Wild Horses

You can say whatever you want about The Rolling Stones. But from where I stand, it's been a long, long time since I gave a moose's patoot about any new release from the Stones. In the esteemed opinion of many, they haven't done any work in the last 30 years that measures up to anything they did prior to the "Some Girls" album in 1980, although I'll make an exception for Keith's excellent autobiography, "Life". Apparently, the Stones themselves have finally realized that their best work is now behind them, releasing a series of excellent live recordings as digital downloads, available through Google Play, of all places. The "Brussels Affair" concert from 1973 is a corker!

One thing undeniable about The Rolling Stones is that they have their own unique sound, which makes their songs rather difficult to cover. The overwhelming majority of attempts ultimately fail, often from the jump, as performers seem to focus on doing their best to capture the Stones' sound. But, by not concentrating on the song at hand so much, the rendition will likely not accomplish anything relevant. Under such circumstances, the only thing to do is to abandon any attempt to sound like The Rolling Stones. Just play the song as your band would play it, and you'll probably come away with something worthwhile. 

The best example is this Rolling Stones classic from the "Sticky Fingers" album, "Wild Horses". It's truly one of their greatest recordings and is well worth a good listen, if you haven't done so in a while.

Blackhawk: now appearing at a rest stop on an interstate near you!

There's a good lyrical narrative happening and guitarists are not required to adjust their instruments to any odd tunings; unusual for a Stones tune. Having some some good harmony singers in your band helps a lot with making this one your own. Which brings us to to this fine rendition of "Wild Horses" by the country band, Blackhawk. What better way to NOT sound like the Stones than to switch up the genre completely? This one works primarily because Keith Richards, in particular, was no stranger to country stylings. But this one just takes it into full blown bluegrass territory, and that's cool because it works.

The Sundays will never be the same.

So, as we discussed earlier, the simplest way to make a song your own is by sounding like yourself. As part of a sub-genre known as Dream Pop that was very popular at the time, The Sundays rode a path across the 90's on one heavenly voice and layers of echoing guitars. They made their modest mark on musical history before walking away from it all to continue on with life, children and such. But before taking the so-called 'indefinite hiatus' that so many bands seem destined for, these Brits put out three excellent albums and one unforgettable cover. The Sundays' recording of "Wild Horses" was so popular that, to this day, it's the new standard on which any other new version is based.

As always, music from The Sundays can be affordably found at Amazon, or the used bin at your local indie CD emporium. That is also the most likely place to find music by Blackhawk, whose version of "Wild Horses" can be found on a countrified Rolling Stones tribute album called "Stone Country". This one is really just for Country fans, as only maybe 1/4 of the album breaks any ground; mostly for the reasons cited at the top of this article. Stones fans who are completist collectors will either like it or loathe it. But it can be had for reasonably cheap, should you so desire.

And, as you might imagine, there's more Rolling Stones music available than anyone would know what to do with. Amazon currently lists over 460 titles, but there is plenty of wheat to be had amidst the acres of chaff. If you have no Stones music at all, then you could safely start with "Hot Rocks", and go forward or back from there.