The Rolling Stones - Flowers
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Artist: The Rolling StonesBrand: ROLLING STONES
Edition: Music CD
Format: Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2002-08-27
Music Label: Abkco
Soundtracks:
- Ruby Tuesday
- Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby Standing in the Shadow?
- Let's Spend the Night Together
- Lady Jane
- Out of Time
- My Girl
- Backstreet Girl
- Please Go Home
- Mother's Little Helper
- Take It or Leave It
- Ride on Baby
- Sittin' on a Fence
Music reviews of Flowers
Music Review: Near Classic '66-67 Stones
Rating: 4 Stars
"Flowers" holds the same place in the Stones' U.S. catalog that "Yesterday...and Today" held in the Beatles' - until the CD era, when the Beatles eliminated those bastardized US Capitol releases with UK editions of all catalog titles up to "Sgt. Pepper's", for it was those UK Parlophone albums that the Beatles and George Martin meticulously prepared and programmed. (This international uniformity lasted until enough time had elapsed to allow for nostalgia and commerce to warrant repackaging those American Beatles titles in expensive boxed sets).
But the Stones' UK catalog was never so clearly superior; the British Deccas are not necessarily superior to their US counterparts. Certainly original Decca vinyl was sonically preferable to London's 'fake stereo' in the '60s. Otherwise, however, the biggest difference was cultural: hit singles have always sold albums in the States. In England their inclusion on LPs was seen as redundant. If the Beatles always produced their albums in England, by 1964 The Stones were recording - in superb stereo - at Chicago's Chess Studios, and soon they stormed the charts and defined their times with 'The Last Time', 'Satisfaction' and other classics recorded at RCA in Hollywood. Partly this may have to do with Andrew Oldham's awareness that his role as producer was limited, and that to make great sounding records the Stones needed terrific engineers like Ron Malo (Chess) and Dave Hassinger (RCA). Which brings us to the rather maligned US-only "Flowers", like "December's Children" a hodge-podge that has steadily gained the status of near-classic, an album that sounds remarkably vital forty years after its release.
Not really, contrary to general assumption, a 'compilation', "Flowers" was issued in June 1967, the same month Brian Jones escorted Nico to the Montery Pop Festival where, still the wizard and true star ahead of the curve, he appeared onstage resplendent in his baubles and singular finery to introduce his friend Jimi Hendrix, who had returned to the States to make history that night. But it was also a period of stress and crisis in the Stones' world, with the band in legal limbo and unable to tour - Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Brian Jones (along with various friends and family) had all been busted for drugs during the preceding months, and the completion and release of "Their Satanic Majesties Request" would be delayed until November; radiant doomed Brian Jones was privately in the midst of a free-fall that would lead to his inevitable dismissal from the Stones, followed, just weeks later, by his death July 3, 1969.
At the time of release most of "Flowers" was new to the US audience (which might explain why it was another smash hit, reaching # 3 in "Billboard", during a 35 week chart run), containing tracks from UK versions of "Aftermath" and "Between The Buttons" that had been deleted from US editions, along with two classic late '66 hit singles previously unavailable in album form. Three tracks had never been released anywhere by the Stones. As such "Flowers" at first sounds somewhat like a cross between the two previous studio albums. It was, and remains, however, oddly flawed by the inclusion of three hits already available on the US editions of "Buttons" ('Let's Spend The Night Together,' 'Ruby Tuesday'), and "Aftermath" ('Lady Jane').
Musically 1966 - 67 was the period during which Brian had lost interest in the guitar, instead coloring each song with an array of different instruments that always seemed to deepen the mood and power of the music. The Stones, with Ian Stewart and Jack Nitzche helping out, were experimenting, moving away from the classic American blues/r&b/soul/country forms that had inspired their first five albums. The music here is detailed and carefully textured, the songwriting sharp and acerbic, though often here with an introspective, late-night ambience that distinguishes it from the more willful "Buttons". "Flowers" does finally establish its own identity disctinct from the the two earlier classics, as exemplified by the English-folk/Appalachian tone of the exquisite closing track ('Sittin' On A Fence'). One is struck by the band's effortlessly great songwriting and ability to create fresh settings for each track. 'Sittin' On A Fence' is a brilliant example of the Stones' ambivilance (remember "Salt Of The Earth" or "Street Fighting Man")as well as a dramatic and effective climax to a great set. Elsewhere, 'Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby' remains a work of blistering power and density, its amphetemine fueled roar of guitar feedback, Wyman's impossibly heavy bass, and otherwordly pop-art horns concealing a dazzling lyric of Freudian sexual repression that demands to "tear through the shadow..." during its bridge. 'Out Of Time,' is both shorter and in a different mix from the UK version. The sole cover, 'My Girl' is lovely but minor, a bit too respectful of the Temptations' original to be considered inspired (compare the band's brilliant 1978 re-invention of 'Imagination'). Side two (of the vinyl album) provides one gem after another, from the waltz-time class analysis of 'Backstreet Girl', with Brian's gorgeous accordion and Mick's brutal yet tender vocal; 'Please Come Home' is 'Mona' on on acid, its relentless, hypnotic Diddleybeat transformed by Brian's theremin and what sounds like either synthesizer or mellotron, Keith's virtuosic guitar swirling through the mix atop Charlie Watts' perfect drumming (and, by the way, Shirley Watts makes a singular appearance here on backing vocals). 'Mother's Little Helper' is of course a classic single and another masterful track, with the droning guitar and Brian's sitar(?)providing a sense of dread and foreboding while Mick's vocal projects absolute confidence. 'Take It Or Leave It' is a pensive jewel, 'Ride On Baby' a unique rocker on which Keith's guitars are restrained but trenchant while Charlie's congas and Brian's harpsichord, bells, and harp (not harmonica) stand out as especially inventive.
Why not five stars? As stated, the three re-runs are simply lazy. Let us rewrite history by replacing them: open this album with another non-album single from '66, 'Sad Day'. Replace 'Let's Spend the Night' with 'Mother Baby's' B-side, the psychedelic blues 'Who's Driving Your Plane?' and insert the hotel room insomnia and restlessness of 'What to Do' as track five (in place of 'Lady Jane'). Now we have an album that is thematically and musically a far more cohesive statement...This is my five star "Flowers"
1 Sad Day 3:03 ("The Singles Collection/London Years")
2 Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby 2:35
3 Who's Driving Your Plane? 3:15 ("Singles Collection")
4 Out Of Time 5:37 (longer UK "Aftermath" version)
5 What To Do 2:35 (UK "Aftermath" or "More Hot Rocks")
6 My Girl 2:37
7 Back Street Girl 3:27
8 Please Go Home 3:18
9 Mother's Little Helper 2:47
10 Take It Or Leave It 2:50
11 Ride On, Baby 2:53
12 Sittin On A Fence 3:02
voila! With the superbly remastered Abkco CDs and a multi disc changer anyone can program the album this way, and it's how I now choose to listen to it.
It doesn't matter anymore if this album was put out as stopgap. The 1966-67 Stones were in constant creative motion, and made accomplished, frequently startling music that can't be categorized as merely 'transitional'. Some of the best of that material appears on "Flowers". Finally, ponder the album jacket - on the front cover, Brian's is the only flower whose stem is without any leaves at all...
Description of Flowers
No Description Available.Genre: Popular Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 27-AUG-2002
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