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Goats Head Soup Cover

cubby01

cubby01

aka Buck
Ok, this is an off the wall question I know but...

What's going on with the cover? Is it a parody of anything? Is it playing off of prior art? Is there some famous image that's similar?

Reason I ask is I came across a small miniature painting of a woman with a thin silk scarf pulled up over her face and hat and it looks strangely similar. I'm sure has nothing to do with Mick or the Stones but it got me wondering about the artwork.

Here's the cover with Mick, within the gatefold the other members are pressed through silk as well although not with the deliberateness Mick seems to be putting into it.

The_Rolling_Stones_-_Goats_Head_Soup.jpg
 
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Good question...weird album cover and weird title too. Not one of my favorites but it sure sticks with you. Kind of like a commercial jingle you can't get out of your head!
 
Ghostly image for sure, I had the album many decades ago, can not remember if it was the pull out sleeve that had a bizarre photo of "goats head soup," nasty!
 
David Bailey was the photographer for the album cover. His portraits are typically straight on head shots. He was married to Catherine Deneuve at the time. He did work for Vogue as well. It's entirely possible that you remember his work, or something he did that was similar, when you see Mick's face through the silk.
 
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One of my favorite Stones albums from the '70s, and certainly a very memorable cover. A friend of mine has a T-shirt with the album image on the front. I need to get me one! :thmbsp:
 
I think I have 2 copys of this LP. Not to crazy about the last track on side 2
Star,star..
 
I should have the house to myself tonight. I think it's time to pull this one out and give it a spin. It's been way too long...
 
I own 2 copies, love this album. I don't think there's much significance beyond that, to me at least, it makes the Stones look sort of like they're in flames. Like a matchhead burning.

Beyond that, it's just Bailey being Bailey, going for an effect.
 
Yes. I'll have to go back through some of my Stones books and see if they talk about the cover art.
 
Well, I did give it a listen. Some brief thoughts...

I heard that "Tops" and "Waiting for A Friend" were also written and recorded during the making of GHS. After listening to the album I can imagine that those two songs would fit right into this album. I'm glad they pulled them off the shelf for Tattoo You.

Not a big fan of the Rolling Stones own label. Over the years I have considered it a crap shoot when buying albums on Rolling Stones Records. My main complaint is surface noise.

I have always thought that the Stones were great at incorporating the piano into their music. It's even better that they get Nicky Hopkins to do it. Also, the guitar work on this album is similar to others that followed. I love the long drawn out chords and the solos. Another example of this would be the long ending to "Time Waits For No One" on It's Only Rock 'N' Roll". Is this a result of Mick Taylor being in the band during this period of time? Is this his guitar work?

The song "Coming Down Again" is down right beautiful. It reminds me of another song by Eric Clapton, "Better Make It Through Today".
 
Mick Taylor definitely helped shape the sound of the Stones back then. I think GHS is lovely.
 
A side note to the album cover...

If memory serves, it is said that when the album cover was released the inside cover shows Keith Richards in flames and the rumor started that he may be leaving the band or his demise was soon to come.

From that Nils Lofgren wrote the song "Keith Don't Go" as a tribute to one of his favorite guitar players and begging him not to "go" or leave the band.

Actually a pretty good song too.

B
 
I’ve always thought that the Stones’ secret weapon in the time from Sticky Fingers to It’s Only Rock and Roll was Mick Taylor. He was/is a much more fluid and virtuosic player than Ron Wood, yet the overall superiority of his playing did not make him a distraction. Rather, the opposite was true—it elevated the Stones’ entire performance, and that’s why IMO their songs from his tenure are so damn good. Of course it helped that Mick and Keith were writing some awesome material at the time. :yes:
 
Quint said:
I’ve always thought that the Stones’ secret weapon in the time from Sticky Fingers to It’s Only Rock and Roll was Mick Taylor. He was/is a much more fluid and virtuosic player than Ron Wood, yet the overall superiority of his playing did not make him a distraction. Rather, the opposite was true—it elevated the Stones’ entire performance, and that’s why IMO their songs from his tenure are so damn good. Of course it helped that Mick and Keith were writing some awesome material at the time. :yes:
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Yes, exactly. The Stones were so good then because Taylor was different from Keith. He added a special ingredient to the mix that made those songs soar.
 
& of course what's also interesting about the cover and gatefold shots of the band is that they're nearly life-sized. (At least Keef's and Mick's, as their portraits fill the 12-inch front and back cover.
 
GHS is Mick Taylor's album. His work on Heartbeaker (Doo doo doo doo doo doo) and 100 Years Ago is stunning.

Dirty, gritty, yet somehow sublime tunes.

There is a GHS outtake called "Criss Cross Man" that speaks of blood transfusions. More great Mick Taylor on this tune.

Ken
 
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