Mick Jagger / Keith Richards / 4:12
Musicians
Mick Jagger: vocals
Keith Richards: rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Mick Taylor: lead guitar (?)
Bill Wyman: bass
Charlie Watts: drums
Ian Stewart: piano
Unidentified musician(s): hand claps
Recorded
Musicland Studios, Munich: November 14–25, 1973
Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, Stargroves, Newbury: April 12–May 2, 1974
Island Studios, London: May 5–27, 1974
Technical Team
Producers: The Glimmer Twins
Sound engineers: Andy Johns, Keith Harwood, George Chkiantz
Assistant sound engineers: Tapani Tapanainen, Rod Thear, Howard Kilgour, Reinhold Mack
The little sister who puts curlers in her hair on a Thursday, but cuts a fine figure in her high-heel shoes and dress so tight the next day is an inhabitant of the Caribbean. In this song, Jagger evokes Frederick Street, the main thoroughfare of Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, which he had visited with Bianca shortly before. The singer even uses various Trinidadian terms, such as basodee and mamaguy, meaning, respectively, “intoxicated’ and “to tease.” In a sense, “Dance Little Sister” is an exotic version of “Honky Tonk Women,” or, if one prefers, a song about those who like to frequent clubs. It was chosen as the B-side of the single “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” released on October 25, 1974.
When Jimmy Page was asked in 1977 for his opinion on Keith Richards’s brushes with the law, the Led Zeppelin guitarist replied rightly enough: “You only have to put on ‘Dance Little Sister’ and you forgive the guy for anything.”107 This is a rock number as only Keith could write, featuring heavy, aggressive guitar and every bar imbued with the spirit of Chuck Berry. Rather than a riff, it would be more accurate to talk of a rhythm in which each powerful chord rings out percussively and confidently. Keith seems to be on his Telecaster, and the musical motif develops out of the interplay with Bill Wyman’s bass. Charlie Watts provides a perfect beat over which his two partners can interlink, the three of them constituting a top-notch rhythm section. Keith is supported by a second guitar, but the question is, who is playing it? In all likelihood Mick Taylor, as the phrasing is characteristic of him, although at certain points, Keith’s distinctive style comes through. However, the guitarist in question possesses a dexterity beyond Keith’s grasp. He also uses the whammy bar (listen at 2:30) on his guitar—in all likelihood a Fender Stratocaster—an effect that Keith has never really gone in for. Ian Stewart has deigned to take his place at the piano once more, evidently convinced, and rightly so, by this well-crafted number. Mick Jagger totally immerses himself in this torrent of decibels, brilliantly living up to his reputation. It is just a shame that his voice is slightly undermixed. Listeners will notice that between 3:06 and 3:09 the first voice drops out, leaving only Mick’s own doubling. Is this a technical error or a shortness of breath?