The Rolling Stones have revealed the alternate version of ‘Dead Flowers’ ahead of the ‘Sticky Fingers’ expanded reissue.
‘Dead Flowers’ is one of a number of country influenced Stones songs recorded around the time Keith Richards was hanging out with Gram Parsons, In 2003 Mick Jagger said, “The ‘Country’ songs we recorded later, like Dead Flowers on Sticky Fingers or Far Away Eyes on Some Girls, are slightly different (than our earlier ones). The actual music is played completely straight, but it’s me who’s not going legit with the whole thing, because I think I’m a blues singer not a country singer – I think it’s more suited to Keith’s voice than mine.”
In 1995, Jagger also confirmed that he has never been a country singer. “I love Country music, but I find it very hard to take it seriously,” he said. “I also think a lot of country music is sung with the tongue in cheek, so I do it tongue in cheek. The harmonic thing is very different from the blues. It doesn’t bend notes in the same way, so I suppose it’s very English, really. Even though it’s been very Americanized, it feels very close to me, to my roots, so to speak.”
‘Sticky Fingers’, released in 1971, was the ninth album for the Rolling Stones. ‘Dead Flowers’ was side 2 track 4 on the original vinyl or track 9 on the CD.
The recording of the track took place at Olympic Studios in London in December 1969. One of the lines, “I’ll be in my basement room, with a needle and a spoon” was a reference to heroin use.
The Stones performed the song live during the ‘Sticky Fingers’, ‘Exile On Main Street’ and ‘Black and Blue’ tours. To date it has only ever been performed by the band 123 times.
The song has only been performed three times by The Rolling Stones in Australia. It was last played once on the 2014 Australian tour at Hope Estate Winery on November 15. In 2003 The Stones performed ‘Dead Flowers’ in Melbourne at Rod Laver Arena on February 25 and in Sydney at the Enmore Theatre on February 18.
Rolling Stones – Dead Flowers alternate version
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