Goats Head Soup

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Goats Head Soup is an album by The Rolling Stones released in 1973. Recorded as the follow-up to 1972's critically acclaimed Exile on Main St., the album marks The Rolling Stones' entry into what most critics consider a lean period.

Goats Head Soup was recorded as a reaction to the raw and ragged Exile on Main St. and as a result was a more mellow offering, reflecting the musical environment of its time - in this case, the resurgence of soul-pop and the rise of black funk, while maintaining their distinctive rock sound and hazy production. This would also be the last Rolling Stones album produced by Jimmy Miller, who had worked with the band since 1968's Beggars Banquet, due to exhaustion and, reportedly, a spiralling heroin addiction. Aside from the official band members, other musicians appearing on Goats Head Soup include keyboard players Billy Preston, Nicky Hopkins, and Ian Stewart.

The album cover was designed and photographed by David Bailey, an old friend of Mick Jagger's, who had worked with The Rolling Stones since 1965.

The album is best known for its lead single, "Angie". Although it was a departure for The Rolling Stones as a ballad, it nonetheless sailed to #1 in the US and became a worldwide hit. Contrary to popular belief, the song was not about David Bowie's first wife Angela, but Richards' lover Anita Pallenberg. Many years after its release, Keith Richard's daughter with Pallenberg, Dandelion, would rename herself Angela after the song.

Despite its laid-back sound, many of Goats Head Soup's songs have a darker quality to them, whether through opener "Dancing With Mr. D" (D as in Devil); the Top 20 US hit "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)", a rare political song criticizing the New York police for the accidental shooting of a ten-year-old they claimed they had mistaken for a bank robber; or the band's infamous tribute to groupies, "Star Star" — perhaps The Rolling Stones' sleaziest rocker. Its original title, "Starfucker", was changed at the insistence of Ahmet Ertegun, head of Atlantic Records, who distributed Rolling Stones Records at that time. On the original U.S. release the word "pussy" was poorly overdubbed, and a reference to John Wayne was edited out. The band also had to get a written statement from actor Steve McQueen, also mentioned in the song, that he would not sue. (The later CD release restored the original version.)

The sessions for Goats Head Soup were abundant with outtakes, two of which, "Tops" and "Waiting On A Friend", would surface, with much overdubbing, on Tattoo You in 1981.

Released in late August, Goats Head Soup shot to #1 worldwide in time for The Rolling Stones' UK tour that fall. While it is generally considered to lack the energy and spark of their last few releases, the album has endured as a popular seller and has gone triple platinum in the US.

In 1994, Goats Head Soup was remastered and reissued by Virgin Records.

"Angie" was the semi-official campaign song of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the 2005 election.

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Track listing

All songs by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

"Dancing With Mr D" - 4:53
- Features Nicky Hopkins on piano
"100 Years Ago" - 3:59
- Features Billy Preston on clavinet
"Coming Down Again" - 5:54
- Features Nicky Hopkins on piano
"Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" - 3:27
- Features Billy Preston on piano
"Angie" - 4:33
- Features Nicky Hopkins on piano
"Silver Train" - 4:27
- Features Ian Stewart on piano
"Hide Your Love" - 4:12
- Features Mick Jagger on piano
"Winter" - 5:31
- Features Nicky Hopkins on piano
"Can You Hear The Music?" - 5:31
- Features Nicky Hopkins on piano
"Star Star" - 4:25
- Features Ian Stewart on piano
- Original title of track 10 is "Starfucker", but the title was changed for the packaging and radio play.