The Rolling Stones, The #4 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Three

 

(Continued from Part Two)

In 1966, the group followed with the album Aftermath, their first album which included all original songs.  Jones' versatility added significantly to the album, playing sitar on "Paint It, Black" after George Harrison had played sitar on the first popular song to use the instrument, "Norwegian Wood" by the Beatles.  The song was originally titled "Paint It Black" but Decca Records added the comma.  There are thousands of 45's that were issued by London Records and others without the comma. 

 

Jagger took the line "I turn my head until my darkness goes" from the book Ulysses by James Joyce.  The single reached #1 in the United States, U.K., Canada and Australia and is also included in The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.

The multi-talented Jones could learn how to play nearly any instrument quickly, having just learned how to play the dulcimer just before recording this song. 

 

 

The dulcimer is an instrument you play on your lap by plucking or strumming the strings.  There are two main types of dulcimer, a hammered dulcimer and an "Appalachian dulcimer", which feature a body made of mahogany with ebonized tuning pegs.  The group released the single "Lady Jane", a Top Five song in Germany.

 

Like millions of things you see on the Internet and social media which are simply not true, the conspiracy theory that this song is about Buddy Holly's plane crash is a complete fabrication.  The lyrics refer to a crash at sea; Holly's was on dry land, and the flight number was not 505.  For the uneducated who put out that theory, flight numbers are not normally assigned to private planes, and even if they were, Northbound flights, like the one Holly took from Mason City, Iowa to Mooorhead, Minnesota, get even-numbered flight numbers.  The Internet is a poor substitute for good books and good reading.  Stewart played piano on "Flight 505".

Jones played the marimba on this one.  Here is the highly underrated "Under My Thumb".

Both "Under My Thumb" and "Stupid Girl" were written about relationships Jagger and Richards had with girls at hotels.  "Obviously, I was having a bit of trouble," Jagger said.  "I wasn't in a good relationship.  Or I was in too many bad relationships," he continued.  "I had so many girlfriends at that point.  None of them seemed to care they weren't pleasing me very much."  Uhh....Mick.  Could it be that they weren't intent on pleasing you because you "had so many girlfriends at that point"?  No brainer there, buddy.  Here is the Stones' "Stupid Girl".

Aftermath topped the U.K. chart and hit #2 in the United States and Australia and has now sold one million copies.  Jones played sitar on this next one as well, which also features some great guitar work by Richards.  Keith explained the sound he achieved:

             The strange guitar sound is a 12-string 

             with a slide on it.  It's played slightly

             Oriental-ish.  The track just needed

             something to make it twang.  Otherwise,

             the song was quite vaudeville in a way.  

             I wanted to add some nice bite to it.  And

             it was just one of those things where 

             someone walked in and, look, it's an

             electric 12-string.  It was some gashed-

             up job.  No name on it.  God knows 

             where it came from.  Or where it went.

             But I put it together with a bottleneck.  

             Then we had a riff that tied the whole

              thing together.  And I think we over-

              dubbed onto that.  Because I played

              an acoustic guitar as well.

"Mother's Little Helper" rolled to #8 in the U.S. and #9 in Germany.

The Stones' concerts were increasingly drawing large audiences and in 1966, they released their first live album, Got Live If You Want It!.  

 

The following year, the band released the album Between the Buttons.  The band released one of The Top Double-Sided Hits of the Rock Era*.  A piano, a recorder, and a double bass provide the sublte background that enabled the raunchy Rolling Stones to pull off a ballad.  The flip (which we'll hear next) was actually the one intended to be the hit, but when it stalled at #55, attention turned to this one, which was the better song all along.  The Gold single "Ruby Tuesday" topped the U.S. chart and scored a #3 smash in the U.K. and ranks in The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.

"Buttons" earned a #2 rank in the U.S. and #3 in the U.K. and went Gold.  Keith wrote this one mostly on the piano, and there's an interesting backstory to the recording.  The group kept the side door open when two police officers came by.  In the hope of avoiding larger issues, Oldham distracted the two and convinced them to use their truncheons as percussive instruments on the recording.  You hear the police officer's contribution to the song at about 1:40 when the band instruments go quieter.  The other side of "Ruby Tuesday" is "Let's Spend The Night Together".  

 

It's impossible for anyone to imagine life as a Rolling Stone, one step ahead of the police, dark, frenzied, mobbed by fans and press everywhere.  Jagger and Richards did a good job of describing their state of mind on "Connection", which features a duet between the two in one of the first songs to feature Keith's vocals.  Also prominent is the band's defiance of the world that they became known for.

 

It was time for another compilation album, Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2), which roared to #2 in both the United States and the U.K. and was certified Platinum.  John Lennon and Paul McCartney sang backing vocals on this one, while Jones played oboe.  Richards originally sang lead on the song, called "Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Blue" at that stage. "Dandelion", sung by Jagger, reached #8 in the U.K. and #9 in Canada but fell short in the U.S. at #14.

However in February, police raided Richards' home and subsequently arrested Jagger, and Richards with drug offenses.  After that, Jagger, Richards and Jones vacationed in Morocco but Jones' girlfriend Anita Pallenberg left with Richards, and the betrayal of course chilled relations between Jones and Richards.

The Stones nonetheless enjoyed a successful tour of Europe.  But Jones' house was raided by police and he was charged with possession of drugs.  He received a hefty fine and was put on three years' probation with an order to seek professional help.  We don't think he ever did that.

The Stones released the album Their Satanic Majesties Request in 1967.  You may not know that John Paul Jones, later of Led Zeppelin fame, arranged the strings for this track while working as a session musician. 

"She's A Rainbow" peaked at #3 in Switzerland and #9 in Canada and Australia but was another stiff in the U.S. at #25.

The album peaked at #1 in Australia, #2 in the United States and #3 in the U.K. and also went Gold  But the group and Oldham reached a mutual decision that he would cease being their manager as Oldham believed they were juvenile and immature, which they were.  

This song is an interesting write--about a dream where you wake up and realize you are in another dream.  It came about as pure happenstance.  Wyman was in the studio and the rest of the band was late for a recording session.  Oldham asked Bill if he had anything written he would like to record.  Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane of Small Faces sang backing vocals, with Marriott also playing 12-string guitar.  Jones accompanied on mellotron while Hopkins played harpsichord.

 

"In Another Land" not only is the only Stones recording to feature Wyman on lead vocals, but was the lead single from the album.

 

This is the B-side to "She's A Rainbow" above, and according to the Davis book Old Gods Almost Dead:  The 40 Year Odyssey of the Rolling Stones, Jagger wrote it while in a Brixton prison (South of London).  The group recorded "2000 Light Years From Home" at Olympic Studios in London in July and September of 1967.

The volume of great material is astounding.  Much more to come from The #4 Artist*!