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We counted down the complete Beatles’ catalog, and now we take on their rivals for title of best rock band ever – The Rolling Stones. This time we’re going to break down the band’s 40+ year career in easily digestible chunks. Because Universal will be reissuing the Stones’ studio albums from the seventies, we figured that would be a great place to start. Besides, it was arguably their most fertile decade, at least in terms of variety. Their output ranged from the ragged brilliance of 1971’s Sticky Fingers to the unbridled energy of 1978’s Some Girls. In between we find the sprawling Exile on Main Street, the decadent Goats Head Soup, the fiery It’s Only Rock and Roll and the soulful Black and Blue. Keep in mind, the countdown only includes studio album cuts, no live or unreleased tracks. Check back each day for the next five songs on the list, prepare to hit the message boards to defend your favorites, and follow the countdown all the way to Number 1.

The complete list to date.

The Last Five:

35. “Fingerprint File” (from It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll)

34. “Till the Next Goodbye” (from It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll)

33. “Sweet Black Angel” (from Exile on Main St.)

32. “Hand of Fate” (from Black and Blue)

31. “Rip this Joint” (from Exile on Main St.)

30. “Sister Morphine”

From Sticky Fingers

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Marianne Faithfull is the rare individual able to muscle in on a writing credit on a Rolling Stones’ song. That credit only has been added to recordings in the last 10 years or so, but Faithfull wrote the lyrics and put out her own version of this song, which the Stones recorded themselves back in ’68 but held onto until Sticky Fingers in ’71. (Brian Jones was actually still alive at the time of the recording, but was already drifting far from the band; hence the presence of Ry Cooder, who lends an excellent bottleneck guitar part.

The tale of an accident victim whose need for painkillers is meant to symbolize an everyday addict’s predicament is told perhaps a little too bluntly by Faithfull’s lyrics, with little regard for nuance. Luckily, Jagger picks up the slack in numerous ways.

First of all, his uneasy melody is a marvel of unreleased tension. Second, his vocal perfectly evokes the state of someone in that condition. It alternates being spaced and dreamy with being desperate and addled. It’s a brilliant performance that meshes well with the band’s slow-churning backing to create a harrowing depiction of addiction’s unmerciful pull.

29. “Torn and Frayed”

From Exile on Main St.

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When at a loss for a topic, The Rolling Stones can always turn to their own band for song ideas. After all, who has led more interesting lives than they have? Whether taking veiled jabs at one another (“Mixed Emotions”), self-mythologizing (“Sympathy For The Devil”), or eulogizing (“Shine A Light”), it’s clear that with themselves as inspirations, they can probably go on recording forever without the well running dry.

“Torn And Frayed” is one of the gentler entries in this group, an affectionate portrait of a frazzled guitar player with a coat that has “seen much better days.” Jagger is clearly looking at Keith here, portraying him in all his disheveled glory, chased by his demons but resiliently clinging to his music. His lyrics also details the struggles of the band to get a sound down on the first night of the tour, a revealing bit of vulnerability coming from the world’s biggest rock group.

The hiccuping pedal steel guitar comes courtesy of Al Perkins, who played on Keith’s buddy Gram Parsons’ records. This is a lovely, country-tinged tune that really achieves liftoff toward the end, when Jagger sings over and over “Just as long as the guitars play” while the Stones guitarists and Perkins respond in kind. What better tribute to Keith Richards could you make?

28. “Before They Make Me Run”

From Some Girls

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In 1978, Keith Richards’ future looked uncertain, as he was facing a drug trafficking charge for an arrest in Toronto the previous year. He couldn’t seem to shake the lifestyle that had claimed the life of his good buddy Gram Parsons a few years earlier. That, combined with his legal issues, left his participation with the band a hit-and-miss affair at the time.

All of that meant that Mick Jagger had to do the heavy lifting on the Stones ’78 release Some Girls, but Richards did make time long enough to contribute “Before They Make Me Run,” an enduringly defiant anthem. Keith responds to adversity the only way he knows how: With crunching guitars from himself and Ronnie Wood. No funk or disco allowed here.

He stares into the abyss in the first verse, referencing Parsons’ death (“here’s another goodbye to another good friend”). But the general tone is one of persistence, with Richards insisting on keeping in constant motion so that his travails can’t overtake him. In the end, that stance must have paid off, because he was convicted of a lesser charge and only received probation. If you’re looking for a theme song for the Keith Richards life story someday, “Before They Make Me Run” will serve nicely.

27. “Star Star”

From Goats Head Soup

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With the Stones, you have to pick your battles. I personally dislike “Some Girls” because, as I said in the write-up for that song, it seemed like little more than cheap provocation. But “Star Star,” ironically tucked away at the end of the otherwise restrained Goats Head Soup (it’s as if the Stones couldn’t hold-in their pent-up bad-boy personas anymore and they exploded all over the last song), is such a well-executed piece of ribaldry that it’s hard to deny.

First of all, it’s catchy as hell. That chorus, simple and repetitive as it is, will embed in your brain with extraordinary ease. (Just be careful that you don’t find yourself singing it to yourself in polite company, or else be prepared for horrified reactions.) The Chuck Berry-style guitars and Ian Stewart’s rollicking piano barrel at the listener with abandon. And Jagger sings with a devilish glee that is, against all better judgment, infectious.

Is it a cheap shot at groupies? Yes, it is. Did dragging an aging John Wayne into the sordidness border on tasteless? You betcha. Did we need all of the graphic details? For the sake of authenticity, we probably did. “Star Star” is certainly a take-it-or-leave-it proposition, depending on your taste and your threshold for excess and debauchery. I’m not sure what it says about me that I’ve got it ranked this high, but I know that I’ll make sure to hide from The Duke when I reach the afterlife.

26. “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking?”

From Sticky Fingers

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Also known as The Riff That Launched A Thousand Scorsese Movies. OK, I know that, if you want to get technical, this song off Sticky Fingers was only featured in Casino. But doesn’t it seem like it’s been in every one of Marty’s gangland epics? I mean, when you hear it, can’t you just picture Joe Pesci bludgeoning some guy with a cheese grater?

This was the first time that the Stones were really able to unleash Mick Taylor. For my money, the long instrumental outro, while technically marvelous, doesn’t really set the world on fire. It’s got nice spotlight sections for Taylor, saxophonist Bobby Keys, and conga player Rocky Dijon, but, impressive as it is, to me it’s more admirable than enjoyable, sounding a tad like warmed-over Santana.

It’s a good thing then that the first half of the song is such a powerhouse. That crunching riff ranks way up there on Richards’ oh-so-impressive list, but give credit to the infallibly brilliant rhythm section of Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts for providing the bedrock for all of the guitar pyrotechnics. Jagger gets down in the grime as he propositions his woman; you know he’s got bad intentions on his mind, but you also know she’s going to let him in.

I’ll take that opening blast over the jam session anytime. Time has proven that it’s the perfect soundtrack for running numbers.

The complete list to date.

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