this is not pitchfork

May, 1978. I was sitting outside the Mini Cinema in Uniondale, NY, probably waiting for the afternoon showing of Rocky Horror. We had a little portable radio with us, tuned to the local rock station (I’m guessing WNEW) and they were about to play the new Rolling Stones song. I was never a huge Stones fan, but I liked them enough that I was semi excited about some new Stones music. Their previous album, Black and Blue, pretty much sucked, so there was a lot of anticipation in regards to this one.

They played the first track. Miss You. I had the same reaction as when I first heard Kiss’s I Was Made for Loving You and The Grateful Dead’s Shakedown Street: “Oh my god. This sounds like disco.” The word disco was said with disdain and disgust, like you were spitting it out of your mouth. I was so horrified at this garbage coming out of my radio that I turned the station and vowed to not buy the album when it came out.

In June of 1978 I found my father singing along to Far Away Eyes and that was it. I cut myself off from the Stones.

As happens often in these reviews, I found myself many years later enjoying something I professed to hate at one point in my life. Like spinach and naps, the things I hated when I was younger became things I loved later on. And so it goes with Some Girls. I’ve learned to enjoy not only the Stones again, but some of the songs on Some Girls that made me cringe all those years ago. Shattered, Some Girls, Far Away Eyes, When the Whip Comes Down, I can listen to every single one of them without the bad taste of 1978 ruining it for me. And the song I hated upon first hearing, with it’s disco beat and hooky beat and it’s Puerto Rican girls just dyyyyying to meet you, has recently become one of my favorite tunes to sing in the car. By myself. Windows down.

First – there is now a “what is this and why the hell are you doing it?” page.

I always say I’m not a fan of the Rolling Stones, yet when I look at my record collection, that seems to not be the case. All the classic Stones albums are there. I just don’t like more Stones songs than I do like which makes more of a casual listener than a fan.

Case in point, this album. I bought this Beggar’s Banquet with birthday money in 7th grade, about six years after it came out. I loved Sympathy for the Devil, and Robert, the most popular, best looking 8th grader, was a huge Stones fan. I was told by Robert’s sister that Beggar’s Banquet was his favorite album. Learn it, live it, love it. The key to wooing Robert.

I gave it a try, I really did. It just wasn’t happening. Every time I put the album on, it would be the same ritual. Side 1, song 1. Then flip it over to Side 2, song 2. Sympathy for the Devil and Street Fighting Man over and over again. I would never impress Robert like that.

I gave up on the album and gave up on Robert. Which was a good thing, as it turns out Robert liked boys as much as he liked the Stones. I wish I knew that before I spent four dollars trying to impress him.

Favorite song: Sympathy for the Devil
Beggar’s Banquet wiki