It’s almost proto-grunge.
If you’ll allow me a runner-up – I know, just one
choice, but it’s my prerogative as a dyed-in-the-
wool Stones fan to suggest another great one- that would be I’m Alright, from Got Live If You
Wa n t I t! It’s just so raw and real, you can almost
touch it. And of course it’s a Bo Diddley
composition; using the term loosely, since it’s
mostly a wham-jam/rave-up, so that makes it all
the more cherished.
Billy Gibbons, ZZ Top
Street Fighting Man
(From Beggars Banquet, 1968)I
’ve followed their career since I supported
them at the age of sixteen at in a pub in
Guildford – I go back that far with them. This
song captures the essence of the Stones that
I really love; that whole street thing. It’s the kind
of song that you cannot listen to sitting down. It’s
a monster.
Mick Jones, ForeignerSympathy For The Devil
(From Beggars Banquet, 1968)A
t the start it sounds like you’re in the
jungle; you can hear the beat of the
bongos, and animals screeching. After
the first chord the vocal comes in: ‘Please allow me
to introduce myself/I’m a man of wealth and taste’. T hat ’s
just the best introduction ever to a song. And
you’ve just got to dance. And if it doesn’t make
you want to do that, you’ve got a problem. You’re
probably dead, in fact.
Tony Wright, TerrorvisionComing from a rhythmic perspective, Sympathy
For The Devil has always been one of my favourites
by that band. If you’ve never seen the movie of the
making of that song, then you should, because it’scaptivating. When they finally stumble across
the rhythm that’s used at the start, it’s just
fascinating. I’m so impressed by the way that they
work towards finding the perfect vibe, the best
scenario to make song happen. When they finally
nail it, it just rolls.
Back when I was in Guns N’ Roses we tried to
cover that song [in 1994 for the closing credits
of the movie Interview With The Vampire], and
I wasn’t particularly happy about that. It’s one
of those songs that you can’t ever get close to
recreating. It’s like Won’t Get Fooled Again by
The Who or Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody – why
would you want to cover that? Our version was
okay, but of course it was never going to match
the original.
Matt Sorum, Deadland RitualYou Can’t Always Get
What You Want
(From Let It Bleed, 1969)I
n my youth I was more of a Beatles than
a Stones guy, but I got into them later on. The
song of theirs that I like the best I got into via
the movie The Big Chill. You Can’t Always Get What
Yo u Wa n t appears in its opening scene – the big
funeral. It’s so soulful and beautiful. The
dynamic – the way it builds into this incrediblegospel chorus – really appeals to me. I now find
it completely horrible that it’s being used at
Trump’s rallies. Somebody should stand up and
say: “Stop that now”, before people start to believe
there’s an affiliation between the artist, the song
and the cause.
FishGimme Shelter
(From Let It Bleed, 1969)“‘
It’s just a shot away, it’s just a shot away” – those
words capture the turmoil in the world
and particularly in America during the
year 1969. Just a short while before recording this
song the Stones had just seen someone killed in
front of them at Altamont. It was a shock for all
fans of rock music.
Having listened to the song for many decades,
only in the last few years, when I looked up the
lyrics to the song, did I realise that the previously
unintelligible-to-my-ear first two words of every
chorus were: ‘Rape, murder.’ They moderate the
scary message at the end by saying that love is
‘just a kiss away’.
For whatever reason, whenever I hear this song
I end up fighting back tears. I love the way it
sounds. The song is simple and sparsely
orchestrated, but it has an otherworldly vibe to it.
Merry Clayton’s astounding backing voice soars
like an angel in heaven singing down heavenly
words of caution, combining white male Chicago
blues-inf luenced British rockers with American
gospel singing. It works big for me.
James ‘JY’ Young, StyxThat song resonates with me because it’s current
to what was going on in the 1960s. The Stones
were very focused on the social troubles of that
era, and, sadly, the world hasn’t changed too
much since then.
GET John Mayall
TY
With new guitarist Mick Taylor
(second left), who replaced
Brian Jones. June 14, 1969.CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM 49