Backstreet Girl represents the Stones at their peak (especially for ballads). I know in a sense the period 1966-67 was rather muddled - the Stones jumping on the bandwagon of what was popular at the time instead of following their own instincts but if there is one aspect that i missed of the Stones when they got back on track it was this.
The fact that this song really does not fit into the more renowned Stones style means it has been largely forgotten. I believe it is as good as any Stones ballad they have ever recorded( and possibly the only Stones song you can dance a waltz to). It may be outdated but i love it.

agreed

One of my top ten favourites.

Jagger himself has been quoted (in fairly recent times) as saying it was one of his favorite Stones songs from that period. If the Stones ease up on the moratorium of ballads played live - I would possibly expect to hear this one on the next go-round.

Love that song!!!

And lest we forget Brian on french accordion. I like this period ('66 - 67) very much. The Stones were soaking up a lot of influences & experimenting with intrumentation, tonal colors, etc & tho sticking largely to pop song structure, moving as far away from blues & Berry-esque rock'n'roll as they ever would: Keith's frequent acoustic, more metallic electric, motown & soul influences, & Hendrix influence on for example 'All Sold Out,' & Brian,who plays virtually no guitar on Buttons, but contributes something special on nearly every track.Jack Nitzsche was frequently around the studio. these albums & singles (from 19th Nervous Breakdown, Buttons, Flowers, thru Satanic) hold up well against '66 - 67 Kinks, Beach Boys, Beatles, Who (who were just issuing a second album!), Small Faces, Otis, Love, the Airplane (whose own 'Satanic' may be 'After Bathing at Baxters', in that if you take off 1 or 2 self-indulgences you're left w/ a very solid album), Byrds - & many of these groups were at a peak. The generally accepted 'really classic period,' beginning with JJFlash/Child of the Moon & Jimmy Miller was indeed an astonishingly fruitful one, but what comes before (or after) suffers only slightly, & by comparison. Had the RS like the Beatles broke up & not toured again in '69, they'd still be the # 2 (or #1 in my book) group in the world.

John R

Agree with Edward. Backstreet Girl is tremendous - really haunting. Heard it for the first time in several years in Portland, OR by chance, had to go out and buy Flowers again just to have that song.

Was Jagger serious when he sang BSG? I don't think so.
I gave a listen to it yesterday: well done and played, but it is a slow number very much in the early Who's fashion - bad guys singing gentle music. I think they all had a loud laugh when they finished recording it (and even louder after recording Lady jane!)

C

Agree liddas, I think its class system commentary/sendup. Jagger's persona alternates brutal, tender, condescending - all intentional.

Good call...an all time classic.

There are some good ballads/slow songs from that time that they should be considering for the next tour:

Dandelion
High And Dry
Lady Jane
I Am Waiting
As Tears Go By
Backstreet Girl

A newer one in, to me, the same tradition like Lady Jane, As Tears Go By or Ruby Tuesday is "New Faces" off "Voodoo Lounge". I like that song very much.

Aucoin, I do too (as well as several other ballads like 'Moon Is Up', Baby Break it Down', & 'Sweethearts Together' & 'Blinded by Rainbows')

Due to Jagger's recent great ability to do justice for ballads and slow numbers live (versus his his not so great voice in fast rockers) we might hear interesting and good interpretations of those mentioned 'pop period' Stones songs (like "Back Street Girl"). I also would like to hear the version of "Sweet Black Angel" from Exile, not any "Rocks Off" or "All Down The Line" that are beyond Jagger's voice nowadays.

Also Chuck's (the most prominant member of the group in terms of musical direction) skills are better used in songs like those

- Doxa

Glad to hear Dandelion get a mention on this board. In my humble opinion, their best song from the sixties with Charlie on great form.

This thread should be united with the Track Talk thread.

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saltoftheearth
This thread should be united with the Track Talk thread.

Don't worry - Rene will get round to starting a thread on it.

Interesting composition without any doubt. But in my opinion the Button/Majesties-period is the weakest in the life of the band. They were efforts to be a pop group denying their roots in the blues. Fortunately they returned with "Beggars Banquet".

When I first listen to Between the Buttons I was really disappointed got the record from a friend of my without the sleeve, so disappointed as I was I scratch all the the song that I didn't like with a nail except for Backstreet Girl
Got the Between a couple of years later and I love it but they tried to hard to make a record that fits it's time, so it's not really a stones album imo.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-08-01 15:29 by NICOS.

Some people, myself included at one point, assume it's Brian playing the accordian, but someone contacted ABKCO and asked about this track and others, for what it's worth they said it wasn't Brian playing, but that they wouldn't name the actual player as they were planning a book about Stones sessions etc.

There's session musicians on other tracks(strings and brass on Something)... guess it could be someone under guidance of Mike Leander or something like that.

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His Majesty
Some people, myself included at one point, assume it's Brian playing the accordian, but someone contacted ABKCO and asked about this track and others, for what it's worth they said it wasn't Brian playing, but that they wouldn't name the actual player as they were planning a book about Stones sessions etc.

There's session musicians on other tracks(strings and brass on Something)... guess it could be someone under guidance of Mike Leander or something like that.

Just because it's an instrument other than those regularly played by the band - i.e. guitar, bass, drums - doesn't mean that it's automatically Brian. While he proved himself more than able to quickly pick up 'any' instrument, as is so often quoted, he wasn't really a master of anything other than the guitar and probably harmonica. The accordion on this track sounds like it was played by a professional
accordionist.

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Silver Dagger
While he proved himself more than able to quickly pick up 'any' instrument, as is so often quoted, he wasn't really a master of anything other than the guitar and probably harmonica.

He knew how to master the mellotron and dulcimer as well and used both instruments in ways nobody had done before or after.

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Silver Dagger

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saltoftheearth
This thread should be united with the Track Talk thread.

Don't worry - Rene will get round to starting a thread on it.

I thought Rene was doing this in alphabetical order.

Rene's list is good stuff



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-08-01 16:47 by Max'sKansasCity.

Back Street Girl is surely one of the most unique songs the Stones recorded. Like 'Lady Jane' and that type of acoustic prettiness that combined Jagger's vocal style with something else, 'olde English' or whatever.

it ain't only rock and roll but I like it.

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T&A
Jagger himself has been quoted (in fairly recent times) as saying it was one of his favorite Stones songs from that period. If the Stones ease up on the moratorium of ballads played live - I would possibly expect to hear this one on the next go-round.

He went as far as saying that this & 'Connection' are the only decent things on Between The Buttons, not that I agree with him (it's my favourite album).

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Edith Grove

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Silver Dagger

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saltoftheearth
This thread should be united with the Track Talk thread.

Don't worry - Rene will get round to starting a thread on it.

I thought Rene was doing this in alphabetical order.

It was already discussed......... so it was be better to take the old track talk: Talk....

[www.iorr.org]

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DandelionPowderman
There are some good ballads/slow songs from that time that they should be considering for the next tour:

Dandelion
High And Dry
Lady Jane
I Am Waiting
As Tears Go By
Backstreet Girl

They did do "Tears" at the Beacon Shine A Light shows. But the band that recorded these wonderful songs basically doesn't exist anymore so any performance of them has the potential to be the travesty that Sway was. And what "next tour"?

The fact that this song really does not fit into the more renowned Stones style means it has been largely forgotten. I believe it is as good as any Stones ballad they have ever recorded( and possibly the only Stones song you can dance a waltz to). It may be outdated but i love it. <Edward Twining>


Me too.
It's a serene ballad. I almost feel like dancing a galliard to it.

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Edward Twining
Backstreet Girl represents the Stones at their peak (especially for ballads). I know in a sense the period 1966-67 was rather muddled - the Stones jumping on the bandwagon of what was popular at the time instead of following their own instincts but if there is one aspect that i missed of the Stones when they got back on track it was this.
The fact that this song really does not fit into the more renowned Stones style means it has been largely forgotten. I believe it is as good as any Stones ballad they have ever recorded( and possibly the only Stones song you can dance a waltz to). It may be outdated but i love it.

Do you like the song She Smiled Sweetly from Between the Buttons? Its a nice little ballad too, rather unStonelike, but it's a catchy little tune too IMHO!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-08-01 18:57 by Blue.