Classical Composer reacts to The ROLLING STONES: GIMME SHELTER | The Daily Doug (Episode 856)

[@coreysoderlund1376]

Chills everytime I hear Merry Clayton sing that solo part.

[@martynlester9869]

Her cover of the song, ie with her singing lead rather than Jagger, is staggeringly good. Arguably better than the original - it's said that even KR said he considered it 'definitive'.

[@colleentrygg7376]

Yes , this is a masterpiece. The Stones have a few of those :) One of those is You Can’t Always Get What You Want. Studio version complete with the choir… definitely deserves to be on your masterpiece Friday .

[@simontemplar3359]

💯 the entire Let it Bleed Album is a masterpiece.

[@colleentrygg7376]

@@simontemplar3359 yup . That it is .

[@T-bone1950]

The way it was played during the starting scenes of "The Big Chill" was fantastic.

[@colleentrygg7376]

@@T-bone1950for me it’s the way they build and build then it goes off into the stratosphere… same as Midnight Rambler. Absolute magic . I’ve seen them do this live 3 or 4 times and it’s great but IMO that choir is what makes the song brilliant.

[@T-bone1950]

@@colleentrygg7376 👍

[@michaelberg7818]

The 'some piano' you referred to is the great Nicky Hopkins. His work is literally everywhere..

[@fuchsiaswing8545]

Yeah, Nicky was so integral to the Stones sound from 1967 to 1974. He was more or less a defacto member. Their evolution as a band really starts with him.

[@george474747]

You have to wonder how much input Nicky actually had on their songs. The Stones had some wonderful piano parts credited to non-pianists.

[@SuperNevile]

@@george474747 Ian Stewart and Jack Nietzsche were the other Stones' pianists. It was necessary for them to be non credited when you have Brian "playing the piano" on TV, for example on "Let's Spend The Night Together".

[@marktubeIII]

Nicky was also in Jefferson Airplane (Volunteers) and Quicksilver messenger service (Shady Grove if I remember)

[@eggman7527]

Thanks a bunch for taking the time to cover this too. I'd voted for this one. Tremendous song!

[@wulfgold]

The intro to this is total gold and the there's no let up in quality. RE: the mood of it, it's like fiddling whilst Rome burns. Sometimes the situation is so wildly egregious you laugh in shock. It's like the danse of madmen.

[@neiloliver4745]

"Moonlight Mile" is a Stones classic, moody and melancholic, with Paul Buckmaster's strings building the song to pack an emotional wallop.

[@seanjockel43]

@neiloliver4745 moonlight has jaggers best vocal performance of his career

[@captpicard100]

This and Sympathy for the Devil my two all time favorite Stones tracks. 1968-72 they were at their absolute peak of creativity.

[@jimbrentar]

Have you ever seen the film "Twenty Feet From Stardom"? You'd love it. Both Merry and Lisa appear in the film. It's about the unsung backup singers in the history of rock

[@thekpmckay]

That's what I came here to say. AMAZING vocalists who, after a shot in the spotlight, decided to do their job in the shadows. Just like the studio musicians in the Wrecking Crew and Muscle Shoals.

[@FanOblues51]

Loved that movie; saw it on TV just a couple of years ago.

[@kratino]

FABULOUS documentary.

[@thedave5748]

As a guitarist - I can tell you Keiths intro (and beyond) is like an archetype piece of music that people are still tryin to get right. the notes are one thing but the tone and feel are something unique. In the verses he's playing 5 chords - as in chords without a 3 just 1 and 5 so I guess theyre neither major nor minor - or both.

[@chriseyres9614]

Its the greatest rock n roll song ever made, it will never age or sound dated

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

As an undergrad in Canada when this song came out, it surprised me that a British band was so outspoken during the Vietnam War. After all, the UK was not involved, and it was Canada that was the refuge for Americans avoiding the draft. Then, a friend from Wales explained that British antipathy towards American involvement in SE Asia was based on the hypocrisy that the US was campaigning against British colonialism while boosting its own imperialist aims in Vietnam.

[@richarddefortuna2252]

Keith uses an open tuning on many of the Stones songs beginning in this era, primarily open G, but he has used open E, which i believe is what he uses on this tune. That allows him to be able to appear "casual" with his fingerings, while integrating a ton of interesting "complexity" into the figures that he plays.

[@KurtGAndersen]

Open E it is….👌

[@mc-lb9dk]

When I saw Lisa for the first time, before we had KZbin, less than 6 feet in front of me I was mesmerised by her presence and her voice. Still my fav singer . EVER!

[@mariewaters9346]

One of my most favourite tunes ever!!

[@billowens8051]

You might find “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” from Sticky Fingers in ‘71. It starts with a savage riff from Keith and ends in a Latin inspired jazz improvisational journey. It’s one of the most amazing songs from the rick n roll era. Thanks for the great assessment and breakdown of maybe my favorite Stones song - Gimme Shelter.

[@billowens8051]

I meant “rock n roll “ obviously.

[@danjmcs]

Chanel Haynes kills it with Mick on this track on the current 2024 tour, such a great song but what an absolutely amazing performance by Merry Clayton on the original studio recording.

[@toddbyrnes2199]

The Stones started in 1962. They are still rocking 62 years later

[@rebauer2000]

started when I was 3!

[@toddbyrnes2199]

@rebauer2000 I was born in 63. Been a fan since I can remember hearing Satisfaction when I was 4

[@stetomlinson3146]

One of, if not my favourite Stones song. Just class! If this song doesn't give you a shot of adrenaline, too late my friend , you're already dead!

[@davidgagne3569]

What an amazing recording.Young American men were being shipped out to die in Vietnam. What an amazing intro to this song. The guitar looks simple because Keith is playing a guitar tat is tuned to an open chord. This song makes me wanna STRUT.

[@marcusfox2443]

young Australians too

[@glennjones2345]

Love at the 7:42 when her voice breaks on Murder, you can here Jagger go "Yeah" in the mix. Apparently she was called in at the last moment and told to improvise. So cool.

[@rohnnyjotten3985]

Does not matter how many times I have heard this song but that part gets me every single time, shivers, goosebumps, almost tears.

[@alecholmes4500]

Called in last minute nine months pregnant, no less, and told to improvise. Still cool.

[@nazfrde]

@@alecholmes4500 She had a miscarriage, too.

[@alecholmes4500]

@@nazfrde Yeah, that's the tragedy of it. I never wanted to minimize that, only comment on my admiration for her performance preceding that event.

[@RobertPérusse]

This is an iconic song! I still get chills every time I hear it.😮

[@billowens8051]

Same here. Just an amazing concept and the musician ship is haunting and perfect. A r & r masterpiece.

[@glenncanale9225]

Yes They are the Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World

[@aaztx]

as Frank Zappa said "music is the only religion that delivers the goods"

[@melissayost4888]

I learned the Pentatonic scales cuz I was learning to play the Blues on guitar & Harmonica. Story goes since Blues guitarist back in the day were wanderers, they drop in anywhere, say C & everyone knew what to play in & solo in. It works. So damn easy to solo on those scales. They’re circular & you don’t need much theory.

[@StillAliveAndWell499]

Nice review! I recommend listening to the album “Exile on Main Street” in its entirety. Twenty years ago I listened to the whole thing and I was in tears by the end; it was beautiful. Although i knew some of the songs, I was sad not to have heard the entire album years before.

[@joescott8877]

Sympathy fo r the devil, cant you hear me knockin, she's a rainbow, angie, let it bleed, jumpin jack flash, honky tonk women, rip this joint, there are SOoooo many great Stones tunes!

[@mrwomby5007]

There’s some great singing from Merry Clayton on the soundtrack to the movie Performance. The arrangements were supervised by Jack Nitzsche and there are contributions from Mick Jagger (who also starred in the film), Ry Cooder, Randy Newman and several others.

[@One_Proud_Papa]

My favorite Stones song ever.

[@mrwomby5007]

Agreed! I’ve got it as the ringtone on my phone.

[@TheNosferatu666]

AWESMOME Performance, of Lisa & the Stones! But I also ADORE, the Live Preformance of Mick, Ron, Keith together with the Muddy Wasters, in Chicago!

[@dennismason3740]

The giro (quiro) is the ratchet-sounding gourd played by scraping a stick across the ridges carved into the gourd. It's quite popular in Latin music.

[@wardka]

I like simplicity like this, but I also like complexity in all kinds of music. The Stones make simple music, Yes makes complex music. There's room for both, just as there's room for both Bach and complex counterpoint and the simpler (by comparison) style galante and classic era that came later. I like it all. I used to think more complex music is better, more cerebral, but as I matured I've come to realize simpler doesn't mean easier.

[@fuchsiaswing8545]

Well said! Despite its simplicity, I do find there's a different type of complexity at play here, namely the recording process. Like many Stones songs in the Jimmy Miller era, there are tons of intricate layering and effects (here Keef uses the tremolo effect brilliantly) to achieve a distinct sound that isn't even replicable live

[@billowens8051]

And Keith’s genius also lies in how he lets the spacing and timing create beautiful music in all styles - from hard rocking songs to gentle heartbreaking ballads. No one else sounds like him.

[@stephenfisch]

I would recommend Midnight Rambler, particularly the live version from Get Yer Ya Yas Out. That song also has a very interesting story behind it. but I love it most because of the great blues jamming on it and the theatrics that go with it.

[@rickknight1810]

About those thirds -- that's the essence of the Blue Note -- maybe it's minor 3rd, maybe major, maybe you bend it up and down. Blues!

[@StevenMichals0812]

The Stones had some great albums, the ones I always liked best are: Begger's Banquet, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street. And then a few after that: Goats Head Soup, It's Only Rock and Roll, Black and Blue, Some Girls. Those are all top notch albums. I think probably my favorite is Exile on Main Street, because they seem to be reaching out beyond the boundaries on that one.

[@billscofield8445]

Charlie Watts inserts a 3/4 measure in bar 4. Brilliant. Shifts the 2 eighth note pickup notes from beat 4 to beat 1 going back to 4/4.

[@alexsandrosantin3289]

Her singing is fantastic!

[@Goddzi]

There’s a charity album from the 80s(?) called Gimme Shelter (for the charity Shelter, a homeless charity organisation) where several bands all covered this song in their own way. My personal favourite is the version by The Sisters of Mercy which was originally released as one of the b-side tracks on one of their early ep’s

[@jeffreynorman9180]

Oh Doug...as much I enjoy your analysis of what's going on in the song, sometimes when you don't stop the music when doing so, you overlook key things that are actually happening IN the music. While you were sitting at the piano trying to figure out the harmonies, you apparently barely heard Merry Clayton's incredible vocal solo...one of the best vocal moments on any rock record ever. Go back and listen to that part again! The part where her voice cracks is just...beyond words.

[@hadz8671]

fun fact: Merry Clayton got her name because she was born on Christmas Day.

[@nick28476]

That live video is from ‘97 on the bridges to Babylon tour… the stones are now 62 years young in existence. 😉

[@faithhofeldt2283]

Sisters of Mercy do an amazing cover of this. Deeper voice and darker tone.

[@tomt5745]

It is gruesome, and beautiful

[@ththejackjumper]

There's a version of Midnight Rambler from 1971 at the Marquee club you should check out because of how they play with time. Not something you really get in classical music

[@NoCats-on-Guitars]

Listen to "Midnight Rambler" live in Havana 2016.

[@dommonte3507]

Best days with Mick Taylor playing the AX

[@fuchsiaswing8545]

Mick Taylor did not play on or have anything to do with “Gimme Shelter,” but the live versions with him on the 1972-73 Tours are phenomenal.

[@asingardenof]

Merry Clayton was a last minute addition to the sing after they decided they needed a female vocal on it. They called her out in the middle of the night and she came down in her rollers and dressing gown, four months pregnant, and she absolutely nailed it. She put so much into her performance she believes it contributed to her having a miscarriage only days later. I can recommend the cover by Stone Sour featuring Lzzy Hale.

[@swine74]

for song....do Fingerprint File. It was sped up to fit on the vinyl so you can compare both. Original (bootleg) is on youtube.

[@darkogregec7503]

The best RS song on the best RS album. And they have a lot of great albums and songs.

[@alexshkoditch4593]

Factoid: this was originally going to be a Keith lead vocal, and there are bootlegs of this completed backing track with Keith on lead with Merry (ref bootleg "Beggars Breakfast"). Mick wanted the lead vocal, and Keith gave it to him. Keith will do anything for the betterment of the song and knew that Jagger could deliver a better performance than him (he also gave the song Angie to Mick, which was solely written by Keith). Mick was originally going to sing lead on You've Got the Silver and they swapped songs to give Keith his lead vocal on the Let It Bleed album.

[@marymargaretmoore9034]

With Merry Clayton on vocals. Lisa Fisher in the live video. I've been a fan since 1964.

[@jackolson8775]

That's impressive. I am fans of many bands that I was there "in the beginning", but for 10, 15 years. Not 60! 👏🏼 Did you ever have any of their early singles?

[@marymargaretmoore9034]

@@jackolson8775 Not 45's that I recall, although I misplaced my collection. I've been a fan since '64 but didn't see them live until '72 and many times since..

[@heartfulofsoul]

one of the most entrancing openings you'll ever listen and Merry Clayton's godly vocals make this song so iconic!

[@bobsteele9581]

"Jumpin' Jack Flash" would be my choice for your next one. One of the Stones most iconic songs.

[@donwest5387]

Johnny Winter does it the best

[@michaelr4063]

“Midnight Rambler” (the studio version from the same album ‘Let It Bleed’) MUST be considered. A Keith Richards MASTERPIECE. Dirty, greasy, bluesy, haunting, scary atmospheric. Keith once described it as (paraphrasing) ‘A nice little 3 part blues opera about r@pe and murder’. Simple Keith blues, capo 7, pure genius.

[@billcoonley319]

Great reaction to a great song. For an album, I'd vote for "Sticky Fingers", or for a song, "Can't You Hear Me Knocking", a straight rocker with a Latin-jazzy end jam.

[@danielparsons2859]

The early seventies live performances are by far the rawest and best. Pittsburgh 1972 or Philladelphia 1972.

[@rb9628]

Hey Doug, great reaction. "Gimme Shelter" is the Stones at their peak. It might be better if you stuck to their hits rather than an entire album. And you may want to start chronologically to experience their musical progression. You could look at their early success when they started writing their own songs like "Satisfaction" or "Get Off of My Cloud." Then dip into their psychedelic period with songs like "Ruby Tuesday" and "2000 Light Years From Home." But it's their peak years, from 1968 to 1972 that they scaled Olympian heights with songs like "Street Fighting Man" and "Sympathy for the Devil" that captured the zeitgeist of the times .

[@vizzini589]

One of the great guitar intros of all time.

[@docpangasinan]

Once again: "Beggars Banquet", "Let It Bleed", "Sticky Fingers" and "Exile on Main St" are 4 essential albums in a row (1968-1972), not only for the Stones, but also in Rock history. There's a lot more great stuff, but this phase was the peak. As of your reactions, only my opinion, sometimes a little less talking during the song would help yourself to not miss important moments (in this case, e.g., that the lyrics change from "war is just a shot away" to "love is just a kiss away". I think it would be better to figure out whether it's major or minor (or at least talk about it) after the song has ended. Just my opinion, always enjoying your videos. The Rolling Stones have been around for MORE than 60 years. The song that started after the live version is "Tumbling Dice" from "Exile on Main St" - it may very well be one for you to analyse!

[@Silber7]

The tremolo guitars, piano and fuzzy overdrive of the original recording make for a uncomparable uneasy atmosphere nearly impossible to reproduce But what they do live with it (for decades!) reaches an at least similar effect

[@mjp3186]

One of my guilty pleasures is If you really want to be My Friend from Its Only Rock and Roll. Thanks for your nice reaction.

[@stephenduffett8340]

I always believed Charlie Watts was the backbone of this band. Very underrated drummer, rip Charlie

[@richardhorky9749]

Grand Funk Railroad did a great version of this on their Survival album.

[@kevinwattswork6526]

The best rock and roll song ever...according to me. Drumming by my distant cousin Charlie.

[@KennyCamaro2364]

Alright Doug!!! Alltime great Stones song. Mary is phenomenal!!!

[@docsmellyfella]

Tumbling Dice is another Stones track with awesome backing vocals.

[@angeloagra]

When I saw Doug reacted to Gimme Shelter, I thought: “I never understood if this is a major or minor key, but now Doug will clarify for me.”. Doug: 6:07

[@cameronfowler7361]

Saw the stones back in ‘94. Lisa Fischer was with them then. It is one of the top 5 greatest music experiences of my life

[@CaptainZed]

Keith's guitar is tuned in G .. 5 strings which i now see others mentioned

[@keilarsbraegrower1581]

Little Red Rooster is a must

[@tonbridgeman]

The gods convened when they made this song.

[@barriehull7076]

Doug: "I want Micks Pants" Me: "in a size that fits I guess"

[@tomt5745]

Paint it Black, Gimmie Shelter, Sympathy for the devil, and 19th Nervous breakdown. That is it.

[@melthebell33]

where to go next with the Stones, i reckon you should do one of their really early blues covers like Come on, album wise theyve done so so many, personally i'd leave the first few, they are just albums of covers, start with Aftermath (1966) thats their first which features mostly their own songs, maybe then jump to Exile on main street, then do one of the late 70s, early 80s ones like emotional rescue or Tattoo you.

[@elevown]

Im REALLY looking forward to you hitting up Sympathy for the devil :) I think its structurally pretty different to most of their songs.

[@djknox2]

This has always been my favourite Stone's tune. My favourite cover of it was at the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame performance with U2, Mick J and Fergie. a very special performance. Check it out if you don't know it.

[@magicruss1]

Stones greatest track

[@stoppropaganda2573]

Check out all albums with Mick Taylor on guitar. He put a shot of genius in the Stones and a lot of radio airplay ...

[@Leslie-n-texas]

Keith Richards in an interview talked about how he removed one of the strings from his guitar to achieve that eerie/ off key sound.

[@manonthemoog]

An interesting thing about Charlie Watts is that he had no problems working with Jimmy Miller's ideas to the point that Jimmy is the drummer on a number of tracks. The Stones used to experiment by playing songs in varying grooves to fibd out sounds best. If Charlie was ever at a loss for ideas sometimes Jimmy would get on the kit to show Charlie how to play it. As often as not Charlie would let Jimmy record the drum part he came up with.

[@andrewwallace7775]

If you haven't see "20 Feet from Stardom", you really ought to. It includes the story of this recording.

[@Winjoe69]

This is so great! Some Girls and Let It Bleed would be lovely subjects!

[@josepedro8968]

Keith was a little depressed because of his girlfriend Anita Palenberg done a movie with Mick, the two inside in a bathtub.. Was poring outside and strong wind, and saw from the window in Chelsea apartment of a friend, people getting shelter. Start in melancholy doing some chords... My favorite song because it's strong and a wonderful vocal.. Don't remember her name.. But Lisa Fisher was the best ever on stage. Years ago on KZbin there was a video from Vietnam helicopters charge with the song.. Was taken off. Don't know by who. There's Paint it Black.. In Apocalypse Now was Wagner Valquiries but copyright.. A great song. The story of Money for Nothing got funny... Lot of great songs were made by circumstances.. They got it..

[@joshlovesskillet]

They were relatively unknown in main stream music until the song "Monster" which was from the Awake album released in 2003. That got them some major airplay on secular radio channels and the rest is history. Other great songs are Saviour, Comatose, Hero, Rise and Reach just to name a few.

[@OldDavo1950]

The live version on the Bridges to Babylon tour with Lisa is just mind blowing.

[@alicesims3706]

This is the stones at their best and lisa makes it perfect

[@seudosmart5278]

Thank you for doing this one…. possibly my favorite Stones piece… 🔥🤘

[@steveford8999]

TOM TOM TOM CRASH!!!! Love it.

[@Sofapotamus]

There's also "Wild Horses"... or "Sister Morphine". As an additional bonus, check out Mick Jagger's long term girlfriend, Marianne Faithfull (who wrote "Sister Morphine"), as well as "Tears Go By" and recorded the seminal album Broken English and then later published her Magnum Opus album, "Blazing Away".

[@DRRwine]

This is undoubtably one of the all-time greats in Rock. That said, I'll be honest, I'm not a Stones fan, per se. But they have several great songs, and this... this one is transcendent. It's powerful, and it's socially aware and relevant. The other one that is undeniable from the Stones? Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker). Please do that one too! Great choice, Daily Doug fans!

[@gateofmarvel565]

Agree. "Paint it black" a close second in my opinion.

[@carolynrieger1431]

Excellent!

[@ArmandoMPR]

If you wanna check out what is probably the greatest live performance of this one, then check out this version from 1995: kzbin.info/www/bejne/maXVdGx8qdCgj6Msi=rOPHbWqAGSS22STe

[@PK1971PK]

"You Can’t Always Get What You Want", "Monkey Man" and "Sympathy for the Devil" are my favorite Stones songs you haven't hit. You should really appreciate the first one I mentioned with your background. The second is one of the best rockers ever and the last shows by the lyrics that rock isn't always best when shallow (first song, too.)

[@Pawel142]

Stone Sour did pretty amazing cover of this great song. Love it!

[@hansgjerstad8895]

Time waits for no-one.

[@mc-lb9dk]

albums: let it bleed, sticky fingers, black and blue

[@dennismason3740]

Minor, down a step, major, down a step, major, back up the ladder. Suspended 4s thrown in on the major chords.

[@richarddefortuna2252]

If you want to hear a truly interesting, compelling, and powerful version of this tune, check out Keith Richards' own version with the Xpensive Winos, from the 1994 tour. THAT is epic!

[@bartonone2005]

I believe Merry Clayton unwittingly sacrificed the life of her unborn child for this song. It pushes a dark, haunting song into the realm of utter despair and tragedy. It's a song that always fills me with sorrow and dread.

[@giabgr]

If you want soloing, the Ya Ya's version is best.

[@skyqueen1148]

Maestro Nicky Hopkins on the piano is still the best piano solo ever. Better than Beethoven, IMO. TY for the music.

[@dennismason3740]

I lived on Maui for three years, 1976 -1979. On my last day I was at Kaanapali Airport Bar and I was invited to perform. Guess which song I did and yes, I howled Mary Clayton's part.

[@axxellein]

TRES Cool/Heavy Les Stones!