Sunday, January 15, 2012

Dead Flowers

Right after the Altamont disaster the Rolling Stones returned to the UK and went straight (December 9-10, 1969) to Olympic Sound Studios to finish off the three tracks recorded earlier at Muscle Shoals. In addition, treading now on ever more familiar ground, the first takes of "Dead Flowers" were recorded. "Dead Flowers" is another Nashville ringer but up-tempo. The song was written by Mick Jagger and features Ian Stewart on a joyous boogie-woogie piano roll.

The Stones' love for country and western was not simply a popular fashion or cheap imitation - the band seemed to have an in-built love for the music and country songs were to be included on most future albums, even if they were not treated as seriously as "Wild Horses". "Dead Flowers" was completed in 1970. After "Honky Tonk Women" and "Let It Bleed", the song completed Stu's 1969 trilogy...the sixth Stone in fine form!


Adapted from the following source: Martin Elliott, The Rolling Stones. Complete Recording Sessions 1962-2002, Cherry Red Books, 2002.

1 comment:

  1. December 9-10, 1969: Olympic Sound Studios, London, England.
    The Rolling Stones: Dead Flowers (early version) (Jagger-Richards) (4:06)
    The Rolling Stones: You Gotta Move (acetate version) (McDowell-Davis) (2:34)
    The Rolling Stones: Brown Sugar (Clapton version) (Jagger-Richards) (4:13)

    691209A 9-10th December: London, Olympic Sound Studios. Producer: Jimmy Miller. Sound engineer: Glyn Johns. Incl.
    - Dead Flowers (Jagger-Richards) - Ian Stewart on piano; "Little Lucy"-version
    - You Gotta Move (McDowell-Davis) - Bill Wyman on electric piano; "Decca-acetate"-version, slightly different mix to Sticky Fingers-version
    - Brown Sugar (Jagger-Richards) - Bobby Keys on sax, Al Kooper on piano, Eric Clapton on guitar.

    Line-up: Mick Jagger (voc)/Keith Richards (gtr, bvoc)/Mick Taylor (gtr)/Bill Wyman (bass)/Charlie Watts (dr).

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