Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman working on I Can't Be Satisfied (1964) — Isolated Bass and Drums
I Can’t Be Satisfied by: The Rolling Stones
COMPOSER: McKinley Morganfield
DATE AND PLACE OF RECORDING:
Chess Studios, Chicago, Illinois, US, June 10, 1964
PERSONNEL AND INSTRUMENTS:
Charlie Watts is using: Ludwig Black Oyster Pearl Kit
Bill Wyman is using: Framus 5/150 Star Bass
HYSTORY AND MORE:
“I Can’t Be Satisfied” is the A-side of the 3rd single recorded by Muddy Waters—alias McKinley Morganfield—for the Aristocrat label (soon to be renamed Chess) in 1948 with “I Feel Like Going Home” as the B-side. In this sprightly blues number, the founder of modern blues expresses what a good number of African Americans from the Southern states felt after making the big move to the industrial cities of the North: bitter disenchantment. Gradually, this disenchantment took a more personal turn: adult female I’m troubled/I be all worried in mind/good baby I just can’t be satisfied/And I just can’t keep from cryin’. Clearly, it is a question here of frustration—sexual frustration, it goes without saying. And this is exactly what interested the Rolling Stones, who recorded “I Can’t Be Satisfied” at Chess Studios on June 10, 1964.
Production:
To say that the Stones’ version is better than that of Muddy Waters would be incorrect. The master of Chicago blues remains the master. But it is admittedly just as good. “I Can’t Be Satisfied” is a little gem as far as both production and performance are concerned. Mick Jagger is in supreme form and knows how to make the most of the effects at his disposal. With the brilliant Ron Malo at the controls, Mick starts off almost drowning in reverb (for the first iii lines) before moving back into the foreground with a drier sound. The effect is remarkable, and typical of the records produced at Chess. Charlie Watts plays a ternary rhythm, striking the rim of his snare drum and giving the number an almost rockabilly drive. Bill Wyman, playing his Framus Star bass (no doubt plugged into his Fender Bassman amp) is doubled almost throughout by Keith Richards on his Epiphone Online Casino Netherlands. The effect is as successful as it is unexpected. Most importantly, however, “I Can’t Be Satisfied” allows Brian Jones to demonstrate his mastery of the slide guitar. His playing reveals just how much he loved the blues. He plays with a finesse with which few white guitarists have been able to compete. Brian acknowledged the quality of his own playing in 1965: “‘I Can’t Be Satisfied’ is my favorite rail. I played bottleneck guitar on it and it has one of the best guitar solos I’ve ever managed.” Who could possibly disagree, Brian?
“I Can’t Be Satisfied” would not be released in the United States until 1972.
This homage to Muddy Waters can be found on the compilation More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies) (1972).