| SoundStage! Music Online Editor's Pick
Archives September/October 2003 The Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil
Remix Musical Performance  The first cut on the Rolling Stones' great Beggar's Banquet and probably
the band's most famous -- or infamous -- single tune, "Sympathy for the Devil"
was written solely by Mick Jagger, who was reportedly inspired by the Mikhail Bulgakov
allegorical novel, The Master and Margarita. But the lyrics have always recalled
some of Bob Dylan's epics to me. "Sympathy" was long rumored to be the song
played while a young man was stabbed to death at the Stones' Altamont Speedway concert (it
wasn't) and the inspiration for the "work" of more than a few overtly satanic
heavy-metal bands. In other words, "Sympathy for the Devil" has legs, which is
perhaps why the Stones not only allowed it to be remixed but also oversaw the whole
process. This seven-cut Hybrid multichannel SACD, another in ABKCO Records' Rolling Stones
Remasters series, includes ready-for-radio and full-length remixes of "Sympathy"
by house/rap producers the Neptunes, Fatboy Slim and Full Phat along with the Stones'
original version in beautifully remastered sound. None of the remixes is so off the wall
that "Sympathy" is unrecognizable, but I can't say that I like one more than the
others. In all, Satan is still a recognition-seeking trickster figure, but the song's
Latin beat is the obvious casualty of the remixing process. While some will question why
Jagger and the Stones would encourage anyone to futz with "Sympathy for the
Devil," I find the reinterpretations refreshing, rather like poems written about a
great movie or painting. But the original is Touch of Evil or Guernica -- woo woo
to it....Marc Mickelson
Sam Cooke - Sam Cooke at the Copa Musical Performance  ABKCO Records started a trend with its release of a
group of Rolling Stones reissues on Hybrid SACD. Universal Music Group followed with
series from the Police and Peter Gabriel, but Sony Music aims to trump all with its 15 Bob
Dylan SACDs slated for release later this month. ABKCO's latest releases are six Hybrid
SACDs and a DVD from Sam Cooke that include this live performance recorded in 1964 and
remastered in stereo and 5.1 surround sound. I can't attest to how successful this
material is with five speakers, but with two this SACD is a revelation. I can't imagine
this recording being any more detailed, the master tape seemingly fully captured. The
atmosphere of the July nights on which these performances were recorded is palpable -- it
takes little imagination to feel the summer heat amidst the muted voices of supper-club
patrons and their clinking dinnerware. The musical high point is the medley for lovers in
the middle, which begins with "A Little Tenderness" and ends with "You Send
Me," but if "Twistin' the Night Away" doesn't raise your pulse, you might
not have one. If you can't make up your mind which of these ABKCO remasters to buy, start
with this one. While it doesn't present Sam Cooke at his most soulful, its vitality and
great sound make up for it....Marc Mickelson
Copyright © 2003 SoundStage! |
