Watching the River Flow

This album has been added to 1 public list:

• 

  Seven Songs for the Week #72

  Jason Carty

  Are you ready for some... Ben Waters?

  This version of Dylan's Watching the River Flow comes from a 2011 tribute album to Ian Stewart. If you know who Ian Stewart is, then you know. If you don't, he was the piano player in The Rolling Stones, having been an original member of the band and staying with them until his sudden death in 1985. "But wait, I don't recall The Rolling Stones having a piano player?" you might say, and I'd say "Ahhhh, but they did, and it was Ian Stewart". Unfortunately, once Andrew Loog Oldham became their manager, he felt Ian didn't look "right" (check out this photo, it does look like Tommy Cooper was let join The Beatles https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/1*mCJ6hAIsQ_lvnijfN63joA.jpeg ) and fired him from the official line-up but he still played with the band and also became part of the road crew. Ian remained with the Stones until his sudden death in 1985, so he was still an unofficial Stone when Mick & Keith were avoiding each other at Live Aid.

  So again I ask, are you ready for some Ben Waters? Ben is a UK jazz pianist and Ian Stewart fan. Ian plays piano on this track with Keith Richards & Ronnie Wood on guitars, rhythm section of Charlie Watts & Bill Wyman, and on vocals/harmonica it's Mick Jagger. Why isn't that the Rolling Stones? Why yes it is! Not only that, it's the five-man Stones that had ceased to exist 20 years earlier.

  There's something striking about the "Sixth Stone" being the only person to get the five other Stones back together. It's also noticeable that there were so many Stones records featuring an unmentioned Ian, that here's an Ian album with an unmentioned Rolling Stones. I'm sure lawyers were involved, but nowhere on the packaging for this record points out that this is The Rolling Stones.

  I like this a lot, and wish the subsequent 2016 Blue & Lonesome Stones cover album was more like this.

  Did you know Coldplay has a fifth member you don't know about? Seriously, look it up.