The 500 - #109 - Aftermath - The Rolling Stones

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by New York-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

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Album: #109
Album Title: Aftermath
Artist: The Rolling Stones
Genre: Rock & Roll, Blues Rock, Art Rock
Recorded: RCA Studios, Hollywood, USA

Released: April, 1966
My age at release: Eight months
How familiar was I with it before this week: A couple of songs
Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #330, dropping 221 spots

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Paint It Black

Like many of this generation, I’m on several group text threads. Some are made up of close, dear friends and our conversations are varied. Others are looser and organized around sports, comedy, or specific shared interests. These threads have mixed demographics. They are populated by both good friends,  acquaintances, and even strangers. Among them are “threaders” who  enjoy sharing their scores from a variety of daily word games -- Wordle, Connections, Quordle, and Reunion. There are some participants whom I have never met. In one of the groups there’s a guy I know, but not particularly well. He is, without fail, regularly angry.

Every time he weighs in, I think of the Grandpa Simpson "yells at cloud" meme. According to him, social media is ruining everything. The world is falling apart. Kids these days are hopeless. Apparently, Blue Jays players wear too much jewelry, and for some reason that’s a sign of cultural decay. Some of his comments are delivered loudly and with a bitterness wildly out of proportion with his complaints.

The other day he fired off another take that felt like a shot across my bow, and, as I have a few times before, I clapped back. Not angrily, or at least not consciously, but with a sarcastic edge that maybe went a touch too far. I gleaned this by the way the rest of the group reacted: “Wow, Hodgy shows his teeth,” someone joked. Another chimed in: “I’m staying out of this one.”

Undeterred, he followed up with a explanatory message, doubling down and justifying his point. I didn’t reply. I just moved on. Besides, my wife wanted to catch our current favourite show on television. Granted, watching the superhero satire The Boys probably wasn’t the best choice as it only magnified what I was trying to leave behind. It’s wildly entertaining for the less squeamish, but it’s also a grim mirror of our moment, where outrage is amplified, rewarded, and, so far, unresolved.

The next day, a couple of friends from that chat group checked in. They didn't say anything directly, but I could tell these were "you good?" inquiries. This was kind and I appreciated it. I wasn’t upset. I didn’t feel wronged. I wasn’t harboring resentment. I still don’t. I’ll keep chatting in that group about hockey and music, sending jokes and harmless memes. I also know, without illusion, that I am not changing this guy’s opinions, temperament, or default negativity with a single sarcastic retort.

And yet here I am, writing about it. I do see the contradiction there.

Which brings me, oddly enough, to the Rolling Stones’ Aftermath. an album soaked in sarcasm and bitterness, lyrically abrasive, often confrontational, and a little misogynistic. Aftermath doesn’t invite you in. It pushes back at you. It argues. It sneers. It insists on having the last word.

Maybe that’s what put me on edge. Or maybe listening to Aftermath simply sharpened my awareness of a tone I recognize too well...the satisfaction of winning an argument, the hollow little triumph of being right, the way sarcasm can feel sharp and clever in the moment, but leave a faint, bitter aftertaste once the noise dies down and everyone moves on.

Part of what makes Aftermath such an interesting listen is that it exists in two forms. The original U.K. version, released in April of 1966, runs longer with 14 tracks, while the American version, released two months later, trims down to 10 shared songs and adds just one more. But what an addition it is! That extra song went on to become a signature piece for the London-based rockers, Paint It Black.  It went to #1 for 11 weeks in 1966 and is a hit that they still play at concerts as recently as last summer.

60 years ago this week.

Paint It Black is one of the darker songs on Aftermath. While much of the album argues (Doncha Bother Me), sneers (Stupid Girl), and asserts control (Under My Thumb), Paint It Black sounds singularly fixated. There’s no smirk in it, no sense of winning. Its themes of grief and alienation appropriately fitted the era in which it was written. In 1966, post-war optimism was fading, The Kennedy Assassination was a vivid memory, and the war in Vietnam was escalating.

Album jacket for the single, Paint It Black.

Listening to both versions of Aftermath, especially the U.S. label with Paint It Black, I couldn’t help but notice how easily sarcasm and negativity can slip into certainty and disposition and then how quickly certainty can curdle into abrasion. Aftermath doesn’t ask you to agree with it. It dares you to. And maybe, just maybe, that’s why my patience ran a little thinner than usual, and why a single group text exchange became hotter than it should.

Aftermath, it turns out, is less interested in reconciliation than it is in having the last word. I suppose that is also my default setting. And perhaps "yelling at clouds" is necessary sometimes. 

The 500 - #180 - The Rolling Stones, Now - The Rolling Stones

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #180
Album Title: The Rolling Stones, Now
Artist: The Rolling Stones

Genre: Rock, R&B, Blues Rock

Recorded: Chess Record Studios (Chicago); RCA Studios (Hollywood)

Released: March, 1965

My age at release: Not Born
How familiar was I with it before this week: A few songs

Is it on the 2020 list? No
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Everybody Needs Somebody To Love

This past Sunday, my wife insisted we go for a walk along the beach near our cottage.

"But it's raining," I protested, pointing out the nearby window at the foggy, drizzly December skyline.

"So," she countered, "we can dress for the weather, and you know you'll thank yourself later."

Our foggy view of Lake Erie (December 29, 2024). 

I conceded and now, as I warm myself by the glow of my laptop screen with a hot cup of green tea, I'm glad I did. I needed to get out and move my body. With a hip replacement surgery coming in the summer, I need to lose weight and strengthen my core in preparation for an easier recovery. It is a little painful to walk; but, as the mantra we use for motivation goes -- "Motion is lotion"

I used to exercise for vanity and fun, lifting weights and playing hockey three times a week in order to look good. These days, I am trying to ward off Father Time and remain more flexible and mobile as my senior years loom large. I haven't been able to play hockey for more than 18 months now (because of my right hip -- which is pretty much bone on bone now). However, I hope to return to the ice next season. Several of my beer league teammates are in their late sixties and even early seventies. They are an inspiration and have motivated me to keep "lacing them up" each season. 

The River City Rink Rats in 2019, a group I've played with for
more than 20 years.

Another inspiring figure is Mick Jagger who, at 81 years of age, continues to perform energetically with his band of 63 years, The Rolling Stones. In 2024, Mick and The Stones performed 20 concerts on their Hackney Diamonds World Tour. Each night, Jagger danced, jumped and ran around the massive stage singing hits from the Stones' extensive catalogue with the energy and enthusiasm of a teenager. He credits a daily workout routine that includes running, cycling, kickboxing, ballet, weight training, Pilates and yoga. In fact, prior to each tour, he prepares weeks in advance by running at least eight miles a day.

Jagger on stage with The Stones in 2024.

The Rolling Stones are also an inspirational phenomenon. Formed in  London, England, in 1962, they have continued to write and perform music for more than 60 years. The Rolling Stones Now is their third studio album released in America. However, it mostly contains songs that were already available in the U.K. on other labels. Only four of the album's 12 tracks were written by the band as many were remakes of some blues standards, including my favourite, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love. Written and performed in 1964 by rhythm and blues legend Solomon Burke, it came to my attention when The Blues Brothers (Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi) included it in their music/comedy film of the same name,  which I saw in theatres at least three times in 1980.

Movie Poster for The Blues Brothers.

The Rolling Stones Now was a hit record, reaching number five on the Billboard 200 album chart and was quickly certified "gold" with more than 500,000 copies sold in 1964. My favourite bit of trivia about the record involves the liner notes that were included on the initial pressings. Penned by producer Andrew Loog Oldham, they humourously read:

"This is THE STONES new disc within. Cast deep in your pockets for the loot to buy this disc of groovies and fancy words. If you don't have the bread, see that blind man knock him on the head, steal his wallet and low (sic) and behold you have the loot, if you put in the boot, TRUNK? good, another one sold!"

It is fun to listen to and got me through one more workout as I persist in my efforts to approximate Jagger's physical prowess when I am in my 80s.

The 500 - #213 - Tattoo You - Rolling Stones

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #213
Album Title: Tattoo You
Artist: Rolling Stones
Genre: Rock, Blues Rock
Recorded: At various studios, from1972 - 1981

Released: August, 1981
My age at release: 16
How familiar was I with it before this week: Quite

Is it on the 2020 list? No
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Slave

One of my favourite things about teaching students in the "Transition Years" (Grades 7-8, Ages 12-14) is that they are (to nick a line from a well-known Green Day song) "walking contradictions". They are also a "work in progress" and regularly subject to change. A teacher can witness a student who begins Grade 7 decked out in a Pokémon shirt and eager to share their obsession with Minecraft or their favourite basketball team. By the time that same lad walks across the stage at graduation, he is a skateboarding goth-kid who loves Japanese animation and is now an outspoken vegetarian.

Sometimes, their changing and contradictory nature can be frustrating for adults. The once co-operative, up-tempo, responsible kid who always finished their work and volunteered in class can seemingly overnight, transform into a sullen, poorly-regulated teen who refuses to complete assignments. It's at times like this when I find it helpful to think back on my contrary teen-age years. After taking a reflective pause, I try to extend the same grace to my students that I would have wanted as a contumacious adolescent – unnecessarily obstinate and headstrong.

Me vs. Life in my teenage years - blissfully unaware that I was the jackass.

My "love them/hate them" relationship with the Rolling Stones is a cogent example on which I can reflect when it comes to dealing with newly-minted teens. I discussed my misguided and tribal-based decision to dislike 'The Stones" in my August, 2021, post about their record Between The Buttons (#357 on The 500).

Between The Buttons record cover from Rolling Stones

My staunch animosity toward the already legendary British rock group was further fueled when a high-school classmate, whose name escapes me, committed the unforgivable error of criticizing my favourite band -- Rush. I distinctly remember him, decked out in his Rolling Stones' concert shirt -- a wildly popular bit of merchandise at my high school that year because The Stones had performed in nearby Buffalo (Orchard Park Stadium) and Detroit (Pontiac Silverdome). 

Promotional poster for Rolling Stones 1981 American Tour.

The skinny-kid, long hair in his face leaned over in French class, looked at my Rush regalia (likely my Moving Pictures concert tee or the many pins I had collected) and flatly said: "Rush sucks."

What other choice did I have but to respond with the less than clever retort: "The Stones suck". What followed was a terse exchange of insults about each other's taste in music, punctuated by erroneous condemnation of the talent possessed by the members of Rush and The Stones.

Images of vintage Rolling Stones and Rush Concert Shirts that 
match the ones we wore. (Found online).

It's my personal example of misplaced anger and one that I still witness with the students today. Several months ago, two boys were in a heated debate about the superiority of basketball stars Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Rather than engaging in a statistical comparison or accepting that both players were generational talents, the agitated teens looked for ways to disparage each other for their "misguided" choice. The goal is winning -- not engaging in reasonable discussion.

If I could go back in time, not only would I have let the "Rush sucks" comment slide. I would also have suggested that my classmate put his Stones T-shirt away for safekeeping. That shirt currently sells on EBay for $275.

Back of The Stones 1981 Tour shirt.

Despite my hostility toward the band, it was tough not to like the tracks I heard on Tattoo You when it was released in the summer of 1981. The lead single, Start Me Up, with its undeniably catchy opening guitar riff, was a huge hit on local radio -- reaching #2 on the Canadian charts. Privately, I liked it a lot.

Cover and label for Start Me Up single from The Rolling Stones

Then, when I heard their second single release, Waiting On A Friend, I was riveted by the soulful saxophone jam. I later learned that it was played by legendary saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Rollins also contributed to two other tracks on the record – Slave and Neighbours. As a hobby saxophonist, I envy Rollins’ seemingly effortless playing and rich tone.

Sonny Rollins.

Waiting On A Friend was originally recorded by The Stones in 1973 while they were completing sessions in Kingston, Jamaica, for their 11th studio release, Goat's Head Soup. It did not make it on that album but, with the addition of Rollins' smooth, tenor saxophone melody the song was a wonderful choice to end Tattoo You. In a 2009 interview, Stones' singer Mick Jagger said:

"I had a lot of trepidation about working with Sonny Rollins. This guy's a giant of the saxophone. (When he arrived to play) Sonny said, 'You tell me where you want me to play and DANCE the part out.' So I did that. You don't have to do a whole ballet, but sometimes that movement of the shoulder tells the guy to kick in on the beat."

The music video for Waiting On A Friend was also omnipresent in the early ‘80s,  airing regularly on television. Shot in New York City, the video’s narrative matches the song's lyrics, with Jagger waiting on a door stoop for his friend, guitarist Keith Richards, who is ambling through the busy Manhattan streets.

The building where Jagger waits, and sings, still stands at 96-98 St. Mark's Place near the East and Ukrainian Village regions of Manhattan. It has become an iconic location for music fans because it is also the same building featured on the cover of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti album.

Album cover for Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti - St. Mark's Place
Waiting For a Friend was shot on the steps to the left.

My wife and I have visited New York City many times (in fact, we married--  at the Big Apple’s City Hall in 2006.) I try to make my way to St. Mark's Street on every visit and, in 2018, I snapped a couple pictures of the building and the "Stones steps" for posterity.

My wife, white shirt, can be seen walking toward
me with the building and steps behind her.

The iconic steps from the Waiting For a Friend video
easily identified by the garbage can stencil.

As you may have guessed, I am now a huge fan of The Rolling Stones and, with seven more records on The 500, I look forward to revisiting a catalogue of music that I foolishly resisted in my youth.

It seems being a strong-willed, pigheaded teen is a rite of passage. If there’s one in your life, think back to your youth and maybe go easy on them.

Addendum

As an aside, Rush and The Rolling Stones didn’t share the animosity that my high-school classmate and I did. In fact, the members of Rush cite The Stones as a defining influence.

On July 30, 2002, a benefit event was held in Toronto to help revive the local economy following an outbreak of S.A.R.S. (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Initially called Molson Canadian Rocks For Toronto, it was soon referenced by the clever nickname, SARStock.

The Stones were the SARStock headliner, with AC/DC, Rush, The Guess Who, Justin Timberlake and 9 additional (mainly Canadian) bands as the warm-up acts. Rush even performed a brief instrumental version of the Stones classic Paint It Black during their set, as a tribute to their rock heroes.

Rush performing at SARStock.

Rush drummer Neil Peart once shared the story of meeting Stones' drummer Charlie Watts backstage at the event – immediately before the Canadian percussionist walked out to perform in front of an estimated 500,000 people:

“He (Watts) asked if we were going on soon, and I said yes, any minute, and he said, with a twinkle, 'I'm going to watch you!'

"I suppose if I could have felt more pressured, that might have done it, but I was already at maximum intensity - there was no time to think of Charlie Watts and the Rolling Stones. I had watched them on The T.A.M.I Show or Ed Sullivan when I was twelve-and-a-half. I remember hearing Satisfaction snarling down the midway at Lakeside Park, seeing Gimme Shelter at the cinema in London, (England), listening to Charlie's beautiful solo album, Warm and Tender, so many times late at night in Quebec. I couldn’t be distracted by the other million times Charlie Watts and his band had been part of my life.”

 A short video of that encounter can be seen here.

We said goodbye to both of these drumming legends recently. Peart passed in January, 2020 and Watts in August, 2021. Rest In Peace.

The 500 - #270 - Some Girls - The Rolling Stones

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #270

Album Title: Some Girls

Artist: The Rolling Stones

Genre: Multiple, including Rock, Country, Disco, Punk & New Wave

Recorded: Pathe Marconi, Paris

Released: June, 1978

My age at release: 12

How familiar was I with it before this week: Quite

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, At #468, dropping 198 spots

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Shattered

In the summer of 1980, our family rented a cottage for a week in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario. It was idyllic. A rustic cabin on the high rocky shores of Stoney Lake surrounded by Eastern white pine trees, every vista would inspire a Group of Seven painting.

The rental came with a canoe and my brother and I spent the first day paddling around the lake in search of the perfect rocky outcrop for cliff jumping. Once found, we spent the next six days climbing and diving into the cool, blue waters.

Stoney Lake region of the Kawarthas (Red Circle)

In the common room of the cottage was a small stereo system that included an 8-Track player and an assortment of cassettes. The two that appealed to me most were April Wine's Greatest Hits and Some Girls, the 16th studio release by The Rolling Stones. Both had plenty of plays during evening card games or lazy, rainy afternoons.

The Some Girls album had been on my radar for some time. The Rolling Stones appeared on the Season Four premier of Saturday Night Live (SNL) in October, 1978. The group performed three songs from this record, Beast Of Burden, Shattered and Respectable. Additionally, SNL cast member Garrett Morris had joked about Mick Jagger's controversial lyrics to the album's title track.

"White girls they're pretty funny, sometimes they drive me mad
Black girls just wanna get ****** all night, I just don't have that much jam."

During the faux-editorial portion on the show's satirical news program, Weekend Update, Morris recited the lyric and facetiously asked, "I have one question. Where are these women, Mick? I would like to find these black women."

Garrett Morris on Saturday Night Live

In 1976, the popularity of The Rolling Stones was in decline. Disco, Punk Rock and New Wave were on the rise, and rock bands like The Stones were seemingly being replaced by hipper new acts, including KISS and Aerosmith. Additionally, in 1977, Stones' guitarist, Keith Richards, had been arrested in Toronto, Canada, for possession of heroin. He managed to obtain a conditional visa to travel to France in order to join his bandmates and, as he worked toward detoxification and sobriety, Some Girls was the product of that collaboration.

Keith Richards in 1977.

Consequently, Jagger took the helm during this period and is considered by many to be the principle creative force behind this record. Wisely, Jagger leaned into the contemporary sounds of the late seventies and it informed several of the songs. The opening track, Miss You, is disco-inspired and Shattered is an obvious nod to the punk rock sounds of the day. The album also features a humourous Bakersfield-Sound country song, Far Away Eyes -- an infectiously catchy little ditty that always make me smile.

Some Girls was a commercial and critical success and re-established The Rolling Stones as one of the most important bands of the era. Revisiting them for this week's blog was delightful. Not only does it weave its way brilliantly through multiple genres, but also because it immediately transports me back to a simpler time -- my carefree early teenage years...watching Saturday Night Live, jumping from rocky outcrops into impossibly blue Ontario waters or listening to music in a rustic cottage surrounded by white pines.