The Rolling Stones - The Complete Foxes In The Boxes

Studio recording
Limited edition: 50 items

Original liner notes from The Complete Foxes In The Boxes:
The Complete Foxes In The Boxes offers a small trove of previously uncirculated material along with upgrades and a few familiar outtake favorites from new source tapes: boxes of in-house cassette tapes obtained from someone "on the inside" of a major record label in the '70s and '80s.

Some of these tracks have been previously rumored, some are wholly new finds, while others improve on previously circulating versions. There are a few frustrating fragments, too, but what's presented here is exactly what was on the tapes, which were seemingly meant to capture and present in-progress status on Stones sessions and to preserve ideas for future consideration.

Let's Go Steady: Cover of the Sam Cooke song that was the B-side of "Only Sixteen" in 1959. It features a wonderful Keith Richards lead vocal. Misnamed "Let's Go Steady" on the source tape. An Emotional Rescue outtake from Compass Point Studios late January or early February 1979. Kristi Kimsey is on backing vocals.

I Think I'm Going Mad: Listed on the tape under the slightly different title Think I'm Going Mad. Yet another edit of an early version, which already has the saxophone in the intro but is still lacking the piano overdub. Several small changes in the first verse before the line, "All the highs and lows don't mean a thing to me, don't give a damn".

Indian Girl: Shorter than any previously known version in circulation. The spoken line, "Mr. Gringo, my father he ain't no Che Guevara" is missing and the take also features fewer horn overdubs.

Emotional Rescue: Again, shorter take than any previously known version. Distinctive and somewhat strange mix with much more guitar, keyboards and backing vocals. Also features an echoey percussion effect at the start not heard on any other mix.

No Use In Crying: Yet another new, shorter version compared to what's in circulation. This is an edit of an early mix (before the piano overdub was added), which moves the line "come on sugar" earlier in the song because some of the falsetto vocals have been cut.

Where The Boys Go: Different lead vocal from Mick on a take that has the male background vocals already in place, but not the girls' backing chorus at the end. The guitar solo is also unedited unlike the album.

Summer Romance: Another alternate lead vocal on an uncirculated take that lacks the third guitar which normally begins in at 0:06.

We Had It All: Cover of the Troy Seals and Donny Fritts song, first released by Waylon Jennings in 1973. Different lead vocal from the released version, but seemingly the same take as previously bootlegged versions of the song.

Neighbors: Listed on the source tape under the slightly different title "Neighbor". This is a monitor mix with early guide vocals and is the first take of "Neighbors" to circulate intact from the Emotional Rescue sessions. All other versions, released or unreleased, come from different takes overdubbed and edited during the Tattoo You sessions. If you like "Neighbors," you'll love this rollicking and highly appealing early version.

All I Have To Do Is Dream: Cover version of the old Everly Brothers classic from 1958, performed by Keith Richards on solo piano at Longview Farm, North Brookfield, Massachusetts in late May 1981. This is the previously uncirculated full take, including false start. Brace yourself for Keith to be right in your living room and his voice deep inside your ears.

Piano Instrumental: A bit more Keef tickling the ivories from the same session.

Tried to Talk Her Into It: This Undercover sessions outtake has been previously bootlegged (e.g. on the Outsider Bird Records LP Chain Saw Massacre), but the quality from this source tape is an upgrade.

Keep It Cool: Monitor mix of a long, jazzy Undercover sessions outtake. Also known as "Keep It Cool Parts 1 & 2", but that could refer to a rumored 20-minute version of the song said to exist.

Keep It Cool: The remarkable 20+ minute version said to exist!

Can't Find Love: Fragment of an Undercover sessions outtake, cut out of a much longer version of the song. This bit is likely the essence or part of the song which the Stones liked and wound up on this tape for reference purposes.

Can't Find Love: Another fragment as above, but listed specifically as a "bridge idea".

Eliza: Also known as "Eliza Upchink" (which is how Bill Wyman lists the title of this track in his second Stones book) and sometimes mis-titled as "Back On The Streets Again" when it reappeared in the Dirty Work songwriting sessions. A snippet of this song was uploaded to YouTube many years ago in memory of Ian Stewart (but that clip has since disappeared). This is the complete take.

High School Girl: This appears to be a demo recording or songwriting exploration featuring only Mick Jagger (who also plays guitar) and Charlie Watts on drums.

Stop That: An unlisted fragment on the tape. This Undercover outtake already circulates in complete form, but in inferior quality (often misnamed "Chain Saw Rocker").

Undercover Of The Night: A different, shorter mix, especially the opening of the song, which is totally unique to other mixes in circulation.

She Was Hot: Keyboard-heavy long mix, very similar to the version first leaked on WYSP FM Philadelphia in 1983 and later uploaded to the It's Only Rock 'n Roll Stones internet forum some time ago, but lacking the double-tracked vocals found on those, which presumably makes it an earlier mix of the alternate take.

Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever: The Stones started the Dirty Work sessions by warming up with some cover versions, and this Four Tops song (written by Stevie Wonder and Ivy Jo Hunter) is one of the few to circulate so far; this version being an upgrade. While Mick's vocals are a touch soft, overall it is a fine and, at times, enchanting performance, not to mention it being a song that could have made a great Stones track

Talk Is Cheap: Over 11 minutes long, Talk Is Cheap is in the vein of Keith's Dirty Work contribution Sleep Tonight. The single guitar suggests Ron Wood is probably playing bass. Richards never finished this ballad, but the title stuck and was used on his first solo album in 1988.

What Am I Supposed To Do: Early version of What Am I Gonna Do With Your Love. Long, 15+ minute jam around the title phrase, performed by The Podiums, the pseudo band consisting of Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Bobby Womack and Don Covay formed as yet another way to kill time when Jagger was not around during the Paris sessions. One of two Podiums tracks to surface from the Dirty Work sessions (the other being Sending Out Invitations).

Stick It Where It Hurts: Likely a Ronnie Wood composition, as he sings the guide vocals. The title phrase offers the only words which can be clearly made out.

Can't Cut The Mustard 1-2: Early versions of Had It With You, though the eventual title phrase is not yet present. Some singing by Ronnie Wood again (together with Richards), as he co-wrote the music to the song. Already circulating, but these are upgrades and include some studio chatter.

Can't Cut The Mustard 3: Fragment of a third take, but this stays instrumental and gets abandoned after half a minute.

Victor Hugo: An absolutely fascinating fly-on-the-wall track. Presumably pissed off about Jagger missing sessions and abandoning the Stones, Richards improvises a nasty set of lyrics about his bandmate, going so far as to refer to him by the derisive nickname, Brenda. Victor Hugo showcases Keef at his vitriolic and profanity-laced best.