"Automatic Changer" - later known as
"Let it Bleed", it was going to be the summer lp of Rolling Stones, but by different
circumstances, it was postponed. The main problem was the continued
absences of Brian Jones to the recording sessions and his manifest lack of
interest in everything that had to do with the group. In view of this, tired of
his attitude Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and Keith Richards moved to Brian's
house to communicate friendly that his services were no longer available; so
they quickly set out to look for a substitute guitarist: Mick Taylor,
introduced as the new member of the Rolling Stones, at a massive press
conference in Hyde Park, London on June 13th..
The recording sessions for “Automatic Changer”
officially started on February 9, 1969 at the Olympic studios in London
with Jimmy Miller like a producer and engineer Glyn Jones; abruptly
interrupted in the early hours of July 2, when they were informed by telephone
that the Brian´s body found floating in the pool of his house. He was dead.
Two days later, the Rolling Stones gave a free concert
in memory of Brian in the same place where just a month ago they had presented
Mick Taylor, Hyde Park. Meanwhile, one acetate of the disc had already been
made in monaural version, with an alternative "line-up", almost
definitive. which ís presented here, it contained a total of 9 songs:
Side A: (20:48)
1.Midnight rambler.(6:57)
2.Love in vain.(4:18)
3.If you need someone - a.k.a" Let it bleed
",(5:25)
4.Monkey man.(4:11)
Side B: (21:45)
1.Give me some shelter - a.k.a "Gimmie
Shelter";(4:21)
2.You got the silver now - a.k.a "You got the
silver".(2:49)
these last two sung by Keith;
3.Sister Morphine.(5:26)
4.Loving cup.(6:05)
5.Country honk.(3:03)
Shortly thereafter, and with the most advanced
recording sessions, the engineer Glyn Jones made a second cut of the album,
where the songs sung by Keith were changed for Mick's as a vocalist and the
song that closed the acetate:"Honky Tonk" was eliminated.
This new version was given for good, which was
prepared for the final mixes with a view to publishing the album in mid-July
under the title of "Automatic Changer". Robert Brownjohn following
the title of Lp, had already made the cover; the famous cake that was the final
artwork, although the album changed title. After Brian´s death, the group
recording:"Honky tonk woman" in the BBC TV to "Top of the
Pops" to promo a new single: "Honky tonk woman / You can not always
get what you want #2”; The Hyde Park concert on July 5, the Rolling Stones and
Brian's funeral on July 10 in Cheltenham who only accused Charlie Watts and
Bill Wyman, the Stones did not return to the studio and dedicated themselves,
after trying to recover from the sad news, to prepare the American tour.
Between October 17 and 26, at the "Sunset
Sound" studios in Los Angeles, the Rolling Stones returned to the
"Automatic Changer" project, but with the conviction that the title
and content should change, because the declared summer of love had been
especially bloody, like the murders carried out by the Manson family, against
the actress Sharon Tate and a group of friends, or later on the marriage
"La Bianca". The session on October 26 was the last dedicated to
polish "Let it bleed". Then, they got into the promotional winter
tour from November 6 to December 7 with an appearance on the CBS show: Ed
Sullivan Show recorded on November 18.
The day after the publication of "Let it Bleed" on December 5,
the Rolling Stones gave a concert at the Altamont Speedway, in Livermore, Ca. A
free festival that included other groups such as Jefferson Airplane or Crosby,
Still , Nash and Young. As closing to the show, The Rolling Stones .., but in
the middle of the song "Sympathy for the Devil", a spectator, was
assassinated in front of stage by one of the members of sure of the show, an
"Hell´s Angel", scene that can be seen in the movie,
The “incombustible” Stones, were already involved in the new recording
sessions of their future project: "Sticky Fingers", which will have a
good account in the future, also with an alternative "line up", the
result of another found acetate with alternate “line-up” in mono
also. Bit.ly/69RSAc Now, enjoy the reconstruction, mono version, of
the early "Let it Bleed" when it was called "Automatic
Changer".