

And I feel your tongue on mine, silky smooth like wine
I'm living with these memories, it’s all that's left of you and me
I can almost hear you sigh, almost hear you cry
When you made sweet love to me
And you turned on all the charm, acted much too calm
You had a cold look in your eyes

Did it mean nothing, was it all in vain
Or was I just your fool, or was the pleasure pain
And have you set me free
Or will I wake up in the morning and find out it's been a bad dream

Come on, I beg ya, I wanna be your main man

I can almost hear you sigh, almost hear you cry, when you made sweet love to me
I can almost see your smile, it stretched out half a mile
You had a stone cold look in your eyes

Yeah, oh, come on, almost see you laugh, I don’t need no photograph, come on
Come on girl, nothing left to say now, can’t believe, can’t believe you’re gone
I just can’t believe, can’t believe you’re gone, no, no, come on baby, yeah

Produced by Chris Kimsey & The Glimmer Twins

First released on:
The Rolling Stones - “Steel Wheels” LP
(CBS 465752-1) UK, August 28, 1989



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-11-24 19:23 by René.

Some comments from timeisonourside.com:

There were a couple (of songs) that I'd started working on during my own album.
They were embryonic at the time, and since I didn't use them, I said to (Mick), Well, I think there's something here you might like.
It was slight recall on Beast of Burden, and I know Mick likes singing that sort of thing. It suits him better than it does me.
- Keith Richards, 1989

When you're playing something like that, the obvious thing you start hitting is the soul licks.
When we first did Almost Hear You Sigh, I played it very much like Beast of Burden.
In fact, it was TOO much like it, so I called it Cousin of Beast of Burden (laughs) - I don't know if it was going to get any further than a poor relative.
But as we started to add the bridge part and it started to open up for me, then I thought to myself exactly what you said - Curtis Mayfield. It's that style. Curtis is the king of that.
- Keith Richards, 1989

The other thing I did this year, I decided I was ready to buy a good classical guitar, a gut-string.
I got this Velasquez, a beautiful instrument made in 1956. It's just growing up; it's just 33 (laughs).
I started to use that on Steel Wheels. (I played the solo with it on Almost Hear You Sigh). Yeah, we called him Guts.
- Keith Richards, 1989

Almost Hear You Sigh: Probably one of the most completed tracks on Steel Wheels and surely one of the best Stones ballads in the last 20 years. Always loved that track and it's a pity they didn't play it since 1990.

It's one of Keith most beautiful solos ever, imo.

the Stones demo version has Keith sketching out lyrics that have a "Love Is Strong"-like theme:
"i know you're out there, so let's get something together."
so was it Mick who changed the lyrics to a splitting-up theme?
if so it's an interesting parallel to Wild Horses twenty years earlier



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-09-22 13:36 by with sssoul.

oh! look at this note i found on nzentgraf:
"Note: Chris Jagger had a hand in writing the lyrics for the songs Blinded By Love and Almost Hear You Sigh."
anyone know more about that, please and thank you?

this would be the Velasquez known fondly as Guts, i presume?


- december 2nd 1989 by Kevin Mazur (courtesy of KeithRichards.com)

so was it Mick who changed the lyrics to a splitting-up theme?
if so it's an interesting parallel to Wild Horses twenty years earlier[/quote]

I'm sure Keith had intended to just throw something down as a demo, knowing full-well Mick would handle the lyrics (as he usually does). Keith's version was by no means finished. It's a common technique when writing with someone else.
David Hart and I often write the same way for The Powergoats (not to bring that up, but it was relevant).

[thepowergoats.com]

Such a magical track, one of the stones' finest ever ballads.

This one is pure soul music, holds it's own with any of the Stones' ballad gems throughout the years. Magnificent, and along with 'Slipping Away', two of the stones' greatest pieces, and both from the same album!

>> Keith's version was by no means finished <<

... yes, JaggerFan, i am cognizant that Keith's demo version isn't a finished track -
that's why i said he was "sketching out" lyrics on it, right?
and if Mick is indeed the one who changed the theme so drastically,
it is an interesting parallel to Wild Horses: it's not like their collaborations
always entail turning "i'm in love" themes into "goodbye" themes

>> it was relevant <<

er ... no, it wasn't



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2008-09-23 01:47 by with sssoul.

love the track

has that smoky Stonesy mystical feel

"And I feel your tongue on mine, silky smooth like wine"

what a freaking cool band

One of the (many) higlights on the Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour. I got goosebumps when they played it live and 65,000 ppl hummed along with the melody. A beautiful beautiful song.

<oh! look at this note i found on nzentgraf:
"Note: Chris Jagger had a hand in writing the lyrics for the songs Blinded By Love and Almost Hear You Sigh."
anyone know more about that, please and thank you?>

He is listed as "literary editor" or something.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-09-22 15:49 by DandelionPowderman.

Is there any demo-version known by Keith with the Winos?

Mr.Ed

...one of my all-time favourite Stones ballads with a beautifully paced verse and a superb middle-eight, allowing Jagger to show how utterly brilliant he is at introducing passion and drama into a song.

A highlight of the Steel Wheels tour and a sure sign at the time, that they were well and truly back to form.

>> Is there any demo-version known by Keith with the Winos? <<

yep! there are two takes that i know of

Steve Jordan gets a rare co-write on a Stones track on this one.

PECMAN

oops.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-09-22 18:54 by cc.

Quote
DandelionPowderman
<oh! look at this note i found on nzentgraf:
"Note: Chris Jagger had a hand in writing the lyrics for the songs Blinded By Love and Almost Hear You Sigh."
anyone know more about that, please and thank you?>

He is listed as "literary editor" or something.

yeah, I thought the Steel Wheels liner notes were more specific, that he was the "historical consultant" or something for "Blinded by Love." That song has a few "Sympathy"-esque history-textbook/literary references. Kind of embarrassing, as it suggests mick needed help with anything requiring actual knowledge. Or that his brother is some sort of amateur history buff.

I don't hear anything in "Almost Hear You Sigh" that would require that kind of intervention. The lyrics are good but they're typical mick stuff; I don't see where Chris would have contributed.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-09-22 18:54 by cc.

One of the greatest Stones ballads ever - bring it back live on stage. Chuck? Chuck??? Can you hear me?

A great, great song.

I actually prefer the version that Keith sings on the unreleased Steel Wheel tracks/album/CD.

Quote
1cdog
A great, great song.

I actually prefer the version that Keith sings on the unreleased Steel Wheel tracks/album/CD.

Yeah, me too.

I love the released version of this song, and Mick did a fantastic job.
I know Keith's draft is incomplete, but it just really resonates for me. It's a mystery to me how a "sketch" of a song could result in such passionate singing, particularly in the last half the song...er sketch.

Great song, played quite a bit on the radio here in Nashville, back in the day.

Love the photo, beautiful man, beautiful guitar, thank you, with sssoul.

It is a fantastic song. The edit version is very good too.

Quote
jamesfdouglas


I'm sure Keith had intended to just throw something down as a demo, knowing full-well Mick would handle the lyrics (as he usually does). Keith's version was by no means finished. It's a common technique when writing with someone else.
David Hart and I often write the same way for The Powergoats (not to bring that up, but it was relevant).

How are you so sure of Keith's intentions as they pertain to songwriting? What makes you believe Mick writes the majority of the lyrics? And, this one kills me, how is what you and your writing partner bang out relevant to a discussion regarding one of the most prolific songwriting partnerships in history?

Quote
fiftyamp

How are you so sure of Keith's intentions as they pertain to songwriting? What makes you believe Mick writes the majority of the lyrics? And, this one kills me, how is what you and your writing partner bang out relevant to a discussion regarding one of the most prolific songwriting partnerships in history?

"One could say, really generally, that I've written more of the music and Mick's written more of the lyrics." Keith Richards (1986)

Taken from Keith Richards In His Own Words, page 37

To this tune, only one word: cheesy.

It´s a wonderful song. I always love this song. I think Keith did a great job. It´s really beautiful.

the production svcks. nice guitarsolo. but i just cant stand jagger on this track. his video performance is even worse...horrible!