#31: Let It Bleed - The Rolling Stones (1969)

Step into the darkest, most dangerous corner of the 1960s with Episode 31 of 300 Favorite Albums, where Counting Crows' multi-instrumentalist maestro David Immerglück and I dissect the beautiful, terrifying dread of The Rolling Stones’ 1969 apocalyptic masterpiece, Let It Bleed.

Why does a record steeped in the paranoia of a fractured world, the tragic watery demise of founder Brian Jones, and the looming, bloody shadow of Altamont still stand today as the absolute pinnacle of blues-rock swagger?

Together, Immy and I peel back the grimy, blues-soaked layers of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' undisputed creative peak—from the world-shattering, angelic wail of Merry Clayton on the definitive rock opener “Gimme Shelter” to the chilling, serendipitous birth of Keith’s signature open-G tuning that would change guitar history forever. What mysterious, chaotic alchemy occurred inside the studio to transform a band on the very brink of collapse into the undisputed greatest rock and roll band in the world?

We uncover the secrets, the slide guitars, and the survival tactics of a group playing a furious, defiant funeral dirge for the peace and love generation—so plug in, turn the volume all the way up, and join us to discover why, after more than fifty years, we still just can't stop letting it bleed.
Let It Bleed
"Gimmie Shelter"
"Love in Vain"
"Country Honk"
"Live with Me"
"Let It Bleed"
"Midnight Rambler"
"You Got the Silver"
"Monkey Man"
"You Can't Always Get What You Want"
Additional Selections:
"Love in Van" - Robert Johnson from The Complete Recordings
"Love in Vain" - The Rolling Stones from Get Yer Ya-Yas Out
"Brown Sugar - The Rolling Stones from Sticky Fingers
"Honky Tonk Women" - The Rolling Stones from Hot Rocks - 1964- 1971
"Wild Horses" - The Flying Burrito Brothers from Burrito Deluxe
"Midnight Rambler" - The Rolling Stones from Get Yer Ya-Yas Out
"Midnight Rambler" - The Rolling Stones from Goat's Head Soup (Deluxe)
"You Got the Silver" - Mick Jagger version
Suggested reading:
"Darkness at the Edge of the Decade" - James Campion
Up and Down with the Rolling Stones - Tony Sanchez
The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones - Stanley Booth
Altamont: The Rolling Stones, the Hells Angels, and the Inside Story of Rock's Darkest Day - Joel Slevin

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices