"From '64 to '67 we only recorded in America: 80% at RCA in Hollywood. There's something to be said for stepping out into sunshine on the Sunset Strip for a break rather than into the drizzling rain of West Hampstead. Environment counts, and the Stones were about - even when they were writing - American music. English music was not about something as honest and personal as 'Stand By Me.' Because of their passion for it, the Stones were able to embody American music rather than just play it," he says.
"Ironically," Oldham continues," even though we were playing American music and recording there, it took us longer to get big in America because image wasn't an issue we could use. The mainstream press didn't care that much yet about pop culture. It wasn't until after Monterey and Woodstock that the American press realized that this thing wasn’t going to go away and return to Frank Sinatra, Mantovani, and all things comfortable. Also the fallout from the Vietnam War helped reinforce the seriousness of the counterculture," he observes acutely.
Oldham's enduring legacy is the amazing music the Stones and he generated during the two years between the squirmingly lascivious "Satisfaction" - one of the greatest rock songs ever - released in May of '65, and the hit-filled Flowers compilation, released in July of '67. In between were the incredibly self-aware narcissism of "Get Off Of My Cloud"; the chamber music gentility and vulnerability of "As Tears Go By"; the bemused urban modernity of "19th Nervous Breakdown"; and the Stones' first timeless album, Aftermath, with the simultaneously mocking and empathetic drug song "Mother's Little Helper," the incredibly groovy and misogynistic "Under My Thumb" and "Out Of Time," the lovely "Lady Jane," and the exotic "Paint It Black."
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Article comments
1 - Ed Driscoll
Eric,
I just saw this. Terrific interview--I didn't even know Oldham was still alive!
He can't be that much older than Mick, Keith and Charlie. Is he still active in the music business?
Ed
2 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Ed! Yeah, he's about their age. He's been in Colombia for many years - married a Colombian woman. He produces some South American bands, hangs out, does this and that. He's been writing memoirs the last few years.
3 - Ron Ross
Thanks for an excellent interview. Andrew is indeed still in the music business, currently working with the Scottish group, V-Twin.
I am the editor of the first volume of ALO's "triography," "Stoned." You can read excerpts from the book at www.channeledbymodem.com I've also put up a number of rare video clips from Ready Steady Go, Shindig, and the TAMI show.
Ron Ross
stoned@channeledbymodem.com
4 - Eric Olsen
Thanks very much Ron, I'm glad you liked the interview. Very nice to hear from you. I have seen the site and it is excellent. I, haven't talked to Andrew in a while, so I am very pleased he is doing some music work.
Your book is very fine, by the way.
5 - Giorgio Gomelsky
There are a few inexactitudes here. After he missed out signing the
Beatles, Dick Rowe, head of Decca Records, had gone to Liverpool's
Cavern club (the hotspot at the time for all-the-rage "Mersey Beat")
to see what was going on (remember Liverpool was the "sticks" for
Londoners) and if he could pick up a few local acts. It was George
Harrison - who had actually come to the CrawDaddy with the rest
of the mop-heads, upon my invitation after they finished shooting
their first (#1 pop TV show) Thank Your Lucky Stars appearance
at nearby Twickenham Studios (my club was directly on the
road back to London) - was there that night, who pointed him to the
CrawDaddy and the Stones, I remember the night Dick showed up,
I was very surprised, I mean the man was not a blues fan after all,
and he looked rather flustered not knowing what to make of the Stones.
Andrew showed up quite a few weeks later - by that time Dick Rowe
was pretty desperate not to miss out on the new scene and the
coincidentality of George Harrison's observation and his own visit to
the club, must have greatly helped in making up his mind to sign the
band. Not exactly a great "pitching" achievement for Andrew :-) !
giorgio
6 - toni medina
I am looking to buy the instrumental version of Bitter Sweet Symphony. Can you tell me if this version was done by you. Or where i can get this, thanks.
7 - Eric Olsen
it's the Andrew Loog Oldham Orchestra
8 - Bob A. Booey
Forgive my ignorance, but is this the same "Bittersweet Sympathy" as the song by The Verve from the 1990s that sampled a Stones riff (I think "The Last Time")?
Or is that another song by the same name?
That is all.
9 - JR
It's the same. I think what we're reading here is that The Verve sampled a symphonic version of "The Last Time" played by the the Andrew Loog Oldham Orchestra.
10 - Eric Olsen
yes, good point, "Bittersweet Symphony" is the Verve title, the sample isn't actually from the Stones but from Oldham's orchestra doing Stones songs
11 - Andrew
The Verve didn't just sample the orchestral version of the Stones song: The Last Time, they took the whole piece from Andrew's Orchestra, in my view, and wrote some brilliant lyrics to it. Anythime I hear the orchestral version I sing the Verve's lyrics. Orchestral Version here:
12 - shaylie
hi i really want the intrumental to the verve bitter seewt symthany or the orchestral version by Oldham's orchestra were can i get no were on the net has it(that i can download!) thanks :)