Customer Reviews

Some Girls

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As a huge Rolling Stones fan I have to say I am disappointed in this remaster. It is one of my favorite Stones albums but this version on UMG is highly compressed with a major loss in any dynamic range it had.

Yes, the guitars are louder and even clearer in some cases and because of this, many of the songs seem to lose their swing. Oh, it rocks, alright, but the swing that was present in the Virgin issue of 'Respectable' is gone. The break in 'Miss You' (OOooohh ooohh, Everybody waits so loooong) loses it's impact as well as the vocals and Charlie's drums in 'Before They Make Me Run.' In the latter song, the drums used to kick and the chorus used to stand out from the rest of the recording, which it no longer does. The break at about 1:35 in 'Shattered' where the bass drum kicks in is a plodding mess and much clearer and listenable on the Virgin '94 issue. The record, as a whole, loses much of it's depth and warmness as a result.

Perhaps the biggest travesty, and I don't recall any other reviews mentioning this, but at the beginning of 'Beast Of Burden', Keith's guitar is in the right channel and in the left you hear an echoing or 'bleeding' effect of the guitar lines. It is plainly obvious on the Virgin issue and all previous issues of the recording. On the UMG this is all but GONE! Even when I isolated the left channel and turned it up it was close to inaudible. I put on the Virgin and it's very audible, even without much volume or isolation of the left channel.

If you want the issue that sounds better and sticks closer to the integrity of the original recording, seek out the '94 Virgin remaster and not this. If these sort of nuances are not an issue for you and just prefer loud guitars at the loss of any dynamic range, then by all means, fire away and pick up this UMG remaster. Those of you not familiar with the original recording will not notice a thing. Those of you who are familiar with it do not feel that an upgrade is necessary.

I'm no audiophile; I own no fancy speaker systems or equipment, I don't know any of the lingo that goes along with sound quality, I don't own any vinyl, etc. I'm a casual music lover who still prefers to buy the CDs, but listens to the vast majority of my music on my iPod through $10-$20 headphones. And even I have to agree with what people are saying: the 1994 Virgin remaster by Bob Ludwig is better than this 2009 Universal remaster.

When I first bought this album a few months ago, it was the 2009 version. Right from the get-go, something about the sound quality hurt my ears; I don't blast my music very loud or often at all, but it actually gave me a bit of a headache listening to this album a few times. It just sounded too "bright," somehow, for lack of a better way to phrase it. Mind you, it's still a perfectly listenable CD.

So I finally bought the older 1994 version, and the difference is extremely subtle (to the point where I'm not sure if I can put my finger on the exact reasons), but to my untrained ears it sounds better than the 2009 version. It sounds more "full," more like the Stones I know. Sounds are perhaps less clear and crisp, but you know what? That's how I like my Stones. They're one of those bands who actually benefits from some "muddy" sound in their music, so to speak. It just gives them a certain atmosphere. I think the 2009 remasters cleaned up the recordings a little too much, and in doing so not only made a less pleasurable listening experience, but also lost a lot of that Stones feeling.

Conclusion: The 1994 Virgin CD is the way to go. Mind you, the 2009 UM version isn't the travesty a lot of people have made it out to be, but it's still a less satisfying listening experience, IMHO. I can't speak for any of the other 2009 remasters, but based on my 'Some Girls' experience, I'll continue to seek out the 1994 Virgin remasters.

All I want to say is these new Stones remasters are brittle...washed out...compressed...totally distorted and unlistenable. Do not buy these...stay with your Virgin Records versions...worst I have ever heard. I'm being liberal here folks...it's your money though. The artwork is shabby and on this cd they have basically edited Bill Wyman out of the band although he was still in the band. His photo is not shown with photos of the band in the booklet. Way to go Mick.

I have always loved this one. One of my 3 favorite Stones albums, along with "Sticky Fingers" and "Exile On Main Street". "Some Girls" has it all---the dance groove of "Miss You", the in your face rock of "When The Whip Comes Down", the humor of "Far Away Eyes". Every track is great.

But...

The comments on this site about the poor audio quality of the remaster are right on the money. Worst remastering job I have EVER heard. Just awful. A friend of mine had purchased the remaster and I listened to it, and then listened to the original Virgin release I have. I was amazed. The reviewers are absolutely right. Stick with the original here. Unfortunately, it is now very had to find.

I'm not sure what the producer of this "remaster" had in mind but, the sound is not very good. All the songs are overly bright.

The "Miss You" bass line alone is worth the price of this disc. It's got world devastating infectious power. I like the Stones more sinister, nasty stuff most, but this one tune never, ever gets old. If "Happy" off of Exile on Main Street is the height of joy - I can't think of a more boisterously celebratory sound in the Stones' catalog - then "Miss You" is their K2. (Note: K2 is the second highest peak on the face of the globe after Everest...) The rest of the songs here are fine, solid music with a few standout moments, like the radio friendly "Beast of Burden" that is the epitome of "timeless", or "Far Away Eyes" which could have easily nestled in on Exile. "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" predicts, in a minor way, the gorgeous mood of 'Waiting on a Friend", but without the island accent. "Before They Make Me Run" has Keith crooning as well as ever, propelled on Wyman's snappy bass line and Charlie's tight popping beat. And "Some Girls'" sly rhythm creeps deep under your skin and works some strange mojo there. It grows on you like the sweetest poison ivy.

The Stones are playing just easy and loose on all the rest of the tracks, and seemingly enjoying themselves very much, in spite of rumors to the contrary.

The sound quality is questionable as the compression is annoyingly audible; much of the original's softer, hazy balance is stripped out. The mid 90s remaster is much, much better, truer to the original. You might find this remaster to be a butchered sacrilege, or possibly a welcome refinement. There's no accounting for taste. With its pronounced, shrill highs and booming, over-sharp bass, this remaster really tests my patience.

I gotta roll with K Stephenson on this one. The 2009 remaster of this 1978 masterpiece makes my ears bleed. I happen to own a pretty decent rig that is very detailed, so for those folks listening through mushier sounding systems, or through tubes this may not b the case. The problem I'm finding with alot of these remasters is that they're boosted in the upper midrange (1 kHz - 2kHz) and are way too hot. In my setup on this version the notes in this range jump out from the mix and are piercing. The jangly guitar lines in Just My Imagination, and Miss You render the mixes unlistenable. I dunno, I'm not sure what's needed to reverse this trend in music remastering of retooling everything so damn hot. Maybe more young women in the studio with better hearing, esp in the mid to upper frequencies, to call attention to the aural offenses. Either that, or just let Steve Hoffman remaster everything. I think the industry needs to get away from having these burned out, 60 yo tin ears reworking the classics. Save your money on this one, or just get the earlier versions.

I agree with the reviews of this reissue. It sounds like there was either remixing or something tweaked, but anyone who knows this beloved classics is gonna notice some differences in the songs. BUT, I happen to have been lucky enough to hear the new Deluxe Edition, N I am SOOOO HAPPY to report that it's not the UMG Remaster. They remastered it AGAIN, N all of the good things of this edition sound wise, it has those but without having had things changed N having been stripped of the inherent rawness that made it such a groundbreaking classic...

The most recent version of "Some Girls" has all of the problems of Universal Music's most recent re-release on it. After listening to the bonus disc, you won't be mad at yourself for buying this great release for (for me, at least) the FIFTH time (The Original vinyl in 1978, with the original graphics, bought at Sam Goody's flagship store in Manhattan, near Times Square. The Cassette, twice, the first one destroyed by playing it on a cold morning in my vehicle at the time, and then the Virgin CD, which is the best rendering of this, the best of this era in the Stones long history!)
The best bonus track is from an unlikely source, Hank Williams, Sr. "You win Again" with an angry tone, the Country/Western legend would never have dreamed of taking. "Claudine", should have been on the original release, but somehow it also doesn't feel right on this album. On a later album, perhaps, but it sat too long. It makes the cut at last, deservedly so, too. "Keep up Blues" fit the album better than "Claudine", but there had to have been a lively debate as to whether it would go on the album or not. It lost out in 1978, and like "Claudine", it waited 33 years too long to be heard. "Tallahasse Lassie" sounds like it would have been on "Exile on Main Street", and did not "fit" "Some Girls". The audio quality of all but "Petrol Blues" makes me wonder why these recordings sound so much better than the album/CD proper. Universal should have done a comprehensive re-working of the album, and chose not to. That having been said, the bonus tracks make this a must buy for Stones junkies. Keep the Virgin CD in your deluxe edition and put Universal's lesser CD in your vehicle du jour provided it has a CD player ;-)!

The remastering job on The Rolling Stones' Some Girls album produces a noticeably superior sound with guitars, vocals, bass and more sounding clearer and sharper than ever; we finally get a REALLY good idea of what The Stones actually sounded like when they recorded these songs. I love the music on this album; The Rolling Stones demonstrate that they could do a variety of songs and make every one of them sound great! The Stones had very productive recording sessions for this album; and this shows in the high quality control music that we get. The artwork is good even if it's not what was the band originally wanted.

Mick Jagger sings "Miss You" so darn well I'm convinced nobody could have sung it better than he did; his vocals are brought out really well by the remastering job. This disco influenced style of rock music goes just right with his singing and it makes "Miss You" a very strong opening tune for this album. Jagger and the band bat this straight out of the ballpark; the now extra clear, sharp percussion marks the beat really well. "When the Whip Comes Down" has a distinctly rock flavor to it; this rocks hard and The Rolling Stones deliver this with gusto--to say the least! The music again fits in quite well with the lyrics and that's awesome.

"Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" is a shining example of just how well The Stones could cover a song; they sing this one with heart and soul and they never let go of a superfluous note! Mick Jagger in particular has the perfect voice for this tune; and the guitar work enhances this remastered ballad even more. "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" is a fine example of a rock band covering a tune that certainly wasn't rock when I heard it done by The Temptations!

"Some Girls," is, of course, the title track and it features an excellent arrangement for guitar. In addition, "Far Away Eyes" has a fine country flavor; when The Stones perform this they totally amaze me with their incredible sense of timing and their flawless delivery. "Far Away Eyes" is one of my favorite songs on this album.

"Respectable" features some mighty outstanding, bluesy "wailing;" but the element of rock is unmistakable and the combination of the bluesy flavor with the hard rock element hold this all together very well. "Beast Of Burden" is one of their best hits ever; "Beast Of Burden" has a fine arrangement and Mick Jagger's singing on this remastered, extra clear track proves he can pull it all off without a hitch. Those backup vocals aren't too shabby, either! The album ends strong with The Rolling Stones performing the fierce, punk rock number "Shattered" which was a huge hit for them; it remains one of their best songs to this day.

Overall, the excellent remastering of Some Girls by The Rolling Stones gives us a lot to enjoy. The music is outstanding and, especially with the remastering, this is nothing short of a brilliant work of art. I highly recommend this for fans of The Stones and people who like bands similar to The Rolling Stones. In addition, this CD is a great place to start if you're just getting to know the timeless artistry of The Rolling Stones.