Quote:
Originally Posted by Pretty Little Flower
"All Down The Line" is pure, raw, rock and roll from one of the Stones' grimiest albums, Exile. Like a number of other Stones songs from this era, it uses horn lines throughout, but particularly starting at the 3:02 mark of the video. The horns do not sound like an add-on or a superfluous flourish by some producer who had too much time on his hands. Nor are they an attempt to soften the song, like putting in some strings to smooth down the rough edges. They hit as hard as the guitar riffs or the drum fills. This song, standing alone, is a complete, devastating, and dispositive rebuttal to your entire horns in rock argument, even as it has been amended from time to time. Also, the video this person put together is just hilarious. I really wish it was o.k. to dance like that still:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtAsaDKB0eY |
I speak no ill of Bobby Keys. "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" is one of the very best.
But horns over guitar add a layer that makes the overall sound a bit muddy. In my opinion, the Stones sound their best with just guitar, drums, and bass. That includes Mick's harmonica (except on "Midnight Rambler," where for some reason, it works).
(I also dislike Neil Young's and Dylan's occasional overuse of harmonica.)
ETA: I like Jones' sitar. Sitar can be added to any song. You can't get too much sitar. But that's a string instrument, so it's no surprise I'm a fan.
ETA2: Violin and fiddle are okay as well, but one should be careful not to sound like the band in
Revenge of the Nerds. And Jimmy Page had no business using a bow with a guitar. Have you ever listened to a 25 minute "Dazed and Confused" and thought, "Gee, what really made that great was the 14 minute bow-on-guitar 'solo' in the middle." (That song reminds me of Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive." You start listening and think, what a great hook! Then a minute in the song devolves into moronic noodling, only to surge back into that awesome hook again for thirty seconds at the end. Fuck you, Syd. Fuck you.)
