Even with the bulk of their best work behind them,

there's still a glimmer of The Glimmer Twins at their best

on Goat's Head Soup. First, there are the tunes you already know.

Angie is part of our collective consciousness. It made the chicks

swoon in '72 and it remains one

of the all-time great ballads. GHS also boasts one of The Stones'

all-time great rockers, Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker).

An organ riff you can't forget, a wailing horn section and the perfect vocal track

make Heartbreaker truly one of their Greatest Hits. "But I already have these

songs on a compilation album," you say. Well, even if you have all

6,000 Rolling Stones compilation albums, you'll certainly still want GHS.

Most Stones fans agree that GHS has some great songs that weren't hits.

However, they are likely to disagree on which songs those are.

To my ears, the best of the rest are the rockers. Dancing with Mr. D. and

the what-Chuck-Berry-is-really-thinking opus Star Fucker (re-titled Star Star for

the puritan U.S.) were (along with Angie and Heartbreaker) the most popular

new tunes on the '72 world tour, but the best non-hit is the exotic blues

Can You Hear The Music. If you've never heard GHS, then you've

probably never heard Can You Hear The Music,

which means you've never heard one of Keef's most infectious riffs

backed by whistles and bongos! Another successful ditty is Hide Your Love.

With its weird mix (mostly bass and piano) it is reminiscent of

Exile on Main Street. Another highlight is the sequel to Keef's Happy,

the ballad Coming Down Again. Finally, Mick Taylor and Ian Stewart shine on

100 Years Ago. All-in-all GHS is a fine album. It doesn't comapre to

Exile on Main Street, but then again, nothing does.