Best Experimental Rolling Stones Songs
By Frank Hamedl on 27 July 2017
"I can't get no Satisfaction"
On July 12th, 2017, The Rolling Stones celebrated their 55th anniversary. Since the 1960's, The Stones earned the title "The Greatest Rock n' Roll Band in the World." However, over their career, they played more than just rock. They originated as a blues band, and have covered many other genres, including country, soul/gospel, disco/dance, hard rock, psychedelia, and experiments with hip-hop and electronica. On this list, we examine the most diverse Rolling Stones songs in their catalog that help make The Stones not just the best rock band, but best band of all time.
(All quotes are from Mick Jagger, unless noted)
"Sometimes you feel like trouble, sometimes you feel down.
But let this music relax your mind"
10. Country Honk - Let it Bleed
Starting off this list, "Country Honk" is easily the most the country song The Stones have ever recorded.
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Listeners can easily mistaken this tune of a Jimmie Rodgers or Hank Williams, or even a 1930's country-western folk tune: "I'm sittin' in a bar, tipplin' a jar in Jackson; And on the street the summer sun it shines." The song is so strange, containing actual car honks (at 00:14 and 3:02), and a stunning fiddle solo. Besides being an extremely experimental Stones song, it was even listed number 3 on our list of Best Rolling Stones Country Songs.
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And if the lyrics sound familiar, its because this song was the original version of the iconic "Honky Tonk Women."
"But I just can't seem to drink you off my mind;
It's the honky tonk women - Gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues"
9. Hold On to Your Hat - Steel Wheels
The late 1980's was a strong period of hard rock for The Rolling Stones during the Steel Wheels phase.
"Hold On to Your Hat" makes listeners want to prepare for this Stones sprint, and shows that Steel Wheels is certainly not Steel Wheelchairs.
"Don't give me no shit, don't give me no crap
... I'm over with ya baby"
8. You Don't Have to Mean It - Bridges to Babylon
"You Don't Have to Mean It" takes listeners on a vacation to a tropical paradise during their 1990's experimental Bridges to Babylon.
It seems Keith has always been a fan of the tropics, as this song also indirectly foreshadowed Keith falling out of a palm tree in Fiji back in 2006 where he fractured his skull and almost died. The Stones sure knows how to vacation!
"Sweet lies - Baby, baby dripping from your lips"
7. Might As Well Get Juiced - Bridges to Babylon
By the 1990's technology began to impact music, and is clearly felt on the keyboard heavy "Might As Well Get Juiced."
While not a masterpiece, "Might As Well Get Juiced" helped The Stones reach another genre of music and one of the coolest song endings featuring a strong bass and Mick taking one giant exhale.
"If you really want to rip up your mind
If you want to take the lid off your life...
The wheels of life are passing you by "
6. Undercover of the Night - Undercover
In the 1980's the music industry changed drastically with the introduction of dance music, and The Stones hopped on the bandwagon.
When rock popularity began to slightly decline due to new styles promoted on MTV, The Stones wanted to reinvent themselves with new forms of music. In the rhythmic and percussion filled "Undercover of the Night," The Stones aim for diversity, blending many genres, including traditional rock, dance, dub/reggae, disco, and new wave.
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This musical style greatly included The Stones at the time, as they released similar songs including the disco inspired "Miss You" and the dance jam "Harlem Shuffle."
"Cuddle up baby, cuddle up tight "
5. Anybody Seen My Baby? - Bridges to Babylon
In the 1990's The Stones experimented with many different forms of music, and most interestingly, hip-hop and R&B.
This song was swarmed by controversy, as some parts seem similar to the song "Constant Craving" by K.D. Lang. However, the song was a huge hit in the late 90s with the music video featuring a young Angelina Jolie. Nonetheless, it was their first and only song to contain the music sampling method, and features a hip-hop rap solo by Biz Markee.
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It is surprising for The Stones, as Keith Richards is not a fan of the genre, and even stated: "Hip-hop leaves me cold," "Rap - so many words, so little said. What rap did that was impressive was to show there are so many tone-deaf people out there. All they need is a drum beat and somebody yelling over it and they;re happy. There's an enormous market for people who can't tell one not from another," and "To make a rock n' roll record, technology is the least important thing."
"Love has gone and made me blind
I've looked but I just can't find"
4. Continental Drift - Steel Wheels
When recorded in 1989,The Stones traveled to Morocco, Africa just to record "Continental Drift" with The Master Musicians of Jajouka.
"Continental Drift" furthers The Stones horizon to world music, and really shows how they are in fact "The Greatest Rock n' Roll Band in the World."
"Love comes at the speed of light
Love comes in a strange disguise"
3. 2000 Light Years From Home-Their Satanic Majesties Request
"2000 Light Years From Home" is a sci-fi psychedelic nightmare through the dark cosmos.
The track features themes of loneliness and space exploration since Mick wrote it while in jail for drug charges. Brian Jones' mellotron provides the epic space vibe, featuring what sounds like the iconic Star Wars character R2-D2 at 2:27. This is ironic as this song was recorded 10 years before the original Star Wars was created. Maybe George Lucas used this song as influence!
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The conclusion of the song features what resembles the horror of a UFO landing and abducting. This is certainly not a song to listen to in the dark!
"It's so very lonely, you're a hundred light years from home"
2. She's a Rainbow - Their Satanic Majesties Request
Another psychedelic trip off Their Satanic Majesties Request, "She's a Rainbow" is easily the most beautiful song produced by The Stones.
Being lead by the infamous Nick Hopkins Piano and Brian Jones mellotron, the track is certainly fun at times, and featuring background 'la-la's' like little children and an awesome out of tune string solo, arranged by Led Zepelin's John Paul Jones.
"She comes in colors everywhere;
She combs her hair, She's like a rainbow"
1. Shine a Light and Let it Loose - Exile on Main St.
Wrapping up this list are two experimental soul and gospel tracks from Exile on Main St - "Shine a Light" and "Let it Loose."
"Shine a Light" and "Let it Loose" prove The Stones have successfully experimented in almost every form of popular music.
"May the good Lord shine a light on you,
Warm like the evening sun."