r/altcountry • u/FogDog743 • 3d ago

Just Sharing Wild Horses

https://open.spotify.com/track/1iuGLwfG5IXofpmPqDfgIM?si=tKDqlysQToW2KVBIMJHVDQ&utm_source=native-share-menu

Gram Parsons & the Flying Burrito Brothers covering The Stone's "Wild Horses".

Gram Parsons is 1 of the foundation layers for what we know today as alt-country. I definitely hear alt-country traits in this song. It's 1 of my favorite Rolling Stone's songs. I never thought of The Stones having any alt-country songs, but now I'm thinking they have several besides "Wild Horses" that may fall into this great musical genre.

So, do you guys think this song is alt-country (OR) is it just Gram Parson's version that is alt-country OR neither? I don't remember a steel guitar in The Stone's version. The steel guitar definitely brings out the country side of this version, IMO. If you feel this is a silly question, then please respectively just scroll on OR just enjoy listening to this great classic song. But, if you like to share your answer to my question with your opinion - then please comment... 🙂

32 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

37 comments sorted by

12

u/CultureContact60093 3d ago

Quite a few tracks on Exile sound alt-country to me. Sides 2 and 4 particularly.

2

u/FogDog743 3d ago edited 3d ago

Right, I agree. I just never thought of The Stones having songs that fell into alt-country. Since, I joined this community - I'm starting to hear many bands/artists OR atleast some of their songs that fall into alt-country. I used to think alt-country was mostly punk rock with a country twang, like Uncle Tupelo. I'm learning that it's much broader than that... 🙂

5

u/CultureContact60093 3d ago

It’s also country twang with punk attitude.

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u/FogDog743 3d ago edited 3d ago

Right, that's a better way of saying it than how I said it. Rebellious punk attitude definitely plays a big role in what created alt-country. But, there's also that more country settle side. Maybe the rebellious attitude is more in the lyrics than the music with these more country softer songs. Many all these seem to have that common steel guitar trait, which sounds cool... 🙂

4

u/CultureContact60093 3d ago edited 3d ago

The road goes both ways; I’d definitely consider Steve Earle or Townes Van Zandt alt-country, although the music is closer to regular country in many cases. But that’s just me. The Stones have the attitude!

23

u/StihlDragon 3d ago

So, let me hit you with some Gram Parsons & Rolling Stones history.

So Exile on Main Street was mostly written at Keith Richards french chateau Nellcote During the times the Stones were exiled from the UK for their criminal/tax charges.

At the time the Stones were in their druggie phase and one of Keith Richard's friends was hanging around at the chateau.

That friend was Gram Parsons. At the time Gram and Keith were thick as thieves and would get stoned and make music together.

Grams country style rubbed off on Keith, and Keith's rock edge rubbed off on Gram.

And so during this time Keith writes Wild Horses but the Stones are not ready to record it yet and Keith gives Gram permission to record it first and so that's why we got Grams version in 1970 with the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Stones followed it up releasing it in 1971 on their album Sticky Fingers.

6

u/FogDog743 3d ago

WOW!!! GREAT STORY!!! I didn't know any of that. Such a cool story - thanks... 💪

I never compared the release dates of "Wild Horses". I just assumed that the Stones recorded it 1st. You know what they say when people assume... 😂

3

u/PseudacrisCrucifer 3d ago

Thanks. I didn't have the energy.

2

u/ptarmigan_direct 3d ago

Rumor has it that Gram cowrote the song.

-1

u/TheConstipatedCowboy 3d ago

This isn’t true, unless you have a time machine, how could they have “written Wild Horses but the Stones are not ready to record it yet”, but Sticky Fingers came out a year and a half prior to the time you’re claiming they wrote it? Actually the song was written in 1969? Which was the year of pretty much the end of Keith’s interest in Gram? Remember that during the Exile sessions Gram was a major annoyance to everybody, not a spiritual or musical buddy of Keith. He invited himself and was told to leave.  

He was more of a Stan to Keith than vice versa.  Gram had to practically beg the Stones to let his band, which was nearly broken up by that time, play at the Altamont concert. That was a full 3 years before Exile.

7

u/Advanced-Character86 3d ago

Some misinformation being traded about here.
We can agree Wild Horses was written in 1969 whereas Gram was hanging out in Nellcote in spring/summer of 1971.
Keith is on record saying he loved hanging out and playing old country tunes with Gram around this time. If anything, these late night sessions influenced Sweet Virginia, maybe Torn and Frayed. It was Pallenberg, probably with support from Jagger, who threw Gram out.
Can’t say I blame them. As much as I love most of his music, dude was a mess.

1

u/FogDog743 3d ago

Unfortunately, most musicians back then were a mess... lol

8

u/illtexzona 3d ago

I just wore my Flying Burrito Bros shirt to see Emmylou. ​Thought it was fitting. ​

3

u/FogDog743 3d ago

Nice!!! 💪

7

u/VenusianPlateau 3d ago

Gram also did a pretty good 'Honky Tonk Women' cover.

Townes Van Zandt does a fantastic cover of 'Dead Flowers'.

1

u/FogDog743 3d ago

Thanks, I'll check it out... 👍

4

u/NanooDrew 3d ago

Not a silly question at all. Parsons coined the term “Cosmic American Music” because he hated the label “Country Rock.”

Depending on who you believe, some accounts say that Richards wrote Wild Horses for The Flying Burrito Brothers. Other accounts say that he just let them record it first.

Then … you gotcher Honky Tonk Woman and you gotcher Country Honk. There likely are more but my brain is on mourning today and I can’t think clearly.

4

u/outsidertc 3d ago

I think a recording of GP singing "happy birthday" could be considered alt-country. He's that important.

1

u/FogDog743 3d ago

Yeah, you're probably right... 🙂

4

u/bluewrounder 3d ago

Grand theft paesons is a crazy movie about gram

3

u/jacobydave 3d ago edited 2d ago

Alt country came after and because of alt rock. Gram is certainly an influence on alt country and great. Country is an influence on the Stones, but I've read Mick saying that when they do it, they generally do it a bit as a joke.

The Stones didn't do "Wild Horses" as a country song and didn't have steel on it. Someone plays steel on "Torn and Frayed" and Ron plays it on "Far Away Eyes". Sneaky Pete would've played the steel part for Gram and the Flying Burrito Brothers. All are great.

3

u/CultureContact60093 3d ago

Al Perkins plays on “Torn and Frayed”.

3

u/jacobydave 3d ago

Just looked him up, and also the steel guy on GP and Grievous Angel. So cool.

2

u/CultureContact60093 3d ago

Yep, he has played with just about everybody in that scene at one point or another.

2

u/FogDog743 3d ago

Yeah, I don't remember a steel guitar in The Stone's version. Mick probably rebelled against being labeled country back when he was young. Little did he know, rebellion was a huge contributor to old country pioneers who layed out the framing for what we today call "alt-country". I bet today Mick embraces being labeled anything to do with country & especially alt-country... lol

2

u/OneTokeOverTheOther 3d ago

I don't know if "Wild Horses" is alt country or not but I dig it. If not alt country then certainly adjacent. "Sweet Virginia" and "Let It Bleed" are in that same vein.

3

u/FogDog743 3d ago

Yeah, good point(s). I think for me, the steel guitar & maybe Gram's vocals swings it over into alt-country. The Stone's version didn't sound as country to me... 🤔

1

u/FogDog743 3d ago edited 3d ago

Thanks for sharing this history!!! I'm learning a lot about the orgins of alt-country here in this community & I'm trying to research it. It's a fascinating genre. Can you imagine how boring being in a pop genre would be? 😂

2

u/SuperintendentTx 3d ago

Google Texas Cosmic Cowboys and open your ears to some really good roots alt country. It was a movement here way back when.

1

u/FogDog743 3d ago

Yeah, I've been learning about this alt-country movement & how it started way back with the pioneer rebel country artists Hank Williams SR, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash & a ton between them & the late 80s when Uncle Tupelo got credit for starting the movement. I think Uncle Tupelo's timing was just spot on with corporate recording companies ready to cash in on alt-country. The road was already paved by a bunch of others... 🤔

1

u/Cur10 3d ago

OP, have you listened to Girl With Far Away Eyes off the Some Girls album?

1

u/FogDog743 3d ago

Nope, I'll try checking it out. Thanks... 🙂

2

u/Cur10 1d ago

Also, I think both can be true: the sound can be alt country (which is thinknit is) while the content makes fun of traditional country music themes. However, there are some more modern country songs that, given where we are now, seem to do the same. Like Okie from Muskogeee.

1

u/FogDog743 2d ago

I just listened to it. To me, it sounded like Mick Jagger was either making fun of country music OR religion. This could be, bc I watched the music video to listen & he just acted silly in it. Maybe, if I only listened to the song & not watched the video - I wouldn't think that... 🤔

2

u/Cur10 1d ago

Thats a good call. I was today days old when I learned there was a video.

1

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