10 Best Songs. NO Singles: The Rolling Stones
So here’s a new series! Along with album rankings, band profiles, year end reviews and other random things that pop into my head comes what I’m calling 10 Best Songs, NO Singles!
I think there are plenty of people who are casual fans that only know the hits of many bands so this will force people into some discovery of deep cuts, but at the same time it will be interesting to see what songs are massively popular despite never having been released as singles. The Rolling Stones list for example doesn’t have many deep cuts at all since they have a handful of songs that were massively popular despite not having been released as singles. I’m not sure I’ll do an Eagles list but the casual Eagles fan that knows all the singles may not be familiar with a single album track beyond those. They don’t have many truly famous songs that weren’t singles. So that’s the idea and the “criteria” for these lists. Of course there will be snobbery involved - my opinions rule the day and arguing with me will be futile.
But of course I still welcome comments and debate. Hehe… 😛
I actually don’t think it makes sense to “rank” a qualified list such as this so I think I’ll pick the 10 best songs that were never released as singles by the artists and present them chronologically. So let’s start with The Rolling Stones!
I am indeed a huge Stones fan even if I haven’t written about them a ton here - I’ve seen them live three times and I’ve been a fan for about 45 years… The first album I have memories of buying and obsessing over the vinyl in my bedroom is Emotional Rescue and both the title track AND She’s So Cold made it to “favorite song” status for me when they were released as singles in 1980 - the year I turned 10. “Favorite song” status was a big deal for me when I was a kid! Before Emotional Rescue I was a fan via my older brothers. So let’s get to it - the 10 best songs by The Rolling Stones that weren’t singles!
Song (album, year):
Under My Thumb (Aftermath, 1966)
Hard to believe this wasn’t a single right? Under My Thumb was not, and it’s one of a few hugely famous songs on this list. It’s a Jagger/Richards composition but the star of the song is Brian Jones with the signature hook on the marimba that gives the song a timeless feel - not exactly a go-to instrument in rock (you probably thought it was a xylophone - it’s close). Under My Thumb also was the song the Stones were playing at Altamont when Meredith Hunter was tragically murdered by Hells Angels in front of the stage…
Monkey Man (Let It Bleed, 1969)
I’d say this is one of my top 10 favorite Stones songs overall. That Nicky Hopkins piano intro with a little vibraphone from Bill Wyman, followed by the tambourine by Jimmy Miller, followed by the drums, followed by Keith’s riffs? Oh man… and Mick - “I’m a monkaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!!” Funky and edgy as can be - the Stones at their best - plenty of improvisation going on throughout too - from Keith and Charlie in particular with the song picking up pace and threatening to go off the rails in the best way towards the end before finally fading out…. YES.
Gimme Shelter (Let It Bleed, 1969)
Plenty has been said about this song and it’s been used in dozens of films and shows including three Scorsese films - Goodfellas (along with Monkey Man), Casino (along with Can’t You Hear Me Knocking) and The Departed. Somehow the song just captures so much of the chaos of the late 60’s - war, assassinations, race riots, Charles Manson… Rape and murder are just a shot away (and a kiss away?) and if Mick doesn’t get some shelter he’s gonna fade away. It feels apocalyptic and with Merry Clayton screaming out those lyrics it really brings it home in dramatic fashion.
Bitch (Sticky Fingers, 1971)
Just such a kick ass riff. A song either about love or drugs - or both - and how whichever one it is, it’s a bitch. The horns really add to the punch when they kick in too. Mick with a flat out nasty delivery and the band just scorching on this one.
Can’t You Hear Me Knocking (Sticky Fingers, 1971)
What an epic! One of those opening Stones riffs that is just unmistakable - I’ve had it as one of my ringtones. The extended jam at the end is everything and the crazy part is not only wasn’t it planned, but they were surprised to find the tape was still rolling and that it had been captured. Totally improvised. The whole track is one take. Amazing. All five Stones with Billy Preston on organ, Bobby Keys on sax, Rocky Dijon on congas, and producer Jimmy Miller adding some percussion. Really incredible. The Stones should have jammed like this more often… If I was actually ranking this list 1 to 10 this would be my unquestionable #1.
Loving Cup (Exile On Main St., 1972)
I sang this in my first band at probably every one of our gigs and we would do it as a medley with Fluffhead by Phish (Phish actually loves covering Loving Cup). Such a great vocal harmony going on here with Mick and Keith after another fantastic Nicky Hopkins piano intro. Such a great lyric too - “Gimme a little drink from your loving cup! Just one drink and I fall down drunk!” Some great Charlie Watts fills on the choruses here too. A classic that rocks but with a little country flavor and more horns from Bobby Keys on sax with Jim Price adding trumpet and trombone.
Winter (Goats Head Soup, 1973)
This song is just beautiful - I love the way it just leans into the layering of the strings over three minutes in and extending the vibe to a 5 1/2 minute track. One of the best Stones ballads ever on the album that many consider the start of the “decline” of the quality of Stones albums. Personally I think that’s ridiculous and I love Goats Head Soup. The other interesting thing about this track is Keith isn’t involved at all. The guitars are amazing and mostly handled by Mick Taylor even though apparently the writing of the song started with Mick Jagger strumming on a guitar - in Jamaica - about a cold cold winter!
Till The Next Goodbye (It’s Only Rock N’ Roll, 1974)
Another beautiful ballad and for my money one of the sweetest vocal performances by Mick asking “Honey is there anyplace that you would like to eat” even if it’s just a coffee shop - he doesn’t care he just wants to be with her. So nice! Lol. Some really pretty acoustic guitar here.
Crazy Mama (Black and Blue, 1976)
A classic hook in this the final track of one of my favorite Stones albums Black and Blue, and the first to include Ronnie Wood as an official member even though he wasn’t yet when the album was recorded. This is one of three songs on the album he appears on even though he appears on the cover as an official member upon release. The song is a relatively straightforward song about a crazy woman. I think it’s a great representative of the Stones sound and would be at home on plenty of Stones albums. I love it.
Thru and Thru (Voodoo Lounge, 1994)
Keith Richards sings the lead vocal on 18 Stones songs and while his voice on later releases is totally ragged and shot it actually adds to the charm. There’s no better example of this than on this poignant piece that closes out the Voodoo Lounge album (Mean Disposition was originally tacked on the end on the CD release only). I liked this song a lot but my love for it (and everyone’s) hit a new level when it was featured in the final scene of season 2 of The Sopranos 6 years after its release in 2000.
So there you have it - the ten best, no singles. Rolling Stones edition. This was fun to compile - let me know your thoughts in the comments!
M10 Social is owned by Doug Cohen in West Bloomfield, MI and provides social media training and digital marketing services from the Frameable Faces Photography studio Doug owns with his wife Ally. He can be reached there at tel:248-790-7317, by mobile at tel:248-346-4121 or via email at mailto:doug@frameablefaces.com. You can follow Doug’s band Vintage Playboy at their Facebook page here.
******************************************************************************************
Tune in to the 📷Doug&Ally📷Morning Show T-F between 8:30 & 11 EST UTC-4 on Heckle by following them on Heckle or Twitter at @frameablefaces! Also check out the Doug & Ally Morning Show podcast at anchor.fm/frameablefaces and everywhere you listen to podcasts! Doug also tweets at @dougcohen10 and @M10Social!