This is for real as far as the hype goes, because this has got to be the most revealing look at the Rolling Stones at work in the studio that has ever surfaced. It's a 4 CD release that comes in a 12" box in a box package with a deluxe color outer sleeve. The cover picture is of a woman who looks to be in some trans-like state from the album cover of the old Capital Records LP "Fire Goddess". There is also a booklet that features many pictures from the August 25, 1994 Rolling Stone issue on the band. The booklet has an essay on Voodoo Lounge by David Fricke from Rolling Stone July 14-28, 1994 issue. There are also track by track details of the band line up, and a listing of basic differences in the recordings from the original releases.
CD 1: The Jagger Cover CD with a Red Picture disc
Vigotone (VIGO 145): The Alternate Voodoo Lounge
- Mick/Keith Dialogue (:39):
A woman (Josephine Wood perhaps?) asks:
"How many songs are you gonna do?"
Jagger replies:
"Boxed sets worth. Boxed sets"!
- Love Is Strong (5:44): Extended version without background vocals and a distinct guitar mix. Jagger says the "Drop on" line found in the remix versions.
- You Got Me Rocking (4:06): Alternate mix with extra guitar overdubs and backing vocals that are "up" in the mix.
- Sparks Will Fly (3:15): Similar to the album. Has the clicking sound at the beginning.
- The Worst (3:08): Different mix and vocal take with an extra instrumental bridge. Missing the great Jagger backing harmony.
- New Faces (2:48): Alternate mix with count in.
- Moon Is Up (4:18): Similar to the album, but missing castanets.
- Out Of Tears (5:25): There is some talking in the background at the beginning if this one. An alternate mix without backing vocals
- I Go Wild (4:40): At a slightly slower tempo with an extended alternate mix without background vocals. Only one rhythm guitar is playing.
- Brand New Car (5:04): Extended alternate mix with background vocal by Keith.
- Sweet Hearts Together (5:49): Missing accordion overdub but including a fiddle, and alternate vocals.
- Suck On The Jugular (5:47): Alternate extended mix with different guitar overdubs and an added keyboard. There is background chatter before the group chorus.
- Blinded By Rainbows (4:35): Similar to the album.
- Baby Break It Down (5:59): Similar to the album.
- Thru And Thru (8:33): Extended alternate mix with spooky synth. effects running through the entire track. Missing most background vocals, and with some added guitar overdubs. Soul baby soul.
- Mean Disposition (3:14): Shortened alternate mix.
- Ron and Keith Dialogue (:57): Keith and Ronnie play with the vocal reverb.
The first disc is a track for track answer to "Voodoo Lounge" in correct running order of the most "mature" tracks of the package.
My guess is that these are master reels or most likely first generation stereo mix downs from the sessions that originated at Ron Wood's house in Kildare, Ireland in July and September, 1993. Awesome.
On this disc Keith is in the studio and the tape is running as he plays fingerstyle acoustic guitar. Plenty of dialogue and what's on Richards mind about the music.
CD 2: Richards Inlay Cover CD with a Bronze Picture Disc (VIGO 148): Keith Plays His Favorites
- Salty Dog (2:52): A traditional folk song expertly played fingerstyle on an acoustic guitar. Keith fills different sections with slide chords from New Faces. Woody walks in and they talk about the weather for a minute.
- Guitar Overdub (2:46): Jagger/Richards review a playback of New Faces where Keith is checking out the placement of the acoustic chord slides.
- Salty Dog (reprise) (:14): Keith starts playing this and Jagger says "we'll get to that one in a minute". Keith mentions Rambling Jack Elliott.
- Cocaine Blues #1 (2:00): "Cocaine all around my brain". We're not talking about Eric Clapton here. This is fingerstyle Delta Blues played in the softer Mississippi John Hurt style (i.e.: Candy Man). Keith credits the song to Blind Gary Davis. Keith goes on to say that this was the first song he properly learned on the guitar. Beautiful acoustic tone, the sweet sound of a Martin straight into a recorder. There's no piezo-electric Ovation sound on this one.
- Cocaine Blues #2 (3:22):
- I Get A Kick Out Of You (2:30): Another song thematic of cocaine.
- Goodbye To Love (3:46): A slow acoustic piece in the Everly Brothers genre. Keith later credits the song to The Marcels as the B-side to their "Blue Moon" release.
- Love's Tough Sh** Baby (2:00): This one is off the top as you might have guessed.
- Keith's Boogie (4:09): This is authentic acoustic Delta Blues fingerstyle guitar. Perfect "double thumbing" technique in Open G, very reminiscent of Robert Johnson. At the end of the song Richards comments on Johnson. Absolutely no sign of "Arthur" on this one!
- Goodbye To Love (2:27): "Goodbye to love...goodbye to romance"
- I Get A Kick Out Of You (3:43):
- Cocaine Blues #3 (5:33):
- Crying Waiting Hoping (2:34): Keith does Buddy Holly and compliments his song writing skills.
- Love Is Strange (1:41):"Too many people seem to take it for a game..."
- Make No Mistake (2:58): Slow strummed version.
- Girl Of The North Country (4:06): Dylan acoustic. "If you're traveling the North Country far..."
- John Wesley Harding (4:14): Another acoustic Dylan track for the archives!
- Blues Jam Riffs (4:22): Robert Johnson's "Hellhound On My Trail" note-for-note at the opening. The song transitions into fingerstyle 12-bar blues.
- Brand New Heartache (2:29):
- Scotty Moore Riffs (:49): Keith says "Scotty". A repetitive riff.
- Reverse Boogie/Riffs (2:48): Keith describes the riff as a reverse boogie.
- Please Please Me (2:10): Acoustic Beatles. Keith comments: "Horrible Beatles bridge I'm not going to do it".
- Sparks Will Fly/Riffs and Dialogue (14:33): Jagger credits Richards for this song in the "Life in The Voodoo Lounge" Westwood One radio special that aired in September '94. A slow strummed working of the song in a Nashville tuning. Woody walks in and asks for his guitar back, and they get into some tangent, Josephine joins in.
Keith still remembers the Delta Blues. The influence is clear on the classic BB, LIB, SF, & EOMS, but this is more evidence of the continuing impact of this music on Richards. He plays it like a master.
The general theme of disc 3 is described as "backing tracks for unreleased & non LP songs". Jagger is off mic. on the tracks that have vocals. This is a technique he has used at both Pathe Marconi and RCA 1978 to get a feel for the song without really committing his voice to tape. The track & time listings on the CD, the box, and the booklet don't match the music and are corrected in this post.
CD3: Watts Inlay Cover CD with a Green Picture Disc (VIGO 149): Alright Charlie!
1. Alright Charlie! (4:59): Fast tempo instrumental. Slightly similar to Cellophane Trousers.
2. It's Alright/I Got A Hold On You (8:36): There are two separate songs on the same CD track. The first one ends at 3:59, the second starts at 4:05 and ends at 8:36. The first song is a faster tempo funk, with both songs having faint vocals.
3. Untitled #1 (6:12): A slower song with harmonica and keyboard backing track. The vocal is inaudible.
4. You Got It Made (4:26): This would have made a good track for the "Goldeneye" movie soundtrack that the Stones turned down. Had one in the can for it.
5. Untitled #2 (5:52): Instrumental.
6. Jump On Top Of Me (4:57): The vocal is way in the "back" at the beginning. Mostly an instrumental.
7. I'm Gonna Drive (5:22): Instrumental version.
8. Untitled #3 (5:45): Slow keyboard/drum groove. Jagger is in the background singing and calling out some of the changes as they go.
9. Untitled #4 (3:48): A slow reggae tune.
10. Make It Now (7:26): A funk groove with a drum beat similar to Suck On The Jugular. A keyboard/bass dominated track.
11. It's Funny (5:17): There is a song of this title at the beginning of the CS Blues movie with Jagger on vocal/piano, but there is no relationship here. This is a slow keyboard track.
12. Untitled #5 (5:19) Slow guitar/piano track.
13. Alright Charlie! (Listed as Untitled #5) (3:05): Same as Alright Charlie! on track 1.
14. Keith Dialogue (:30): Keith has a laugh about a scrape overdub.
Note: That Ivy League is listed as track 4, but based on the Voodoo Stew release (CD #3 track 13) it doesn't appear to be contained within the musical content of this disc
The titles are highly questionable on these. Jump On Top Of Me and I'm Gonna Drive are the best of the bunch, so the band has been kind enough to provide finished versions of the best material from this particular session.
Several of these tracks are playbacks that are having added live vocal and/or instrumental pieces overdubbed on to the baseline tracks. Others are completely different live takes.
CD4: Wood Inlay Cover CD with a Blue Picture Disc (VIGO 150): Rehearsals, Alternate Mixes & Early Versions
- The Storm (3:15): A different mix with the acoustic slide guitar "up" in the right channel. There are different harp pieces although some are the same as the single release.
- You Got Me Rocking (4:08): The fundamental track is the same as the album release, but with an alternate mix. The vocal is different.
- Sparks Will Fly (3:17): Keith on vocal! Instrumental track very similar to VL. There is a lead line in the left channel that gets edited out of the released song.
- The Worst (2:23): Similar to VL, but again missing Jagger background vocal as in CD1. Keith's on backup vocal overdub.
- Out Of Tears (4:20): Early working version with a drum machine, keyboard and Jagger vocal.
- Brand New Car #1 (5:21): An early working of the entire track live. Jagger calls a few chord changes.
- Sweethearts Together (3:01): Early run through with Jagger on vocal and acoustic guitar . He asks Woody "is this a Martin?".
- Sweethearts Together (5:53): Similar to VL, but missing accordion. Has the fiddle track.
- Blinded By Rainbows (6:47): With a completely different guitar oriented instrumental track. The vocal has a dramatic edge to it. A great version minus all the album production. Stripped!
- Baby Break It Down (4:11): Different mix. The keyboard background track that comes in at 1:39 on VL is replaced by pedal steel. No background vocals.
- Thru And Thru (11:39): The first 1:45 of the track is spent getting a scrape sound right. An overdub being laid on a playback. Stops abruptly at 6:30 to discuss what's going on and starts up again.
- Thru And Thru (3:58): There is an electric guitar overdub present. A Jagger backing vocal is very clear in the right channel in the first part of the song.
- The Storm (9:52): It's got Charlie's "can't you have this in mono" line. A very early take of the song with a working vocal to establish the baseline tracks.
- The Storm (3:17): The acoustic slide track is very audible in the right channel. The vocal has a reverb effect that's not present on the single.
Steel Wheels was a come-back record for the band, but Voodoo Lounge was a statement that is was more than just a flash, even though five years elapsed. The diversity of the music on VL is great, so the opportunity to hear the evolution of these tracks in superb stereo quality is a very rewarding experience (for me at least). It never ceases to amaze me how this band can transform and evolve songs into the finished product as we know it. It can be as simple as adding or deleting a particular backing track or just changing the mix...truly an art form.
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