Label: ABKCO Records (Japan), UICY-93796
Style: Classic Rock, Rock, British Rhythm and Blues
Country: London, England
Time: 42:21
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 269 Mb
In
doing my research for this post, I was pleased to learn that upon its
release, Let It Bleed temporarily knocked Abbey Road out of the #1 spot
on the U.K. charts. These little bursts of human sanity are tiny
treasures I cherish to temper my general skepticism about the aesthetic
perceptions of the species. Let It Bleed is clearly the better album
once you throw sentiment to the wind.
Many listeners consider Let It
Bleed a rather dark album, in part due to content, in part due to its
association with Altamont (more a matter of bad timing than anything
else) and in part due to Martin Scorsese including “Gimme Shelter” in
three of his cinematic bloodbaths. While “Midnight Rambler” is about as
dark and creepy as it gets, I think the overall impression of
“apocalyptic” is overstating the case. Except for their brief detour
into the flower power scene in 1967, The Stones had always been more
realistic about the world as is, and some of their best songs contain
insightful social commentary. To me, the fundamental message of Let It
Bleed is, “Get off your cloud and get real. The world isn’t as pretty as
you’d like it to be.”
Let It Bleed also reflects the band’s growing
belief in their renewal and in their future direction. There is no
question in my mind that the decreasing presence and mid-recording
departure of Brian Jones significantly improved group dynamics, as by
this point he was an unreliable distraction. Jones only appears on two
tracks, and neither contribution is particularly significant. When The
Stones asked him to leave shortly before his death, they were simply
giving in to the evidence that the relationship wasn’t working anymore.
Making a break with the past is always an act of liberation, and much of
Let It Bleed is infused with a breezy confidence that balances the
occasional forays into darkness and realism (and some poor choices here
and there).
“Gimme Shelter,” with its marvelously arranged
introduction calling up images of the moonless nights and whistling
winds that heighten human anxiety before a gathering storm, is
fundamentally existentialist at heart. What I mean by that is that
Jagger and Richards present the human race with a stark choice: we can
live in a world where rape, murder and war are just a shot away, or
where love is just a kiss away. What kind of world do you want? The
lyrics lean strongly towards the violent aspect of the choice at first,
in part because of the violence of the times and in part to shock people
out of naive idealism. Producer Jimmy Miller’s insistence that the song
called for female vocal support resulted in the brilliant decision to
bring in Merry Clayton, whose vocal adds even more fire to the throbbing
rhythms that drive the track. “Gimme Shelter” has lost none of its
relevance over the years; the same stark choice stands before the human
race today. Lately, with all the gun violence in America and the
transformation of war into a sick video game, I find myself feeling more
than ever the need for shelter from all the craziness that surrounds
us. “Gimme Shelter” is really resonating with me right now.
(full
version:
altrockchick.com/2013/04/27/classic-music-review-let-it-bleed-by-the-rolling-stones/)
Review by altrockchick. April 27, 2013
01. Gimmie Shelter (04:30)
02. Love In Vain (04:19)
03. Country Honk (03:07)
04. Live With Me (03:33)
05. Let It Bleed (05:27)
06. Midnight Rambler (06:52)
07. You Got The Silver (02:50)
08. Monkey Man (04:11)
09. You Can't Always Get What You Want (07:28)
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