James Williamson "Re-Licked" tracklist & artwork

Number of posts : 840 Location : Saint Paul, MN Registration date : 2009-05-27

I've got mine on order (vinyl), the tracks sound great!

Number of posts : 636 Registration date : 2011-02-07

Really great. Really really great. This is a hell of a thing.

Number of posts : 840 Location : Saint Paul, MN Registration date : 2009-05-27

woody wrote:: Really great. Really really great. This is a hell of a thing.

Just got mine today!!! Awesome!! I totally recommend getting the vinyl edition, you get a CD with all tracks plus bonus tracks, DVD, full-sized booklet and of course the vinyl LP. All the tracks sound great!!

Number of posts : 21 Registration date : 2010-04-10

Can't say I agree with those who are describing this as awesome and great. I am a big fan of James and Raw Power is my favorite album of all time so I had high hopes, but to these ears some of this is absolute dross. I really don't get the point of redoing Sick of You, I Got a Right, Scene of the Crime and Gimme Some Skin, as any version of those will pale into insignificance when compared to those well recorded 1972 versions we all know and love, but that's not my real gripe with it. I also accept that the versions of Head On, Pin Point Eyes, Wet my Bed and Rubber Leg are pretty good and I will listen to them again, but Open up and Bleed and Till the End are just awful to these ears. The killer beat and riff from the former seem to have turned into a kind of AOR Country Rock piece of drivel (i love that song on the Rubber Legs and Metallic KO albums) and Till the End sounds like a rejected Fleetwood Mac demo. She Creatures has been turned from a really menacing groove into a horrible mess with embarrassing backing vox and who thought brass on Heavy Liquid was a good plan? The overall sound is too slick, too produced and James' guitar is too low in the mix in many places. Sorry, rant nearly over, but I felt this thread needed some balance. The sequencing is dire too, the second, fourth and fifth tracks are amongst the worst, giving an awful first side on vinyl. Jon.

Number of posts : 636 Registration date : 2011-02-07

Listening again to it today it occurred to me (duh!) that these aren't of course at all anything like the long-awaited definitive recordings of the historic songs. They're revisions by a much older guy, re-worked by the passage of time as much as anything, and they're being heard (here at least) by some much older folks too. Maybe that's part of the appeal, what served when we were young isn't the same as what works now. I like it all a whole heap of a lot, much more than I expected, and maybe that's to do with age. ? Just a thought.

Still wish Watt had done a vocal! He'd have been wild indeed on the mic.

Number of posts : 65 Registration date : 2009-10-02

Just got my copy today and I can say anybody who is on the fence about this just jump right in, it's fukin fantastic! I'm glad Iggy didn't sing on it as he would have ruined it. The singers all do an excellent job and James is just awesome. Iggy can't sing like this anymore and I'm glad he opted out of the project.

Everything about this album is great right down to the sonic atmosphere it creates. I've been listening to these awful demos for over 30 years and finally someone does them justice. The only thing that could be better is if we had the masters of the demos.

Too slick? too produced? Country rock? James guitar too low? Fleetwood fukin Mac? I have no idea what you are talking about, maybe we aren't listening to the same album.

This just plain kicks ass and I highly recommend it!

Number of posts : 232 Age : 65 Registration date : 2010-12-14

Jello can't do covers, hate the way he changed the lyrics to Head On.

Number of posts : 840 Location : Saint Paul, MN Registration date : 2009-05-27

I've never been a fan of Jello's voice but I thought he did a great job on "Head On"

Pop Stüge wrote:: Jello can't do covers, hate the way he changed the lyrics to Head On.

Pop Stüge wrote:: Re-Licked streaming: http://rollingstoneaus.com/music/post/premiere-james-williamson-re-licked-album-stream/773

thanks!

Number of posts : 719 Location : Burke, VA Registration date : 2007-02-26

I am a complete dolt when it comes to the legal aspects of the music biz, but wouldn't Iggy be collecting some royalties from this project? If the lyrics are his, did he have any say-so on the project? I find it difficult to believe that James would have initially come up with a plan to do covers, and not go to the co-source. That said, if James wants to (and can) bring the world some classic tunes, then why the hell not?!

FWIW (and it ain't much, since it's my opinion), Jello's take on Head On seems pretty contrived. "MOTHER FUCKAS!" Very Happy

The "music" is fucking fantastic, though.

I'm sold.

Number of posts : 840 Location : Saint Paul, MN Registration date : 2009-05-27

Iggy would be getting 50% songwriters royalties for all these and 100% for I Gotta Right. Ron Asheton is getting 50% for She Creatures.

I'm also loving this record in spite of jello's voice...lol!

Number of posts : 411 Registration date : 2009-01-19

Well, it ain't the Stooges, but I'm sold.

My biggest complaint is that I still can't figure out a key line in 'Pinpoint Eyes'. (around 2.10)
"The very next thing that I knew
I was into skag.
You know all about that
lblhmmmghffgfdghdtb"

Gah! This was my last shot at figuring it out.
Any ideas good Stoogefolk?

Also, I suppose it's just a matter of time before some enterprising audio person slaps the original Iggy vocals over these tracks. Not that I support this kind of behavior, but I'd recommend using "More Power". Very Happy

Number of posts : 313 Registration date : 2009-10-12

Joe whispers "junk..." Suspect

Number of posts : 72 Registration date : 2010-10-06

trailerborn wrote:: Well, it ain't the Stooges, but I'm sold.

My biggest complaint is that I still can't figure out a key line in 'Pinpoint Eyes'. (around 2.10)
"The very next thing that I knew
I was into skag.
You know all about that

I haven't heard the Re-Licked version but my interpretation of the Stooges one was :

"The very next thing that I knew I was into skag (junk)
And you know all about that kind of flea bag"

Number of posts : 72 Registration date : 2010-10-06

James described the Fun House as a "flea bag". Maybe that helped me along in my interpretation. I don't know.

Number of posts : 72 Registration date : 2010-10-06

cantona7 wrote:: Can't say I agree with those who are describing this as awesome and great. I am a big fan of James and Raw Power is my favorite album of all time so I had high hopes, but to these ears some of this is absolute dross. I really don't get the point of redoing Sick of You, I Got a Right, Scene of the Crime and Gimme Some Skin, as any version of those will pale into insignificance when compared to those well recorded 1972 versions we all know and love

That's a damn good point. Why are songs that were fully realized and well recorded being re-made? I
don't know. If Ready To Die had been any good than James would be revelling in that, rather than this nostalgic, revisionist wankery. The myth that all these Stooges songs were poorly recorded is bullshit. There is not only a good quality recording of all these songs, there is also a fully realized one. Granted this was not true before Easy Action came out with the You Want My Action box set, but this is beside the point since none of those songs are featured here.

Number of posts : 72 Registration date : 2010-10-06

As for "Pinpoint Eyes/aka Cry For Me", I vaguely recall reading in this discussion group that when this song was first released on a bootleg?( called Studio Sessions I think), it was a few minutes longer than all subsequent versions.I don't know if this was at the beginning or at the end of the song , since there is a fade out at both, but I doubt that it was any good since it would have been officially released by now. Still it would be interesting to hear from those who have heard it.

Number of posts : 57 Registration date : 2010-04-17

sizeable bulge wrote:: As for "Pinpoint Eyes/aka Cry For Me", I vaguely recall reading in this discussion group that when this song was first released on a bootleg?( called Studio Sessions I think), it was a few minutes longer than all subsequent versions.I don't know if this was at the beginning or at the end of the song , since there is a fade out at both, but I doubt that it was any good since it would have been officially released by now. Still it would be interesting to hear from those who have heard it.

I just listened to it, as I'm not that familiar with it (more familiar with the Rubber Legs version), and it sounds fine to me - more of the same sloppy Stooges sound. I guess it was edited more for space reasons than artistic reasons.

Number of posts : 110 Registration date : 2009-09-23

sizeable bulge wrote:: As for "Pinpoint Eyes/aka Cry For Me", I vaguely recall reading in this discussion group that when this song was first released on a bootleg?( called Studio Sessions I think), it was a few minutes longer than all subsequent versions.I don't know if this was at the beginning or at the end of the song , since there is a fade out at both, but I doubt that it was any good since it would have been officially released by now. Still it would be interesting to hear from those who have heard it.

The 'Studio Sessions' bootleg represents the best quality versions of the 'Rubber Legs' tracks. The sound is cleaner and they play at the correct speed. I'm hoping that Easy Action or some other label will get hold of a copy and release it officially, as it would be a marked improvement on what is currently available on official releases.