Wild Horses and the Tiny Hairs on my Arms

I just watched "Gimme Shelter",the Maysles Brothers documentary of The Rolling Stones 1969 tour that ended with the infamous free conert at Altamont. I knew Altamont was bad but not that bad. From the pitiable naivete of the event organizers to the bad trips and beat downs, Altimont was a virtual black hole--Woodstocks evil twin. It remains a great example of how wrong things can go when people try and duplicate something organic and miraculous.
For all "Gimme Shelter"'s chilling violence and despair there is one scene, just before the halfway point of the movie, that made my arm hair stand up and sway gently. It shows the Stones, at the absolute height of their powers, working in the legendary Stax recording studios:
The scene begins with Keith Richards lying on the studio floor in a semi-heroin nod. Everyone else is gathered around the control board listening back to a scratch recording of what will become the album version of Wild Horses. Normally, at this stage of the recording process, a band would be listening critically, suggesting sound level alterations, smiling at the good parts and wincing at the bad. But in this room no one budges. They recognize that what is being created is special, that a deal has been struck with good fortune and the moment is calling for solemnity.
The scene ends before the song does. The last shot fades out on Keith Richards still stretched out on the floor. But he is awake with his eyes closed, mouthing along to every word of Wild Horses, like a mob boss at the opera.