The Rolling Stones started as a cover band.  Most of their early albums are chock full of blues, RnB, Motown, pop and even country covers- some well-known, many obscure; most of them well chosen.  Once they broke through in America with ‘Satisfaction’ Mick and Keith worked hard at writing more and more original songs.  They released the Aftermath album in 1966, their first album of all original material, and their next two albums (Between the Buttons and Their Satanic Majesties Request) had no covers at all.  Starting again with Beggars Banquet in 1968 and continuing well into the 80’s, their albums consisted mostly of original Jagger-Richards songs and generally one cover per album.  

The early Stones recordings feature the imaginative and visionary musicianship of Brian Jones- his authentic slide guitar parts and outstanding harmonica playing make many of these blues covers entirely valid.  “He plays with a finesse with which few white guitarists have been able to compete.” – (from The Rolling Stones, All The Songs, page 86.)  Duane Allman, Jerry Garcia, Jimi Hendrix, John Fogerty, Alvin Lee and so many other guitarists owe Brian a huge debt.  Later he veered off into playing dulcimer, vibes, mellotron, sitar, autoharp, recorder, etc., and the band’s sound became more diverse, but perhaps less rocknroll.  Keith always wished Brian would have stayed with guitar, and as soon as Mick Taylor came in to replace Brian the two-guitar assault returned.

I started collecting records when I was 8 years old, and so by the time I was in my early teens I had ‘outgrown the ordinary.’  During those years I went from Elton John to KISS to The Doors and then the Stones, and I bought all the used Stones LP’s I could find.  Like the Beatles, the British and American Stones LP’s had VERY different song selections- the American releases would include hit singles, which were almost always separate from the British album releases.  I have often said that I’m glad I heard all the early American Stones albums on cheap stereos- there is nothing so anarchic than these obscure songs, sometimes in ‘mono reprocessed for stereo’ blasting out of a cheap stereo with an old, worn needle.  Maybe that’s why the mono sounds so great today!  The Rolling Stones mono box set is essential- it contains both the British and American versions of these early Stones albums, in glorious mono.  Also, the recent Stones compilation called GRRR! includes many of these early gems.

The original Rolling Stones lineup with Brian Jones was a well oiled machine, effortlessly combining blues, RnB, Motown and soul ballads.  The Stones eventually combined these influences in their original songs to become the band as we know them today- the greatest rocknroll band in the world.

Here’s a list of their recorded covers, in chronological order of the recording sessions, from 1963 to 1965- Forty five songs recorded in just slightly more than two years. The list of their original compositions from this same period is MUCH shorter, although it’s just as interesting. 

1.  Come On– Chuck Berry.  5/10/63 This is the very first recording released by the Stones, and their first single, chosen by Andrew Loog Oldham.  The Stones always disliked it and refused to perform it in their shows- it is very uncharacteristically pop, featuring a spiffy arrangement with a modulation! It made the charts however, and to Oldham’s credit, probably did make it possible for the Stones to record their first album.
2. I Want to Be Loved– Willie Dixon, recorded by Muddy Waters.  5/10/63 The B side of the first single, a slightly sped up blues.
3. Fortune Teller– 7/9/63 Allen Toussaint, recorded by Benny Spellman.  It’s hard to think of the Stones doing ‘novelty’ tunes, but here you go!
4. Bye Bye Johnny– 8/8/63 Chuck Berry.  The second of SEVEN Chuck Berry covers by the Stones, 1963-1965.  They would record several more in later years, live in concert.
5. You Better Move On– 8/8/63 Arthur Alexander.  A very faithful folk-soul cover, linking the band to the Beatles, who covered Alexander’s “Anna.”
6. I Wanna Be Your Man– 10/7/63 Lennon-McCartney.    Also recorded by the Beatles on their second album, this version is a sped up, zoomed out cacophony with Brian’s searing slide part leading the way.  
7. Money– 11/14/63 Berry Gordy, Janie Bradford, Barrett Strong, recorded by Barrett Strong.  The Beatles also covered this classic.
8. Poison Ivy– 11/14/63 Lieber-Stoller, recorded by The Coasters.  More novelty pop- but they rock this one out!
9. Route 66– 1/3/64 Bobby Troup, recorded by Nat King Cole.  While the original is a smooth jazz romp, the Stones make it almost punk with the energy they give it.
10. Carol– 1/3/64 Chuck Berry.  This version is fast- the Stones kept it in their set list throughout the years, slowing it down slightly.
11. Mona (I Need You Baby)– 1/3/64 Bo Diddley.  Brian’s tremolo laden guitar gives this tremendous authenticity.
12. Not Fade Away– 1/10/64 Buddy Holly.  Keith came up with the two chord intro that the Grateful Dead would continue to use in their live shows. Brian on harmonica.
13. Can I Get A Witness– 2/4/64 Holland-Dozier-Holland, recorded by Marvin Gaye.  This sounds like a gospel rave up with Ian Stewart’s organ to the fore.
14. I Just Want to Make Love To You– 2/24/64 Willie Dixon, recorded by Muddy Waters.  Another blues cover that reaches punk energy levels.
15. Honest I Do– 2/24/64 Jimmy Reed.  A mid-tempo blues, showing that the Stones could play a plethora of styles and tempos.
16. I’m A King Bee– 2/24/64 Slim Harpo. One of two covers of Slim Harpo by the Stones, again given an authentic sound by Brian’s slide guitar playing.
17. You Can Make It If You Try– 2/24/64 Ted Jarret, recorded by Gene Allison.  A showcase for Mick’s interpretive vocal style.
18. Walking The Dog– 2/24/64 Rufus Thomas.  The Stones make this tune their own- with a rare Brian Jones backing vocal (and whistles.)
19. It’s All Over Now– 6/10/64 Bobby and Shirley Womack, recorded by the Valentinos.  One of the Stones’ most well-known cover versions.
20. I Can’t Be Satisfied– 6/10/64 Muddy Waters.  An underappreciated track- again, Brian’s masterful slide guitar gives this cover lasting validity. It was his personal favorite!
21. If You Need Me– 6/11/64 Wilson Pickett, recorded by Solomon Burke.  Another gospel tinged ballad, showing the Stones’ versatility.
22. Confessin’ the Blues– 6/11/64 Jay McShann and Walter Brown.
23. Around and Around– 6/11/64 Chuck Berry.  This song stayed in the Stones’ repertoire for years, although it got faster as the years went by, especially in the excellent live version on Love You Live, recorded at the El Mocambo Club.
24. Down  the Road Apiece– 6/11/64 Don Raye, recorded by the Will Bradley Trio, and Chuck Berry. Originally a boogie woogie tune, the Stones identified more with Chuck Berry’s rocked up version.
25. Look What You’ve Done– 6/11/64 Muddy Waters.  They often chose more obscure songs to cover- if they liked it, they did it.
26. Time is on My Side– 11/8/64 Jerry Ragavoy, recorded by Irma Thomas.  Another very well-known Stones cover.
27. Little Red Rooster– 9/2/64 Willie Dixon, recorded by Howlin’ Wolf.  This was a milestone, and a testament to the Stones devotion to American blues artists.   They insisted it be released as a single- against Andrew Oldham’s objections- and it went to #1 in the UK.
28. Under the Boardwalk- 9/2/64 Arthur Resnick and Kenny Young, recorded by The Drifters.  Recorded the same day as Little Red Rooster, this pop cover again showcases their versatility as a cover band.
29. You Can’t Catch Me– 9/28/64 Chuck Berry.  John Lennon borrowed lyrics from this song for Come Together.
30. Susie Q– 9/28/64 Dale Hawkins. Also famously covered by Creedence Clearwater Revival 3 years later, complete with a slowed down, swamp blues groove, and an extended psychedelic guitar solo.
31. Pain in My Heart– 11/2/64 Allen Toussaint, recorded by Otis Redding. Soul ballads were a big part of their multifaceted repertoire.
32. Everybody Needs Somebody to Love– 11/2/64 Bert Berns, recorded by Solomon Burke.  Later famously covered by the Blues Brothers (and stolen by the Clams.)
33. Down Home Girl– 11/2/64 Jerry Leiber and Arthur Butler, recorded by Alvin Robinson.  The Stones make this their own, with a swampy mid-tempo groove.
34. Hitch Hike– 11/2/64 Marvin Gaye, Clarence Paul, Mickey Stephenson, recorded by Marvin Gaye.  Performed by Marvin Gaye on the TAMI show, the Stones give it a rock n roll treatment, replacing the flute solo in the original with a minor key Keith Richards solo.
35. Oh, Baby (We Got A Good Thing Goin’)– 11/2/64 Barbara Lynn Ozen.  The Stones learned this one in the studio just hours before recording it, and make it sound like they’d been playing it for years.  No cover was out of bounds- even songs by female singers.
36. I’m Moving On– 3/6/65 Hank Snow.  The Stones took this pure country tune and turned it into an ominous sounding rocknroll workout, complete with Brain’s squealing slide. Recorded live in concert in 1965.
37. I’m Alright– 3/6/65  Bo Diddley.  Another cover from their Got Live if You Want It EP.
38. Mercy Mercy– 5/10/65 Don Covay, Ronald Dean Miller, recorded by Don Covay and the Goodtimers, featuring Jimi Hendrix and Bernard Purdie.  Finding an old single of this original version in Steve’s 45’s led to this exploration of the Stones’ covers.  
39. That’s How Strong My Love Is– 5/10/65 Roosevelt Jamison, recorded by Otis Redding.  The Stones recorded three songs that Otis sang, and he returned the compliment with an awesome version of Satisfaction, improvising his own lyrics.
40. I’ve Been Loving You Too Long– 5/11/65 Otis Redding. This soul ballad features some of Mick’s best singing, and Keith manages to sound just like Steve Cropper.
41. My Girl– 5/12/65 Smokey Robinson, Ronald White, recorded by The Temptations.  The Stones attempt at this Motown classic is reverent and faithful, if not slightly out of character.  They recorded several Temptations covers throughout the years.
42. Good Times– 5/13/65 Sam Cooke.  Again showcasing their love of straightforward pop, the Stones sound just as at home in this style as the blues or RnB.
43. Cry To Me– 5/13/65 Bert Berns, recorded by Solomon Burke.  Soul ballads are very common in the Stones’ cover repertoire.  Great interplay between Mick’s vocal and Keith’s lead guitar.
44. She Said Yeah– 9/6/65 Sonny Bono, Roddy Jackson, recorded by Larry Williams.  This doesn’t SOUND like punk, it IS punk. Another link to the Beatles, who covered Williams’ Dizzy Miss Lizzie and Bad Boy.
45. Talkin’ Bout You– 9/15/65 Chuck Berry.  Another Chuck Berry tune, their seventh, this was the last cover they recorded until 1968.  The Stones had by this time synthesized all of this material into their own style.

Look up these covers and the original versions up on Spotify- you won’t be disappointed- you’ll be amazed and surprised!