Iâve always thought of The Rolling Stones as more of a singles band than an albums band, often when contrasting them with their rivals of sorts The Beatles. When The Stones released a single, it was good and people liked it. Each of their albums from the 60s and early 70s had a bunch of memorable hits.
I might sound like a bad classic rock fan when I say that I havenât listened to a lot of their albums in their entirety. I find it funny when people pit the two bands against each other. They didnât hate each other. In fact, they liked each otherâs music and were friendly with each other.
On the radio, you will only hear a small portion of The Rolling Stonesâ discography. Like a lot of classic rock bands I talk about, The Stones are more than meets the ear. They arenât just âI Canât Get No Satisfactionâ and âBrown Sugarâ, although I really like those two songs.
Letâs go beyond Forty Licks and find out what songs are the least appreciated in The Rolling Stonesâ discography. Like in my Beatles post, Iâm sticking with the same rules: canât be a greatest hit and canât be a top 20 hit. In the case of The Stones, there are a bunch of compilations so for our purposes, weâre going with Forty Licks. The reason I chose that compilation is because itâs one of their most recent best of albums and I think time is a filter. Songs that were appreciated in the 60s may not have the same appreciation as today and itâs important to look at more recent perspectives on what are the bandâs best songs. This will mean weâre going with a lot of songs not released as singles.
Because The Rolling Stones have a bit of a confusing discography because of the common practise at the time of 60s British Invasion acts having different releases on either side of The Atlantic, Iâll outline this era by era since I think The Stones discography can be split into distinct eras.
Not That! – Overplayed Rolling Stones songs
Like I said for The Beatles, The Rolling Stonesâ âoverplayed songsâ arenât bad or even overrated for the most part. I really like the following songs, but it seems like peopleâs enjoyment and knowledge of the Stonesâ discography is limited to this list.
Then again, thereâs nothing wrong with that because not everyone has the time to be a super fan of every single band. Iâm not a gatekeeper. My goal with this blog is to broaden your classic rock horizons because classic rock is more than meets the eye and ear.
Hereâs a list of the songs that I believe are overplayed/well-known. Typing them and not hearing the songs, I can hear them in my head, thatâs how well known these songs are. Iâll put their peak chart positions in the US and UK in parentheses next to them:
- âItâs All Over Nowâ – #1 UK, #26 US
- âThe Last Timeâ – #1 UK, #9 US
- âI Canât Get No Satisfactionâ – #1 UK & US
- âGet Off of My Cloudâ – #1 UK & US
- âAs Tears Go Byâ – #6 US
- â19th Nervous Breakdownâ – #2 UK & US
- âPaint It Blackâ – #1 UK & US
- âUnder My Thumbâ – surprisingly not released as a single, but a fan favourite
- âLetâs Spend The Night Togetherâ – #3 UK, #55 US
- âRuby Tuesdayâ – #3 UK, #1 US
- âJumpinâ Jack Flashâ – #1 UK, #3 US
- âSympathy For The Devilâ – Surprisingly this generation defining song didnât chart in the US or UK, the fans love it though and itâs considered one of the best songs of the 60s
- âHonky Tonk Womenâ – #1 UK & US
- âYou Canât Always Get What You Wantâ – B-side to “Honky Tonk Womenâ
- âGimme Shelterâ – Surprisingly never released as a single, but a staple of Rolling Stones live shows and therefore it made it onto a compilation album.
- âBrown Sugarâ – #2 UK, #1 US
- âTumbling Diceâ – #5 UK, #7 US
- âAngieâ (especially so because thatâs my name and everyone quotes this song around me) – #5 UK, #1 US
- âItâs Only Rock ân Roll (But I Like It)â – #10 UK, #16 US
- âMiss Youâ – #3 UK, #1 US
- âEmotional Rescueâ – #9 UK, #3 US
- âStart Me Upâ – #7 UK, #3 US
Listen To This: Underrated Rolling Stones songs
Now we get to the part youâve all been waiting for, the underrated Rolling Stones songs. Iâll be organising this by era to keep it simple and organised.
R&B Era 1964-1965
During this time The Rolling Stones were an R&B band and mostly did covers. They were young and havenât found themselves yet, but donât worry, thatâs coming! Every band starts off by doing covers before writing their own songs, so Iâm not faulting the Stones. Their covers are very good. Like a lot of British bands of the 60s, they covered Willie Dixon, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, and Motown songs. The majority of songs on their debut were covers with just two songs credited to the band as Nanker Phelge: âNow Iâve Got a Witnessâ and âLittle by Littleâ and one credited to just Jagger & Richards – âTell Me (Youâre Coming Back)â.
My favourite original of those three would be the instrumental âNow Iâve Got a Witnessâ. Iâm just a sucker for instrumentals and itâs something different for The Rolling Stones. You really canât picture them doing an instrumental because whatâs the Stones without Mick Jagger?
Some overlooked songs on their debut are their versions of Willie Dixonâs âI Just Want to Make Love to Youâ, Bo Diddleyâs âMona (I Need You Baby)â, Chuck Berryâs âCarolâ, and Holland-Dozier-Hollandâs âCan I Get a Witnessâ
The R&B era of the band continues on with their sophomore albums The Rolling Stones No 2 if youâre British and 12 X 5 if youâre an American. Even on these albums youâll see a lot of covers: Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Bobby Womack, and Wilson Pickett.
As for No. 2, my favourite songs that arenât the obvious ones are âEverybody Needs Somebody to Loveâ – which isnât the first version of the song Iâve heard, actually I knew the Blues Brothersâ version of this song first and I have many memories of my dad blasting that version in the car. I generally love this song. The version on this album is longer than the one on The Rolling Stones, Now! (an American release).
Other gems from that album, are their version of Chuck Berryâs âYou Canât Catch Meâ – a song John Lennon referenced in The Beatlesâ âCome Togetherâ – if you want to know where that came from, itâs Chuck Berry who inspired the British Invasion; two Jagger-Richards origin all âWhat a Shameâ and âOff the Hookâ, and their cover of âUnder the Boardwalkâ originally performed by the Drifters.
On 12 X 5, I like âEmpty Heartâ and the instrumental â2120 South Michigan Avenueâ – which references the address of the recording studios of Chess Records in Chicago (Iâm proud of my hometown and I love seeing it referenced in music).
In 1965, The Stones released Out of Our Heads, which was an even mix of originals and covers. The American version of that album had one of their signature songs âI Canât Get No Satisfactionâ. Rather than listen to that, listen to their cover of Marvin Gayeâs âHitch Hikeâ, O.V. Wrightâs âThatâs How Strong My Love Isâ, and an energetic live cover of Bo Diddleyâs âIâm All Rightâ. I found that their original material got better and the originals I liked most were âPlay with Fireâ, which barely made the top 100 in the US and âOne More Tryâ.
From Decemberâs Children (and Everybodyâs), I like âIâm Freeâ. It was a strong b-side to âGet Off of My Cloudâ. A song whose lyrics can sum up the free spiritedness of the 60s.
Breakthrough/Psychedelia: 1966-1967
By this point The Rolling Stones were well established and achieving Beatle like success and they started to find themselves and branch out into other sounds. Think of how a Pokemon evolves, well thatâs what the Rolling Stones did in 1966. No longer are they a Pikachu, theyâre a Raichu now. Who is this? Iâm you but stronger.
The album that marks The Rolling Stonesâ breakthrough was the dark and edgy Aftermath from 1966, released in both the US and UK. What made this one distinct from their previous four (UK) or six (US) albums, was that each song on this one is a Rolling Stones original and experimented with different styles, incorporating country, baroque, classical, and world music. Thatâs how you know a band have found themselves. Theyâre writing their own material and not singing someone elseâs songs. On top of that, the atmosphere for recording this album was more relaxed and not so rushed like the other recording sessions were for previous albums.
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are often credited as the stars, but on this one Brian Jones played an important role by experimenting with different sounds like the sitar on âPaint it Blackâ; koto on âTake it Or Leave Itâ; and the dulcimer on âLady Janeâ and âI Am Waitingâ.
There are some good b-sides on this album like âStupid Girlâ and âLady Janeâ. If you are in a yeehaw mood, listen to their take on country with âHigh and Dry. âThinkâ has a psychedelic sound. Thereâs something for everyone on this album. If you want catchy call and response British Invasion go for âItâs Not Easyâ. Overall, a strong album and proves wrong my idea of the Stones being a singles band.
Between The Buttons continues that psychedelic and baroque pop sound and marked the end of the Andrew Loog Oldham era with it being the last album he produced for the band. My picks for this blog post are âYesterdayâs Papersâ, âConnectionâ, âPlease Go Homeâ, âWhoâs Been Sleeping Here?â (sounds Dylan-esque).
The compilation album, Flowers, has a very good cover of The Temptationsâ âMy Girlâ, recorded during the sessions for âSatisfactionâ. I always love seeing rock stars covering Motown and vice versa.
The Rolling Stones recorded one more psychedelic album in 1967, Their Satanic Majesties Request, which at the time sold quite well right after it was released, but critics at the time thought it was a poor manâs Sgt. Pepper. Coincidentally, John Lennon and Paul McCartney provided uncredited backing vocals on âWe Love Youâ. Two other guest musicians on the album were Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriott of The Small Faces who contributed backing vocals on âIn Another Landâ, the latter was considered as an option to replace Mick Taylor in 1975 – but Mick Jagger didnât want to be upstaged by the powerful Steve Marriott.
This was the first Rolling Stones album to have a novelty album cover – with a lenticular image on the cover on original pressings of the LP. This album marked the end of that short experimental psychedelic era. There are some great songs on it like âCitadelâ (my favourite on the album), â2000 Manâ, the experimental âSing This All Together (See What Happens)â, âGomperâ, and â2000 Light Years From Homeâ.
Back to Basics/Golden Age: 1968-1972
The Rolling Stones returned to more blues inspired music, but this go around they have found themselves and they sound a lot more original and not trying to be like their idols or doing covers.
Beggars Banquet marked the return of the Rolling Stones to their blues rock roots, but donât mistake back to basics for boring. This isnât a basic album and thereâs variety and diversity to be found with Latin beats, Indian instruments, and African influenced drumming. This is the last Stones album with founder Brian Jones. Go beyond the hits âSympathy For The Devilâ and âStreet Fighting Manâ and give âJigsaw Puzzleâ, the controversial âStray Cat Bluesâ, and the folk inspired âFactory Girlâ a chance.
One of my favourite Rolling Stones albums is their 1969 album Let it Bleed. The opening track and closing track are equally iconic: opening your album with âGimme Shelterâ and closing it with âYou Canât Always Get What You Wantâ? Thereâs a reason The Rolling Stones are considered one of the best classic rock bands. They did that. In between those songs there are some great tracks like âMidnight Ramblerâ, âYou Got The Silverâ (with Keith Richards on lead vocals), and âMonkey Manâ.
Two years later, Sticky Fingers was released. Andy Warhol designed the iconic album cover. Original pressings had a working zipper on the jeans that would reveal cotton briefs. That same year, The Rolling Stones famous tongue logo was introduced to the world.
This album had big hits with âBrown Sugarâ and âWild Horsesâ. If you want to listen to something new, give âSwayâ, âCanât You Hear Me Knockingâ (love the Santana-esque jam), and âBitchâ a try.
In 1972, double album Exile On Main Street was released. If you want to go beyond âTumbling Diceâ, I recommend âRocks Offâ, âShake Your Hipsâ (Slim Harpo cover), âSweet Virginiaâ, âTorn and Frayedâ, âAll Down The Lineâ, and âShine a Lightâ. Overall, I think this is one of the bandâs best albums.
The Other Albums: 1973-
The next albums: Goats Head Soup, Itâs Only Rock n Roll, and Black and Blue are not considered the bandsâ best work and I have to agree with the critics that the quality of the albums donât exactly match up to the high standards they set with the previous albums from their golden age. Itâs a rite of passage for a rock band to slip into decadence and excess, rest on their laurels, and put other things first on their list of priorities. In short, what I would say about these is that itâs not their best. There are a few good songs here and there, but mostly just stick with singles. These albums arenât must listens and you can get away with skipping them.
Some Girls, released in 1978, is considered a return to form for the Stones. Itâs definitely at a higher standard than the previous 3 less inspired studio albums. Instead of âMiss Youâ and âBeast of Burdenâ, listen to their cover of The Temptationsâ âJust My Imaginationâ, âLiesâ, and âRespectableâ.
Emotional Rescue is an album you can skip. Disco is great and all, but thatâs not my favourite Rolling Stones sound. âDance (pt 1)â is okay, but not the best rock and roll attempt at disco.
Tattoo You was the album that brought you âStart Me Upâ – an overplayed Stones song. Instead of that, listen to âLittle T&Aâ with lead vocals by Keith Richards – personally, I think itâs better than the hit.
You can skip the rest of the albums in the classic rock era, in my opinion.
Listen to the whole playlist here:
Did I miss a deep cut you liked? Have your say in the comments section! Next on Listen to This, Not That will be The Who. Stay tuned for a âLetters to the Editorâ where some of my followers have their say on overrated vs underrated Stones songs.
Shoutout to my friends Patrick and Matt for supporting the blog!
Loved this blog post and want to support? If you cannot afford to donate to The Diversity of Classic Rock, there are many free ways to support the blog: Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, click the follow button on my website, leave a nice comment, send your music or classic rock related books for review, or donate your art and writing talents to the blog.
You can also download the Brave Browser using my referral link* and earn tokens that you can donate to your favourite creators (including me!), donate to charity, or you can keep them for yourself and redeem them for cash. The choice is yours! Thank you!
I am also an affiliate of MusoSoup*, a platform for musicians to efficiently share their music with thousands of bloggers, radio stations, and curators for coverage for a very affordable price. If youâre a blogger, you can sign up for free by contacting them. If youâre a musician, you can sign up and share your music with all the bloggers and content creators signed up on the website. If you sign up as a musician using my referral link, I get a commission, which helps keep this blog running and helps you get more publicity for your music.
*This is an affiliate link that you can use at no extra cost to you. I get $5 for every person who downloads the browser through my link. Downloading Brave (which is free) using my link is a nice gesture to support the blog at no out of pocket cost to you, but itâs not obligatory. For the MusoSoup affiliate link, I get 50% of the sign up fee for musicians. The cost is no extra if you use my affiliate link.
Good post. You’ve caught onto something here with which I heartily agree. To the “deep track” Stones fan, they are one thing. To the casual listener, quite another. The band is still very much a blues/R&B/ ensemble. And I’ve seen them do deep cuts and I think in a lot of ways they favor playing those, especially when they come to town and sneak into small clubs. But I think the band knows these days that they may be playing to a lot of the casual fans who know them only for their hits. My son and I went to see them last July at Gillette Stadium. The setlist was filled with recognizable hits to keep the fans from hitting the hot dog stand. Not that I don’t love them all ‘coz I do.
But the last six songs were “Miss You,” “Paint it Black,” ‘Midnight Rambler,” (a personal favorite), “Start Me Up,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Brown Sugar.” The encore was “Gimme Shelter,” and “Satisfaction.” The crowd looked like they had just stepped off of a cruise ship and were all wearing shiny new tongue T-shirts. Tourists. But the Stones know their crowd these days and it ain’t the Sixties.
I’m happy to note that Gary Clark Jr. opened up and did a blues with them called “Ride “em On Down” and it should make you happy to know they pulled “2120 South Michigan Avenue” out of mothballs. I’d never heard them do it before.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s awesome!
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] letters to the editor edition of Listen to This, Not That! The last post in the series was about The Rolling Stones. I want to turn this series into a conversation, which is why I’ll have guest posts and […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] more. At most, weâll talk about five of each type of song. The rules I used for the Beatles, Stones, Who, and Kinks will not apply since these bands are played a lot less on radio and arenât so […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] part series on British Invasion bands that didn’t get covered in the main series (Beatles, Stones, Who, and Kinks). You can read Part 1 that goes from The Animals to The Moody Blues here. In this […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] this honour are The Beatles and The Kinks! 68 views for each. But I’ve also talked about The Rolling Stones, The Who, The British Invasion, and Psychedelic/Freakbeat. I’m looking forward to continuing […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] of the series where I talk about the six “basic bitch” classic rock bands: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Queen (coming next month). I’ve also written a blog […]
LikeLiked by 1 person