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33⅓ Main Series #81
The Rolling Stones' Some Girls
It's October 1977, and the Rolling Stones are in a Paris recording studio. They're under siege. Keith Richards's legal troubles after his arrest for heroin possession threaten the band's future, and the broad consensus among rock aficionados is that the band will never again reach the heights of Exile on Main Street.
But Mick Jagger is writing lyrics inspired by the year he has just spent in New York City, where he was hanging out with the punks at CBGB and with the glitterati at Studio 54. And new bandmember Ron Wood is helping Richards recapture the two-guitar groove that the band had been missing since the Brian Jones era. The result? Some Girls, the band's response both to punk rock and to disco, an album that crackles with all the energy, decadence, and violence of New York in the 1970s. Weaving together the history of the band and the city, Cyrus R. K. Patell traces the genesis and legacy of the album that Jagger would later call the band's best since Let It Bleed.
But Mick Jagger is writing lyrics inspired by the year he has just spent in New York City, where he was hanging out with the punks at CBGB and with the glitterati at Studio 54. And new bandmember Ron Wood is helping Richards recapture the two-guitar groove that the band had been missing since the Brian Jones era. The result? Some Girls, the band's response both to punk rock and to disco, an album that crackles with all the energy, decadence, and violence of New York in the 1970s. Weaving together the history of the band and the city, Cyrus R. K. Patell traces the genesis and legacy of the album that Jagger would later call the band's best since Let It Bleed.
194 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 20, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 18, 2023
This little book starts off with the writer’s personal memories and ends with them. In between the Rolling Stones album Some Girls is scrutinized track by track, as well as the band’s state and status at and around that time (the late 70s). I’m the same age as the writer, so have some of the same memories of incidents concerning the album and the band; but Patell grew up in NYC, so he knows intimately the connections between his city and this album.
Patell is a much bigger Rolling Stones fan than I ever was, though this album was a big deal to me and my best friends in high school. I bought it for one of those friends, the first issue with the cut-outs. We had the (unfortunate?) habit of writing on album covers, and I’d taken the plastic shrink wrap off to write a birthday message inside the inner sleeve. My friend was delighted then, but might not be any longer. The next time I bought the album, a reissue, I was disappointed to find it lacked that cut-out sleeve (not to mention the photos of the celebrities they’d used without permission the first time).
The book’s bibliography is extensive, way more than I’d ever need, but great for Stones fanatics.
Patell is a much bigger Rolling Stones fan than I ever was, though this album was a big deal to me and my best friends in high school. I bought it for one of those friends, the first issue with the cut-outs. We had the (unfortunate?) habit of writing on album covers, and I’d taken the plastic shrink wrap off to write a birthday message inside the inner sleeve. My friend was delighted then, but might not be any longer. The next time I bought the album, a reissue, I was disappointed to find it lacked that cut-out sleeve (not to mention the photos of the celebrities they’d used without permission the first time).
The book’s bibliography is extensive, way more than I’d ever need, but great for Stones fanatics.
July 24, 2019
An interesting perspective of 1970s New York which inspired the classic Stones comeback album. Obviously the best book in the 331/3 series so far.
November 29, 2022
This 33 1/3 account of the album Some Girls by the Rolling Stones is fine and provides some good information and some great stories about the author's adolescent and adult investment in the Stones.
But . . . the book also has a claim: "It examines Some Girls as a 'New York album' written by a 'New York band.'" (p. 1). What would this claim even mean? In broad strokes, it's probably supposed to telling us that Some Girls partakes of the grittiness and musical scene of 70s downtown Manhattan. But if this is true, then they're not an English band? Not a London band? The London punk scene was directly influenced by the New York scene, so does the "New York band" pitch still work to the exclusion of them being like all of the other UK bands that wanted to be gritty New Yorkers?
The problem here is that for the claim to really work, it has to work in a lot of places. Take "Miss You." It's a disco song. But at inception, was it really a "New York" disco song? What would that be? The author notes that it has a "four on the floor" and Philly-style drumming (p. 64). I'm not getting the "New York" argument here. Patell also suggests that the Stones were feeding off on the Max's/CBGB's scene. So, for instance, the Ramones had their song "53rd and 3rd," which is about the male prostitution going down around that corner in Manhattan. To support this, Patell notes that in "When the Whip Comes Down," the second verse puts the narrator at "53rd and Third" (p. 72). Well, sort of. The actual lyric says "Yeah I'm going down fifty-third street / And they spit in my face": I'm going to be pedantic and say that the connection is looser than a direct crib. Which is fine but the author tries too hard. Indeed, possibly the argument is stronger that the lift is not an exact steal -- The Stones-y line is maybe more scenic than the Ramones' "Fifty-third and third standing on the street."
Maybe the book doesn't need a claim. It's a rock book written by an academic, and compared to, say, Bill Janovitz's Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street (Janovitz is the leader of the band Buffalo Tom) it doesn't have quite the zing that a fan/practitioner provides.
But . . . the book also has a claim: "It examines Some Girls as a 'New York album' written by a 'New York band.'" (p. 1). What would this claim even mean? In broad strokes, it's probably supposed to telling us that Some Girls partakes of the grittiness and musical scene of 70s downtown Manhattan. But if this is true, then they're not an English band? Not a London band? The London punk scene was directly influenced by the New York scene, so does the "New York band" pitch still work to the exclusion of them being like all of the other UK bands that wanted to be gritty New Yorkers?
The problem here is that for the claim to really work, it has to work in a lot of places. Take "Miss You." It's a disco song. But at inception, was it really a "New York" disco song? What would that be? The author notes that it has a "four on the floor" and Philly-style drumming (p. 64). I'm not getting the "New York" argument here. Patell also suggests that the Stones were feeding off on the Max's/CBGB's scene. So, for instance, the Ramones had their song "53rd and 3rd," which is about the male prostitution going down around that corner in Manhattan. To support this, Patell notes that in "When the Whip Comes Down," the second verse puts the narrator at "53rd and Third" (p. 72). Well, sort of. The actual lyric says "Yeah I'm going down fifty-third street / And they spit in my face": I'm going to be pedantic and say that the connection is looser than a direct crib. Which is fine but the author tries too hard. Indeed, possibly the argument is stronger that the lift is not an exact steal -- The Stones-y line is maybe more scenic than the Ramones' "Fifty-third and third standing on the street."
Maybe the book doesn't need a claim. It's a rock book written by an academic, and compared to, say, Bill Janovitz's Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street (Janovitz is the leader of the band Buffalo Tom) it doesn't have quite the zing that a fan/practitioner provides.
March 8, 2021
Honestly, I’m not much of a fan of Some Girls. Compared to the young punks of the 70s (Richard Hell, Ramones, The Clash, etc.), The Stones on Some Girls sound deflated. But Some Girls is The Stones’ “New York” album, and I always like reading about New York, so I thought I’d give this book a shot.
Patell touches briefly on his own relationship with the album and the band. He then talks about where both New York and the band were at in the late seventies. The punks were rising and The Stones seemed like old hat; they’d lost their bite. The band itself were in a rough patch. Richards was in legal trouble related to drugs, Jagger was splitting up with his wife. The two of them also had different visions for the band, and a few years later they’d barely be on speaking terms.
Patell then runs through all the songs, talking about what went into their creation. He adds additional backstory along the way.
He closes by talking about how both the city and the band have changed since the seventies. Both have cleaned up their act, but at what cost? Neither have the counterculture bite that they once had.
Having read this, I don’t like Some Girls much more than before I read it, but I do appreciate it more. I have new understanding of the context in which it was created.
Patell touches briefly on his own relationship with the album and the band. He then talks about where both New York and the band were at in the late seventies. The punks were rising and The Stones seemed like old hat; they’d lost their bite. The band itself were in a rough patch. Richards was in legal trouble related to drugs, Jagger was splitting up with his wife. The two of them also had different visions for the band, and a few years later they’d barely be on speaking terms.
Patell then runs through all the songs, talking about what went into their creation. He adds additional backstory along the way.
He closes by talking about how both the city and the band have changed since the seventies. Both have cleaned up their act, but at what cost? Neither have the counterculture bite that they once had.
Having read this, I don’t like Some Girls much more than before I read it, but I do appreciate it more. I have new understanding of the context in which it was created.
October 19, 2024
I don't mind when these 33 1/3 books attempt something new structurally, but this is sort of the ideal format I'd love in a 33 1/3 book: an explanation of the writer's personal interest in this album up top; a breakdown of the music of the time and where the artist was at this point in their careers; a track-by-track exploration of the album in question; an explanation of the fallout from this album; then a nice little wrap-up. Structurally, this is a pretty perfect take on a 33 1/3 book.
Also, as someone who has struggled to care when it comes to Rolling Stones albums, Cyrus R.K. Patell really made me understand why I should care about "Some Girls." I feel like in broad strokes, I knew the importance of this album, but Patell expands the details in a smart, engaging way. This really justified a lot of my feelings about the Stones, but also showed me a greater context for their work that made me appreciate this album.
All in all, a fairly solid 33 1/3 book that made me enjoy the album it was about even more, and that's really the best you can ask for when it comes to one of these books.
Also, as someone who has struggled to care when it comes to Rolling Stones albums, Cyrus R.K. Patell really made me understand why I should care about "Some Girls." I feel like in broad strokes, I knew the importance of this album, but Patell expands the details in a smart, engaging way. This really justified a lot of my feelings about the Stones, but also showed me a greater context for their work that made me appreciate this album.
All in all, a fairly solid 33 1/3 book that made me enjoy the album it was about even more, and that's really the best you can ask for when it comes to one of these books.
August 10, 2024
Like I said in another review, these books follow a typical format--some back story/discography of the artist, a deep dive into the album (Some Girls) and some post album update on the artist. The writer is a literature professor and was a NYC teen when the album came out, the book opens and closes with some personal history generally and related to the album. He includes a little literary theory in this one, which did not work so well for me. There is a track by track analysis of the album, which I felt was ok. It's hard to corral this band or an album/time in its life, as the band has such a large and outsized ethos--the author tries to navigate this but it's tricky. He dipped a little too much into some of the band's concert films. As the album is tied emotionally to NYC (but was recorded in Paris), the author includes the historical context around the City at that time, some of which was helpful but not new to me necessarily. There is an interesting tidbit here or there, but not much of that. As I've also said about another book in this series, these are for the hardcore fans. I like this album, but I'm just not sure that's me.
April 2, 2020
Cyrus Patell delivers a great overview of two struggling giants during the late 1970s: New York City and The Rolling Stones. Both were showing the wear and tear of their past histories and were struggling to come up with a formula that would change their future courses. These stories come together in the oftentimes overlooked album, Some Girls. It is an album that shows a shift in style from the Stones’ traditional blues rock to shades of punk and disco. It is also an album that highlights the dangers, delights, and demons that the Big Apple had to offer at the same time. Some Girls is arguably the Stones’ last great and important album, and Patell presents plenty of evidence to suggest that may be true.
July 20, 2020
Despite any thought-out or unintentional underminings of punk music in the 70s, this may have my favorite Stones story of a bunch of Canadian dandies storming Keith Richards hotel room while he's nodding out on skag.
July 7, 2024
Love this little series on different albums! A quick, fun, & informative read about my favorite Stones record!
August 17, 2025
interesting that the harmonica player they found busking on the street and that start me up was written then. goes into keiths tunings and you also see what a random process it is to write music
December 30, 2019
Absolutely adequate entry in the 33 1/3 series. Continues to supply evidence that over/under for number of glaring typos for any given series entry is somewhere north of five.
April 21, 2012
Some Girls by Cyrus R. K. Patell is another welcome edition to the excellent Continuum 33 1/3 series about one of the Rolling Stones latest great albums. I think one interesting aspect of this book is that Patell discusses the album in terms of it being a New York album and a reflection of the cultural historical markers of the day. Thus the decline of the city along with the violence, energy, and decadence that was seen in the crime, the disco scene as represented by Studio 54 and the emerging punk scene at CBGB. But I also like how Patell starts and ends the book with his own personal connection, emotions, and history with the album. The discussion of the sessions and the personal history of the what the band members were going through gives insight into the album as well, Jagger was on his way to leaving Bianca for Jerry Hall, while Kieth Richards faced drug charges in Toronto that had very potential serious repercussions. Patell's song by song analyses are informative and fairly comprehensive. It is another great addition to a great series.
February 25, 2016
not so good. finally dipped into this series, which appeals to me on many levels, with this dud. a promising beginning, as the author delves into his affecting and very interesting personal experience discovering the album, but then it is all downhill: a brief digression into cultural & literary theory (I could barely see beyond all the pipe-smoking & chin-stroking), & then just perfunctory shallow analysis of each song in the most unimaginative way. commenting on the state of new york city around the time of the album begins as valuable information but becomes irrelevant indulgence in the end. perhaps the most disappointing thing of all is the shockingly poor editing. misspellings, incorrect dates, and other easily fixed errors abound. terrible job!!
July 13, 2011
This book began with an interesting discussion, almost to the point of literary criticism of the Rolling Stones, and this record. However, I'm not entirely sure that Patell fulfills the goals he set out for himself when he wrote the book, as there are definitely some gaps in his views. That being said, I thought his approach to song discussion was superior to many in the series, and I felt like this generally was an enjoyable read, not tedious in the least bit. Got really excited to read it, then stumbled at the end, but no complaints.
April 19, 2015
I've read a few of these now, and this one is pretty standard. You'll learn about the album and the era in which it was made. But I get annoyed when an author can't get the facts straight. Reggie Jackson didn't go to the Yankees from Oakland. The three sides of Love You Live weren't only from Paris. The 'Fear City' pamphlet wasn't handed out in 1995. And Wild Horses isn't the last song on Sticky Fingers.
July 17, 2011
I learned Billy Preston wrote the bass line to "Miss You." That's it. The rest was rote to the nth. Not recommended.
November 3, 2013
The 33 1/3 series are slowly becoming the definitive books to pick up if you want a decent bio about a band and album.
June 21, 2016
The best of the 33.3 series I've read so far. Great research and presentation.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews