“I’ve always been a really big fan of that particular record. I was probably 9 or 10 and my older sister bought it when it came out. I’ve still got that vinyl she bought in 1973.” Unlike the string of Stones albums that immediately preceded it (Beggar’s Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile On Main St.) Goats Head Soup isn’t readily deemed a classic. However, Barker thinks the album ought not be tossed aside.
“When anybody has a body of work like the Stones do people are going to obviously have favourites. They had such a purple patch, I guess a lot of people see Goats Head Soup as the end of The Rolling Stones’ golden-age. I personally disagree because I love Some Girls and I love Black and Blue. I just reckon Goats Head Soup is one that slipped under the radar.”
Given the album’s relative obscurity, the onstage re-enactment is likely to attract especially devoted fans and Barker acknowledges they’ll have to be cautious to not blaspheme against the songs.
“It’s not one that’s got all the hits on it really. Hopefully it will get the real hardcore Stones fans out there, which adds its own pressure.”
Having been a lifelong fan, The Rolling Stones form a major part of Barker’s musical DNA. Despite this he says preparations for the gig have revealed some surprising features within the songs.
“You tend to think Stones records pretty much play themselves because you know them so well. Goat’s Head Soup, there’s a lot more to it than meets the initial eye, which I’ve discovered much to my anxiety. They went in to the studio and just set up for weeks and kind of wrote the songs in the studio so a lot of it’s really jammy, with these really nutty pieces in the arrangements.”
At a glance Goats Head Soup does appear to be a rather jam-based affair, which disguises many song writing intricacies. Barker admits that certain songs proved quite difficult to learn, but they were determined not to deviate too far from the album versions.
“We’ve had things where we’ve sat there, all of us fairly seasoned musicians, going ‘what is that? That doesn’t make any sense at all.’ There’s that challenge where you go ‘we don’t need to do that, people won’t notice,’ but then there’s that part of you that’s nagging ‘well come on, take up the challenge and do it.’”
People can sometimes neglect that the first couple of decades of The Rolling Stones’ career were characterised by consistent innovation that vastly broadened the parameters of rock music. Barker relates his belief that the band existed on their own terms, evading the prevalent movements of the time.
“They make daring records. I just finished reading a book about the early-mid ’70s and things were changing a lot. There was all these big supergroups, like The Eagles, in America at the time and I like the way the Stones didn’t get sucked into any of that.”
Barker has assembled a classy band to perform at the tribute show, including drummer Ash Davies and guitarist Shane O’Mara. Rather than being a revolving door of musicians, the collective will seamlessly present the album from start to finish and Barker has opted to sing the whole record himself.
“Because it was so close to my heart, and so close to Shane O’Mara’s heart, I really pushed to actually put a band together and do the whole record myself, which was probably pretty greedy. I’m singing everything, very egotistical of me I know. For some reason I tend to be able to sing Stones songs pretty good. I don’t know what it is, there’s something I get about Mick Jagger’s phrasing,” he says.
Unsurprisingly, Barker indicates that readying themselves for the show by becoming immersed in Goats Head Soup’s diverse textures has proved an enlightening endeavour.
“Whenever you dissect anything you take something out of it. Shane never does this kind of thing and he’s been raving about how much he’s learnt, just by sitting down and learning Keith Richards and Mick Taylor’s guitar parts. He’s almost got a PhD on Keith Richards in his head at the moment,” he enthuses.
The night will no doubt gather many Stones-lovers together to bask in the music’s enduring relevance and Barker describes the thrill it will be to perform the record.
“If you’re a musician, these sorts of things are too tempting to not do. You always say ‘I don’t want to play covers,’ but when you get an opportunity to do a Stones record you jump at it. Basically they’re just good fun these nights, we’re not trying to do anything monumental. It’s just a bit of a hoot really.”
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
