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GOATS HEAD SOUP

Twenty Reviews - Overall Average Rating -  8.4 Tongues

(Sorry, we are no longer accepting fan reviews for this album at this time)

GOATS HEAD SOUP
by Stynch13
June 19, 2012
Rating:

The unfortunate problem with Goats Head Soup is its irrelevance. What were the Stones going for at this time? They were absolute superstars, the best band on the planet. They just came off of Exile on Main Street (the greatest rock n' roll album of all time, hands down) and now they move on to funk and soul. But what's their motive and does anyone really care anymore? As a stones FANATIC, I really enjoy this album and appreciate the melodic value it has (thanks to Mick Taylor). It has a fabulous collection of songs: "Angie", "Starfucker" (my favorite Stone song of all time), "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo", "Winter", etc. The only two bad songs on the album are "Dancing with Mr D" and "Can You Hear the Music". These songs just seem like the Stones caught a lazy fever. "Mr D" seems like a pathetic competitor to "Sympathy for the Devil" (they both deal with Devilish subjects), yet "Sympathy" achieves this better through its calypso beat, cynical lyrics, and dark undertones. "Mr D" just seems like an obvious toss off to Devils (boring), although I enjoy the catchy riff, and don't get me started on "Can't you Hear the Music", because that's just the dumbest thing they ever did since "Dandelion". What I'm trying to get at, is that Goats Head Soup is a strong album, although the Stones ruined it on their own. They caught the world by the thunder and now they just do whatever they want. Mick has become a star-studded celebrity and Keith has sunken into deep addiction. They don't represent anything anymore and you can hear it in the way they recorded these songs. I mean nowhere in the album does it really take off until it gets to "Starfucker". The songs have the potential, but they never take that advantage and spin it in their usual way. They've gotten lazy, yet they still are The Stones... it's a hard name to keep up with. If anyone else recorded this album, it would be a great one, but the fact that The Stones recorded this with such a boring nod-off makes it obsolete. Great stuff on here, just missing the final ingredient... a motive.

To listen to some sound clips from GOATS HEAD SOUP or to buy it click here: Goat's Head Soup

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GOATS HEAD SOUP
by Henry
December 29, 2010
Rating:  

I think Goat Heads Soup is a very good album. It's not as great as Sticky fingers or Exile, but it still has a lot of great songs on it. "Dancing With Mr.D" is a strange but good song. Mick has explained what the "D" means, it stands for death. "100 Years Ago" is an awesome track too. I never would of known it was a song about drugs if I only read the title. "Angie" my be the best track off the album, Mick's voice is flawless, it kind of gives me chills. "Winter" is another amazing song. I think it could be one of the best songs. "Star Star"is one of the most dirtiest songs the Stones have ever recorded. I was shocked it even made it on the album. Goat Heads Soup is a blast to listen too and I enjoy it every single time I play it.

GOATS HEAD SOUP
by devilsadvocate
June 29, 2009
Rating:

No doubt about it: Goats Head Soup is the most under-rated Stones album of all. Is it because it came after what many Stones fans consider to be the band's masterpiece? Is it because it's a more mellow album than what we'd become accustomed to from the Boys? A little of both? No matter, this wonderful album truly deserves to be rediscovered.

The album opens with "Dancing with Mr. D", one of the better-known songs on here. Then comes the wonderful "100 Years Ago", with stellar guitar by Mick Taylor. "Coming Down Again" is a Keith Richards ballad with one of his better vocal performances.

"Angie" seems to be a song that people either love or hate. I'm afraid I'm in the second group. "Silver Train" is another marvellous song; close your eyes and concentrate on Taylor's magnificent slide guitar. What a treat! This is followed by one of my favourite Stones songs of all: the wonderful, bluesy "Hide Your Love".   I'm not sure when Mick Jagger learned how to play the piano, but he sure does a wonderful job here. Keith is not on this track, all guitar sounds come from Taylor.

The beautiful "Winter" is another fine moment for Mick Taylor, who truly shines on this album. "Can You Hear the Music" is intensely disliked by many Stones fans. While it certainly isn't one of their better efforts, it's more palatable than some of their less inspired efforts.

"Starfucker", hypocritically renamed "Star Star", closes out the album. It's more in line with the kind of sound a lot of people expect from the Stones. Whoever had the lame idea to rename the song obviously never listened to it, as he or she would not have failed to notice the vast number of times the offending word is uttered. Shame on idiot record company executives who think it's a great idea to censor how musicians express things!

GOATS HEAD SOUP
by GB
September 7, 2002
Rating:

'Coming Down Again', the third song, should have been the title track, because it summarizes what this whole album is about. It's a come-down album from Exile on Main Street, and from the exhilarating ride of Sticky Fingers, Let it Bleed, Beggar's Banquet, all the tours, Altamont, Brian Jones, and various bad habits. Keith isn't playing much here, and he isn't slashing on his guitar at all. This is a quiet, melodic album.

'100 Years Ago' is the first of a new breed of songs for the Stones, it isn't based on a groove or even on a melody, but on a melancholic mood - and Mick Taylor's guitar. In fact, Mick's guitar steps out into the limelight on this album. His solo on 'Heartbreaker' is heartwrenching - short, sweet, melodic, sad. Keith's puts the cards on the table on 'Coming Down Again'. All that free spirited high living had brought about its own conclusion. This is probably the strongest song on the album. 'Silver Train' is a straightforward rocker with a great riff and slide guitar, the only song which might have found a place on Exile. 'Star Star' has the naughtiest lyrics of any I know, very raunchy. It's also an exuberant song which rises from the funk of side 2 to remind people that the Stones have a reputation for rock n roll. 'Angie' is the first overtly pop song they'd done in a long time, going back maybe to 'Let's Spend the Night Together'. This song was made for the radio. It's still very nice though. 'Dancing with Mr. D' is a nice riff that tires after the first lap. 'Winter' is a nice song that other people like more than me. 'Hide Your Love' is pretty bad. It's an uninspired jam. 'Can't You Hear the Music' is one of the strongest tunes here. Taylor's guitar is exceptional. It has great tone, and it strikes a perfect melody. If 'Coming Down Again' summarized the collective exhaustion, then this song summarized the group's ambitions for recording in Jamaica to begin with.

GOATS HEAD SOUP
By Fiji Jim
April 29, 2002
Rating:

You have to feel sorry for GHS. It's like the plain younger sister of four prom queen knockouts. The tits are smaller, the hips wider and she's aloof, shy. But as they say still waters run deep and there's more to GHS than meets the ear.

For one thing Mick Taylor peaked as a Stone here. He is on top of his game throughout. The wah-wah freakouts on '100 Years Ago' and 'Heartbreaker', fluid slide runs down the track of 'Silver Train' and 'Winter', which in IMHO his crowning achievement as Stone.

GHS is a melodic album, more introspective than its rollicking predecessors. This is due in large part to the disappearance of Keith, who appears MIA on much of this album. The raw, open-note riffs are few and far between and his lyrical contribution seems minimal. Apart from 'Angie' there are no signature tunes here but dig a little deeper and there is much to enjoy on GHS. It's a decline from the mayhem of Exile, but not as much as public perception has led us to believe. There is only one weak song on here, 'Can You Hear The Music', other than that it's strong from start to finish. Like the plain sister, GHS has a beauty all its own which makes for a unique chapter in the Stones recording career.


GOATS HEAD SOUP
By J.D. Earle
April 24, 2002
Rating:

GHS is a grossly underrated album. It is filled with fine musicianship and interesting tunes. 'Dancing With Mr.D' starts things off with its haunting intro, and grooves throughout. Next is the masterpiece '100 Years Ago', which has the incomparable Mick Taylor's wailing wah-wah lead lines. The third track, 'Coming Down Again', slows things down a bit and is probably the least interesting of the ten tracks. However, it is still an enjoyable tune with Keith delivering some soulful vocals. 'Heartbreaker' gets things back on track with its hard hitting lyrics, memorable horns, and a brief but effective MT solo. The last track on the first side (old vinyl) is the legendary 'Angie'. Filled with tasteful acoustic guitar and beautiful strings, the ballad has a haunting yet soothing affect. 'Silver Train' gets things started on the second side with MT's romping slide guitar. Next up is the mid-tempo blues boogie highlighted by boogie-woogie piano and MT's burning blues lead lines. Track eight is the highlight of the album, and one of the Stone's greatest works, 'Winter'. The tune builds and builds with stoic rhythm guitar and strings and hits its apex with a stirring ethereal MT solo. 'Can You Hear The Music' follows 'Winter' with a middle eastern approach and works quite well. The final track is the raunchy 'Star Star', which is filled with Keith's rocking guitar. Overall, GHS is one of the Stone's best efforts. In my opinion it is number five in their catalog behind the big four of Sticky Fingers, Exile, Let It Bleed, and Beggar's Banquet. Give the album a try and you will find that although different in approach than the Stones four preceding offerings, it is a powerful testimony to the bands eclectic repertoire.

GOATS HEAD SOUP
By Kristof Ewan
October 19, 2001
Rating:

I have to confess, Goats Head Soup doesn't sound as bad as critics have made it out to be. Had the Stones been a middling band, GHS might have been rated more highly. The sound is well-produced for sure, and there is a more melodic, slicker emphasis on the music. It has some pretty good songs (notably "Winter" and "Angie"), and even the mediocre ones are listenable enough to rate this album as OK. Still, it's music has been rightly criticized for being insipid and lackluster, and the album signaled the end of any further greatness from the Stones.

None of the songs are terrible (with the exception of "Can You Hear the Music," which is just downright embarrassing), and they even have some pretty good hooks in places; they're just mediocre. Unlike, say, Sticky Fingers, nothing in GHS has that quality of originality, of ingenuity, of flair that distinguishes them from their previous albums, or that would make one say, “Wow, that’s a new sound I haven’t heard from them before.”

What direction could the Stones have gone in had they been more inspired? What would a great GHS have sounded like? It’s hard to say. They may have wanted to scale down their ambitions, but whatever ideas they had originally simply didn't come together well for this album.

GHS is probably the last Stones album deserving of serious criticism. It was the first RS album released right after the Stones's incredible homerun streak (Beggars Banquet to Exile on Main Street), and the last to be produced by Jimmy Miller. The following year Mick Taylor, the Stones's best lead guitarist ever, would quit, and the Rolling Stones would become the band we have become used to knowing them as ever since.


GOATS HEAD SOUP
By Arnie
June 14, 2001
Rating:

Goats Head Soup is one of the stones albums I listened to en-masse when I first really got into the band's music with their 1978 release of Some Girls. The album has been much maligned over the years primarily, I think, because it differs so greatly from its epic predecessors (Exile, Sticky Fingers, etc.). The album represented, in my opinion, a continuation of the Stones' (Mick Jagger's in particular) desire to expand their sound and to stay "current" in the music biz as opposed to just retreading in their past footprints. Most of the material here is good, but the album can be divided into three distinct segments in my opinion. First there are 3 or so excellent songs ("Angie", "Heartbreaker" and "Winter"), two clunkers ("Can You Hear the Music?", and "Silver Train"), and "The rest", with the rest of the songs being of decent quality. The problem with it to me is a question of track sequencing. The album doesn't "flow" very well. A good case in point of this is the transition from "Heartbreaker" to "Angie". "Heartbreaker" is a tough, angry tune about injustice and unfairness in the world in general, and then it gives way to the beautiful bittersweet classic ballad "Angie". "Heartbreaker" itself is preceded by the melancholy "Coming Down Again", which is preceded by the melancholy, reflective "100 Years Ago" preceded by the opening upbeat, decadent "Dancing with Mr. D. As a result of this roller coaster ride Side 1, the album lacks focus in my opinion, and as a result is not the best "listen" cover to cover that the Stones have ever done. Its a curious thing to me that Goats Head Soup is not as enjoyable (to me) as say Emotional Rescue. The latter definitely has weaker material song for song than the former, but the material fits together far better on the latter, thu making it a more enjoyable listen. If you are new to the Stones, I don't think this is where you want to begin exploring their immense discography. If you are already hooked (as I have been for many years) - its a must, as there are a lot of good individual tracks here.


GOATS HEAD SOUP
By Sal Pizzurro
June12, 2001
Rating:

As far as I'm concerned this1973 contribution from Mick n the boys was their gift to the fans-a beautiful, rhapsodic, superbly conceived album that for me, is pure bliss to listen to. And yet, when it originally came out- it wasn't lauded as a masterpiece, and really, it still hasn't been given the kudos it so richly deserves even to this day. Which begs the question, of course, why oh why, was an album that is filled with such sweet, wistful, and enchanting music given the cold shoulder? Well, people have this idea, I think, how the Stones are supposed to sound, and it seems that any time they deviate from that driving rock formula,> they get especially burned by the critics, and even their fans. It wasn't fair that this album had to follow Beggars Banquet, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and their magnum opus, Exile on Main Street. I mean how on earth could the Stones possibly have topped that double disc masterpiece? Also, those aforementioned albums explored mostly serious, and often dark themes, either lyrically or musically. They were edgy, dirty, and gritty. And I think everyone expected more of the same on Goats Head Soup, but the Stones had to come up for air and change.
Like another far more experimental album that was far more beat up on-Their Satanic Majesties Request, Soup is held in far greater regard today than it was back in '73. As great as their previous albums had been, this one is truly like a great fresh breath of perfume scented air. I don't think it is their absolute best album, but for me it is my most beloved album and the one I listen to most. This might be the Stones most accessible album, perhaps, with its wondrously romantic sentiments. Also, this is really an album that has a Sound to it, you know? I don't think they were worried about having hit singles when they recorded it. Each song seamlessly segues into the next and the momentum just keeps building. My absolute favorite track is 'Can you hear the Music', it is just incredibly beautiful and makes me cry every time I hear it. 'Star Star('Starfucker')' is one of the Stones best all out rockers- it just makes me want to get up and dance all night long to its contagious beat. 'Angie' another big #1 for the Stones, is my absolute fave ballad ever that they ever did-it truly is heartbreaking and gracefully played. 'Winter' is a masterpiece, it just sounds gorgeous. 'Silver Train' is also one of my favorite tracks- it just is so much fun to hear. They often explore themes of regret and sadness on this album. Over all, I found every song on this album to be perfect. This album may not scream masterpiece! at you, instead it warmly welcomes you into its soft arms and gives you a hug that makes you feel like no other problems exist for you. Listening to the sound of this album is like slowly soaking in a nice warm, luxuriant bubble bath-you just can't believe how good it feels to be awash in it!


GOATS HEAD SOUP
By Alan Alwiel
February 19, 2001
Rating:

After Exile, the glimmer boys put out a different sounding record with Goats Head Soup. The Album is dominated by crafty ballads, the theme of the album.
'100 Years Ago', a mystical type of feel has Jagger singing from his heart and Mick Taylor's blistering wah wah guitar kicks the song into another gear. Keith's 'Coming Down Again', dives into his personal issues with drugs and his singing is great. One of Keith's best moments singing on record. 'Angie', the classic rock ballad has Jagger singing great with fantastic lyrics played against Keith's acoustic guitar. MT plays the electric lead solo over Jaggers vocals. 'Winter is a Jagger/Taylor song which has great lyrics and vocals by Jagger.'Winter' is a treasure and has Jagger playing acoustic against Taylor's brilliant solo and is one of the finest moments on any Stones record. Mick Taylor should of received some song credit. 'Star Star' is a rocker and has Taylor and Richards interplaying against each other. Both players playing the rhythm and adding their different lead solos.'Dancing With Mr. D', is the second coming of 'Sympathy For the Devil', but a weaker effort. 'Silver Train', has Keith's driving rhythm and Taylor laying down his signature ringing slide which is awesome.'Hide Your Love', and 'Can't You Hear The Music', are different and add to the diversity of the album. 'Heartbreaker', has the signature sound of the Stones with Keith's driving rhythm and M T laying down some Hendrix sounding wah wah solo.GHS grows on you over the years and is truly one of the top five Stones records.


GOATS HEAD SOUP
By R. Janssen
December 16, 2000
Rating:

A lot of people think of Goats Head Soup as a nice album. They say:  "Goats Head Soup, yes it's nice”. But it isn't, it’s a great album. How can this be a "nice" album? Hello, 'Angie' is on this one. Many Stones fans don't want to admit that they like 'Angie', because everybody likes it. When they talk to fans of other bands or groups, they will never say that 'Angie' is one of their favorites. But in their hart, they love it. This is one of everybody’s favorites. 'Angie' is one of the most beautiful ballads ever made. I just can’t imagine that anyone wouldn’t like this. And please don’t underrate the other songs on this album. Another fantastic ballad is 'Winter'. Mick sings fantastic on this one,  like on 'Angie'. But also Mick Taylor’s guitar sounds amazing. I think this is his second best song he ever recorded. His best song is without a doubt: 'Time Waits For No One' (Have you ever heard that one on your headphone? If not, you should do this very quick….You can’t miss that!!!). The best rock tune on Goats Head Soup is 'Heartbreaker'. This song is one of their most underrated songs ever. It has such a great rhythm which fits excellent with the lyric ( A very rough lyric!!!). These three are the best on the album. A few other nice songs,  'Star Star' ( AKA Starfucker…) and 'Coming Down Again', are my other favorites on this underrated album.


GOATS HEAD SOUP
By Net Pimp
November 27, 2000
Rating:

A rather mediocre one, considering the standards of the Stones, but it shows a rare, tender, funky side of them, a contrast from the previous album which was more of a soul searching spiritual thing ("Let it Loose," for example). But, amidst the poor material comes some gems. Though it fails in its attempt to be creepy and demonic, the menacing feeling boils over on "Dancing with Mr. D" an attempt to create a partner to the incomparable "Sympathy for the Devil." "100 Years Ago" is another soft tune that's okay, I suppose. "Coming Down Again," though it stretches on for a bit too long, is a touching love song written by Keith, with some lines sung by him too. It talks about being lonely in a troubled life probably, hence the lines "Where are all my friends, coming down again." "Heart breaker" is a rough story of the streets, a  girl OD'ing on heroin, a 10-year old mistaken for a criminal and shot by police. Also, the horn lines take notice here with some punchy backing. It's a solid rock song, but still just a little good. The album's best song, "Angie" is the next song. "Angie" was a worldwide no. 1 smash and secured the Stones a place in the ranks of classic balladry. The solemn acoustic guitars and sweet orchestra provides the sentimental basis for a great love song. A rather mediocre hillbilly rocker starts side 2. It is "Silvertrain," a slightly enjoyable song that was the B-side of "Angie." "Hide Your Love" is a good number, but it seems to repeat itself. An underworked number, "Hide Your Love" could've been made into something a little more grand. Another great ballad, graced by the piano playing of Nicky Hopkins is next. "Winter" reflects on the love over the seasons. "Can You Hear the Music?" is another one of the Stones weaker cuts from their early 70s period. The closing rips off Chuck Berry with its opening riff and is an ode to the groupies in the entertainment world. "Starfucker (AKA Star Star)" was edited to muffle the lines (though the "Starfucker" is audible enough-so it sounds like this: "Star, fuck, Star." Okay then! The album deserved some slack for being a rush recorded and released LP that, despite being a big hit, failed to meet the expectations of their masterpiece from the year before.


GOATS HEAD SOUP
By John Barnett
August 31, 2000
Rating:

Pink Floyd released Dark Side of the Moon in 1973. They would never again be known as an underground cult band. In fact, within 3 years they would be selling out stadiums. The Rolling Stones released Goat's Head Soup in 1973. They would never be known as infallible again. In fact, within 3 years they would lose their producer, lead guitarist, and a reputation for making perfect records. That's not to say that this album isn't a damn good one. It is. It just doesn't have that unmistakable flair on each track. 5 tracks on here (2,3,5,8,10) are amazingly perfect bits of rock & roll, and 5 tracks (1,4,6,7,9) are just decently played and written songs. No losers on here, just some stuff that could've come for anybody that was really good at the time. The entire group was doing fine at the time, but fame was getting to their heads. Just look at the band wrapped in satin! Also, Mick Jagger was getting a little mystical, and the album's title as well as the disturbing picture of an actual goat's head in a pot of boiling blood is a bit of a clue to this.
Songs:
DANCING WITH MR. D: A great tune, but it's the weakest opening song on a Stones album. Even weaker than "One Hit To The Body". 100 YEARS AGO: Sad, sad song. But oh so beautiful. Mick Taylor rips it up at the end. COMING DOWN AGAIN: Keith Richards' plea for help. You can just hear the pain in his voice. Excellent chorus. HEARTBREAKER: A generic rocker, but Mick T. makes it special with a great few riffs. ANGIE: Whoa! Stop the presses! This is the Stones best ballad, not to mention Jagger's best vocal. SILVER TRAIN: Generic once again. Could've been written by REO Speedwagon. But the boys perform it solidly. HIDE YOUR LOVE:Same as above. Nothing special. WINTER: Amazing track. One of their top 10 songs. The soloing here ranks with Clapton and Hendrix. No shit. CAN YOU HEAR THE MUSIC?: Upbeat song with Madonnaesque lyrics. Nothing groundbreaking here. STARFUCKER: Once again, the obligatory humorous song. Awesome lyrical play, and what a daring thing to do. Write and record a great radio-ready tune that couldn't be played on the radio for the fact that Jagger says 'giving head' and 'pussy' 1 time each and 'fuck' exactly 60 times. A great record with a few flaws, but buy it for the 5 masterpieces.

GOATS HEAD SOUP
By FujiSaki
August 31, 2000
Rating:

The bands fifth best album and I do consider it a masterpiece, although a step down from the last 4 that preceded it. The two Mick's really shine here. "Angie" is the best known song on the this album but not the best. "Star Star"  is really cool but probably would have made a better opener than closer. "Coming Down Again" is great. Hands down the best song Keith ever sang. "Dancing with Mr. D", "100 years ago", "Heartbreaker", "Silver Train" all kick some serious ass too. Taylor's lead guitar is explosive and Keith plays some great rhythm. I can honestly say there are no songs on this album I don't like to hear.

GOATS HEAD SOUP
By Anthony Peterson
July 21, 2000
Rating:

"Angie" was the first Stones song I remember hearing (I was 6). I loved it then and I love it now. I suppose that's why this recording is a sentimental favorite, even though it's not that good by Stones standards. "Heartbreaker" is the only other track I classify as great, thought there are several good ones. Never warmed up to "Winter", no pun intented. Could also do without "Can You Hear the Music". After the intensity of Exile, I think the boys needed a break and this was the result. This was also the beginning of Jagger's foray into Glam Rock. Check out some of the video from that time (1973) and see, it's pretty
embarrassing, at least to my eyes.

GOATS HEAD SOUP
By Benny
May 10, 2000
Rating:

Probably the Stones worst album of the Seventies. It lacked the spark and energy that all prior Stone albums had had. But it wasn't a complete waste, and featured a few songs that can rank with their best. By far, the best song on the album is ANGIE. One of the bands prettiest tunes, it also features some of Mick's most emotional vocals. It's not surprising that this song was such a huge hit. In fact it nearly dwarfs the rest of the record. Other standouts are HEARTBREAKER, COMING DOWN AGAIN and the neglected and overlooked 100 YEARS AGO. The first side of the album is good with the exception of the silly opening track, DANCING WITH MR. D. The Stones are trying to be scary and they just end up sounding ridicules. 100 YEARS AGO has a nice clavinette by Billy Preston and an excellent wah-wah guitar by Keith. COMING DOWN AGAIN is one of the early classic Keith ballads. COMING DOWN AGAIN like 100 YEARS AGO is also neglected and overlooked. Side One ends with the two big hits from the album HEARTBREAKER and ANGIE, which have deservedly become classics. After that the album is all down hill with exception of WINTER which has it's moments. STAR STAR is funny the first time you hear it, but it gets worse with each listen. This album just didn't have that certain something that made all of their earlier albums special. This was especially true since GOATS HEAD followed four of the greatest albums ever made; BEGGARS BANQUET through EXILE ON MAIN ST.

GOATS HEAD SOUP
By christophoros
April 16, 2000
Rating: 


This must be pulled down so often, because it was the follow-up to EXILE ON MAIN STREET, which was even voted the best rock album ever. GOATS HEAD SOUP also is a gem, but it just isn't EXILE, it's different. You wouldn't expect so beautiful, mellow songs (100 YEARS AGO, COMING DOWN AGAIN, SILVER TRAIN, HIDE YOUR LOVE) from the typical Stones like many people think of them. However, GOATS HEAD SOUP (and not VOODOO LOUNGE) is their voodoo album. DANCING WITH MR. D is one of their darkest songs ever, it describes a black mass. CAN YOU HEAR THE MUSIC ("love is a mystery I can't demystify") works with bongos and an African groove. WINTER is the naturally impressive song by the Rolling Stones par excellence. Yes, This album also contains some of their best vocal performances ever. Even a simple love song like ANGIE matches to become the Stones song with probably the most rumors about. Is it about Mick's ex-girlfriend or about his daughter? HEARTBREAKER ("I wanna tear your world apart")again is the pure living power and aggression, and STAR STAR is an obscene rocker. It was originally called STARFUCKER, but the title was to explicit for the USA. For being true, I don't know what my favorite Rolling Stones album after EXILE is. This is the bigger classic (it seems to have been released 100 years ago), about BRIDGES TO BABYLON I have got personal memories. It's hard to believe, that there were over 22 years between the two albums, because both of them are great.

GOATS HEAD SOUP
By Patrick H
October 21, 1999
Rating:

After Exile On Main Street, almost anything would seem an anti-climax.over the years it's become accepted that Goats Head was exactly that. Mick Jagger in particular always seems willing to dismiss it.at the time he, in particular,seemed hurt by the adverse reaction to the album in the press - it's only rock 'n roll was the (over)reaction to that. listening to it then and now it seems a clever step in a different direction from exile. dancing with Mr. d was the slowest kick off song on a stones album since sympathy for the devil, whilst taking a playful look at a similar theme. a sense of humor in the other bluesier numbers too - hide your love,silver train and StarStar. The quality of personnel in the stones golden age shines through,great guitar and keyboards from Mick Taylor and Billy Preston on 100 years ago - Mick T and Keef on Angie and Winter - Nicky Hopkins' piano on Angie to name but a few highlights. The album stays close to the stones' roots but shows them at an experimental and adventurous stage, almost progressive at times (100 years and Heartbreaker) world music too (hear the music) and still not afraid to undertake mighty ballads (winter and angie) and keep the pace slower when needed. you rarely hear people complain about the pace on sticky fingers for instance. Yes, reader I like it! If I had to pick a weak point or two, I would say Silver Train sounds a bit thin here - but add it to a compilation tape with some Exile tracks and it works well. Also, gasp, Starstar, pure vaudeville,but you get the feel of the band letting their hair down after a hard day at the office and all is forgiven.

GOATS HEAD SOUP
By Chris
September 24, 1999
Rating: 


After 4 consecutive masterpieces and a torrid live record, the Stones on Goat's Head Soup prove that even they, after all, are human. After the monumental Exile on Main Street and subsequent tour that gave the term 'hard living' a whole new meaning, Goat's Head Soup finds the Stones sounding somewhat drained and inconsistent. Of course there is much to be said on the album that counteracts these statements. If they were not the Rolling Stones but another band playing the same brand of
rock and roll, the album would be deemed a huge success. This, however, was Mick, Keith and the boys and expectations were extremely high at the time of it's release in 1973. The Stones, by this point, had become infamous for their hard-driving songs that open all of their classic albums (Sympathy, Gimme Shelter, Brown Sugar, Rocks Off). 'Dancing With Mr. D.' opens Goat's Head lacking the fire and passion notable to the Stones' music. It's effect only marginal. In the next song, '100 Years Ago', Mick Taylor's heavy wah-wahed solo at the end of the song not only lights a spark but tears into a blazing inferno. Why this magnificent, passionate guitar player has never received more recognition for his achievements is a bereft to guitarists everywhere. 'Coming Down Again' is a wonderful ballad by Keith that would pave the way for later efforts such as 'All About You' and 'Slipping Away'. Following That is 'Heartbreaker' and perhaps their best ballad, 'Angie'. Side 2 kicks off with 'Silver Train' and 'Hide Your Love'. The former is a great blues song that may have gotten more recognition on Exile because here it sounds a tad out of place. 'Winter' is another great, often overlooked, album track and after 'Can You Hear the Music' the record closes with the notorious 'Star Star'. What other band would have even tried to pull this off? Goat's Head Soup may not be the Stones' finest moment but there is enough strong material here to hang your hat on and still walk away smiling.

GOATS HEAD SOUP
By Mel Cicero
August 9, 1999
Rating:


I just cant understand why no-one, not even most Stones fans, give this album the respect it deserves. It stands up easily among the other 'big four' LPs of their creative zenith. Its appeal is more than just the sum of its songs I think, it is the overall mood and feel of the whole album, a bit mysterious, other-wordily, brooding and foreign, rather like the best of 'satanic...' without all the flounce.
Sure it has its classics and rockers, Heartbreaker, Star'Star', Angie; but even these radio friendly tracks have an uneasy vibe that I love, to me the Stones were so far out there on this one. 100 years ago is a buried gem qith its final blistering guitar and mellow lyrics, silver train is better than most of exile, hide your love has gorgeous piano there, jagger lazily singing to this chilled ambling song. Dancing with Mr D - cant love it too much and all thats before you get to the beautiful Winter and Coming Down Again (without doubt Keiths finest vocal moment). Proving yet again that the Stones could do no wrong with Taylor in tow - don't forget this one!