Classic Pop Icons

It seems that Susan Boyle’s recent recording of the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses” is loved and hated in equal measure. Hearing it on the radio a few days ago got me thinking about the many covers there have been of Rolling Stones’ songs and which have been the best. I came up with the following top ten Rolling Stones covers (in no particular order.)

Otis Redding – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” was released in the summer of 1965 and became the Rolling Stones’ first US number one hit and fourth UK number one. This is one of the Rolling Stones’ most well known songs, and has been a staple of their live show since its release. Despite this, Keith Richards was initially sceptical about the song’s chances for success, believing it to be too simple.

Otis Redding’s version of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” appeared on his brilliant 1965 album “Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul.” The songs on Otis Blue were recorded at Stax Recording Studios in Memphis, TN, between April and July 1965. Redding’s soul-style arrangement featured horns playing the main riff, instead of the fuzzbox guitar riff that made The Rolling Stones’ track so memorable. Keith Richards had in fact originally intended the riff to be played by horns on the Stones’ version, but was outvoted by the band.

Otis also had a US chart hit (number 31) with “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” when released as a single in February 1966.

Chris Farlowe – Out of Time

“Out of Time” was on the Rolling Stones’ 1966 UK album “Aftermath,” with a shorter version appearing in the US in 1967 on the album “Flowers.”

This song has been covered by a number of artists, including the Ramones and the Manic Street Preachers, but the first and most famous cover was by Chris Farlowe in 1966. Farlowe hit number one on the UK charts with “Out of Time” on 28 July, 1966.

Chris Farlowe’s version of “Out of Time” was actually produced by Mick Jagger, who also provided backing vocals. It also features guitar work from the great Albert Lee.

David Bowie – Let’s Spend the Night Together

“Let’s Spend the Night Together” was a 1967 single for the Rolling Stones and the opening track on the US version of their album “Between the Buttons.” It was a controversial song at the time, with Mick Jagger required to change the lyrics to “let’s spend some time together” when the band appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.

David Bowie’s glam rock cover of “Let’s Spend the Night Together” was released as a single in 1973 and featured on his “Aladdin Sane” album. In their review of Bowie’s cover, NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray said that Bowie had achieved “the unprecedented feat of beating the Stones on one of their own songs.” That’s overstating it in my view, but it is an imaginative and successful cover.

Ike & Tina Turner – Honky Tonk Woman

Ike & Tina Turner performed “Honky Tonk Woman” in 1970. Tina’s Tennessee origins lend an air of authenticity to the lyric about meeting “a gin soaked, bar room man in Memphis.” This was a period when Ike and Tina Turner were successfully reworking great rock tunes, including “Come Together” and “Proud Mary.”

The soul duo had opened for the Rolling Stones on a 1969 tour and Tina Turner’s comeback was assisted by some opening spots on the Stones’ US tour of 1981.

Linda Ronstadt – Tumbling Dice

“Tumbling Dice” was the first single off the Rolling Stones’ double album “Exile on Main St.” in 1972. It was a top ten hit in the US and the UK. Jagger says that the themes of love and gambling in the song were inspired by the fact that he had “a lot of friends at that time who used to fly to Las Vegas for the weekend.”

Linda Ronstadt had been recording for almost a decade when she released “Tumbling Dice” in 1977. By this time, she was a hugely successful country rock artist, with three number one albums behind her, two Grammy awards and numerous hit singles. It’s said that she was inspired to record “Tumbling Dice” by Mick Jagger, who advised her that she sang too many ballads in concert. Ronstadt’s version of “Tumbling Dice” appeared on the hit album “Simple Dreams.” She is seen performing a live version of “Tumbling Dice” in the movie “FM” and joined the Rolling Stones onstage to sing the song on July 21, 1978 in Tucson, AZ.

The video shows Ronstadt singing “Tumbling Dice” live in Atlanta in 1977.

Otis Clay – Wild Horses

“Wild Horses” was recorded during December 1969 at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama, but wasn’t released until over a year later when it featured on the classic “Sticky Fingers” album in 1971. Due to this delay, a cover version by The Flying Burrito Brothers was actually released before the Rolling Stones’ version.

I was all set to highlight Leon Russell’s country version of “Wild Horses” in this list, but then I remembered the great version by Otis Clay. This appeared on the 1997 album “Paint it Blue,” which had various artists performing blues-based versions of Rolling Stones songs. The album was re-released as “Songs of the Rolling Stones: All Blues’d Up” in 2002. Clay does a fine job on “Wild Horses.”

Guns ‘N’ Roses – Sympathy for the Devil

“Sympathy for the Devil” opened the Rolling Stones’ 1968 album “Beggars Banquet.” The song prompted media rumours that the Rolling Stones were devil worshippers, as the narrator in the song – Satan himself – recounts his historical antics.

Guns ‘N’ Roses was one of the biggest bands in the world when they covered “Sympathy for the Devil” for the soundtrack of the movie “Interview with the Vampire.” Their cover reached number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100

Merry Clayton – Gimme Shelter

“Gimme Shelter” opened the 1969 album “Let it Bleed.” Commenting on the song and album in 1995, Jagger told Rolling Stone magazine “That’s a kind of end-of-the-world song, really. It’s apocalypse; the whole record’s like that.”

Merry Clayton had already contributed her vocals to records by stars such as Bobby Darin, Ray Charles and Pearl Bailey when she was called upon to provide backing vocals for the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” in 1969. In 1970, she covered the song and it became the title track of her debut album. Merry nails it.

The Standells – Paint It Black

“Paint it Black” was a number one single in the US and UK for the Rolling Stones in 1966. It also appeared on the album “Aftermath.”

“Paint it Black” is one of the Rolling Stones’ must covered songs, with versions from artists as diverse as The Doors, Blondie, Duran Duran, Vanessa Carlton, The Vines and U2.

The Standells formed in 1962 and released several singles and five albums in the mid-60s. Their biggest hit was “Dirty Water,” which reached number 11 on the Billboard charts in 1966. The Standells opened for the Rolling Stones on their US tour in 1967.

The Standells are sometimes called the godfathers of punk, with their menacing image and gritty sound. The Sex Pistols and Ramones have both cited them as a prime inspiration. The Standell’s version of “Paint it Black” doesn’t veer too far from the original, but it’s a fine recording.

Thelma Houston – Jumpin’ Jack Flash

“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” is one of the Rolling Stones’ best known songs and a contender for their finest single. It was released in 1968 and hit number one in the UK and number three in the US. The first appearance of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” on an album was in 1969 on “Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)”

There are many great covers of this song, but I’ve picked Thelma Houston’s 1969 version for her impeccable vocals – Aretha Franklin’s version might have got the nod if recorded earlier. Houston released “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” as a single in 1969 and it also appeared on her album “Sunflower” in the same year. Neither the single nor album dented the charts. In 1971 she signed for Motown where she had sporadic success, most notably with the cover of Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes’ “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” which was number one around the world.

The video shows Thelma Houston performing “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” on Georgie Fame’s “Price of Fame” television show in 1969. The dancing is dated, but the vocal is great 🙂

Do you agree with the choices or have I missed out on some obvious gems? I’d like to hear your views.

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