« Back to Top Level | Rolling Stones, The

The Rolling Stones - Sotheby's Reel 1969-1970 (1970)

Track listing:
  1. Gimme Shelter 4:36
  2. You Got The Silver 2:56
  3. Sister Morphine 5:41
  4. Loving Cup 6:38
  5. Brown Sugar 3:52
  6. You Gotta Move 2:39
  7. Dead Flowers 4:11
  8. Sister Morphine 5:34
  9. Brown Sugar (intro only) 0:20
  10. Brown Sugar (intro only) 0:15
  11. Brown Sugar 4:10
  12. Brown Sugar (intro only) 0:15
  13. Brown Sugar (intro only) 0:10
  14. Brown Sugar (intro only) 0:11
  15. Brown Sugar (intro only) 0:12
  16. Brown Sugar (til 1st verse) 0:50
  17. Brown Sugar (intro only) 0:13
  18. Brown Sugar (til 2nd verse) 1:55
  19. Brown Sugar 4:08
  20. Brown Sugar 4:02
  21. Bitch 3:49
  22. Bitch (til guitar solo) 2:28
  23. Bitch (intro only) 0:15
  24. Bitch (count only) 0:07
  25. Brown Sugar 3:54
  26. Bitch (til 1st verse) 0:25
  27. Bitch 3:46
  28. Bitch (intro only) 0:14
  29. Bitch (til 2nd verse) 1:27
  30. (Can't Seem To) Get A Line On You 4:25

Notes

The Sotheby’s Reel are Glyn John’s working tapes when he was the Stones' studio producer during "Let It Bleed" through the "Sticky Fingers" sessions, the Stones' classic rock period. The tape reel was auctioned some years ago at the famous Sotheby's London auction house and featured some different versions of great songs that serve to let the Stones' crown shine brighter.

Something to point out; "Gimme Shelter" recorded here on 15th March 1969 and featuring Nicky Hopkins on piano, a version of "You Got The Silver" sung by Jagger from 16th February and an early take of “Sister Morphine” almost without piano. But remarkable is also "Loving Cup" that starts with a striking different piano intro and lasts more than 6:30 minutes. Minimal are the differences in the mix for songs like "You Gotta Move", "Dead Flowers" and "Sister Morphine" second version that all resemble the finished "Sticky Fingers" release. On the other side of the coin we have to put the many opening riffs of both "Brown Sugar" and "Bitch" that are tirelessly repeated by an engineer that rolls back and forth the tape looking for a better echo effect, it seems. When the Stones recorded "Brown Sugar" in Muscle Shoals Studios it is said that they tried the song the whole night to get it right, we can feel how they felt while listening to all these false starts. Anyway when the tracks are completed like version number 11 of "Brown Sugar", here comes an early take with Stu on piano and no sax or takes 19 and 20 of "Bitch" where you can hear Jagger ad-libbing over Keith Richards' guitar solo. Last track offered is a primitive version of "Shine A Light" called "(Can’t Seem To) Get A Line On You" that stems from Leon Russell’s session at Olympic Studios in early October 1969 with Jagger on vocals (different words) but this take was officially released in January 1994 on a Leon Russell CD.

This release from Idol Mind Productions has of course a fantastic stereo sound and absolutely no hiss at all, another proof that it's source is coming from the original tape and featuring so many classic Stones songs from late '69 through 1970 that couldn’t be more palatable. The release has a great cover also, with a previously unpublished shot while the back cover shows a pensive Stu watching the Olympic Studios recording equipment. A must! - and a pleasure to listen to many times.