The Three Best Songs By The Rolling Stones
Lately, Fusion 45 has been treated a little bit like a young tree in the corner of the backyard. Now going on 3 years old, it’s somewhat mature and strong but not yet ready to be left alone. Unfortunately, the bushes on the other side of the yard — i.e., my new job, the kid’s all-star baseball games, etc. — have taken up too much of my attention. So, today I’m back to “water the tree.” as it were, with a bold statement about the best songs by the Rolling Stones.
Even though much video of the Stones has been captured over the years, it wasn’t until Waiting On A Friend was plastered all over MTV 1981 that they truly stepped into the video age (though the truly atrocious Start Me Up video could be credited, as well). But it was the far more artsy narrative of Waiting On A Friend that stood. And let’s face it: the slinky, pseudo-reggae groove, the tightly-knit harmonies of Mick and Keef and ripping sax solo from Sonny Rollins — yes, Sonny Rollins! — makes it one of their great ones…certainly one of the best late-era Stones songs.
Sympathy For The Devil, overplayed though it may be, needs to be included on the list of their three best songs, simply because of its iconic place in rock history. Remember that it was released in late 1968, not too long before the Manson murders, perhaps the nadir of what were tumultuous times in our world. As penetrating as it was lyrically, if you look at their live performance of the tune in their movie, Rock And Roll Circus, they were decidedly aloof.
Widely considered one of the Stones great artistic achievements, Let It Bleed was the record that saw Brian Jones fading from the picture, with Mick Taylor edging his way into perspective. Though Midnight Rambler and You Can’t Always Get What You Want are pointed to as the songs indicative of the album’s creative genius, Monkey Man is a melding of the raw blues at the Stones roots, overlaid with the psychedelia of the 1960′s.
These are the three best songs by the Rolling Stones.
Rolling Stones – Waiting On A Friend
Rolling Stones – Sympathy For The Devil
Rolling Stones – Monkey Man
Monkey Man is an inspired choice — what an awesome riff! — but are you sure about the other two? No Street Fighting Man? 19th Nervous Breakdown? Really?
The Stones = classic riffs, and for that reason you need either Satisfaction or Jumpin’ Jack Flash on here.
1. Paint It Black
2. Sympathy For The Devil
3. Jumpin’ Jack Flash
Parachute Woman..
Some Beggars Banquet..Exile On Mainstreet..
It’s almost impossible to call the best three..
Just too many Great Stones Songs in my book..
Real Stones fans have heard (and over heard) the top singles waaay too much. Try listening to some outtakes from Some Girls , like “Do you Think I would ever care” , or “Luxury” from It’s Only Rock n Roll or “Hand of Fate” or “If you can’t Rock me” from Black and Blue. Unbelievable! Give ‘em a listen.
1. Spider and the Fly
2. No Expectations
3. Shattered
Of course, if you ask me tomorrow, I’ll give a you a different answer. Too many good songs by these blokes.
1 Memory Motel
2 Melody
3 Midnight Rambler
Catching up after a tough and busy month . . . I might pull “Monkey Man” and drop in “Wild Horses.” And yeah, like Lost Lemming, I’d have a different thought tomorrow.
1. Monkey Man
2. Loving Cup
3. Sweet Virginia
Too many great songs by the World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band, but here are three to consider:
1. Shattered
2. Shine a Light
3. Monkey Man
Tomorrow it’s:
1. Tumbling Dice
2. Winter
3. Gimme Shelter
Next Day it’s:
1. Moonlight Mile
2. Sister Morphine
3. Child of the Moon
So hard to narrow it to three but mine would be: Gimme Shelter, Honky Tonk Woman and Jumping Jack Flash.
Beast of Burden
Jumpin Jack Flash
Under my Thumb
My wife is 12 years younger than I and we often know bands from different periods. I remember the more innovative, edgier, more robust versions of the band, her experience began with the fall, i.e. The Kinks Low Budget and The Who’s Face Dances. As I look at the Best Three offerings above from other readers I see more examples of songs that came in people’s time frames and so mystify me. It’s like, how can you compare Destroyer to All Day and All of the Night? Or include Shattered or Waiting on a Friend in their best work? Well, it’s your time. The Stones 70s albums, even though patchier later in the decade, are still worthy even to the most critical fan. Of course, Exile on Main Street was a monster and everything that came after could only suffer in comparison. This list really deserves the best three from each guitarist’s period because the were almost certainly a different band with each player. My three times three:
Brian Jones
1) Satisfaction
2) She’s a Rainbow
3) Sympathy for the Devil
MIck Taylor
1) Rocks Off
2) Moonlight Mile
3) Live with Me
Ron Wood
1) Crazy Mama
2) Beast of Burden
3) Too Much Blood