ROLLING STONES
- CD
THE COMPLETE FOXES IN THE BOXES
LABEL: |
Mayflower 262-3 |
SOURCE: |
Disc One, Tracks 1,2: Compact Point, Nassau 22 Jan.-12 Feb.79; Track 3-8: Pathe Marconi St. Boulange Billancourt 21 Jun.-19 Oct.79; Track 9: Pathe Marconi St. Boulange Billancourt 11 Oct.-mid Dec. 80, Tracks 10-12: Long View Farm, North Brookfield 25-28 May 81, Tracks 13-18: Pathe Marconi St. Boulange Billancourt 1-19 Dec.82. Disc Two, Track 1: Pathe Marconi St. Boulange Billancourt mid Nov.-27 Nov.82, Track 2: Pathe Marconi St. Boulange Billancourt 1-19 Dec.82, Track 3: Pathe Marconi St. Boulange Billancourt 30 Jan.-12 Mar.83, Track 4: The Hit Factory, New York 20 Jan. 83, Track 5: Pathe Marconi St. Boulange Billancourt 22 Jan.-22 Feb.85, Tracks 6-13: Pathe Marconi St. Boulange Billancourt 5 Apr.-17 June 85. |
FORMAT: |
2 picture cds |
RUNNING TIME: |
77.57/74.35 |
SOUND/SOURCE: |
Soundboard Stereo, except for Disc One, Tracks 10-12, Dsc Two, Track 1: Soundboard mono |
PACKAGING: |
Double Slimline Jewel case |
|
|
|
|
SOUND 10 / PACKAGING 8.5
/ PERFORMANCE 10
|
|
TRACK LIST: |
Disc
One: 1. Let’s Go Steady Again, 2. I Think I’m Going Mad, 3. Indian Girl, 4. Emotional
Rescue, 5. No Use In Crying, 6. Where The Boys Go, 7. Summer Romance, 8. We Had
It All, 9. Neighbours, 10. All I Have To Do Is
Dream #1
, 11. All I Have To Do Is Dream #2,
12. Piano Instrumental, 13. I Tried To Talk Her Into It, 14. Keep It Cool #1, 15.
Keep It Cool #2, 16. Can’t Find Love #1, 17. Can’t Find Love #2, 18. Eliza
Upchink.
Disc
Two: 1. High School Girl, 2. Stop That, 3. Undercover Of The Night, 4. She Was
Hot, 5. Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever, 6. I Can’t See No One Else, 7. Talk Is
Cheap, 8. What Am I Gonna Do With Your Love, 9. Stick It Where It Hurts, 10. Can’t
Cut The Mustard #1, 11. Can’t Cut The Mustard #2, 12. Can’t Cut The Mustard #3,
14. Victor Hugo.
|
|
|
REVIEW: |
This is
great collection of outtakes recorded on a particular period of the Stones
mid-life development, a crucial crossroad the band had been able to bypass (do
not forget that in a few months they will lose Ian Stewart) in order to keep on
staying the Greatest Rock Band in the World; however it is pretty unrealistic
to think these songs were given to a major label executive to determine their
creativity for a new contract sign up, as explained by the JEMS Archive guys,
most likely these are sessions recorded and transferred by some sound engineer
for a different purpose which ended up in the same box, for our pleasure of
course. This series of outtakes is titled Foxes In The Boxes in homage to its
source: boxes of in-house cassette tapes, and it is also a rhyming nod to the
bootleg Static In the Attic (Midnight Beat), which mined the same sessions for
kindred material and to which we believe Foxes makes a worthy companion. This
is the complete set according to Mayflower and presents the unreleased studio
sessions from the Rolling Stones from Emotional Rescue, Undercover and Dirty
Work sessions plus something from Keith Richards Long View Farm circa 1981 in
the best possible quality, even High School Girl doesn’t sound dull as it used
to. Track by track:
Let’s Go
Steady Again is a cover of the Sam Cooke song that was the B-side of Only
Sixteen from 1959. It features a wonderful Keith Richards lead vocal. It was misnamed
Let’s Go Steady on the source tape; this is an Emotional Rescue outtake from
Compass Point Studios from late January or early February 1979. Kristi Kimsey (producer
Chris Kimsey s wife) is on backing vocals. This sounds a more complete take of
the known outtake with the background piano better audible. Indian Girl, this
version is shorter than any previously known version in circulation. The spoken
line “Mr. Gringo, My Father He Ain’t No Che Guevara” is missing and the take
also features fewer horn overdubs. I Think I’m Going Mad was listed on the tape
under the slightly different title Think I'm Going Mad, it is yet another edit
of an early version, which already has the saxophone in the intro but is still
lacking the piano overdub. Several small changes in the first verse before the
line “All The Highs And Lows Don t Mean A Thing To Me, Don’t Give a Damn”. Emotional
Rescue is again a shorter take than any previously known version; it has a distinctive
and somewhat strange mix with much more guitar, keyboards and backing vocals
and also features an echoey percussion effect at the start not heard on any
other mix. No Use In Crying is yet another new, shorter version compared to
what s in circulation. This is an edit of an early mix before the piano overdub
was added, with the organ upfront and the line Come on Sugar that was moved earlier
in the song because some of the falsetto vocals have been cut. Where The Boys
Go, this take has a different lead vocal from Mick on a version that has the
male background vocals already in place, but not the girls chorus at the end; the
guitar solo is also unedited unlike the version present on the album.
Summer Romance is another alternate lead vocal on an uncirculated take that
lacks the third guitar which normally begins in at 0:06. We Had It All is a
well-known (to bootleg lovers) cover of the Troy Seals and Don Fritts song,
first released by Waylon Jennings in 1973; this version has different lead
vocal in comparison to the released version, but seemingly it is the same take
as the other previously bootlegged versions of the song. We Had It Allis is a
well-known (to bootleg lovers) cover of the Troy Seals and Don Fritts song,
first released by Waylon Jennings in 1973; this version has different lead
vocal in comparison to the released version, but seemingly it is the same take
as the other previously bootlegged versions of the song. Neighbours, listed on
the source tape under the slightly different title Neighbor, this is a monitor
mix with early guide vocals and is the first take of Neighbours to circulate
intact from the Emotional Rescue sessions as all other versions, released or
unreleased, come from different takes overdubbed and edited during the Tattoo
You sessions.
All I Have To Do Is Dream is a cover version of the old Everly Brothers classic
from 1958, performed by Keith Richards on his piano at Longview Farm, North
Brookfield, Massachusetts in late May 1981 before the beginning of the US Tour
rehearsals. This is the previously uncirculated full take, including its false
start. Piano Instrumental, a bit more Keef tickling the ivories from the same
session that seems the introduction to Apartment No.9.
Tried to
Talk Her Into It, this Undercover sessions outtake has been previously
bootlegged (e.g. on the Outsider Bird Records LP Chain Saw Massacre), but the
quality from this source tape is a definite upgrade; the rhythmic development
of the song reminds of Claudine.
Keep It Cool, this is a monitor mix of a long, jazzy Undercover sessions
outtake. Also known as Keep It Cool Part 1, but could as well be a song aptly
titled Jazz Pt.1 that as well as Pt.2 was documented in the same session. Can't
Find Love 1, this is a fragment of an Undercover sessions outtake, cut out from
a much longer version of the song, this bit is likely the essence or part of
the song which the Stones liked and wound up on this tape for reference
purposes.
Can’t Find Love 2, here is another fragment as above, but listed specifically
as a bridge idea.
Eliza: Also known as Eliza Upchink (which is how Bill Wyman lists the title of
this track in his second Stones book) and sometimes misnamed as Back On The
Streets Again when it reappeared in the Dirty Work songwriting sessions, this
however is the complete take with its boogie guitars leading and a background
rhythm reminder of another well-known outtake, Fiji Jim.
Disc Two opens with High School Girl: this appears to be a demo recording or
song writing exploration track featuring only Mick Jagger (who also plays
guitar) and Charlie Watts on drums, but some have argued that it is Keith
Richards on guitar and Jagger on drums (does he know how to sing while playing
drums?).
Stop That: an unlisted fragment on the tape, this Undercover outtake already
circulates in complete form, but in inferior quality (often misnamed Chain Saw
Rocker). Undercover Of The Night, is a different, shorter mix, especially the
opening of the song, which is totally unique in respect to the other mixes in
circulation.
She Was Hot: this is a keyboard-heavy long mix, very similar to the version
first leaked on WYSP FM Philadelphia in 1983 and later uploaded to the It’s
Only Rock 'n Roll Stones internet forum some time ago, but lacking the
double-tracked vocals found on that one and longer instrumental bridges, which
presumably makes it an earlier mix of the alternate take. Loving You Is Sweeter
Than Ever, the Stones started the Dirty Work sessions by warming up with some
cover versions, and this Four Tops song (written by Stevie Wonder and Ivy Jo
Hunter) is one of the few to circulate so far; this version being an upgrade of
the existing take. While Mick’s vocals are a touch soft, overall this is a fine
and at times enchanting performance, not to mention it being a song that could
have made a great Stones track. Talk Is Cheap, over 11 minutes long this song
is in the vein of Keith s Dirty Work’s contribution, Sleep Tonight. The single
guitar suggests Ron Wood is probably playing bass. Richards never finished this
ballad, but the title stuck and was used on his first solo album in 1988; this
recording has lower frequencies a bit distorted at times.
What Am I Supposed To Do is an early version of What Am I Gonna Do With Your
Love, a long, 15+ minute jam around the title phrase, performed by The Podiums,
the pseudo band consisting of Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Bobby Womack and Don
Covay formed as yet another way to kill time when Jagger was not around during
the Paris sessions. One of two Podiums tracks to surface from the Dirty Work
sessions (the other being Sending Out Invitations).
Stick It Where It Hurts is most likely a Ronnie Wood composition, as he sings
the guide vocals. The title phrase offers the only words which can be clearly
made out.
Can’t Cut The Mustard 1-2, these are early versions of Had It With You, though
the eventual title phrase is not yet present. Some singing by Ronnie Wood again
(together with Richards) and funnily he is the first to sing Had It With You on
take 2, he co-wrote the music to the song and a delicious piano by Ian Stewart.
These takes have already been circulating, but these are upgrades and include
some studio chatter. Can’t Cut The Mustard 3, this is a fragment of a third
take, but this stays instrumental and gets abandoned after half a minute.
Victor Hugo is an absolutely fascinating fly-on-the-wall track; presumably
pissed off about Jagger missing sessions and abandoning the Stones, Richards
improvises a nasty set of lyrics about his band mate, going so far as to refer
to him by the derisive nickname, Brenda. Victor Hugo showcases Keef at his
vitriolic and profanity-laced best; it seems the title has nothing to do with
the writer but to a club: Why don’t you go to the Victor Hugo, say the lyrics…
What is
fascinating about these monitor mixes is that, after the first track, Mick
departed and Keith took over, which explains the appearance of songs like Talk
Is Cheap which would become the title of Richards 1988 solo album. As we
learned from his autobiography Life, the tension between Mick and Keith was
running high at the time because of Mick’s then budding solo career. Scheduling
conflicts between Mick supporting She’s The Boss and recording the new Stones
album caused a rift and explain why he is not present here on the rest of the
tracks. But Mick’s absence is what makes these recordings especially
compelling, as we get to hear Keith leading the Stones through his material,
venting frustrations with Mick in the process, especially on the final song. Packaging
is good with fantastic photos that grace front, back and inner covers, but
unfortunately this label has the habit of presenting wrong information on
sessions dates, is it so hard to copy the right ones?
|
|
The best toys are the ones that are both educational and multi-purposeful.
Great Toys For Tots
Don't miss our new Top Vinyl List of the Departed
you’ll find something to tickle your fancy and your ears
Dec 25, 2024 - 2:02:38 PM |