As of this posting, the Rolling Stones have just kicked off their "50 and Counting Tour" in Los Angeles to rave reviews despite some well deserved debate as to why they offered so many seats in the $600 range that went unsold. Some people are calling it the "Skip the Rent Tour".
Conversation led to the inevitable "Most Overrated" and "Most Underrated Rolling Stones songs in their long discography. The underrated category was by far the more intriguing and we found many discussions on the Internet on the topic. These links were the best on this topic:
The crack staff at Monahan's Songs debated well into the night and finally came up with our list of Stones tunes that deserved more glory than they received. All are written by the Rolling Stones unless noted. The list is not ranked, but is chronological::
"Little by Little" (Phelge/Phil Spector), The Rolling Stones, 1964 A classic by the band that represents much of their early work covering blues songs.
"You
Better Move On" (Arthur Alexander), December's Children (And Everybody's),1965 A moody cover of one of the best soul songs ever written.
"As Tears
Go By" December's Children (And
Everybody's),1965 One of Mick and Keith Richards first collaborations. Heavy on the strings via manager Andrew Loog Oldham.
"Out of Time"Aftermath,1966 One of their very best. Hey, let's see YOU use the word obsolete in a song and get a hit with it...
"Wild Horses" Sticky Fingers,1971 One of three songs that made the list that would make you think the boys were from Texas, not London. One of their most covered songs ever.
"Winter" Goats Head Soup, 1973 We recently rediscovered this song as we had written off "Goats Head Soup." Another moody but effective piece of music.
"Time Waits for No One" It's Only Rock 'n Roll, 1974 Latin riffs, jazz beats and an extended guitar lead by Mick Taylor work beautifully.
"Memory Motel" Black
and Blue 1976 Some of the best lyrics Mick has ever written This seven minute song is curious in its origins. Some say the song is about Carly Simon and other's claim it is Annie Leibovitz. The hotel was in Montauk, Long Island.
"Far Away Eyes" Some
Girls, 1978 Monahan remembers one of the DJ's on WNEW fm laughing as he pictured (a very cockney) Charlie Watts sitting on the porch of a Southern shack singing this song.
So as we analyze our picks, it seems we have nothing past 1978. "Some Girls" was released that year and many here believe it to be their best album to date, with their follow-up album "Emotional Rescue" perhaps their worst. After that, there were longer and longer gaps in their releases and it shows. What has held up? A look at the set list from their kickoff concert in L.A. gives evidence:
So what do you think are their most underrated songs? Give us your comments here and we'll add them to this post. Thanks for stopping by Monahan's Song of the Week!
How bout "Dear Doctor", "Country Honk", "Short and Curlies" & "The Spider and the Fly"
ReplyDeleteOh, and 'Time is on My Side'....though Wild Horses is my fave.
ReplyDelete"Sway" is one of my all time favorite Rolling Stones and I think it's very underrated. "Torn and Frayed","Let It Loose", "All Down The Line" and "Shine A Light" are also all great cuts on Exile. Past 1978, I'd say "Let Me Go","Tops", "All The Way Down","One Hit (To The Body)","Almost Hear You Sigh","The Worst","Saint of Me" and "Oh No, Not You Again" are all fantastic tracks.
ReplyDelete