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In this thread I rank my favorite Rolling Stones songs: 204-1: Four Musketeers Get Their Ya-Yas Out (1 Viewer)

148. Mannish Boy

Year: 1980

US Album: Sucking in the Seventies

Songwriter: Muddy Waters/Mel London/Bo Diddley

“If you wanna dance with Billy on the piano, you can”

I’m not inclined to include live versions of songs on this list for a few reasons, but this is the only version of this song and is a well known part in their catalogue.

This is just raw blues right down to one of the most famous blues riffs known.
:thumbup:

This is the very first song I remember as a child. I'm not sure who's version I first heard, but it don't really matter to me.

144. Lady Jane

Year: 1966

US Album: Aftermath

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“Oh my sweet Marie, I wait at your eaves
The sands have run out for your lady and me”


This song showcases Brian Jones’ instrumental incorporation of baroque rock, an early innovation by Jones and the Stones. Jones’s plays the dulcimer which along with Jack Nitzsche on harpsichord are the main instruments in the track. There is no bass or drums on this song and hence no Bill or Charlie.

"Lady Jane" is said to exhibit influences of author Geoffry Chaucer, particularly in Jagger's vocal delivery and diction. Richards stated, "Lady Jane is very Elizabethan. There are a few places in England where people still speak that way, Chaucer English".
♥️ this. The atmosphere is just incredible- thanks to all the things you point out. I especially like the Chaucer comparison.

 
140. Ventilator Blues

Year: 1972

US Album: Exile on Main St.

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards/Taylor

139. Casino Boogie

Year: 1972

US Album: Exile on Main St.

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

Two deep tracks from the “Exile on Main St.” record come up next.

Ventilator Blues marks one of the few times guitarist Mick Taylor was given credit (something that as previously mentioned would eventually lead to his exit from the band) alongside regular Stones scribes Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, even though the exact amount of Taylor’s input remains unknown. The song features Keith Richards on electric slide guitar, electric and acoustic guitar, Taylor on lead guitar during the outro, Mick Jagger on vocals, Bill Wyman on bass, Charlie Watts on drums, Nicky Hopkins on piano, and Bobby Keys and Jim Price on saxophone and trumpet respectively.

Mick and Keith share lead vocals duet style on “Casino Boogies”. The legend of this song is that struggling to write lyrics for the song, Jagger wrote small, random phrases on torn pieces of paper. These were mixed up and then picked out one-by-one by the band members. The order of the lyrics on the record is the same order in which they were picked. Its opening riff is never revisited through the rest of the song. After the last verse, the instrumental outro features a lengthy guitar solo from Mick Taylor till the fade out.

 
140. Ventilator Blues

Year: 1972

US Album: Exile on Main St.

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards/Taylor

139. Casino Boogie

Year: 1972

US Album: Exile on Main St.

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

Two deep tracks from the “Exile on Main St.” record come up next.

Ventilator Blues marks one of the few times guitarist Mick Taylor was given credit (something that as previously mentioned would eventually lead to his exit from the band) alongside regular Stones scribes Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, even though the exact amount of Taylor’s input remains unknown. The song features Keith Richards on electric slide guitar, electric and acoustic guitar, Taylor on lead guitar during the outro, Mick Jagger on vocals, Bill Wyman on bass, Charlie Watts on drums, Nicky Hopkins on piano, and Bobby Keys and Jim Price on saxophone and trumpet respectively.

Mick and Keith share lead vocals duet style on “Casino Boogies”. The legend of this song is that struggling to write lyrics for the song, Jagger wrote small, random phrases on torn pieces of paper. These were mixed up and then picked out one-by-one by the band members. The order of the lyrics on the record is the same order in which they were picked. Its opening riff is never revisited through the rest of the song. After the last verse, the instrumental outro features a lengthy guitar solo from Mick Taylor till the fade out.
get thee behind that couch, boyo

 
138. Dance Pt. 1

Year: 1980

US Album: Emotional rescue

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards/Wood

Such an infectious groove with a crazy funky bass-line. Seems perfectly suited for a cocaine infested dance club, with it’s latin beat, funky horns, and Mick’s full lipped delivery spouting out some pretty deep lyrics for a dance number:

“Poor man eyes a rich man
Denigrates his property
A rich man eyes a poor man
And envies his simplicity”


 
137. Hide Your Love

Year: 1973

US Album: Goats Head Soup

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“Oh, been a sick man, I wanna cry
Lord, I'm a drunk man, but now I'm dry
Why do you hide, why do you hide your love?”


Mick Jagger impresses on the honky-tonk piano in this one while over enunciating the lyrics (which should turn some off). The other Mick offers some nice solos on his guitar while Keith plunks the bass.

From Songfacts:

"Mick Jagger was playing piano between sessions when engineer Andy Johns encouraged him to record what he was working on, and that became the basic track. The Stones recorded the song in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, at De Doelen, a concert hall rather than a studio proper."
This is one of the many Mick Taylor showcases from this era – to me he was by far the best guitarist the band ever had and added a whole new element to their music, extended jams.

I like the claps at the end – guess there were one or two people observing the recording on the concert hall.

 
136. Who's Driving Your Plane?

Year: 1966

US Album: Singles Collection: The London Years

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“It was your father who trained you and your mother who brained you
To be so useless and shy
But I just replaced them and tried not to break them
Because you could stand up if you tried
And I wanna see your face when your knees and your legs
Are just gonna break down and die”


An original blues recording from their early years that was only available as a B side until it started showing up on compilation records. There’s not a lot of information available about who is on the record but if I had to guess it’s Keith on the leads and Brian on slide with Ian Stewart banging the ivories.

 
137. Hide Your Love

Year: 1973

US Album: Goats Head Soup

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards
Was gonna make this point closer to the end but, what the hell, this song illustrates it good as any. The Beatles may have been better, but the Stones were greater because rock & roll was a revolution and the while Beatles, with their imagination & perfection, showed us how it could be, Rolling Stones showed us how it's done. You, ya li'l punk, you do it, you do it hard, you do it real, you do it now. You got a riff, you got a notion, you got the feel? Pound it out, kill 'em dead, take no prisnas, mofo, RIGHT ####IN NOW! That's it , baby - you got the silver, you got the gold, you got the diamonds from the mine, that's ALL RIGHT! It's Rock & Roll and i like it -

136. Who's Driving Your Plane?

Year: 1966

US Album: Singles Collection: The London Years

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“It was your father who trained you and your mother who brained you
To be so useless and shy

But I just replaced them and tried not to break them
Because you could stand up if you tried
And I wanna see your face when your knees and your legs
Are just gonna break down and die”


An original blues recording from their early years that was only available as a B side until it started showing up on compilation records. There’s not a lot of information available about who is on the record but if I had to guess it’s Keith on the leads and Brian on slide with Ian Stewart banging the ivories.
That is a serious great couplet for a coupla young bucks

 
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135. Slipping Away

Year: 1989

US Album: Steel Wheels

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

134. Thru and Thru

Year: 1994

US Album: Voodoo Lounge

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

These two songs follow the pattern of most post-1985 Keith songs. Slow ballads which are talk-sung in the verses and sing-songy repetitive chants as choruses.

There’s a nice brass section on Slipping away and some stellar bass work by Bill. It’s a beautiful if uninspired song. Mick does a bang up job injecting a vocal bridge in the middle.

Thru and Thru, which may be best known for ending season 2 of the Sopranos, has a nice payoff after a slow start.

 
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138. Dance Pt. 1

Year: 1980

US Album: Emotional rescue

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards/Wood

Such an infectious groove with a crazy funky bass-line. Seems perfectly suited for a cocaine infested dance club, with it’s latin beat, funky horns, and Mick’s full lipped delivery spouting out some pretty deep lyrics for a dance number:

“Poor man eyes a rich man
Denigrates his property
A rich man eyes a poor man
And envies his simplicity”
Get up, get out, get into something new
Get up, get out, into something new
Ooh and it's got me moving (got me moving honey)
Ooh and it's got me moving
Ooh and it's got me moving
Ooh and it's got me moving


Yeah - this smokes.

137. Hide Your Love

Year: 1973

US Album: Goats Head Soup

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“Oh, been a sick man, I wanna cry
Lord, I'm a drunk man, but now I'm dry
Why do you hide, why do you hide your love?”
Oh, babe, I'm reachin', reachin' high
Oh, yeah, I'm fallin' out of the sky


Great imagery for me.

Rolling nicely, Dr. O

 


134. Thru and Thru

Year: 1994

US Album: Voodoo Lounge

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards
Well, unlike all the other Keeftunes, i actually hoped this would be higher. Top 100 if not Top 50 for me. He knocks it out of the park here.

I am a British Invasion Stones fan. A Stones-Cream-LedZep-Aerosmith-GnR-line Stones fan. I am decidedly NOT a Stones-GramParsons-TownesVanZant-SteveEarle-line fan. I guess that's the best way to put it without spotlighting songs yet to be counted down. I don't mind the alleycat songs, the mock country, the music that drawls the same way British actors like doing Southern accents songs, i just never choose it. It's behind the blues resurrections, behind Jonesy Gothic, even behind MickSpew and certainly waywaywaywayway behind the NorthLondon/mods&rockers/steal-your-sister-n-kick-u-in-the-teeth/git-yer-yayas-out perfect chopping of rock riffs & syllables. So i generally dont care for Keeftunes. Least of all, matter of fact - strictly solo-album dreck.

Except Thru and Thru. It ain't a Stones song, to be sure, but it knocks over the junkie nod and gets to da Keef i met a couple times - bright & heartful & incredibly genuine. And it's a great song, one of two Stones #s i have arrangements for. I'll talk about the Ruby Tuesday arrangement when it comes up, but i have a Phil Spector/Amy Winehouse arrangement for this'n that i've tried to work out w my bff's weekend band, who usually indulge me at rehearsals i sit in on, but think its too much work for a song they cant play at gigs. Cuz this is really a BIG song, it's small in Keef's hands because he finally reaches his heart w a compostion but, technically, it's a big song and i wanna hear it that big. Someday, after i bury the peeps, perhaps....

 
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Well, unlike all the other Keeftunes, i actually hoped this would be higher. Top 100 if not Top 50 for me. He knocks it out of the park here.

I am a British Invasion Stones fan. A Stones-Cream-LedZep-Aerosmith-GnR-line Stones fan. I am decidedly NOT a Stones-GramParsons-TownesVanZant-SteveEarle-line fan. I guess that's the best way to put it without spotlighting songs yet to be counted down. I don't mind the alleycat songs, the mock country, the music that drawls the same way British actors like doing Southern accents songs, i just never choose it. It's behind the blues resurrections, behind Jonesy Gothic, even behind MickSpew and certainly waywaywaywayway behind the NorthLondon/mods&rockers/steal-your-sister-n-kick-u-in-the-teeth/git-yer-yayas-out perfect chopping of rock riffs & syllables. So i generally dont care for Keeftunes. Least of all, matter of fact - strictly solo-album dreck.
Lester Bangs can eat a bag o'Richards (<---- not Keef, mind you) this is top shelf #### - never saw a better flesh out of their styles/eras/predilections- i drink with you, good sir  :banned:

 
133. My Girl

Year: 1967

US Album: Flowers

Songwriter: Smokey Robinson/Ronald White

132. Under the Boardwalk

Year: 1964

US Album: 12X5

Songwriter: Kenny Young/Arthur Rednick

A couple of R&B classics done really well. Neither of these songs are groundbreaking musically but they’re basically a showcase for Mick who delivers.

 
131. My Obsession

Year: 1967

US Album: Between the Buttons

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“My obsession
Your possessions
Every piece that I can get
My obsessions are
Your possessions
My mouth is soaking wet
I think I blew it now, confession


Can't dodge it, it's simple logic
You'd be better off with me and you'll know it
When you lost it, lonely”


It’s a Charlie and Bill Showcase!!

I mentioned earlier how Brian had almost completely abandoned the guitar by this point. He only plays it on one song on this record. This is the only song where he does not play at all however.

If you can believe YouTube comments (and I don’t want to live in a world where you can’t) this is Brian Wilson’s favorite Rolling Stones song. There is a lot going on sonically so I can buy that.

 
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131. My Obsession

Year: 1967

US Album: Between the Buttons

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“My obsession
Your possessions
Every piece that I can get
My obsessions are
Your possessions
My mouth is soaking wet
I think I blew it now, confession


Can't dodge it, it's simple logic
You'd be better off with me and you'll know it
When you lost it, lonely”


It’s a Charlie and Bill Showcase!!

I mentioned earlier how Brian had almost completely abandoned the guitar by this point. He only plays it on one song on this record. This is the only song where he does not play at all however.

If you can believe YouTube comments (and I don’t want to live in a world where you can’t) this is Brian Wilson’s favorite Rolling Stones song. There is a lot going on sonically so I can buy that.
I knew it was time for lunch when I heard this:

My obsession 
Your possessions 
Every piece that I can get 
My obsessions are 
Your possessions 
My mouth is soaking wet 
I think I need it now, confections


Although, @Henry Ford's cake thread  may have primed my pump.

Good song too.

 
130. Walking the Dog

Year: 1964

US Album: England’s Newest Hitmakers

Songwriter: Rufus Thomas

This song features the most prominent Brian Jones vocals you will hear as he's the sole backing vocalist to Mick on this one. Keith takes the lead on this one while Bill and Charlie provide their customary back-beat.

 
129. Around and Around

Year: 1964

US Album: 12x5

Songwriter: Chuck Berry

Ian Stewart is the key to this Chuck Berry cover giving it the boogie woogie feel it needs. Otherwise a pretty straight forward cover of the artist that was arguably their biggest influence, Marvin Berry’s cousin Chuck.

 
130. Walking the Dog

Year: 1964

US Album: England’s Newest Hitmakers

Songwriter: Rufus Thomas

This song features the most prominent Brian Jones vocals you will hear as he's the sole backing vocalist to Mick on this one. Keith takes the lead on this one while Bill and Charlie provide their customary back-beat.
it's a JONESY vox showcase!!!

:wub:

would be remiss if i didn't chuck a favorite version of this up in here ... courtesy of the Necros some 20 yrs later.

ETA: bonus points if one can name the Sweet song the boys jam on the intro  :coffee:

 
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130. Walking the Dog

Year: 1964

US Album: England’s Newest Hitmakers

Songwriter: Rufus Thomas

This song features the most prominent Brian Jones vocals you will hear as he's the sole backing vocalist to Mick on this one. Keith takes the lead on this one while Bill and Charlie provide their customary back-beat.
I jumped so high, touched the skies 
Didn't get back 'til a quarter to five


That's high!

 
128. Goin' Home

Year: 1966

US Album: Aftermath

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“When you're three thousand miles away
I just never sleep the same
If I packed my things right now
I could be home in seven hours”


“Goin' Home" is a long blues-inspired track that is notable as one of the first songs by a rock and roll band to break the ten-minute mark and the longest recorded song on any Stones album.

It was orginally conceived as a typical 2-3 minute rock song but according to Keith the engineer just kept the tape rolling while he played guitar, Brian played harmonica, Bill played bass, Charlie played drums, Ian played piano and Jack Nitzsche played tambourine and maracas – Mick improvised more lyrics. It’s about 8 minutes of a slow improvisational jam.

 
127. Yesterday's Papers

Year: 1967

US Album: Between the Buttons

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“Living a life of constant change
Every day means the turn of a page
Yesterdays papers are such bad news
Same thing applies to me and you”


In the song, Brian Jones's vibraphone and Jack Nitzsche's harpsichord are prominent: Keith Richards plays a distorted guitar with Charlie Watts on drums and Bill Wyman on bass.

It’s a haunting song and the first song written exclusively by Mick Jagger (like Lennon/McCartney there was an agreement that any song written by Mick or Keith would be a Jagger/Richards composition). It is supposedly written about Mick’s ex-girlfriend Chrissie Shrimpton and suggests that just like yesterday’s (news)papers women could be discarded as well.

 
130. Walking the Dog

Year: 1964

US Album: England’s Newest Hitmakers

Songwriter: Rufus Thomas

This song features the most prominent Brian Jones vocals you will hear as he's the sole backing vocalist to Mick on this one. Keith takes the lead on this one while Bill and Charlie provide their customary back-beat.
My only band - as i recounted earlier, me & my cheesy Farfisa joined a kid band just in time for my voice to change and me to prove i couldnt play a whole song without a mistake - practiced this song but the guitar player couldnt play that little flourish figure (i think it's the same one as the bleddleedee in Around & Around) and just chorded it. i was like 'what's the point?' and harshin' the hell out o him and everybody was 'give him a break' so i shut up but then, when we practiced "Runaway" next i only played the chords during that beautiful li'l solo, sayin 'that's what he did, why should i?'. Ah, youth!

 
130. Walking the Dog

Year: 1964

US Album: England’s Newest Hitmakers

Songwriter: Rufus Thomas

This song features the most prominent Brian Jones vocals you will hear as he's the sole backing vocalist to Mick on this one. Keith takes the lead on this one while Bill and Charlie provide their customary back-beat.
Call me crazy, but I think Aerosmith did an even better version of this.

 
126. All About You

Year: 1980

US Album: Emotional Rescue

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“Tell me those lies
Let me think they're true
I heard one or two, and they weren't about me, they weren't about her
They're all about you”


Credited to the writing team of Mick Jagger and Richards, "All About You" is solely the work of Richards. The song is a slow bittersweet ballad that has been interpreted as a final comment on the Anita Pallenberg romance that began in 1967 and ended in 1979 when Richards met his future wife model Patti Hansen. This ain’t no love song.

 
128. Goin' Home

Year: 1966

US Album: Aftermath

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards
This made it into the vernacular like "Talkin' bout you" did for dealin w girls. If you were on the ballfield and the playin was played, i'd sing out "i dont wanna see the world, i'd rather see my girl, i'm goin home" and evvybody who also wanted to quit would join in and, if we got a quorum, that's game and we'd all sing "yes, i am" leaving the field

couchmeat

this too. watch yourself, D'Artagnan!

 
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Your subtitle has quelled my need for honor, good sir, but best watcheth onethelf.....i thaid........i said "betht........i said, best watheth..........nm

 
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165. Dear Doctor

Year: 1968

US Album: Beggars Banquet

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“I was tremblin, as I put on my jacket
 It had creases as sharp as a knife
I put the ring in my pocket, but there was a note
And my heart it jumped into my mouth

It read, ‘Darlin', I'm sorry to hurt you
But I have no courage to speak to your face
But I'm down in Virginia with your cousin Lou
There be no wedding today’”


I realize this country blues tune is likely not for everyone but it cracks me up and even beyond that there’s a lot to like. Keith’s backing vocals and acoustic guitar are fantastic. The whole song is acoustic including the upright bass Bill plays.

The song is about a guy getting all liquored up on his wedding day as he would prefer not to marry the “bow legged sow” he’s engaged to. Relief comes when he finds out she’s a no-show at the wedding because she’s gone away with the hero’s cousin Lou.

I’m sure there will be a few people not so impressed with Mick’s imitation of the bride – but that always cracked me up so it beats out a few songs that are objectively better.
Love this.  (Yes, I'm catching up on 2+ weeks' worth but promise not to Hipple much.)  It's cracking me up.  

 
167. Hang Fire

Year: 1981

US Album: Tattoo You

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards
I'm starting to get why people younger than me have no special affection for the Stones. If the mugging, self-congratulatory, twitchy oldsters in the vids are the reference point and those werent the very same people who taught you how to rock in the first place, yeah, i get that. Good song, craftily done but really, get over yourselves
It's so interesting to me that you posted this.  I clicked on that video and instantly was hit with what I thought of as a form of PTSD.  Not trying to minimize the real PTSD, but just describing my visceral reaction.  But I realized right away that these videos were just about my first introduction to the Stones, and I found them so troubling and creepy as a youngster.  I have the same reaction to Start Me Up and the associated video.  I can't even gauge whether these are good songs, because I have such a strong negative reaction.  Probably best for me not to analyze why too much, but I think it explains some of my feelings toward the band, and you are spot on in this regard.

I'm finding quite a few I like in the thread and really appreciate Dr.'s time on this, but I don't think I could ever enjoy these particular songs.

 
164. Good Times

Year: 1965

US Album: Out of Our Heads

Songwriter: Sam Cooke

A pretty straight cover of the Sam Cooke classic. I probably should have had this one a bit lower (higher?) on the list since it does nothing to better Cooke’s version but is a nice mellow change of pace for the Stones and features some nice bass work from Bill. Mick does not embarrass himself here but of course he can’t match Cooke on the vocals.
Obviously no Sam Cooke, but he doesn't try to be, and actually I quite like his vocal on this one.

 
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