Classic Rock - Robert Plant - USA (2019-12)

Time Is On My Side

(From 12 X 5, 1964)

M

y earliest inf luence was the Stones,

mainly because as a beginner guitarist

you could actually manage to play bits

and parts of songs, whereas with The Beatles you

needed a song book to learn the difficult chords.

Satisfaction was the first riff I ever played – and it

was probably the first distorted guitar tone and

precursor to what became metal music. Luckily

I had older siblings that bought and collected all

the Stones albums.

Time Is On My Side is such a great song. The tone

of Mick’s voice is so memorable, and the melody

is forever haunting. At different points in my life,

different songs would have special and specific

meaning. For instance Got To Get Away during my

divorce of my first marriage. Heart Of Stone was

another. Paint It, Black was such a favourite that

Anvil covered it on our first album. It felt really

comfortable to sing, as it was completely in my

vocal range. Jumpin’ Jack Flash was another that

I covered in my early years. The guitar riff was as

legendary as it gets.

I have always loved this band, and I still do.

Lips, Anvil

The Spider & The Fly

(Single B-side, 1965)

I

don’t have a favourite Stones song – there are

just too many great ones – so I’m going to go

for something slightly idiosyncratic and

choose a B-Side of a single. The Spider And The Fly

was the f lip-side of (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction. The

Stones’ B-sides were always amazing. Back then

I had a friend who had a record deck in the back of

his car that would play forty-fives. Whenever we

went anywhere together I would always make

him play that song.

I was lucky enough to see the Stones circa their

debut single, Come On [ June 1963]. In a meaningful

sense it was my real first gig, and they were still

playing to crowds of eighty people a night in very

small clubs. As a band, The Zombies went to see

them at Studio 61 in Leicester Square, a place that

held a maximum of a hundred people. Mick

Jagger was sitting on a stool; it was a very purist

experience, the most exciting thing I’d ever seen.

It was before The Zombies had made a record,

and being in my mid-teens I was still living at

home. I still recall waking up my mum at two a.m.

and telling her: “I’ve just seen the most fantastic

group.” To which she replied: “Yes dear, I’m sure

you have. Let’s talk about it in the morning.”

Rod Argent, The Zombies

(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

(From Our Of Our Heads, 1965)

C

lassic Rock has caused so much trouble with

this story. Everybody in the Quireboys has

a favourite Rolling Stones song, and

they’re all different. There’s been some very

heated debate. Everybody had an opinion. I’m

gonna go with (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, because

Keith Richards once told my good friend Alan

Clayton that it was his own favourite Stones song.

Could there be a better reason than that?

Spike, The Quireboys

I love Satisfaction because of the riff, which is so

easy to hum. I once read an interview with Keith

in which he said that riff came to him in his

sleep, so he woke up and put it down on to a tape

player. To me it sounds a little like a horn section.

It’s fantastic.

Rudolf Schenker, Scorpions

That’s How Strong

My Love Is

(From Out Of Our Heads, 1965)

I

’m a fairly new covert to the Stones. Volbeat’s

drummer turned me on to the band about

a decade ago. That’s How Strong My Love Is is my

favourite song from their catalogue, though they

didn’t write it, it was by a guy called Roosevelt

Jamison. The song speaks to me on so many

levels. I like its tempo and I like the mood. It has

such a lovely feeling.

Michael Poulsen, Volbeat

The Last Time

(From Out Of Our Heads, 1965)

T

he Last Time has such a brilliant riff. My

sister brought home this as a seven-inch

single when I was five. It was always that

beautiful, infectious riff played by Brian Jones.

It caught my ear and fascinated me. It’s also has

a great chorus.

Brian Tatler, Diamond Head

Paint It, Black

(From Aftermath, 1966)

I

f you’re looking for an original, Paint It, Black,

which is terrific, lyrically, rhythmically, the

trajectory. I love the Moroccan inf luence with

that exotic melody, as well as the driving power

of the rhythm. It’s an incredibly strong and

compelling song.

Steve Hackett

It’s still an unbelievable song. I was never that

too much into the Stones, but recently I was in

Camden Town and heard it played. I was

fascinated by how incredible and spooky it is.

The background music is so rhythmic, but the

vocal... he just sings normal. It’s a really great

and unusual song.

One of the most shocking and weird things in

my life was receiving a phone call from the

Stones, who wanted to know if would audition

for them. It was 1973 and I was only seventeen

years old at the time. I had just joined UFO and

was living in Palmer’s Green in London. I didn’t

even have a telephone. Even at my parents’ place

in Germany there wasn’t a phone, so I was still

very shy and didn’t really know how to use one.

One day my landlady knocked on my door,

Beginning to roll, 1965/66:

(l-r) Keith Richards,

Brian Jones, Mick Jagger,

Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts.

“Time Is On My Side is such a great song. The tone

of Mick’s voice is so memorable, and the melody

is forever haunting.” Lips, Anvil

46 CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM