Monday, April 27, 2009

Charlie's Good Tonight, Isn't He?

From 1971, please enjoy pretty much my all-time favorite Rolling Stones cover of a Chuck Berry song -- a fabulous live version of "Let It Rock."


This was the b-side of the Brit EP version of "Brown Sugar"; it also appeared on the Spanish LP version (pictured above) of Sticky Fingers, where it replaced "Sister Morphine" because the still dead Francisco Franco didn't like drug songs. The irony, obviously, is that he had problems with the ambiguously gay zipper cover (as seen in the rest of the world) as well. And yet none with the truly icky severed members graphic that replaced it.

As Mick famously observed in an earlier Rolling Stone interview -- censorship is weird.

In any case, you can download it HERE. As always, if the authorization has expired by the time you get to it, just e-mail me blah blah blah.

8 comments:

steve simels said...

Note to self: I personally couldn't download a song from a blog like this without leaving a comment, but apparently that's just my personal ethical constraint.
:-)

Noam Sane said...

I didn't download it, 'cause I already have it. But I'll leave a comment to balance things out.

Donald Fagen closed the show on his solo tour a couple of years back with a kickass version of "Viva Rock & Roll".

Email me if you want a copy. ana1ana2 at yah00 dot com

There, how's that?

Noam Sane said...

P.S. - I just Googled it, and Generalisimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

steve simels said...

Noam --

Just e-mailed you, and thanks!

jeff said...

I have the Spanish LP, and also once had a dimly-recorded bootleg LP of the entire concert, or most of it anyway, titled Live at Leeds. The existence of the latter long kept me hoping there'd be an official release one day, but maybe there's too much red tape involved for that ever to happen.

I did download the Alex Harvey track, for which a belated thank you. My assessment coincided with Mr. Sane's, however, so comment seemed unnecessary.

steves said...

Er...guilty as charged. But I downloaded it for future reference...and the future is now.

That is a totally kickass version, and you have to give it to the Stones: They know what the Generalismo likes.

Anonymous said...

Does the Stone's "Route 66" count as a Chuck Berry cover version? If it does, I vote for that as best ever, if not I totally agree with you as to this being the Stones all time great Chuck Berry cover.

ROTP(lumber)

The original studio version of "Around & Around" on 12X5 is fucking great too.

steve simels said...

Route 66 definitely counts, but last week I thought this was the best.

I'll probably change my mind some time later tonight...