Monday, June 2, 2008

Underrated Classic-Rolling Stones "Some Girls"

When you are one of the biggest bands in the world, when you are reaching your prime and a new wave of sound is being ushered in, what do you do next? Well if you are the Rolling Stones you dress up in drag and join the party. In 1978 as Punk is being ushered in to city streets and making the kids go crazy for it, some are calling it the end of Rock, others called it the birth of what is to come. As the 70's neared a close, many were calling the Stones washed up and that their time had come and gone. However, the London boys kept on rolling and with the release of Some Girls, they revitalized their career. While hanging out (or sleeping with) cultural icons and the hipsters/yuppies of the day, Mick Jagger was deeply influenced by the way punk had stormed across New York. Hanging out with everyone from David Bowie to Andy Warhol and Lou Reed, Jagger felt it was necessary for the Stones to make a New York sounding record. In a 1995 interview with Jan Wenner, Jagger stated that "The inspiration for the record was really based in New York and the ways of the town. I think that gave it an extra spur and hardness. And then, of course, there was the punk thing that had started in 1976. Punk and disco were going on at the same time, so it was quite an interesting period. New York and London too." Completely dismissed by critics, Some Girls went on to sell six million copies across the globe. However, the most interesting thing about the record, may not have even been the sound it made. The mystery and brilliance of the record lies within the cover itself. Before the Da Vinci Code, the great mystery right in front of our eyes what was on the cover to Some Girls. It was not just The Stones dolled up as gal pals, or when you slide the record out from it's sleeve the faces changed. It was the friends and figures that made cameo appearances on various versions of the cover. Everyone from George Harrison, Lucille Ball, Judy Garland to Marilyn Monroe graced the cover in one version or another. The band did not use permission from most if not all of the figures and were sued. However, original pressings of the record still float around today and are worth the money if you can grab one!