Photo by Jaime Fernandez
The Rolling Stones return on December 12th with Blue and Lonesome, their first full-length in over 10 years. The follow-up to 2005’s A Bigger Bang sees the Stones reworking songs by influential blues artists like Howlin’ Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Little Walter, and Willie Dixon, many of which served as inspiration for the Brits early in their career.
Already we’ve heard the opening track, a reimagining of Little Walter’s “Just Your Fool”; today, they’re broken off another Little Walter cover with “Hate to See You Go”. In his 2010 memoir, Life, Keith Richards called him “one of the best singers of the blues and a blues harp player par excellence. I find it hard to listen to him without awe.”
“His singing was overshadowed by the phenomenal harp, which was based on a lot of Louis Armstrong’s cornet licks,” he added (via Ultimate Classic Rock). “Little Walter would smile in his grave for the way Mick Jagger plays.”
Stream “Hate to See You Go” below.
In addition to the LP, the band’s kept pretty busy the last few months with a new live album and concert film, a rarity-packed set at Desert Trip Festival, and even a surprise gig in Las Vegas just for truckers.
Blue and Lonesome Tracklist:
01. Just Your Fool
(Original written and recorded in 1960 by Little Walter)
02. Commit A Crime
(Original written and recorded in 1966 by Howlin’ Wolf – Chester Burnett)
03. Blue And Lonesome
(Original written and recorded in 1959 by Little Walter)
04. All Of Your Love
(Original written and recorded in 1967 by Magic Sam – Samuel Maghett)
05. I Gotta Go
(Original written and recorded in 1955 by Little Walter)
6. Everybody Knows About My Good Thing (feat. Eric Clapton)
(Original recorded in 1971 by Little Johnny Taylor, composed by Miles Grayson & Lermon Horton)
07. Ride ‘Em On Down
(Original written and recorded in 1955 by Eddie Taylor)
08. Hate To See You Go
(Original written and recorded in 1955 by Little Walter)
09. Hoo Doo Blues
(Original recorded in 1958 by Lightnin’ Slim, composed by Otis Hicks & Jerry West)
10. Little Rain
(Original recorded in 1957 by Jimmy Reed, composed by Ewart.G.Abner Jr. and Jimmy Reed)
11. Just Like I Treat You
(Original written by Willie Dixon and recorded by Howlin’ Wolf in December 1961)
12. I Can’t Quit You Baby (feat. Eric Clapton)
(Original written by Willie Dixon and recorded by Otis Rush in 1956)
