Hello friends, good vibes to all.
Yesterday was a sad day for all of us who are fans and admirers of this great and mythical band, The Rolling Stones. The news is that their drummer, the great Charlie Watts, passed away at the age of 80 in a hospital in London. The really hard thing is that he was one of the longest members of the band since he was in it since 1963.
I don't pretend to make a complete biography of Watts because for that I'm sure there are thousands of pages but what I would like to say is a couple of things about him and make a tribute with those great songs of the Stones that have influenced the lives of many. Charlie, they say, was one of the best drummers of his time but the most surprising thing is that he was self-taught since he learned to play only by ear.
Curiously Charlie did not start playing rock, nothing to do with it, his first thing was Jazz, so much so that I think it was at the age of 13-14 when he managed to belong to a first group of this genre. Watts once said that he never went to study because that was not for him, what he liked about music was to feel it, it was the emotion that playing it generates and that explains a lot the way in which he understood music.
And one of the most impressive facts is that the drummer of the 30 albums and all the tours that the Rolling Stones have made was Charlie. A musician incredibly respected by his colleagues and who also was always one step behind as far as attracting attention is concerned since he was always the calm and quiet one of the group leaving Mick and the rest to be the extravagant ones in the different shows.
But as I said, this is far from being Watts' life story so let's go with some of the great songs of this powerful and legendary band to pay tribute in the best possible way which, according to me, is to listen and remember good music.
- Jumpin’ Jack Flash.
This is one of the songs I like the most and don't ask me why. It came out in 1968 and it was released as a "single" because the whole band really liked this song. So much so that Keith Richards himself has said that it is one of his favorite songs because of the sound of the guitar in it and it is one of the songs that has been played more times in concerts, at least 1000 times this piece has been heard live.
- Sympathy For The Devil.
Another one of the GREAT Stones songs that like the previous one was released in 68 in the album Beggars Banquet, I place it in this little top because musically it is very diverse, besides being an icon which was written by Mick Jagger and Richards. The interesting thing about this song is that we can hear certain Latin rhythms which were entirely the product of improvisation since in the original papers it should have been something more folk-like. Another vital aspect is its lyrics, you have to pay attention to them because of how poetic they can be.
- Paint It, Black.
Belonging to the album "After Math" of 1966 was one that changed a little the style of the band's music and in this song we can hear a "Sitar", this stringed instrument very common in India. Such was the success of this change that this song reached number ONE in the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom and was considered by the band members themselves as one of the most psychedelic songs they had ever made.
- [I Can't Get No] Satisfaction.
It was released in 1965 and I believe it was the Stones' first number one in the United States. For many it is the band's best recording even though at the time it was understood as a bit disturbing because of its sexual overtones; it speaks a bit of a young teenager's frustration with life in general.
- Gimme Shelter.
The fifth and last one I put in this top is this gem which was the first song of the album "Let it bleed" back in 1969. This is a song that has a bit of social and even political content, it could be, as it touches on issues such as the Vietnam War and the racial problems in the United States and in which they managed to find and use as a refuge from everything that was happening in the world. Undoubtedly one of the greatest successes of The Rollig Stones.
The fifth and last one I put in this top is this gem which was the first song of the album "Let it bleed" back in 1969. This is a song that has a bit of social and even political content, it could be, as it touches on issues such as the Vietnam War and the racial problems in the United States and in which they managed to find and use as a refuge from everything that was happening in the world. Undoubtedly one of the greatest successes of The Rollig Stones.
LARGA VIDA A CHARLIE WATTS!!!
LONG LIVE CHARLIE WATTS!!!!
¡Un abrazo a todos, nos escuchamos en la próxima!
Well friends that's all for today, I hope you liked it.
¡A hug to all of you, we'll hear you in the next one!