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List Price: $17.98 | | Label: Virgin Records Us
Salesrank: 233043
Released: August 30, 2005 |
| Our Price: $29.99 |
| Used Price: $10.98 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Goats Head Soup Track Listing:
1. Dancing with Mr. D.
2. 100 Years Ago
3. Coming Down Again
4. Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
5. Angie
6. Silver Train
7. Hide Your Love
8. Winter
9. Can You Hear the Music
10. Star Star
Goats Head Soup Reviews:
Great Stones album 
2008-09-15 - If you like the Stones, just buy it. Stop thinking and buy it. Heartbreaker, Angie, Star Star, and the rest are songs you HAVE to have.
Tastes different, but still delicious! 
2008-05-26 - It was bound to happen. It was inevitable. As it was, it was still quite jarring to the listener when "Goat's Head Soup" was released in 1973 coming off the heels of an amazing 8 year run (1965-1972) of some of the most amazing music ever put on this planet. At the time this was a major disappointment to Stones fans, however, time has been kind to this release and has softened the blow that originally (and unfairly) gave it the reputation as being a lousy record and follow up to the monumental "Exile." In many ways, it IS the disappoinment of legend because this was the first 'slip-up' of 'The Greatest rock and roll band in the world." They were human, after all and perhaps, tired. In other ways this stands as a more than competent collection of rock and roll songs played by a very competent band. After all, a Stones record with some flaws is still about as good as any other rock and roll record out there.
The album opens with a lazy vintage Keith riff intoducing "Dancing with Mr. D." As far as Stones openers go, this was not along the same lines as the previous 4 releases. The groove never really seems to catch hold and the lyrics, although not completely ridiculous are pretty darn close. The second song, "100 Years Ago" is where the album begins to take hold. Opening with an organ riff and ending with a heavily wah-wahed solo by Taylor you have a song that is great but overshadowed by other songs the Stones have done. Although not as good, it's fate has become similar to that of "Sway" from "Sticky Fingers." "Coming Down Again" is a countryish-styled ballad sung by Keith. It is one of his best performances that, if you know anything about his life during this time, is very interesting lyrically. Of course the next 2 songs represent the hits from this release, "Heartbreaker" and the heartbreaking "Angie"-two bona-fide Stones classics.
The second half kicks off with a rocking "Silver Train" and contains a stellar slide guitar workout by Taylor. However, this song seems to sum up the problem that is inherent on "Goat's Head" and that is that although the songs are very good they often sound like imitations of GREAT songs they have done in the past. In this case, this is an inferior version of "All Down the Line" from "Exile." The album continues on to "Hide Your Love," a piano driven blues song with some great lead lines played by Taylor and the beautiful ballad, "Winter" which is reminiscent of "Moonlight Mile" from "Sticky Fingers" but not nearly as transcendant (What could be?). "Can You Hear the Music" follows and is a psychedelic styled song I didn't like at first but repeated (and closer) listens have, over time, revealed it's subtle charms. The last song is the notorious "Star Star" or otherwise known as "Starf*****." Built upon a swinging Chuck Berry riff the song is all at once funny, funky, rocking, sexy and daring..everything we have always loved about the Stones.
Time has been kind to "Goat's Head Soup" and although not a classic, it is still a GREAT rock and roll album. Yes, there are some flaws but it is a competent and fairly cohesive collection of songs and the record reveals a charm all of it's own. This is not the place to start if you're a newbie but if you're already a fan, there is lots to like about this recording.
Underrated by everybody - including, for a time, me
2007-06-10 - The first time I heard GHS, I hated it. I thought it was miserable, half-baked and boring. Then I gave it another chance, and I changed my mind severely. It is none of those things. In fact, it has quickly slipped past Some Girls into my Top 5 Stones albums.
The thing about this one is that it doesn't grab you immediately with the big hook song the way the previous four did. Dancing with Mr. D in truth can't compare to the previous four album openers (Sympathy for the Devil, Gimme Shelter, Brown Sugar, Rocks Off), and in fact isn't one of the Stones' better moments, but it's a decent song, slightly funky, just with laughable pseudo-Satanic lyrics.
So onto track two. Here's where things start getting good. I really like 100 Years Ago, which merges country and funk - I love that "Call me laaaaazzy bones... ain't got no time to waste away" part in the end, not to discount the rest of the song - a good uptempo ballad. Even better is the next song, Coming Down Again. This was Keith's first vocal showpiece on a longish love ballad (not counting You Got the Silver, which was short and ended as a blues-rocker), and it's by far his best - he spent most the rest of his career with the Stones trying to recreate the song's hushed, smokey atmosphere, but this pounds all the others in the dust. Another bit to listen for is the sax solo. There are two other classic ballads here - I used to hate Angie, now I love its graceful strings, wonderful melody and Mick's all-out vocals (he sings, screams, whispers, croons, cries...), and Winter, again sung perfectly by Mick. Like the lyrics, too.
But can the Stones rock? It's still the Stones, of course! Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) is yet another winner, a funky radio favorite packed with wah-wah guitar, clavinet, epic horns and the maddeningly catchy chorus to end all maddeningly catchy choruses: "Doo, doo doo doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo doo doo (babababababap!)" and then the lyrics... gritty, street-level commentary, Mick spitting "Heartbreakers... with your forty-fours... I wanna tear your world, I wanna tear your world a-pa-hart (Doo, doo doo doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo doo doo (babababababap!))" What a SONG! Silver Train is close to All Down the Line, but I don't care - Mick Taylor's slide guitar won me over! And Starf#@)(%er rocks. Now, the lyrics were rather controversial (then again, any song titled "Starf#)!#er is bound to be controversial even if it preaches staying in school, saying no to drugs and chastity till marriage), but I think it's hilarious: the random celebrity name-dropping coupled with whatever sex acts Mick could think of (which were plenty, Mick being Mick). Oh, and they repeat the f-bomb a good 65 times). Fun, sleazy Chuck Berry boogie - just don't play it for the ten-and-under crowd.
There's exactly one loser track, and it's Can You Hear the Music - if there's a hell for bad songs it can go there (where it would be awated by every Eagles hit except Already Gone). I like to skip it. The rest is normally quite good. First-rate Stones!!
Makes Me Feel Like I'm Dancing on Air
2006-06-12 - One of my favorite records, I play the CD in my car constantly, listen to it on my iPod all the time when I jog in the early morning, listen to it on my iBook with headphones on when I write in the evening. "Goats Head Soup" is one of those records that begs to be listened to in the order the band and producer intended. Every song works as part of the whole, from the dancing with the Devil song to that miss-named song about the girl who can make you scream all night and will do anything, and I mean anything, for a star. Keith's vocals on "Coming Down Again" are just about his best ever. Mick Taylor shines throughout, but is especially good on "Winter." Mick Jagger pulls out all the stops on that song too. I can hear the music in all the songs. I feel it in my bones. It flows in my blood. This record makes me feel like I'm dancing on air, even when I'm stuck in rush hour traffic. This record lifts me up when I'm down, makes me feel glorious when I'm just happy. This is one of the best records ever made, I can't praise it highly enough.
Can You Feel the Magic?
2006-06-11 - This is obviously another one of those Rolling Stones' records you just gotta love. In my opinion there is a subtle, mellower sound here than on the four Jimmy Miller records that preceded "Soup." "Dancing with Mr. D." is kind of a mellow rocker, if a song about carrying on the Devil can be considered mellow under any circumstances. You can slow dance to "Coming Down Again" and my man Jack and I have done so on several occasions. "Heartbreaker" will get you blood moving a bit," then the album slows down again for "Angie," and does anybody really care if the song was about David Bowie's wife, Keith's gal pal Anita or just some girl Mick made up in his head, it's a beautiful song. "Silver Train" is just simply a super song, but my favorite song on the record is "Can You Hear the Music." Can you hear it? Can you feel the magic? I can.
