YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 185 (Cover of The Rolling Stones)
(Originally finalized on February 19, 2026)
Preface: It was an oversight not to have thought of this theme (not to be confused with the parody song by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, or the magazine) earlier (especially after doing a week dedicated to Beatles covers), but I honestly didn't realize there were so many good Rolling Stones covers out there. Although it makes sense, as big a band as they are. Anyway, a little bit of research solved that problem real quick. Let me share with you what I've discovered.
Monday: Blue Cheer - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction [Outsideinside, 1968]
Comments: I think the first inkling I had that this could be a theme was while reviewing Blue Cheer's output a few weeks back for Power Trios (although they, ultimately, didn't make the cut, I was able to feature them the following week). Doing so reminded me that, in addition to covering Rock Me Baby on their first album, on their second they recorded their own version of Satisfaction - which was one of The Rolling Stones' early breakout hits.
Tuesday: Johnny Winter - Let It Bleed [Still Alive And Well, 1973]
Comments: I've long been aware of Johnny Winter's penchant for covering The Rolling Stones; in fact, I had considered the possibility of doing a whole week of just his covers (there weren't quite enough, and I'd already spent one of them, besides) before I decided to open it up to different artists. On Still Alive And Well (which was released following a three year hiatus), Winter covers not one but two Stones songs, the other one being Silver Train.
Wednesday: Grand Funk Railroad - Gimme Shelter [Survival, 1971]
Comments: Although I heard it first on a live album, it occurred to me in the course of brainstorming this theme that Grand Funk Railroad closed out their fourth studio album with a bold cover of Gimme Shelter (which opened the Stones album that was titled after our last song, Let It Bleed). [Have I ever managed to reference all three of those themes in a single sentence before? lol]. I think it's a pretty good match for the band.
Thursday: Peter Frampton - Jumping Jack Flash [Wind of Change, 1972]
Comments: I'm embarrassed to admit that while searching for Rolling Stones covers I hadn't heard before, I had totally forgotten that Peter Frampton covered Jumping Jack Flash (as did several other artists, including Johnny Winter). It appeared on his monumental live album, Frampton Comes Alive!, but was also recorded in the studio for his solo debut, in the year following his departure from Humble Pie.
Friday: David Bowie - Let's Spend The Night Together [Aladdin Sane, 1973]
Comments: I'm not super well-versed in David Bowie's music, but his pedigree as a cover artist - judging from his very next album Pin-ups, which features songs originally by Pink Floyd, The Yardbirds, and The Who, among others - is solid. So it's not surprising that on Aladdin Sane (which followed the Ziggy Stardust album), he covered an older hit single by The Rolling Stones (especially judging from his later collaboration with Mick Jagger in the '80s, which I've mentioned before).
Saturday: Linda Ronstadt - Tumbling Dice [Simple Dreams, 1977]
Comments: A contemporary of other musical artists from the '70s, I had been aware of Linda Ronstadt, but reading through all the accolades posted in her lengthy Wikipedia bio (11 Grammy Awards, induction into the Rock 'and Roll Hall of Fame, etc.), it sounds like she was a lot bigger than I realized. On the suggestion of none other than Mick Jagger himself - who allegedly told her she should do more rock songs and fewer ballads (I agree) - she covered Tumbling Dice on her 1977 album Simple Dreams. I think it effectively captures the spirit of the original.
Sunday: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - Star Star [Album, 1983]
Comments: Unless you actually pay attention to the lyrics, you might not realize just how filthy this song is - even though the 'f' word is repeated twelve times in each chorus! But knowing that, it's not surprising that when Joan Jett covered it for her third album it was initially released as a hidden track, before being removed entirely (and then, ultimately, restored). It's a great choice for Jett, demonstrating her and Keith Richards' shared appreciation for rock 'n' roll pioneer Chuck Berry.
Honorable Mention: Humble Pie - Honky Tonk Women (Live) [Eat It, 1973]
Comments: So far this week, I've avoided sharing any live tracks, because it's one thing to pull out a Rolling Stones cover in the middle of a concert, but it takes a deeper level of commitment to go into the studio and record it for album (or single) release. I'm making an exception for the honorable mention partly because, although it is a live track, it was officially released on an album 3/4 of which was recorded in the studio. And also, who doesn't want to hear Humble Pie play a tribute to The Rolling Stones?
That's it! But because I don't want this theme to be overshadowed by the week I dedicated to Beatles covers, during which I had an abundance of tracks to share, I'll just mention a couple more. Marianne Faithfull has an excellent recording of Sister Morphine, but it's technically not a cover, since she wrote the song jointly with Jagger and Richards, and her version is actually the original (and also features many of the same band members that would record The Rolling Stones' version a couple years later). In the course of my research for this theme, I also discovered a rousing rendition of Ruby Tuesday by Melanie, the singer I know primarily for her stirring tribute to the Woodstock Festival. And there are a lot of other Rolling Stones covers out there, especially if you expand your search to later decades. But I'm closing the curtain here.