I think it's called the high profile equals instant win effect, lol.
But I'm jesting I like Mick Jagger.
amour1847 maybe post a video clip in which you hear the sound you are referring and tell us at what moment in the video you hear it then serious answers can happen :) .
Perhaps if you point a little bit more directly to a certain song or a performance where he plays the harmonica will it be easier to reply.
In a live setting it´s my general impression that he blows just through the vocal mic. No frills. (And he´s much the worse for it, in my opinion but I´m one of those who´s not overly impressed by Sir Mick´s harmonica playing. (Leave aside those few notes at the end of "Gimme shelter", that works just fine.))
I thought his playing in the early clip of little red rooster was decent, though i havent watched it for a long time, and I guess it's him on midnight rambler? Nothing special but effective in the song. I've done a fair impression of that with nothing more than a mic and amp (and an E harp iirc) ----------
@Superbee: On "Little red rooster" as well as on other early Stones stuff, I´ve been informed that it was Brian Jones. But you´re right, it´s decent playing. My impression is that Mick was even lousier at this time, while Brian J was ... yes, decent. I´m no Stones expert though. "Midnight rambler" is of course Mick -- Jones was dead then.
If yo want to hear Sir Mick in all his harmonica playing misery, check him out trying to come to grips with "Like a rolling stone", from an "unplugged" album, mid 90´s. It´s kinda painful.
really like Jagger's harp on this one (starts at about 2:00), funny thing is i heard Kenny wayne Sheperd cover this with cotton on harp and I like Jagger's version better.
I'm sure I will now be promptly eviscerated by the blues harp snobs.
Last Edited by Honkin On Bobo on Feb 15, 2013 10:21 AM
Ah, the magic of TV. Miming harmonica, I just didn't think of that . So I like his sugar blue effect best, and his mime effect second best. ----------
Last Edited by SuperBee on Feb 15, 2013 10:29 AM
@tmf14: Thanks, stand corrected then. Still, wasn´t Jones more absent than anything else on that album; and Mick did actually play the harp? Jones was too stoned to be of any good? Anyway, the live take from "Get yer ya-yas out" sounds fairly close to the studio version. Not only Jones but the entire Stones "franchise" (isn´t that what we say nowadays?) has been rather dead for me for quite a while, I´m afraid, and the recently televised concert confirmed that in a brutal way.
As an aside I think it´s slightly embarrassing that Mick, after all these years hasn´t gone anywhere on the harmonica. He certainly has had the time and the means. I believe he´s a better piano player than harmonicist.
hiya,just watched the stones in concert on sky arts and jagger played harp through the vocal mike on about 4 songs.He sounded good,much better than dylan or spingsteen,he was bending notes ,wailing ans got some slurs in there not just chugging chords! He was good and he learned from watching cyril davies when he was young and cyril was the man.People can say what they want but having a legend like jagger playing the harp and playing pretty damn good is kudos for all us wanabee types,perhaps micks just the wrong colour or class to get any credit for his harp skills, no offence ment-peace every one on the forum!
----------Mick Jagger's harmonica playing is far better than Bob Dylan's playing. I would opine as well that Jagger is as good as John Mayall. Ted Burke http://youtube.com/watch?v=-VPUDjK-ibQ&feature=relmfu
sweet virginia is a classic! it's as good as anything by anybody! harmonica does not have to be technically difficult to be impressive. ---------- http://gotip.it/bobbycooper
You guys try and reproduce Dylan's harp work, just for fun. Bet you can't if you seriously try! When you get where you can, you may be surprised.
Mick does better than a lot of rock harp player wannabees. I'll take him over Steven Tyler any day. ---------- http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
yes your right jambone,dylans playing which i 've kinda copied at times is not to be disrespected,its just not blues! however dylan the artist is surpassed by no body, i mean what a poet,what lyrics, you gotta be dead from the ankle up not to be in awe of that man. I just didn't get the negative cheap shots at Jagger and in many ways i've done the same at dylan.If you see him i'm sorry,my favourite dylan song is god on my side,peace and respect mark
A somewhat tired debate that can pop up any number of times. However: Dylan has been playing 50+ years and he still has trouble hitting a clean note. We can of course value it differently ("Unclean notes sounds good! A draw 5-6-7 combo is a mighty powerful thing!") but I think it´s a sign of a not so noteworthy harmonica talent that he hasn´t achieved this rather elementary skill. Also, it´s obvious that it isn´t very important to him. There are times when he´s played just the right things -- and those times are when he´s been really restricted. Really. ("Long black coat".)
This does in no way reflect negatively upon Dylan´s abilities as a songwriter and performer in general (he´s not a singer anymore, but he has been). This isn´t too hard to keep separately, is it?
