The Rolling Stones – Goats Head Soup Review

A transitional feeling once more hits The Rolling Stones. Goats Head Soup would be the last for producer Jimmy Miller. His work on Beggars Banquet and the albums to follow truly revolutionised the Stones sound that listeners have come to know and love. A marginalised role for Bill Wyman would come through, too, though his influence on the band would stick around in the releases to follow. Goats Head Soup feels like a reaction to the fame and, instead of a fallout, feels influenced more by their surroundings. A fresh escape from the feelings of expulsion on the previous album, Exile on Main St. That is what matters most to Goats Head Soup, a feeling which is founded well and kept alive, roaring with the same rage which carries The Rolling Stones at their very best.  

There is a pureness to Dancing with Mr. D. Like any great song from The Stones, the instrumental joys and the seemingly light appeal make for catchy qualities. But dig a little deeper, listen a little closer to what Mick Jagger has to say, and Goats Head Soup finds itself on a level of quality similar to that of Sticky Fingers. Once more the closeness of death is the subject, Mr. Death may be an obvious conclusion, but the frenetic, pop-adjacent energy and Keith Richards’ constant guitar thrills bring a cutting funk edge. It continues with 100 Years Ago, a lesson from the past ignored, the consequences now experienced. A neat parallel between the first two songs but not contained. They welcome the changing tides, the wonderful instrumental exploration which brings the funk and blues into sight once more, drifting into a more conventional form when compared to Exile on Main St. Richards and Mick Taylor are on fire throughout, their guitar work on Goats Head Soup hearing some career-best moments. 

The Rolling Stones bring a lighter appeal to their sound but keep in line with the darker messages. Their brass reliance on Coming Down Again and Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) is delightful. The latter may be a simple message, barebones at times, but the instrumental skill is enough to keep the spirit of the band rising. There is an embrace of the 1970s rock sound here, particularly on Silver Train. There is a sense of weathering the storm of life to Goats Head Soup. Be it with the pangs of heartbreak on Hide Your Love or the hopes for light at the end of the tunnel on follow-up track Winter, the overlapping instrumental skill is key to the feelings Jagger lays out. It is the sincerity which remains crucial to Goats Head Soup, a tighter offering than Exile on Main St., though one with a more streamlined set of emotional moments. No alienation remains; the contemporary shock of the times has loosened and dissipated in the face of legacy.  

Goats Head Soup fits right in with the very best offerings from The Rolling Stones. Grand and epic pieces like Winter may feel a bit too out there, a tad too reliant on the soppy strings, but it feels genuine. Whatever the case for their inclusion, it feels like a welcome addition, a fresh step for The Stones who sound shaken by their experiences of exile, drugs and success. Can You Hear the Music is the most affected by this tone and, arguably, the weakest moment on the album as they reflect on their psychedelic days, asking the big questions but offering no suggestion or answer. Just an outward fear. It humanises the band, those talks of death in the opening songs appearing once more, a full circle moment for the powerhouse that is Goats Head Soup.