Song List

After a shaky eighties (a decade often fraught with palpable tension between the Glimmer Twins), the Stones soldiered on, mounting massive world tours and releasing three albums during the following 19 years. Those records (1994’s Voodoo Lounge, 1997’s Bridges to Babylon and 2005’s A Bigger Bang) found the band settling into a more comfortable groove, and more often than not, recapturing the glory of their heyday. Despite the overall artistic successes of these recordings, history (what little there’s been) has largely overlooked the albums, perhaps as a result of several high profile and well received tours. For those of you who might have written the Stones off after the embarrassing Dirty Work in 1986, I now present (in no particular order) 10 charming reasons to revisit the recent catalog.

“Thru and Thru”

from Voodoo Lounge

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This slow-burner from Voodoo Lounge is pure Keith Richards, highlighted by his ragged delivery and in-your-face lyrics that don’t mince words. A poet he aint, but hearing Richards deliver the lines “…now I got those fucking blues/I got those awesome blues/Babe I got those nothing blues” is somehow exhilarating. The song was featured prominently in the Soprano’s episode. Funhouse, quite apropos given the cinematic nature of the track.

“Sweet Neo Con”

from A Bigger Bang

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It’s not surprising that this tune garnered some attention when it was released back in 2005. Jagger is all piss and vinegar as he lashes out at the Bush Administration. “You call yourself a Christian/I think that you’re a hypocrite/You say you are a patriot/I think that you’re a crock of shit.” Again, not the most elegant of attacks, but layered on top of some crunching guitar riffs and muscular drumming from Charlie Watts, the song works. Not to mention, it sure is nice to find the Stones getting political again. After all, the band is responsible for one of the most haunting political anthems of the 1960s with “Street Fighting Man.”

“How Can I Stop”

from Bridges to Babylon

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Another great Keith Richards tune, “How Can I Stop” is a gospel-inflected ballad that features a simmering saxophone solo from jazz legend Wayne Shorter and a chorus of background vocals that elevate the proceedings beyond a standard blues number. Once again, Richards’ unpolished, almost amateurish vocal delivery comes across as an asset. It’s as if he’s forced to sing by some primal urge that boils up inside of him. Let’s hope that urge persists.

“Streets of Love”

from A Bigger Bang

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Are you starting to see a trend here? Well, we’re four songs in and three of them are ballads, including the rather straightforward, but oddly charming “Streets of Love.” It’s a modern rock song if I ever heard one, replete with falsetto vocals, string-laden bridges and a bombastic chorus that would fit nicely in a Hollywood drama. Indeed, “Streets of Love” is one of the rare Stones’ tracks that was actually licensed for commercial use and it’s easy to see why. It oozes with emotion and sentimentality, but still somehow triumphs.

“Sweethearts Together”

from Voodoo Lounge

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The vitriol found in so many Jagger/Richards songs is nowhere to be found in this unusually sugary number from Voodoo Lounge. The lyrics are your typical ode-to-a-lover fare, but the musical accompaniment is a Frankenstein of 1950s pop, Tex-Mex border music, and island Calypso. Tejano superstar Flaco Jimenez’s signature accordion sound, the island lilt underpinning, fleshed out by some steel guitar from Richards, and a vocal turn from Jagger that’s clearly an homage to do-wop, collide to create a light, shuffling charmer that evokes a warm, breezy Caribbean evening sipping pina coladas with friends.

“Already Over Me”

from Bridges to Babylon

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A woman gets the best of Mick in this heart-on-the-sleeve ballad. “You’re so cold/You’re so cruel/I’m your man/Not your fool.” Ouch! This woman really did a number on the man. Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards help their mate with some solid guitar work, as well as a sprinkling of dobro. “Already Over Me” covers familiar territory, but does it well.

“Rain Fall Down”

from A Bigger Bang

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This track was released in 2005? With its disco groove and a fetching vocal turn by Jagger you’d think this was an outtake from Some Girls. Even though the core band members were all over 60 when this was laid to tape, they sound as spry, funky, and feisty as they did circa ‘78. Perhaps my favorite Stones track since “Hang Fire,” and that’s saying something.

“Looked What the Cat Dragged In”

from A Bigger Bang

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With an opening guitar riff reminiscent of INXS’s “Need You Tonight,” “Looked What the Cat Dragged In” is a hard-charging rocker that finds the Stones bristling with the raw energy of their classic 1970s output, albeit with a bit of funk thrown in for good measure. Richards turns in a wonderful guitar solo and Charlie Watts’ drumming is kicked up a notch with some furious percussion courtesy of Lenny Castro. Overall, one of the stronger tracks on one of the Stones’ strongest albums since Tattoo You.

“The Worst”

from Voodoo Lounge

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The Stones love affair with country music is well documented, both on record (”Dead Flowers,” “Dear Doctor”) and by the fact that Keith Richards paled around with country rock king, Gram Parsons, among others. The band revisits the genre with grace and aplomb on the sublime “The Worst.” Ronnie Wood provides some weepy pedal steel while Richards gives a typically understated vocal turn, joined in perfect harmony by Jagger on the choruses. This is The Glimmer Twins perfectly locked in, reminding everyone why they made such a powerful team for the better part of 40 years.

“Laugh, I Nearly Died”

from A Bigger Bang

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All of Mick’s many vocal styles are on display here – breathy, stuttering lines, falsetto highs, overarticulated, drawn out words and confident one-liners about traveling far and wide in search of a purpose and some grounding. Indeed, it’s a theme that the megastar has revisited often, and judging from the passionate performance on this track, his never-ending quest is likely to continue: “I’ve been to Africa, looking for my soul/And I feel like an actor looking for a role/I’ve been in Arabia, I’ve seen a million stars/Been sipping champagne on the boulevards.”

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