Goats Head Soup Outtakes Collection (Godfather Records GR 732)
(78:47): Dancing With Mr. D III (early extended version), 100 Years Ago II (Nicky Hopkins on piano, Billy Preston on clavinet, Jimmy Miller on percussion; slightly longer differently mixed acetate-version), Angie (different mix of album version), Silver Train I (Ian Stewart on piano, Jimmy Miller on percussion; early version without harmonica), Silver Train II (Ian Stewart on piano, Jimmy Miller on percussion; differently mixed acetate-version), Silver Train III (Ian Stewart on piano, Jimmy Miller on percussion; different mix of album version), Hide Your Love (Jimmy Miller on bass drum, Bobby Keys on sax, Rebop on congas; differently mixed (more guitar, less piano) acetate-version), Winter (Nicky Hopkins on piano, strings arranged by Nicky Harrison; different mix of album version), Tops (instrumental), Waiting On A Friend I (Nicky Hopkins on piano, Jimmy Miller on percussion; “Waiting On My Friend” version), Criss Cross I (basic track, without sax), Criss Cross II (first version with Bobby Keys on sax in the outro), Criss Cross III (with Bobby Keys on sax from early on), Criss Cross IV (edited version II with more Bobby Keys on sax and vocal overdubs; used as soundtrack for the Japanese movie Metamorphoses), Fast Talking (Nicky Hopkins on piano), You Should Have Seen Her Ass (Nicky Hopkins on piano), Separately (Nicky Hopkins on piano; Jimmy Miller on percussion; instrumental)
Goats Head Soup is the unenviable follow up to Exile On Main Street, one of greatest recordings in the history of rock. Recording began in November 1972 in Kingston, Jamaica, with mixing continuing throughout 1973 and its release to the public in September.
This new release on Godfather is a nice collection of tracks from the sessions. Many were released on the album, others, such as “Waiting On A Friend” were released many years after, and still others are still unissued. This doesn’t have anything that hasn’t been out before, but the presentation is nice and the packaging is, as usual with Godfather, stellar.
