Tuesday, April 20, 2021

The Last Time ((Original Single Mono Version))


This is a very good song with an interesting history. It was released in mid-1965, and it seemed to indicate that the Rolling Stones were going to have a long career. It was the first single that they wrote themselves (Jagger-Richards); it was more polished musically; it established a pattern for the band with the two (at least) electric guitar parts blending effortlessly and always an acoustic guitar in the mix; and it strengthened the practice of relentlessly hammering on the hooks. There were a lot of good bands around by then, and this song was enough to make me think, "these guys are very good." 

But I was a fan already, so my testimony is unreliable. Between the first album, and their devil-may-care attitude, they had my attention early on. I will still argue that they were a great band right up to It's Only Rock and Roll, backed by the remarkably successful (musically) tour of 1975. That's a long run. 

I wouldn't dare complain about the later material. It's just that this kind of music works better when the band is still hungry. It's a bit amazing that the Stones were so good for so long. More than ten years! I suppose they were more ambitious than most, so the big push lasted longer.  

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