Rolling Stones Single-By-Single Thread

Get Off of My Cloud
This is a great classic Rolling Stones song, and a worthy successor to “Satisfaction.” I actually like it more than “Satisfaction,” personally. It’s the loud, cacophonous early Stones at their absolute best.

I’m Free
I think this song is interesting, because it is one of the earlier expressions of the Stones’ interest in pop. It’s not quite as pop-based as the singles that would follow, but it’s a step in that direction.

The Singer Not The Song
I like this song, but not as much as some of the other stuff they were doing during this era. It’s pretty good melodically, but the vocals aren’t very good. I think this was another attempt at moving in a pop direction, as it’s not nearly as raw or as twangy as their previous songs were.

 

In between the original demo (below), and Marianne Faithfull's version, the song went through some significant changes. First of all, they got rid of the D7 chord that keeps popping up on the word "By" (technically, II7). Secondly, they completely jettisoned the second verse. Realizing that this was a cut above everything else they'd composed in the kitchen session, perhaps they didn't want any bum-rhymes like "Alone/Home" in it. Finally, they moved it from the key of C to the key of G, because it was a better key for Marianne Faithfull. Frankly, I think they should've moved it back down to C when they recorded it themselves a year and a half later. I like hearing Mick not having to strain to reach the notes on the "I Sit And Watch" part.

 

Italian version

 

An interesting fact about the B-side is that lyrically, it has a similar theme to this give-away tune which came out at around the same time. This was Mick & Keith's 3rd waltz ("Good Times Bad Times" and "Heart Of Stone" being the first two). While the Beatles might never have recorded a Jagger & Richards tune, at least Andrew was somehow able to convince one of Lennon's childhood friends to do so:

 

As Tears Go By - This was originally titled as Time Goes By. They released an Italian version of the song backed with Heart of Stone. The photo is pictured above. Personally I always thought it was bit twee and never cared much for it. They performed it live on the Bigger Bang Tour. It wouldn't have bothered me if it was omitted from Hot Rocks and replaced with another charting single.

Gotta Get Away - This is a soul influenced number that I like better than the a-side.

 

Is that a harpsichord I hear? If so, who played it? This version definitely has a baroque feel to it not present in the English language original. This is an interesting curiosity.

 

I heard Marianne Faithfull's version of "As Tears Go By" before I heard the Stones' own take, but I didn't know it at the time. The original version received some legacy airplay on easy-listening stations in the late 1960s, so I definitely heard it that far back. With few exceptions, I didn't know what the songs I was hearing then were called, and the idea that I could go to a store and buy them was foreign to me at that age.

When I first heard Hot Rocks, and "As Tears Go By" came on, I recognized the melody and the first line immediately, but it was in a different key than the rendition I remembered, and it was sung by a male, too. I'm not sure when I figured out who the artist was on the Faithfull version, but I now have both songs on 45s. Though I like what the Stones did with it, I prefer the original. Even at age 17, Faithfull had a world-weary voice that gave a feeling of resignation. And I love that oboe!

Even though the Stones' version of "As Tears Go By" was evidently released as a single because some radio stations picked up on it, listeners must have found it quite a switch from their prior two hits. But in 1965, both radio and its audience were more open to this kind of radical change of pace than either would be later on.

Oddly, though "Get Off of My Cloud" doesn't seem to exist with the white "LONDON" logo, "As Tears Go By" does. Evidently, one pressing plant still had blanks with that short-lived label design, and rather than throw them out, it used them, thus creating a rare variation. The 45 was in print into the mid-1980s at least, but the credit mentioning that both sides came from December's Children still listed both the mono and stereo catalog numbers, though the mono version had been deleted in 1968.

The picture sleeve is about a 6 on the 1-10 rarity scale.

 

As Tears Go By
I always go back and forth on this song. It has a good melody, but it’s also painfully saccharine and the lyrics are not good IMO. It’s an ok song, but it’s not really a Rolling Stones song. This is coming from someone who likes Their Satanic Majesties Request and all the singles from that era.

Gotta Get Away
I like this song more than the A-Side. It’s a solid song for that era of The Rolling Stones. The playing is good, and I like the way Mick Jagger alternates between his rock voice and the higher, cleaner tone he began using during their pop phase.

 

As Tears Go By

Lovely melody and string section. Mick sounds really nice here. Not much else to say other than it's a lovely song.

Gotta Get Away

The guitar lick sounds like a slower version of "Get Off of My Cloud". Pleasant little throwaway.

 

Not much of a fan of either of these tracks, but I think it's pretty cool Mick has sang the Italian version of Tears live!

 

Gotta Get Away. I associate this song with being an album cut from December's Children, not having purchased the single. It's a very good song. I think the production on it, the tonal palette, is excellent.

Lots of great B sides in this period.

 

I suppose one could make a party game out of comparing and contrasting Lennon Remembers and The Playboy Interviews but again I digress.

 

I was never keen on "As Tears Go By". It sounded like too much of a conserted effort to do their own "Yesterday". I don't think that following The Beatles line really suited them (although the later Satanic Majesties album was wonderful).

 

Gotta Get Away is one of those Stones tunes I wasn't aware of until the singles collection came out. It was one of a handful of previously undiscovered (by me) songs that I still dig to this day.

Was never much of a fan of As Tears Go By. Worked better for Marianne Faithful than as a Stones song.

 

Rats. I thought I had a pretty good Stones picture sleeve collection but after looking at this website, I didn't do too well back in the day.
I missed 14 of them.

Rolling Stones Picture Sleeves

Here's mine:

 

I'm not a fan of Tears but it is superior to Yesterday, especially the lyrics. It fits in with the previous singles, whereas McCartney just sounds maudlin.

 

These look to be in great condition! I don't have any Stones 45s in my collection at all, just LPs. The 7" collection I got from my parents was pretty pitiful. I do have two copies of "Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron."

 

I think it was Oldham who came up with the title change to "Tears". He gets credit as co author from me, just for that. Loog rocks.

 

Sure, try to out hip me.

Er,.... do they have picture sleeves ?

 

One of my books says the Italian version has a different backing track and Mike Leander played the harpsichord.

 

Yes, it's totally different from the English one. I don't know who played the harpsichord.
I don't like the Italian version, mainly because I dislike bands in the 60s re-recording songs in other languages.
I love the Italian language though and even took a couple of courses in it.

 

The other language doesn't bother me, I just don't think the song is that great.

I actually dig some of the Japanese, South American, Mexican and Spanish bands covering 60's hits. Some of the covers are wilder than the originals.

 

This thread is running at a good clip. I was looking for the quote on "I'm Free" from Stanley Booth's book. Seems he comes back to his problem with this song in the Stones' live shows more than once, here's a good bit:

Stanley Booth - True Adventures of the Rolling Stones - Deuce of Clubs Book Club

 

I would like to have heard the Ramones do As Tears Go By.

 

I grew up with the standard history that the Stones had a better year than the Beatles for 1965. 3 great singles that year (in the UK) starting with The Last Time. I knew the song I'm Free early on and can only assume it was because it got a lot of radio play. One of my favourite Stones songs and recordings. The Number 2 album was also a really big seller in the UK and I still cannot believe this album can only be bought in a box set (which is better than nothing as it disappeared for many years).