An early version of Wild Horses had The Rolling Stones‘ guitarist, Keith Richards, on lead vocals.
Though it would be Mick Jagger who served as the vocalist for the song, another version has been found and shared by fans. Richards’ vocal work for the Sticky Fingers track has been hailed by listeners, who now want an album of “Keith Demos” to be released. Though none may be forthcoming, Richards did have a solo career, with three albums and a collection of EP releases out there for listeners. But fans of The Rolling Stones are hoping to hear his take on Wild Horses released officially, though it may not occur. A YouTube upload of the performance of Wild Horses had members of the public praising the rendition, which proved very different to the mood and atmosphere of the Jagger-fronted classic.
One listener wrote: “The Rolling Stones should release an album of all the Keith Demos. Love this.” Another added: “Hearing Keith sing this beautiful, iconic song made me think of all the people I’ve loved and lost throughout the years. I really miss some of you cats…”
A third wrote: “Keith comes up with the music and the subject, and Mick fills it out perfectly. They were a perfect songwriting combo. It’s almost as though they were one super person. They may not be the longest surviving songwriting duo (though they might be) or the best songwriting duo (though they might be), but they sure are the longest surviving duo that wrote and performed some of the best rock songs.
“Their only competition might be Steely Dan – obviously not very comparable. And who knows what would have happened if Keith hadn’t been so limited by his addiction and (as a result) they’d held on to Mick Taylor. I suspect that Mick and Keith were so tight they didn’t want to make room for anyone else, no matter how talented.
Others believe this rendition of Wild Horses highlights the nuance Richards is capable of when writing and recording with The Rolling Stones. A fan wrote: “The thing I respect about Keith and The Rolling Stones is he isn’t a showboat or some high-energy guitarist.
“He just writes, plays, and blends beautifully. Essentially, he is just a blue player with a folk-like style approach, not some showboat shredder playing other people’s shit in their own format and selling it back to the fans. Yes, he got a lot of inspiration from blues guitarists before him, including Chuck Berry, but he put it into his own creative outlet of songwriting and recording and making it original as they come.”
Not everyone was convinced by Richards’ version of the song, though. One person wrote: “He plays a LOT better than he sings.” You can listen to the Richards-led Wild Horses below.
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