In our recent Stones-oriented Dugout Chatter, Townsman Oats hit the nail on the head regarding the question in the thread that most interested me: What’s Mick Jagger‘s finest hour (or 30 seconds) as a vocalist?
Certainly it’s the verse in “Beast of Burden” that begins with “Now you can put me out on the street…”!
First of all, Mick is commanding. The tension for leadership within the Glitter Twins axis has always been a key feature to the band’s success. In this one moment Mick takes the wheel—and he doesn’t screw it up with one of his blackface or country bumpkin routines. Twenty-five years into his career Mick has finally become the soul singer he always wanted to be—on his own terms. This verse picks up on the work Jagger started in the ’60s, on songs like “Satisfaction” and “Under My Thumb.” Bravo.
Second, through the entire Some Girls album Mick’s voice is treated with the most-effective, straightforward vocal effects in the history of rock ‘n roll. If I could figure out exactly what effects are applied to that song and if I could apply to every song ever recorded I would. My apologies to all other great vocal effects ever used, but that’s the way I feel.
So there, Mick Jagger’s finest vocal hour is that verse from “Beast of Burden.” You’re welcome, in advance, for the role Oats and I have played in settling this debate.
So, aside from this Rock Crime of the Century (https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/index.php/rock-crimes/) is Mick’s weakest moment appearing in Bette Midler’s video for her cover of Best Of Burden.
or Beast…take your pick.
Hi-five, Mr. Mod!
Personally my fave is the song where Mick sings She blew my nose and then she blew my mind.
Is this really more authoritative than his commanding “Look at me. Look at me. Looooook aaaaaaaat meeeee,” on the out of “State of Shock”?
Oh yeah. It is.
aloha
LD
Mick is fantastic in Beast of Burden, but I still maintain that his best Stones performance is in Shine a Light, especially coming out of the breakdown and going into the last chorus. Despite the gospel veneer, I don’t feel like he’s really black-facing it up, or if he is, I don’t care. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPbozLRU3so
And, as mentioned on the other thread, the soundtrack version of Memo From Turner is Mick’s all time best, but I think the band is Ry Cooder and I’m not sure who else. He really nailed the menace that he seemed to be going for so often in his late 60s/early 70s work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAPgDs30eq8
Mod, good call. The whole Stones survey thing was too much for my little mind to get around so I did not formulate any answers. But I buy “Beast of Burden.” It is a tremendous performance of a song that has grown stronger, to my ears, as the years go by. It is an odd song in many ways–the structure, all the different sections, it sounds like one of those Lennon-McCartney songs where they managed to graft several song pieces into one surprisingly coherent whole. Mick’s vocal holds the whole thing together.
Great, and he is great all over Exile, which, as we know, has no weak moments whatsoever.
Mick’s finest note is that thrown off “Yeah” in the instrumental opening to Get Off Of My Cloud.
I forgot to mention Mick yelling out “My turn!” right before his harmonica solo on Little By Little.
Five words:
Talkin’ ’bout the midniiiiiight… SHIT!
… the Ya-Ya’s live version, that is.