Rolling Stones—Goats Head Soup

Rolling Stones—Goats Head Soup

Goats Head Soup—Is there such a thing as an obscure Rolling Stones record? As with the rest of the British Invasion, no one today really remembers their early records, but they do live on through the hits and non-album singles; to be sure, Goats Head Soup did have the sales and a hit, but so did everything else they put out. Even Steel Wheels (1989) had a top five hit in the US (Mixed Emotions), and the Stones' much-maligned period of 1980-1997 is notable in its failure. No one remembers the apparent mediocrity of Goats, just as people are more keen to remember Metal Machine Music than they are Berlin. Unfortunately, it happened to follow Exile on Main St. (1972) and a trio of nearly as beloved releases (Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, and Sticky Fingers). This doesn't affect the quality of any record that came before or after them, but it does explain why it was and still continues to be perceived as a platinum letdown.

Exile was always an aberration in the Stones' catalog. The Stones were never a concept-heavy band; while their albums almost always have a cohesive sound and production style, they never followed a central plot or recurring theme. When they released Exile, their most explicit love letter to Americana, it threw a lot of longtime listeners who had come to expect song-oriented records. Despite some initial apprehension, it would come to be considered a milestone. But when Goats Head Soup popped up the following year with ten gargantuan blues-rockers that turned the unpretentious "I Just Want to See His Face" on its head, Stones fans had partially forgotten the sound of its pre-Exile relatives.

"Dancing with Mr. D" is about as close to the macabre as the Rolling Stones ever went, but primarily it is filthy, riff-driven rock. It's the kind of song the band never quite seemed to want to make, probably because Black Sabbath was already doing it, but when Geezer Butler started writing "Changes" instead of "War Pigs," rock music suddenly had a vacancy where gloom was concerned. "100 Years Ago" is a forgotten classic and an uncharacteristically bright song that, if not for its arrangement, could have fit on a Badfinger LP. "Coming Down Again," at the time a rarity by virtue of its Keith Richards vocal, is an evocative, ragged ballad that is also peculiar in its personal leaning. Richards was never devoid of soul, having been a disciple of the likes of Muddy Waters, but this song revealed a different side of the Stones' leader that showed introspection and self-doubt.

"Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" today sounds cliched, and even for the time is not a gem. It is not surprising given the song's solid groove that it managed to chart in the United States, but it is a strange choice for a single, probably only having been chosen for the album's overall lack of marketable material. "Angie" is the real deal: the aforementioned international smash that preceded the album's release, and likely contributed also to the mixed reaction to the album when the rest of the songs didn't sound like it. "Silver Train," a slightly older work covered just prior to the release of Goats Head Soup by Johnny Winter, rivals anything from its closest ancestor Let It Bleed. "Hide Your Love" can best be described as a mellow barroom shuffle that somewhat makes up for a lack of originality with its inherent earnest charm (which can possibly be said about the album as a whole).

On an album where most songs exceed four minutes, "Winter" is the only one that is truly turgid, successfully shooting for ambiance but not character, which is an approach better left to other bands. The same can be said somewhat of "Can You Hear the Music," but it ends up being the more effective song because of its roots in psychedelia previously trod on Their Satanic Majesties Request. They sound more at home on the basis of familiarity, where "Winter" sounds like it was written for a movie. If there's any lingering melodrama by the end of the record, it's completely wiped out by the crass "Star Star," a quintessential mid-period Stones song and a plainly fun listen.

It's hard to defend a work that succeeds much in part due to pedigree, but some of the Rolling Stones' music is good just because they are who they are and even second-rate is better than others' best. Goats Head Soup fits that bill, but it's also home to songs that are better than "Happy" and a sound fuller than Some Girls. While it's not the band's secret best album, Goats is home to some excellent playing, unusually varied vocals by Mick Jagger, and unique elements—some ineffective, but still interesting—that would be a shame for any fan to miss.

Best song:           
Other picks:           

Dancing with Mr. D
100 Years Ago                         
Coming Down Again
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Angie                         

Silver Train                         
Hide Your Love
Winter
Can You Hear the Music
Star Star