The Rolling Stones and Keith Richards classic “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” was recently discussed by Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins in Classic Rock magazine, and he discussed how band members seem to forget how to play Stones songs early in sets before finding themselves and performing classic concerts. Elton John recently revealed a disturbing Keith Richards insult.
“I love the format of Bohemian Rhapsody and Stairway To Heaven and Band On The Run – those ‘journey’ songs that go from point A to point B to point C and point D, and end up somewhere completely different to where they started. Can’t You Hear Me Knocking is the Stones’ ‘journey’ song. It’s almost their version of prog rock, if you will. It takes you down this route that you don’t know where it’s going to end. And I’m not sure they did when they were writing it.
I’m not sure who actually wrote it. [The writer credits] always say Jagger and Richards, but you never know who wrote anything in the Stones. It could have been the fucking guitar tech. But it doesn’t matter, cos musically it’s got it all. You’ve got Bobby Keys [saxophone], you’ve got that amazing Mick Taylor guitar solo, you’ve got Charlie Watts. I love Charlie’s drumming in it. Someone asked me the other day what makes him great. It’s because he’s got that unmistakable back beat. It’s got a rough elegance.
I’ve seen the Stones a bunch of times live, and it’s always the same. They start, and it’s like they’re not even sure what song they’re supposed to be playing. But two or three songs in and it’s congealed into something amazing. Then for the next two hours you’re completely enamoured with what’s still the greatest living rock’n’roll band of all time.”
Keith Richards’ drug illness was just revealed. TooTough asked on IORR.org recently, “How do you store your Stones tickets? Framed? In a box? In an album? Throw away?”
Hairball responded, “I made a giant collage back in ’97 of all my ticket stubs I collected since ’77 – apprx. 4 x 3 ft – 20 years worth.
Now 23 years later, I have enough stockpiled to make at least three more the same size – maybe even one of them dedicated solely to the Stones! One of these days…”
SomeGuy chimed in, “I used to put them in this plastic folder/sleeve thingy, later on I put them inside the cd boxes of the relevant albums at hand, and yet later on I forgot what to do with them. Sometimes you don’t even get the ticket back, or there simply is no album to store them with, mainly in case of this little band from England, that’s been around for some time…”
You can read the full Rolling Stones piece at Louder Sound.
