Introduction:
Coming off the back of a series of stone-cold classics (Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers & Exile On Main St.), Goats Head Soup has contrived to be overlooked, despite being very much the equal of the aforementioned albums. Recorded in Jamaica, the voodoo atmosphere of Goats Head Soup remains a swampy anomaly in the band’s storied catalogue, and it contains a number of classic tracks, including Angie, Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) and 100 Years Ago, all of which have more than stood the test of time. As such, it is pleasing to see that the album has finally garnered the deluxe treatment and, unlike the rather disappointing Beggars Banquet reissue, this one is absolutely stuffed with content.
Released in a dizzying array of formats, Goats Head Soup is available on CD, LP, Cassette (no, really), 2 x CD, 2 x LP, 4 x LP and a super deluxe edition featuring three CDs and a blu ray. This review covers the CD elements of the super-deluxe edition.
The set (from the album’s press materials):
“The Goats Head Soup Super Deluxe box sets features 35 tracks on three CDs & one Blu-ray disc (Dolby Atmos, 96kHz/24 bit high resolution stereo, and 96 kHz/24 bit DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1). Included in the set is the new stereo album mix, sourced from the original session files, Rarities & Alternative mixes featuring three previously unreleased tracks, Scarlet, All The Rage & Criss Cross.
Also included is The Brussels Affair, recorded live at the Forest National Arena in October 1973. The 4 discs are housed in the boxset alongside a 120-page book with an incredible array of photos and 3 essays. 50 Years On – An Appreciation of Goats Head Soup by Ian McCann, Brussels Affair Live 1973 Tour by Nick Kent & The Story of The Cover Art by Darryl Easlea. The set is completed with 4 x 1973 reproduction tour posters, rolled up within the packaging to avoid creases.
For those less interested in bells and whistles, there’s a four LP version, which features the same audio as the set; a two disc LP / CD that features the album and the rarities and a single vinyl / CD, with just the album. It’s a bewildering array but, for our money, the Super Deluxe / four-disc vinyl sets are the must-have versions, thanks to the inclusion of the stunning live set.”
The Review:
The first disc offers up Goats Head Soup in a new, 2020 mix. There’s little to say about the original album that has not already been said. Somewhat maligned at the time of release, it has only gained in stature over the years, and deservedly so. With regard this edition, it is pleasing to note that the powers that be have decided to leave the track listing intact, opting to place the extras elsewhere and allowing this new mix the space to impress on its own.
And impress it does. Compared to the 2009 remaster, the album sounds detailed, clean and spacious. Of course, remixing a beloved album is always a risky manoeuvre, and there are bound to be those for whom the original mix will be the go-to option, because that’s the version with which they fell in love, but this is arguably the best the record has ever sounded. That said, listeners shouldn’t approach this thinking it will be whole new experience. The biggest gain is in the power of the drums, although a close listen to the gorgeously syrupy guitars of a track like 100 Years Ago reveals considerably more detail than previously apparent. Nevertheless, it is hard to recommend an upgrade via the single disc and fans should consider either the two or four disc iterations, if they are planning on purchasing the album all over again.
Tracklist:
CD1 – 2020 Stereo Mix
- Dancing With Mr D
- 100 Years Ago
- Coming Down Again
- Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
- Angie
- Silver Train
- Hide Your Love
- Winter
- Can You Hear The Music
- Star Star
As impressive as the new version sounds, the real excitement of the super deluxe set starts with CD2, which contains a selection of rarities & alternative mixes, all of which expand upon an album that is near perfect in intent and execution. The CD opens with the funky riff of Scarlet (a track which features Jimmy Page) and, although a great song, it’s easy to see why it didn’t make the final cut for Goats Head Soup. Swapping the swampy, voodoo of Dancing With Mr D for an airier sound, it would make a great addition to a different album, and it says much of the ruthless discipline that went into the editing of the record that it was left on the cutting room floor. Less impressive is All The Rage, a Stones-by-numbers track that lacks the diabolical groove the band hit on elsewhere. Criss Cross is a better track, albeit not up to the standard of Scarlet, but it does demonstrate Bill Wyman’s much-missed creeping bass lines even if the band as a whole seem to be hellbent on plagiarising Brown Sugar for much of the song.
Having dispensed with the studio outtakes, we get a piano demo of 100 Years Ago, which is surprisingly spritely and places a welcome emphasis on Mick’s vocal. Sometimes, hearing a familiar song outside of its context really opens up a new appreciation for it, and this is the case here. In contrast, Mick is absent from a pair of instrumental versions (Dancing With Mr D and Heartbreaker) and it’s fascinating to be able to appreciate the arrangement of the music and the dynamic of a band on fire. Hugely enjoyable, Dancing With Mr D sees the liquid slide bought to the fore, whilst the arrangement of Heartbreaker is revealed in all its psychedelic glory, the instrumental track deftly moving from Floyd-esque grandeur to horn-soaked soul. Two timeless tracks seen in a whole new light, the instrumentals justify disc two more or less singlehandedly.
The final four tracks are different mixes from the album versions. The first of these, Hide Your Love (simply labelled ‘alternative mix’) leaves Mick’s spoken word intro intact, and has a rawer overall feel. It also holds the band off for far longer, and is an interesting listen, although it pales in comparison to the original. The final three tracks are Glyn John’s mixes from 1973. All three tracks feel fully formed, but with a vibe that’s more rock ‘n’ roll than voodoo strut. They show how the album might have sounded with a different person at the helm but, although there’s nothing ostensibly wrong with the mixes, they lack the swampy atmosphere of the finished record.
Strangely, given that space is available, other tracks recorded during the exhaustive sessions (Tops, Waiting On A Friend & Through The Lonely Nights) are not included and, even though these did appear elsewhere, from a completist perspective it would be good to have them in one set. These omissions aside, the rarities CD is a worthwhile addition to any Stones fan’s collection.
Tracklist:
- Scarlet
- All The Rage
- Criss Cross
- 100 Years Ago (Piano Demo)
- Dancing With Mr D (Instrumental)
- Heartbreaker (Instrumental)
- Hide Your Love (Alternative Mix)
- Dancing With Mr D (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
- Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) – (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
- Silver Train (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
CD3 contains the ‘Brussels Affair – Live 1973’. The album was previously released in digital form in 2011, and on physical formats in 2012. However, with the latter an expensive box set (now deleted), the album now arrives in rather more accessible physical form and nicely fills a gap left in the impressive From The Vault series, which jumped from 1971 to 1975. Compiled from two shows held at The Forest National Arena on October 17th, 1973, the set captures the Stones in fine form. At the outset, the sound appears rather typical of arena recordings from the period, the drums in particular sounding somewhat boomy. However, the mix soon settles, bringing Mick’s vocals to the fore, while the electrifying interplay between the guitars and brass is sublime throughout.
A fifteen-track effort, the performance sees the Stones at their loosest and most inclined to jam. Gimme Shelter may lose the bulk of its hazy intro, its early placement in the set dictating a harder edged performance than usual, but You Can’t Always Get What You Want unwinds over eleven glorious minutes, adopting the weight of a religious hymn in the process. However, it is Midnight Rambler (always a showstopping moment), that truly sets the record apart. Expanded to an epic thirteen minutes, the band and audience come together in a spontaneously developed rock ‘n’ roll fever dream that takes Hoochie Coochie Man and sends it stumbling out into the night pumped full of chemicals. As such, it should come as no surprise that Mick, at the song’s conclusion, takes on the mantle of rock ‘n’ roll preacher man. “You make me feel so good!” he moans, and by the sound of the audience reaction, the feeling was entirely mutual.
From there, the band can do no wrong, and the final portion of the show is an unhinged blast that kicks off with Honky Tonk Women and finally jumps the rails with Street Fighting Man. Adopting the pace of a runaway train, the final five tracks leave the listener dizzied and breathless, and even the distance of some forty-seven years fails to lessen the impact. A widely sought-after show, and with good reason, The Brussels Affair is a remarkable and welcome addition to this impressive boxset.
Tracklist
- Brown Sugar
- Gimme Shelter
- Happy
- Tumbling Dice
- Star Star
- Dancing With Mr D
- Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
- Angie
- You Can’t Always Get What You Want
- Midnight Rambler
- Honky Tonk Women
- All Down The Line
- Rip This Joint
- Jumpin’ Jack Flash
- Street Fighting Man
The final disc, unfortunately, is not included in our review pack, so it’s not possible to comment on the surround sound mix. In technical terms, it contains the full album in Dolby Atmos, 96kHz/24 bit high resolution stereo, and 96 kHz/24 bit DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. There are few extras, with only the original Videos for Dancing With Mr D, Silver Train & Angie added, but for fans of the band who have long felt that the Stones deserve such treatment (it is the Stones’ first surround mix), it is a most welcome bonus, even if it is The Brussels Affair to which most will turn the most frequently.
CD4 (BLU-RAY)
Dolby Atmos, 96kHz/24 bit high resolution stereo, and 96 kHz/24 bit DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Dancing With Mr D
- 100 Years Ago
- Coming Down Again
- Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
- Angie
- Silver Train
- Hide Your Love
- Winter
- Can You Hear The Music
- Star Star
+ Original Videos: Dancing With Mr D, Silver Train & Angie
Overall, the Super Deluxe edition of Goats Head Soup provides the perfect opportunity to reappraise the album. The new tracks, alternate versions and instrumentals of disc 2 add context to the original album, whilst the Brussels Affair (only in the larger sets) is the perfect period recording with which to pair the release, even if it has been available in various forms before. Throw in the decent packaging and the surround blu ray and you have a solid, albeit pricey, presentation of a classic album. 8/10
