Slave

"Slave" is my favorite song from Tattoo You. Always has been, always will be. I didn't imagine the band ever made a video for it, so while I was looking for an online version of it this morning I was surprised to learn there were a few out there, as well as this juicy little tidbit I was unaware of- that the song was originally recorded in 1975 as "Black and Blue Jam"- which makes sense, as it could have easily fit the style of that album. An alternate title from 1975 is "Vagina." That makes sense to me too. That version has a harder edge, more guitar-oriented, lacks vocals and is missing the sax solo which would later be provided by Sonny Rollins.

Apparently there are at least four different versions of "Slave" floating out there (if you know of more, leave a comment why dontcha?), and while it was tempting to post the longest, it's not the most interesting. The band pretty much got it right on the version released on the album, which features the best vocal track. The eleven-minute long version is has some really interesting stuff toward the end, where the reggae influence suddenly smacks you in the head at about seven and a half minutes, but as it was originally released, this thick slab of funk is pretty damn perfect.