@@chad_bloom I believe that's right. Marianne (Mick's GF at the time) was reading it and recommended it to him. It's one of the creepiest, and I admit, scariest novels I've read - or tried to read. I couldn't get past Chapter 3, I couldn't stomach any more. Others may not find it so. But yes, the devil appeared in the novel as a man of wealth, sophistication and good taste. Come on Brad, if he was a horrible looking, dirty bum, who would be tempted to follow him? OTOH, wealth, fame and worldly success tend to be very alluring, even being held up as a quasi-religious ideal to aspire to in the US. But inevitably, some travellers in that direction will slip over to the dark side and into delusion in their rush to acquire those things, and/or hang on to them. I don't know if you're religious/ Christian, but in the Bible it says Jesus refused the devil's offer of worldly power and possessions. He also said it might be impossible for a rich person to 'enter the kingdom of heaven'. Facts some 'prosperity' oriented American churches seem to have conveniently forgotten. :-p
@@chad_bloom I don't know anything about the novel but I have always regarded the song as a criticism of when people say, "The devil made me do it". Jagger keeps talking about the 'puzzle' and asking "What's my name?" Maybe the biggest clue is I shouted out, "Who killed the Kennedys?" When after all It was you and me He's saying 'we' did all this bad stuff, don't blame the Devil. What's my name? It's you and me!
@@tripledistilled2822 Yeah they did a great job of taking the novel's conceptual trick of the devil narrating as a charismatic sympathetic character and revealing himself to be behind a lot of events, and then adding their own take ('it's us') and contemporary events as you rightly & insightfully point out^^
Just an observation from an old fogey. When I was young, I'm 71, popular music, whether it be rock, Motown, etc it was all pretty much referred to as rock and roll. I guess we weren't sophisticated enough to separate it into a hundred different genres. I think it was more of who it appealed to ( age groups) rather than dividing it up by classifying it. We knew the basic differences but it didn't matter. We just knew what we liked. I liked Jackie Wilson and James Brown as much as the Rolling Stones and the Doors. As Billy Joel said " It's all rock and roll to me."
I see a lot of reactioners trying to tag everything with a genre. Each person that listens to music should know there are only two genres, stuff I like and stuff I don't like. Makes it easier to tag it.
Perfectly said👍 I'm 49 and feel the same way. I like a little from each genre, and some of them I like a lot of them LOL And thanks for the Billy Joel quote. Love that song too!
@@terrystearns8444 Guess we all agree with the great Duke Ellington: "There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind ... the only yardstick by which the result should be judged is simply that of how it sounds. If it sounds good it's successful; if it doesn't it has failed."
Brad is all about lyrics and Lex is all about the whole package and vibe. I like that Brad is analytical and doesn't like every song. Most other channels people love what they hear even if it's crap. No matter what. Brad gives his honest opinion. And lex vibes and grooves with the music. It's a perfect balance. Way to go both of you. One of my new favorite channels.
The lyric "who killed the Kennedys?" originally was "Who killed (John) Kennedy?", however, while recording the song, Bobby Kennedy was also killed and so the lyrics were changed to include both their murders.
The line; "I shouted out "Who killed the Kennedy's? When after all, it was you and me" fills me with raw emotion every single time. It's so deep, so true!
@@nicksiropaides7332 I thought the same thing. These people are too young to know what the lyrics are about but I love how she was getting into the music. 😂🎉🎶
"Just as every cop is a criminal And all the sinners saints As heads is tails Just call me Lucifer Cause I'm in need of some restraint" Kind of seems like this song is timeless.
Those lyrics are the upside down contrarian nature of Satan-- good is evil, evil is good (Isaiah 25:3). God is divine law, Satan is lawlessness. It's happening today on a massive scale as we approach the end, and new beginning
A STADIUM full of fans singing "Hoo hoo" is an experience like no other. Fortunately I've experienced it 11x, including last week in Miami.... for their last live performance.
Paint it Black is from 1966. Sympathy For the Devil is from 1968. The Stones were continually evolving pushed by their main competition from England - the Beatles, who were also in a period of rapid evolution. The Stones formed in 1962 with a penchant for Chicago style blues. They were a part of the British Invasion scene of the mid-1960’s when the British rock/pop culture came to North America. The Stones had contemporaries including the Beatles who formed in 1960. Both bands had significant influence in culture and other top British Invasion bands include the Animals, The Kinks and the Zombies amongst other classic bands. The Stones out lasted them all.
Yeah, he's not really known for his soloing, but he pulls off a perfect one here. There's not much to it, and yet you couldn't beat it with a stick! It's one of my absolute faves.
@@jeffparcels2410 I think it's a warning song. It's saying evil is out there, and when you run in to it, can you name it? And it's not just the Devil that's evil; it's us too.
I love seeing people react to songs I grew up on and can't even image they have not heard before. I was in middle school band and high school band and listened to any type of music growing up. You are so accepting of any thing we throw at you and you are both a pleasure to watch and listen to. Your discussions are on point and well expressed. Keep up the great reactions!
This is one of their best songs. The Stones are still rolling, since 1962 absolutely amazing. Charlie Watts was their pulsating heart who could ever replace him I don´t know.
Jimmy Page was asked to play guitar and lead as well on this song by Jagger and Richards. That's who Mick is talking to when he says, "get down Jimmy". Both are great guitarist and Rock legends but it's Jimmy Page on lead guitar on this song making the choice of t-shirt, whether or not she knew it, very appropriate.
The message I get from this song and it's so artistically portrayed is to show the devil in us. Everything he mentioned humans did and yes they will say the devil made me do it. While the devil in this song is portrayed as an onlooker of humanity's destruction. So have some sympathy for the devil because it is us to blame. Do more rolling stones they we're iconic in there time 👍👍👍👍
I think he's definitely portrayed here as a tempter, not just an onlooker. All that false suavity. There's also a hint if the original meaning of diabolos or satan, "accuser", when he says, "You're to blame."
Sort of a history lesson in song, with The Devil playing his role as the catalyst for evil, always just around the corner. Mick and Keith, "The Glimmer Twins", layin' it down.
Have some sympathy for him, humans use him as a scapegoat for everything. Meanwhile that other guy in that book killed so many people or incited people to kill each other but somehow he is the good guy.
This song came out in 1968, it's Far from being a New song. The Stones are in their late 70s early 80s, still performing. The drummer Charlie Watts passed away a few months ago. The Stones are one of the most unique bands ever. You should check out "Girl With The Faraway Eyes" you'll swear it's a Country Band. 🤔🤗😎
WIKI “Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones and the opening track from the band's 1968 album Beggars Banquet. The song is a product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership. "Sympathy for the Devil" Sympathy for the Devil cover.jpg 1973 German single picture sleeve Song by the Rolling Stones from the album Beggars Banquet Released 6 December 1968 Recorded 4-5, 8-10 June 1968 Studio Olympic, London Genre Samba rock Length 6:18 Label Decca Songwriter(s) Jagger-Richards Producer(s) Jimmy Miller Audio sample 0:33 filehelp Music video "Sympathy for the Devil" on TH-cam It is considered one of the best songs of the popular music era, and has been included on multiple "best of" lists, such as 106th on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[1] It is also the 22nd best ranked song on critics' all-time lists according to Acclaimed Music.[2] I cannot understand why you say you do not know what they look like because they are incredibly famous and anyway you are three seconds away from google images Back in the day the 60s there was fierce rivalry between Stones and Beatles fans for who was “the best”. And in my opinion that is when they produced their best work. I have always preferred the sound of the records to live gigs which never match up to all the effort of producing the great sounds in the studio In those far off days bands would rarely last more than three or four years. As a boy of 18 in 1966 it would’ve seemed completely ridiculous to me to suggest that the Stones would still be playing live gigs in 2022!
Brad got it first this time. If you like reading you might enjoy Keith Richards's autobiography. It's called 'Life' and it's well written and interesting. It goes through the development of their rock music from their early beginnings, penniless and sharing a flat together. They are one of the few bands that survived from the 1960s to today, so they lived through it all.
Rolling Stones are the greatest band ever. They can do it all. Lyrics, musicianship, grooves, blues, soul, country, funk. No other band did it all as great and with as much swagger.
@@deeg8849 Because there are a number of groups far better, not least the Beatles. The Stones should be good after all this time, but they were a poor live act in the sixties - Mick Jagger is a good front man now, but he is and always was a mannerist rather than a proper singer and it wasn't until Mick Taylor joined that they got a lead guitarist.
The Stones were excellent songwriters and "presenters" - and danceable! We used to stomp around making horns with our fingers and singing "Woo woo!" when this came on.
Great Reaction! Back in 79, my dad had a friend at CSU with Stones tickets, he asked me if I wanted to go see the Rolling Stones. I was thinking literally and had no idea it was a band, some stones rolling around, and said no thanks (I was 12). Ignorance creates quite a few missed opportunities.
Never pass up an opportunity to do something. Think of it this way, if you pass up a shot of leg and you get 10,000 pieces after that you've still missed one.
I feel you! Me and my husband had tickets to see Tom Petty in Atlanta in 2010. I left my husband but gave him the tickets to the concert. Missed opportunity indeed. I was more a fan of Petty then he was. Huge regret!!!!
Rolling stones are the kings of taking you on a journey. They are one of the main soundtracks to my childhood. My parents were travlers and went to every concert they could.
This is the greatest song ever recorded, imo. And yes, The Stones have expertly done so many genres. Want disco? Try “Miss You”. Country? “Wild Horses”. A ballad? “Angie”. Punk? “Respectable”. Another song that’s very similar to this one is “ Jigsaw Puzzle”. It’s criminally underrated. Blues rock is their bread and butter, though. “Time Waits For No One” is an amazing example of one of their greatest efforts. I end my diatribe by pointing out that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards at 21 years old wrote “As Tears Go By”.
The thing that often gets missed is the piano and keyboard playing of session musician Nicky Hopkins. Here, he provides the backbone that supports the song's early phases and then acts as a striking compliment to the guitars, keeping the basic structure and allowing them to play and explore in the latter half of the song. Hopkins can be heard on many other Stones tracks from ca. 1967 until the Tattoo You album in 1981. He also played with The Kinks and The Who as a session musician, along with his own solo work. Hopkins passed away in 1994 at the age of 50 due to complications from intestinal surgery due to his lifelong battle with Chrohn's Disease (an autoimmune disorder where the body's immune response attacks both the small and large intestine. Ulcerative Colitis is a similar disease treated in similar ways that only affects the colon (the large intestine). The song itself can be seen in many ways. I tend to see it as the Devil asking for sympathy because while he is responsible in whole or in part for all of the events he recounts (the Crucifixion, the murder of Czar Nicholas and his family, including Anastasia, the German Blitzkrieg bombings, the assassination of JFK, etc.), he really has no choice as he is the diametric opposite of "good" and must exist so good can be defined by something.
Fr, I noticed that. I’ve been binging their videos and at first I thought Brad just wasn’t really bothered and this was “The Lex Show”, but now that you mention it that’s very true. Lex is always swaying and bopping and Brad is sort of slightly moving with the beat but totally absorbing and analysing the lyrics. It’s a fantastic combo for the purpose of music reactions/reviews.
Keith Richards, sounding like Ole Scratch himself, delivers one of the greatest, most searing solos in rock history. Highly influential. Oh, and during those grunts in the opening Mick drops a 'C" word yet this cut played on FM radio for decades.
Two years was a long time in the 1960s! (Paint It Black: 1966, Sympathy: 1968.) Lots of things evolving fast, new innovations every year... It was a very special decade :)
The Stones have been around and been doing it for longer than anyone now! Widely considered the greatest rock band ever. I've always thought of them as The Beatles' evil twin!
This was recorded two years after “Paint It Black”, but in another lifetime. They had gone through psychedelics, a managerial change, and especially persecution by the police and time in jail. This was the the first song on the ‘Beggars Banquet’ album, the first album released after the jail sentences were overturned, the first of four albums, with ‘Let It Bleed’, ‘Sticky Fingers’, and ‘Exile On Main St.’, of maybe the greatest streak of albums by any band ever. To see what they looked like then, check out ‘The Rolling Stones’ Rock & Roll Circus’.
This song can be overwhelming the first time you hear it. You get drawn in by how awesome the composition is. The lyrics are a history lesson. You gotta listen to it a few times at least to really take it all in.
The "woo hoo" has a lot of inspiration from a railroad. Something relentless, single-minded, and something you better either get out of the way or hop on board. Kind of chillingly beautiful.
Brad ! Ur my new hero ! I Just heard your Lady say " u said it perfectly". Save the tape, run it back. That is a rare complement. Hope this channel grows for years. I enjoy it so much. Thanks for the joy u bring the old interweb.
IMHO the really brilliant thing about this song is the way it subtly gathers pace as it proceeds - and it's that which makes it so exciting............and so danceable.
Yay!!Brad got it right away!!😃love it when he understands the lyrics because once he does the rest clicks for him...his brain needs to know the meanings of things first,so when he gets it he can feel it!!😃Lex always feels the music first,before wanting to get the lyrics.I love it when they BOTH get it and feel it together.you 2 are awesome!!😄✌
Every decade, as music (and musical styles), changed, The Rolling Stones were at the forefront of those changes. That is the secret to their longevity...the uncanny ability to adapt.
To call Keith Richards a "super partier" may be the understatement of the decade. Either way, this is easily one of their Top 5 songs, IMO. And lol a couple weeks ago when Mick Jagger just casually went out for a beer the night before his Charlotte show. And stayed unnoticed the whole time. The poor bartender has had to endure variations of "hey, that guy looks like Jimmy Page!" ever since.
The key line in the song is at the end when he says i will tell you one time ... your to blame ... the song is everything the devil is blamed for in history while the real villian is man
The lyrics, piano, bass line, woo woo, percussions, lead guitar, you name it, it's the perfect song. You do have to listen to the song many times so you can focus on different parts to really appreciate how great the song as a whole. There is a vid that has the piano part isolated you should listen to sometime. It's some of the best piano playing you will ever hear in a rock song.
The message is basically the historical evil done by humans as in the events Mick Jagger sung about in this song, how we humans are quick to blame the devil for our own evil actions. Giving sympathy for the devil mainly means he revels in YOUR bad deeds, so "... if you meet me, have some courtesy, have some sympathy and some taste..." because this is all on You. Lex, thing to know about "re-mastered"; It sometimes means a whole different re structure of the tracks/sound arrangement -or- in this case as in almost all classic songs of the period is simply a "clean-up" of the master tapes for digital conversion. This song sounds Exactly as I hear it from my first pressing LP (vinyl) that I got on release in late 1968, and with a quality stereo system it is identical to this version except for the underlaying of scratch sounds from the LP collecting 52 years of dust and dirt in the grooves of the vinyl that is picked up with the record player stylus (needle). Re-mastered in this case is modern engineered software cleaning up and preserving what is on the master tapes. Bands like The Stones, The Beatles, Pink Floyd all had huge multi-track recording equipment back in the 60s, in fact some of the best in the world, basically pioneered recording techniques we use today but now digitally. They have at times made master copies of those tapes to ensure the original sound quality going forward because analog tapes will degrade over time and so does digital masters... so occasionally "re-mastering" is a way to preserve the original recordings and final releases.
You're right about what "remastered" means. It actually never means "whole different re structure of the tracks/sound arrangement" - that would be remixing (a lot of people don't know the difference). The Rolling Stones' catalogue has never been remixed (yet). The Beatles' discography is being released in remixed form little by little and I'm loving it. I feel like the Stones with their mostly rawer sound maybe wouldn't benefit from it as much.
@@KariKauree I find it cringy most of the time with re-mixing releases. It has to be done on a REAL Minor scale to be acceptable for my taste knowing and loving the original recordings/masters. What really annoys me is when record companies takes a 40 - 50 year old song and add newly recorded instrumentals or voices over or in place of the original track to make it more whatever... it's like taking a famous century classic painting and then deciding to add some new color on top of it. It cheapens the original and basically ruins it. I have actually heard a couple "re-mixed" Stones songs, although it may have been unauthorized and I remember it being Horrible.
I feel like these 2 people have just woken up from a 30 year coma or back from a 30 year space mission. Its so weird that they have been so isolated from mainstream music.
Right! They look like a pretty hip couple but they’ve never heard or even noticed songs that are everywhere all the time. This has got to be a come on right?
This is the best of Bill Wyman on bass. Relentless. The Stones were great for never having a “sound”. Yes you can always recognize Mick, but the Stones explored all music genres and did it well.
The best version of "Sympathy for the Devil" is the live version from the Get Your Ya ya's out album. I saw them live around that time in at the old Boston Garden. Great concert.
There is nothing better than seeing the Stones live performing this song! It's some of the greatest experiences of my life! The Stones are the greatest blues garage rock band ever!
I've said over the years that they need to somehow clone Keith Richards liver and use that material to coat whatever reentry vehicle that comes back from space. That's one indestructible liver!!
At 6:35 He answers the question about the confusion. "I'll tell you one time, your'e to blame" They invented the Devil to take the guilt away from their own evil ways. That is what this whole song is about. He sneaks it in there and makes it hard to hear on purpose. At the time of this songs release, the Christian Right had the power to get it banned from the radio. Yet they were ignorant enough to not realize what the lyrics were about.
Lucifer is still an angel, the most beautiful. I believe they're saying you can't say the Devil made me do it, it was people did these things, free will and choice.
We listen and rightly revere this song today but imagine back in the day this sound was nothing short of revolutionary. Nothing had ever sounded like this ever before. What an amazing time to have been alive. When music and monumental historical events collided.
An example of a brilliant rock and roll song. Great lyrics, great percussion, simple but great guitars. Well thought out and recorded. Excellent perspective from the Devil to the listener.
The Stones have so many different sounds. Songs like Miss You, Undercover of the Night... and they released a song shortly after the pandemic started called Living in a Ghost Town. Great stuff.
One of their greatest songs sounds nothing like them: "Time Waits For No One". I attribute much of its different sound to Mick Taylor's jazz-oriented guitar work on the track, including his long, jazz-like solo. (They never should've let him get away--they didn't make good music after he left.)
Every moment in my life since the 60’s and 70’s and up In to the 90’s, even now on occasion, they have been the soundtrack to my life, from childhood into my now 60’s
Absolutely seminal tune, a world-shaker that told, and tells, the truth. Been to many a party where the "kids" danced like natives to this. If this stuff ever goes away, the world will be a lesser place.
This is a fantastic song! But, in my favorite of theirs, their instrumental talents are highlighted most. "Can't You Hear Me Knockin" they play some of their best blues-rock and undoubtedly their finest jazz!!
Monkey Man is a great blues riff but they do a great cover of Under The Boardwalk I think you guys would like. Other songs to check are Heartbreaker, Waiting On A Friend, Love Is Gone, It’s Only Rock N Roll, and Angie
It's amazing how much of the music from two 60s bands, the Stones & Beatles, has resonated down the decades. I first heard Sympathy in 1969 and didn't care for it that much but it grew on me, mainly because I was so fond of the album: Beggars Banquet.
It seems like Brad tends to focus more on lyrics. And Lex focusses more on the instrumental part, melody and rhythm. Your observations compliment and balance each other. I enjoyed this. Thanks.
One of the greatest lyrical concepts in music history, and perfectly presented by Jagger. So dark and cool.
I can't remwber exactly but i think the concept is inspirwd by the great russian novel 'the master & margarita(sp)'. Recommended
60's check out the video LOVE IS STRONG 👅ROLLING STONES 90'S 🎩🎸and UNDERCOVER OF THE NIGHT.💥EXPLICIT VERSIÓN 🔥🎶VIDEO 💯👌
@@chad_bloom I believe that's right. Marianne (Mick's GF at the time) was reading it and recommended it to him. It's one of the creepiest, and I admit, scariest novels I've read - or tried to read. I couldn't get past Chapter 3, I couldn't stomach any more. Others may not find it so.
But yes, the devil appeared in the novel as a man of wealth, sophistication and good taste.
Come on Brad, if he was a horrible looking, dirty bum, who would be tempted to follow him? OTOH, wealth, fame and worldly success tend to be very alluring, even being held up as a quasi-religious ideal to aspire to in the US. But inevitably, some travellers in that direction will slip over to the dark side and into delusion in their rush to acquire those things, and/or hang on to them. I don't know if you're religious/ Christian, but in the Bible it says Jesus refused the devil's offer of worldly power and possessions. He also said it might be impossible for a rich person to 'enter the kingdom of heaven'. Facts some 'prosperity' oriented American churches seem to have conveniently forgotten. :-p
@@chad_bloom I don't know anything about the novel but I have always regarded the song as a criticism of when people say, "The devil made me do it". Jagger keeps talking about the 'puzzle' and asking "What's my name?" Maybe the biggest clue is
I shouted out,
"Who killed the Kennedys?"
When after all
It was you and me
He's saying 'we' did all this bad stuff, don't blame the Devil.
What's my name? It's you and me!
@@tripledistilled2822 Yeah they did a great job of taking the novel's conceptual trick of the devil narrating as a charismatic sympathetic character and revealing himself to be behind a lot of events, and then adding their own take ('it's us') and contemporary events as you rightly & insightfully point out^^
"Rode a tank, held a General's rank, while the Blitzkreig rained and the bodies stank".
Some of the finest lyrics ever written.
Blitzkrieg raged
While the blitzkrieg raged
I shouted out "Who killed the Kennedy's?" When after all, it was you and me
Back when we had to guess the lyrics, I thought it was "blitzkrieg reigned".
What do you think the point is of killing the Russian Czars and Ministers? That could be a trick question.
Just an observation from an old fogey. When I was young, I'm 71, popular music, whether it be rock, Motown, etc it was all pretty much referred to as rock and roll. I guess we weren't sophisticated enough to separate it into a hundred different genres. I think it was more of who it appealed to ( age groups) rather than dividing it up by classifying it. We knew the basic differences but it didn't matter. We just knew what we liked. I liked Jackie Wilson and James Brown as much as the Rolling Stones and the Doors. As Billy Joel said " It's all rock and roll to me."
@James Bolton
Just 3 years behind you, same point of view. Nice comment & well said (also made me smile).💙☮🌿
I see a lot of reactioners trying to tag everything with a genre. Each person that listens to music should know there are only two genres, stuff I like and stuff I don't like. Makes it easier to tag it.
Perfectly said👍 I'm 49 and feel the same way. I like a little from each genre, and some of them I like a lot of them LOL
And thanks for the Billy Joel quote. Love that song too!
Amen, James Bolton.
@@terrystearns8444 Guess we all agree with the great Duke Ellington: "There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind ... the only yardstick by which the result should be judged is simply that of how it sounds. If it sounds good it's successful; if it doesn't it has failed."
Brad is all about lyrics and Lex is all about the whole package and vibe. I like that Brad is analytical and doesn't like every song. Most other channels people love what they hear even if it's crap. No matter what. Brad gives his honest opinion. And lex vibes and grooves with the music. It's a perfect balance. Way to go both of you. One of my new favorite channels.
The lyric "who killed the Kennedys?" originally was "Who killed (John) Kennedy?", however, while recording the song, Bobby Kennedy was also killed and so the lyrics were changed to include both their murders.
Did not know that!
Wow. Works even better.
...it WAS indeed you and me!
The line; "I shouted out "Who killed the Kennedy's? When after all, it was you and me" fills me with raw emotion every single time. It's so deep, so true!
I think it’s lost to these two.
@@nicksiropaides7332 I thought the same thing. These people are too young to know what the lyrics are about but I love how she was getting into the music. 😂🎉🎶
"Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
Cause I'm in need of some restraint"
Kind of seems like this song is timeless.
It is. I first heard the G'n'R' cover but, both are great. 🤘
You can keep adding verses to the song forever. As the evil of man marches on and on and on.
Those lyrics are the upside down contrarian nature of Satan-- good is evil, evil is good (Isaiah 25:3). God is divine law, Satan is lawlessness. It's happening today on a massive scale as we approach the end, and new beginning
@@stevenwilliams1805 Check out the Laibach version of this song.
Now it's been about Trump.
A STADIUM full of fans singing "Hoo hoo" is an experience like no other. Fortunately I've experienced it 11x, including last week in Miami.... for their last live performance.
For me the hat-trick of this one, "Gimme Shelter" and "You Can't Always Get What you Want" are the apex of their catalog.
don't listen to the rock n roll circus movie versions.
Midnight Rambler, Stay Cat Blues, Sway. Too many to list
@@bluebird3281 Strong agree.
"Honky Tonk Women" tops it off for me.💙
For me, it's the Mount Rushmore of Stones music, by adding "Satisfaction" to your hat trick....
From a guy thats 70, Classic Rock is most of what your playing, and it keeps us young! Rock on Brad & Lex, Rock on...
Paint it Black is from 1966. Sympathy For the Devil is from 1968. The Stones were continually evolving pushed by their main competition from England - the Beatles, who were also in a period of rapid evolution. The Stones formed in 1962 with a penchant for Chicago style blues. They were a part of the British Invasion scene of the mid-1960’s when the British rock/pop culture came to North America. The Stones had contemporaries including the Beatles who formed in 1960. Both bands had significant influence in culture and other top British Invasion bands include the Animals, The Kinks and the Zombies amongst other classic bands. The Stones out lasted them all.
Hard to overstate how "now" that time was. How urgent. I wasn't even there, and I can hear that plainly.
They weren’t really rivals, they were friends
I love that first guitar beak where Keith comes in with that sparse, brittle, raggedy riff...just perfect.
👍
Yeah it sounds like fire coming off of his fingertips onto the strings!
Yeah it sounds like fire’s emanating off his fingertips
Yeah, he's not really known for his soloing, but he pulls off a perfect one here. There's not much to it, and yet you couldn't beat it with a stick! It's one of my absolute faves.
That's not Keith- it's an uncredited Jimmy Page. At least that was a rumor that I heard back in the day.
Some people say it was Eric Clapton.
Perhaps one of the best opening lines on any song ever....
I call it 'going to hell with a Salsa beat'.
@@nickmitsialis LoL 😆😂🤣
I Laughed so hard when I read this...Well done....
This is in the top ten best songs of all time. It’s so beautiful to see it live in in your reactions.
In high school our teacher had us study this song. One thing he pointed out is every time he ask what's my name, he gets more aggressive each time.
Which gave you no life skills.
@@franklinloll2229 it was a English class. Understanding reading and writing is a life skill.
@@franklinloll2229 education is not just changing tires and keeping a check book
Interesting. Any general consensus takeaways as to meaning, etc?
@@jeffparcels2410 I think it's a warning song. It's saying evil is out there, and when you run in to it, can you name it? And it's not just the Devil that's evil; it's us too.
Lucifer's best quote "I'm not evil! I punish evil!"
One of the greatest songs of all-time by one of the greatest bands. Love this song.
I love seeing people react to songs I grew up on and can't even image they have not heard before. I was in middle school band and high school band and listened to any type of music growing up. You are so accepting of any thing we throw at you and you are both a pleasure to watch and listen to. Your discussions are on point and well expressed. Keep up the great reactions!
This is one of their best songs. The Stones are still rolling, since 1962 absolutely amazing. Charlie Watts was their pulsating heart who could ever replace him I don´t know.
Well stated. Saw them in San Antonio and was impressed with Charlie Watts…his performance was the Stones pulsating heart indeed. He cemented the band.
Keith Richard's guitar is so understated. He's a genius at creating riffs. Love the t-shirt , Lex.
Jimmy Page was asked to play guitar and lead as well on this song by Jagger and Richards. That's who Mick is talking to when he says, "get down Jimmy". Both are great guitarist and Rock legends but it's Jimmy Page on lead guitar on this song making the choice of t-shirt, whether or not she knew it, very appropriate.
The message I get from this song and it's so artistically portrayed is to show the devil in us. Everything he mentioned humans did and yes they will say the devil made me do it. While the devil in this song is portrayed as an onlooker of humanity's destruction. So have some sympathy for the devil because it is us to blame. Do more rolling stones they we're iconic in there time 👍👍👍👍
Well said...
100% agree.
I think he's definitely portrayed here as a tempter, not just an onlooker. All that false suavity. There's also a hint if the original meaning of diabolos or satan, "accuser", when he says, "You're to blame."
Very, very well said
"...well after all, it was YOU and me"
Aloha, awesome...been listening to this song 50 years...whoot whoot
Sort of a history lesson in song, with The Devil playing his role as the catalyst for evil, always just around the corner. Mick and Keith, "The Glimmer Twins", layin' it down.
Especially Keith on that guitar🔥
Have some sympathy for him, humans use him as a scapegoat for everything. Meanwhile that other guy in that book killed so many people or incited people to kill each other but somehow he is the good guy.
This is one of those rare songs that is a timeless classic that never gets old
This song came out in 1968, it's Far from being a New song. The Stones are in their late 70s early 80s, still performing. The drummer Charlie Watts passed away a few months ago. The Stones are one of the most unique bands ever. You should check out "Girl With The Faraway Eyes" you'll swear it's a Country Band. 🤔🤗😎
Well, you know what kind of eyes she got! lol
Dude love that song
Awesome tune....and Honky Tonk Women
@@hmichaelr1 That's what I thought, you beat me to it, lol.
Or dead flowers.
WIKI “Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones and the opening track from the band's 1968 album Beggars Banquet. The song is a product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership.
"Sympathy for the Devil"
Sympathy for the Devil cover.jpg
1973 German single picture sleeve
Song by the Rolling Stones
from the album Beggars Banquet
Released
6 December 1968
Recorded
4-5, 8-10 June 1968
Studio
Olympic, London
Genre
Samba rock
Length
6:18
Label
Decca
Songwriter(s)
Jagger-Richards
Producer(s)
Jimmy Miller
Audio sample
0:33
filehelp
Music video
"Sympathy for the Devil" on TH-cam
It is considered one of the best songs of the popular music era, and has been included on multiple "best of" lists, such as 106th on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[1] It is also the 22nd best ranked song on critics' all-time lists according to Acclaimed Music.[2]
I cannot understand why you say you do not know what they look like because they are incredibly famous and anyway you are three seconds away from google images
Back in the day the 60s there was fierce rivalry between Stones and Beatles fans for who was “the best”. And in my opinion that is when they produced their best work. I have always preferred the sound of the records to live gigs which never match up to all the effort of producing the great sounds in the studio
In those far off days bands would rarely last more than three or four years. As a boy of 18 in 1966 it would’ve seemed completely ridiculous to me to suggest that the Stones would still be playing live gigs in 2022!
Brad got it first this time. If you like reading you might enjoy Keith Richards's autobiography. It's called 'Life' and it's well written and interesting. It goes through the development of their rock music from their early beginnings, penniless and sharing a flat together. They are one of the few bands that survived from the 1960s to today, so they lived through it all.
Rolling Stones are the greatest band ever. They can do it all. Lyrics, musicianship, grooves, blues, soul, country, funk. No other band did it all as great and with as much swagger.
Zeppelin*
Long may you believe that illusion.
@@billythedog-309 why the negative comment with no stated band?
@@deeg8849 Because there are a number of groups far better, not least the Beatles. The Stones should be good after all this time, but they were a poor live act in the sixties - Mick Jagger is a good front man now, but he is and always was a mannerist rather than a proper singer and it wasn't until Mick Taylor joined that they got a lead guitarist.
The Stones were excellent songwriters and "presenters" - and danceable! We used to stomp around making horns with our fingers and singing "Woo woo!" when this came on.
"Can't You Hear Me Knocking" Trust me, you'll love it. The last half is as good as music gets.
Great Reaction! Back in 79, my dad had a friend at CSU with Stones tickets, he asked me if I wanted to go see the Rolling Stones. I was thinking literally and had no idea it was a band, some stones rolling around, and said no thanks (I was 12). Ignorance creates quite a few missed opportunities.
Never pass up an opportunity to do something. Think of it this way, if you pass up a shot of leg and you get 10,000 pieces after that you've still missed one.
I feel you! Me and my husband had tickets to see Tom Petty in Atlanta in 2010. I left my husband but gave him the tickets to the concert. Missed opportunity indeed. I was more a fan of Petty then he was. Huge regret!!!!
The Stones really need more love from the reaction community. Love that you did this song!
Rolling stones are the kings of taking you on a journey. They are one of the main soundtracks to my childhood. My parents were travlers and went to every concert they could.
The Stones are a blend of Jazz, Blues and Rock N Roll. They are musical and lyrical masters. Their music will be around for the coming ages.
This is the greatest song ever recorded, imo.
And yes, The Stones have expertly done so many genres. Want disco? Try “Miss You”. Country? “Wild Horses”. A ballad? “Angie”. Punk? “Respectable”.
Another song that’s very similar to this one is “ Jigsaw Puzzle”. It’s criminally underrated.
Blues rock is their bread and butter, though. “Time Waits For No One” is an amazing example of one of their greatest efforts.
I end my diatribe by pointing out that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards at 21 years old wrote “As Tears Go By”.
I think their greatest Disco song is Too Much Blood, check it out
Psychedelic ? "She's a Rainbow."
Not sure how Tumblin Dice would be categorized, but that one feels like it has everything.
@@ZodsSnappedNeck It has a very American sound. I’d guess it’s from the Mick Taylor period. A Stones fan can feel free to correct me if I’m wrong
Give me shelter live with Lisa Fisher is the best !!
Not ONE guitar riff until 4:09 and it comes in like a lightning bolt. Masterpiece material.
I can't help but picture an evil satyr with red eyes dancing around a bonfire during that solo!
My favorite Rolling Stones song - what a great song - great choice !
Love how Lex gets into this - smile is so beautiful.
I first remember this song from the movie Fallen. In a round about way it was about a fallen angel starring the great Denzel Washington.
Time is on my side was in that too
@@williamswiniuch7527 Indeed
The thing that often gets missed is the piano and keyboard playing of session musician Nicky Hopkins. Here, he provides the backbone that supports the song's early phases and then acts as a striking compliment to the guitars, keeping the basic structure and allowing them to play and explore in the latter half of the song. Hopkins can be heard on many other Stones tracks from ca. 1967 until the Tattoo You album in 1981. He also played with The Kinks and The Who as a session musician, along with his own solo work. Hopkins passed away in 1994 at the age of 50 due to complications from intestinal surgery due to his lifelong battle with Chrohn's Disease (an autoimmune disorder where the body's immune response attacks both the small and large intestine. Ulcerative Colitis is a similar disease treated in similar ways that only affects the colon (the large intestine).
The song itself can be seen in many ways. I tend to see it as the Devil asking for sympathy because while he is responsible in whole or in part for all of the events he recounts (the Crucifixion, the murder of Czar Nicholas and his family, including Anastasia, the German Blitzkrieg bombings, the assassination of JFK, etc.), he really has no choice as he is the diametric opposite of "good" and must exist so good can be defined by something.
I get to see these guys perform this song tomorrow night... can't wait!
AS ALWAYS, LEX GETS INTO THE MUSIC, AND BRAD GETS INTO THE LYRICS.
GREAT COMBO, THESE TWO! ROCK ON!
Fr, I noticed that. I’ve been binging their videos and at first I thought Brad just wasn’t really bothered and this was “The Lex Show”, but now that you mention it that’s very true. Lex is always swaying and bopping and Brad is sort of slightly moving with the beat but totally absorbing and analysing the lyrics. It’s a fantastic combo for the purpose of music reactions/reviews.
More Stones reactions please. you guys are gonna enjoy the journey they will take you on.
Keith Richards, sounding like Ole Scratch himself, delivers one of the greatest, most searing solos in rock history. Highly influential. Oh, and during those grunts in the opening Mick drops a 'C" word yet this cut played on FM radio for decades.
It's arguably my favorite stones tune
Two years was a long time in the 1960s! (Paint It Black: 1966, Sympathy: 1968.) Lots of things evolving fast, new innovations every year... It was a very special decade :)
One of my favorite. It came out late 60s. Check out their song "Brown
Sugar"
The Stones have been around and been doing it for longer than anyone now! Widely considered the greatest rock band ever. I've always thought of them as The Beatles' evil twin!
Evil bunch of middle class softies.
This was recorded two years after “Paint It Black”, but in another lifetime. They had gone through psychedelics, a managerial change, and especially persecution by the police and time in jail. This was the the first song on the ‘Beggars Banquet’ album, the first album released after the jail sentences were overturned, the first of four albums, with ‘Let It Bleed’, ‘Sticky Fingers’, and ‘Exile On Main St.’, of maybe the greatest streak of albums by any band ever. To see what they looked like then, check out ‘The Rolling Stones’ Rock & Roll Circus’.
The Stones were essentially a singles band. There's piles of filler on every one of their albums even the "fantastic four" you mention.
@@OroborusFMA And too many of those singles sounded the same.
@@OroborusFMA Nonsense.
@@Cosmo-Kramer Ridiculous. Listen to Lady Jane, Satisfaction and She's a Rainbow... all massive hit singles... all totally different.
@@billvegas8146 Oh yeah?? Well, Brown Sugar, Honky Tonk Woman, and Jumpin' Jack Flash all sound the same.
This song can be overwhelming the first time you hear it. You get drawn in by how awesome the composition is. The lyrics are a history lesson. You gotta listen to it a few times at least to really take it all in.
Song is based on the classic underground Russian novel, the "Master and Margarita" written during Stalin era
Read that for my comparative lit class…true classic
Ooh, I didn’t know that. I really enjoyed that book.
I just made the same comment before reading this...My favorite book to read.
No it wasn't.
The "woo hoo" has a lot of inspiration from a railroad. Something relentless, single-minded, and something you better either get out of the way or hop on board. Kind of chillingly beautiful.
Anita Pallanberg came up with "woo woo."
Neat observation.
Fun Fact: Jack Sparrow's father in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies is the guitarist in the Rolling Stones (Keith Richards)
Brad ! Ur my new hero ! I Just heard your Lady say " u said it perfectly". Save the tape, run it back. That is a rare complement. Hope this channel grows for years. I enjoy it so much. Thanks for the joy u bring the old interweb.
The Stones are approaching 60 years as a band. They've lost a couple of members but are still out doing concerts, currently on tour.
IMHO the really brilliant thing about this song is the way it subtly gathers pace as it proceeds - and it's that which makes it so exciting............and so danceable.
Yay!!Brad got it right away!!😃love it when he understands the lyrics because once he does the rest clicks for him...his brain needs to know the meanings of things first,so when he gets it he can feel it!!😃Lex always feels the music first,before wanting to get the lyrics.I love it when they BOTH get it and feel it together.you 2 are awesome!!😄✌
Brad=Left Brain, Lex=Right Brain. Balanced reaction.
Every decade, as music (and musical styles), changed, The Rolling Stones were at the forefront of those changes. That is the secret to their longevity...the uncanny ability to adapt.
To call Keith Richards a "super partier" may be the understatement of the decade. Either way, this is easily one of their Top 5 songs, IMO. And lol a couple weeks ago when Mick Jagger just casually went out for a beer the night before his Charlotte show. And stayed unnoticed the whole time. The poor bartender has had to endure variations of "hey, that guy looks like Jimmy Page!" ever since.
One of my personal all time favorites. Man those GUITAR LICKS!!!!! Also, love seeing new people find and love this music. So cool.
The key line in the song is at the end when he says i will tell you one time ... your to blame ... the song is everything the devil is blamed for in history while the real villian is man
We are, each and every one of us, the devil. Or at least we have that capacity.
Cant You Hear Me Knockin is a must.
One of the deepest rabbit holes you could go down! Rolling Stones are one of the main pillars of rock!
The lyrics, piano, bass line, woo woo, percussions, lead guitar, you name it, it's the perfect song. You do have to listen to the song many times so you can focus on different parts to really appreciate how great the song as a whole. There is a vid that has the piano part isolated you should listen to sometime. It's some of the best piano playing you will ever hear in a rock song.
The message is basically the historical evil done by humans as in the events Mick Jagger sung about in this song, how we humans are quick to blame the devil for our own evil actions. Giving sympathy for the devil mainly means he revels in YOUR bad deeds, so "... if you meet me, have some courtesy, have some sympathy and some taste..." because this is all on You.
Lex, thing to know about "re-mastered"; It sometimes means a whole different re structure of the tracks/sound arrangement -or- in this case as in almost all classic songs of the period is simply a "clean-up" of the master tapes for digital conversion.
This song sounds Exactly as I hear it from my first pressing LP (vinyl) that I got on release in late 1968, and with a quality stereo system it is identical to this version except for the underlaying of scratch sounds from the LP collecting 52 years of dust and dirt in the grooves of the vinyl that is picked up with the record player stylus (needle). Re-mastered in this case is modern engineered software cleaning up and preserving what is on the master tapes.
Bands like The Stones, The Beatles, Pink Floyd all had huge multi-track recording equipment back in the 60s, in fact some of the best in the world, basically pioneered recording techniques we use today but now digitally. They have at times made master copies of those tapes to ensure the original sound quality going forward because analog tapes will degrade over time and so does digital masters... so occasionally "re-mastering" is a way to preserve the original recordings and final releases.
Perfect interpretation, dead-on in my humble opinion. It's about the nature of evil with religious overtones. Amazing stuff...
Agreed with all... Well put!
You're right about what "remastered" means. It actually never means "whole different re structure of the tracks/sound arrangement" - that would be remixing (a lot of people don't know the difference). The Rolling Stones' catalogue has never been remixed (yet). The Beatles' discography is being released in remixed form little by little and I'm loving it. I feel like the Stones with their mostly rawer sound maybe wouldn't benefit from it as much.
@@KariKauree I find it cringy most of the time with re-mixing releases. It has to be done on a REAL Minor scale to be acceptable for my taste knowing and loving the original recordings/masters.
What really annoys me is when record companies takes a 40 - 50 year old song and add newly recorded instrumentals or voices over or in place of the original track to make it more whatever... it's like taking a famous century classic painting and then deciding to add some new color on top of it.
It cheapens the original and basically ruins it.
I have actually heard a couple "re-mixed" Stones songs, although it may have been unauthorized and I remember it being Horrible.
Great, fantastic and immortal Rolling Stones!!! Respect forever!!!
I feel like these 2 people have just woken up from a 30 year coma or back from a 30 year space mission. Its so weird that they have been so isolated from mainstream music.
@Squant meh. Double space is a habit i aint breaking anytime soon.
@Squant I grew up listening to music from the previous 5 decades.
@@conniggit Double space after the period rules! Also, semicolons.
Right! They look like a pretty hip couple but they’ve never heard or even noticed songs that are everywhere all the time. This has got to be a come on right?
Omg, I lost it when the crickets played after Brad asked Lex if she knew who it was 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Yeah but in her defense he didn’t sound too sure himself.
Let it Bleed. You’re gonna love it! ✌️
Absolutely killing it on the piano. Every time I listen I wish I knew how to play.
This is the best of Bill Wyman on bass. Relentless. The Stones were great for never having a “sound”. Yes you can always recognize Mick, but the Stones explored all music genres and did it well.
I disagree with you and kind of agree with Sir Paul McCartney. They were basically a blues cover band. But hot damn they mastered it!
It’s actually Keith on bass
I like Bill as a bass player, but this has all of the hallmarks of Keef on bass.
@@slickjames2541 as in Street fighting man or Jumpin' jack flash
Mr Richards on bass and sounding great.
You guys to the best music and come across as such genuine good people. Love it. Cheers
The best version of "Sympathy for the Devil" is the live version from the Get Your Ya ya's out album. I saw them live around that time in at the old Boston Garden. Great concert.
This is one of my favorites of theirs. Paint It Black is another. And I Can't Get No Satisfaction is another... their catalog is impressive 👏
i love the bass in this so good but all together fire
There is nothing better than seeing the Stones live performing this song! It's some of the greatest experiences of my life! The Stones are the greatest blues garage rock band ever!
"Moonlight Mile", one of if not "the most beautiful album endings in rock"
I have always said this is the best rock song ever. Lyrics, music, all of it. Do it again while reading the lyrics. Outstanding.
I've said over the years that they need to somehow clone Keith Richards liver and use that material to coat whatever reentry vehicle that comes back from space. That's one indestructible liver!!
Nuclear war two things left Keith Richards and cockroaches lol
At 6:35 He answers the question about the confusion. "I'll tell you one time, your'e to blame" They invented the Devil to take the guilt away from their own evil ways. That is what this whole song is about. He sneaks it in there and makes it hard to hear on purpose. At the time of this songs release, the Christian Right had the power to get it banned from the radio. Yet they were ignorant enough to not realize what the lyrics were about.
Lucifer is still an angel, the most beautiful. I believe they're saying you can't say the Devil made me do it, it was people did these things, free will and choice.
Oh! Good take!
Afterall, the snake didn't force Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, he just encouraged her.
We listen and rightly revere this song today but imagine back in the day this sound was nothing short of revolutionary. Nothing had ever sounded like this ever before. What an amazing time to have been alive. When music and monumental historical events collided.
I think Brad & Lex should check out 'Remedy' by The Black Crowes …
This.
Fark yes. Genuinely great song. Proper jam.
My favorite Stones song! Loved it when it first came out and still do!
How the band kept those owls hooting in time throughout the song, is an absolute mystery. They did a great job.
Their achievement as bird wranglers has gone under - appreciated, for sure!
Heard they worked for just birdseed.
An example of a brilliant rock and roll song. Great lyrics, great percussion, simple but great guitars. Well thought out and recorded. Excellent perspective from the Devil to the listener.
The Stones have so many different sounds. Songs like Miss You, Undercover of the Night... and they released a song shortly after the pandemic started called Living in a Ghost Town. Great stuff.
One of their greatest songs sounds nothing like them: "Time Waits For No One". I attribute much of its different sound to Mick Taylor's jazz-oriented guitar work on the track, including his long, jazz-like solo. (They never should've let him get away--they didn't make good music after he left.)
Every moment in my life since the 60’s and 70’s and up In to the 90’s, even now on occasion, they have been the soundtrack to my life, from childhood into my now 60’s
You have to watch their documentary that shows how they made the song. It shows how they got the sounds and their process of making the music
It shows everything but that killer guitar solo, believe it is Dave Mason some say Jimmy Page i think it is Mason
@@willyroussel3563 It was Keith.
Absolutely seminal tune, a world-shaker that told, and tells, the truth. Been to many a party where the "kids" danced like natives to this. If this stuff ever goes away, the world will be a lesser place.
This is a fantastic song! But, in my favorite of theirs, their instrumental talents are highlighted most. "Can't You Hear Me Knockin" they play some of their best blues-rock and undoubtedly their finest jazz!!
I've never seen you two so mesmerized at the same time 😅
That's a great one, and you should also try Gimmie' Shelter.
The stones are incredible 🙌, they have been playing to sold out stadiums for at least 4 decades and huge arenas before stadiums!!!!Greatness!
Monkey Man is a great blues riff but they do a great cover of Under The Boardwalk I think you guys would like. Other songs to check are Heartbreaker, Waiting On A Friend, Love Is Gone, It’s Only Rock N Roll, and Angie
It's amazing how much of the music from two 60s bands, the Stones & Beatles, has resonated down the decades. I first heard Sympathy in 1969 and didn't care for it that much but it grew on me, mainly because I was so fond of the album: Beggars Banquet.
It seems like Brad tends to focus more on lyrics. And Lex focusses more on the instrumental part, melody and rhythm.
Your observations compliment and balance each other.
I enjoyed this. Thanks.
"you gotta pick one to focus on" nailed it! I've had many years to digest the lyrics so nowadays I just ride that amazing piano
This song is the song they play at the end of the movie "Interview with the Vampire" staring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise
He named off every betrayal and war from the biblical times to Patton to Kenedy assassination and on.