Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Tell Me (You're Coming Back)

On February 8, 1964 the Rolling Stones embarked on their third UK Tour (All Stars '64), this time with, amongst many others, the Hollies and John Leyton. During the tour the band once again returned to Regent Sound Studios, London, to record one more track for their upcoming debut album. "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)" became the longest track on the album and also the most controversial.

It was the first Jagger-Richards composition to be released by the Stones, and the influences on the song stemmed from commercial-type Beatles songs and their Merseyside counterparts....a cross over into the pop mainstream. "Tell Me" is most notable for Keith Richards' cavernous, Hank Marvin-like twang during the break. Ian Stewart plays piano on a tune which sound and feeling were lightyears away from the Stones' American blues and R&B roots.


Adapted from the following sources:
Martin Elliott, The Rolling Stones. Complete Recording Sessions 1962-2002, Cherry Red Books, 2002.
James Hector, The Complete Guide To The Music Of The Rolling Stones, Omnibus Press, 1995.

1 comment:

  1. February 24-25, 1964: Regent Sound Studios, London, England.
    The Rolling Stones: Good Times, Bad Times (Jagger-Richards) (2:35)
    The Rolling Stones: Tell Me (You’re Coming Back) (Jagger-Richards) (3:52)
    Mick Jagger: "Tell Me"
    On Tell Me Keith was playing 12-string and singing harmonies into the same microphone as the 12-string. We recorded it in this tiny studio in the West End of London called Regent Sound, which was a demo studio. I think the whole of that album was recorded in there. But it's very different from doing those R&B covers or Marvin Gaye covers and all that. There's a definite feel about it. It's a very POP song, as opposed to all the blues covers and the motown covers, which everyone did at the time.

    640224A February 24-25: London, Regent Sound Studios. Producer: Andrew Oldham. Sound engineer: Bill Farley.
    - Good Times, Bad Times (Jagger-Richards)
    - Over You (Toussaint-Orange) -unverified
    - Tell Me (You’re Coming Back) (Jagger-Richards) - Ian Stewart on piano.
    Line-up: Mick Jagger (voc)/Keith Richards (gtr)/Brian Jones (gtr, harm, bvoc)/Bill Wyman (bass, bvoc)/Charlie Watts (dr).

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