The Rolling Stones fans say one Mick Jagger project had songs that ‘could have been Stones hits’

Fans of the legendary rock and roll frontman Mick Jagger believe some of his solo songs are tailor-made hits for The Rolling Stones.

Though Jagger would release a handful of solo projects when The Rolling Stones were inactive, one song has been singled out as a surefire success should it have been released with help from Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts. The trio were not working with Jagger at the time, with Richards opting to release some blues rock solo work of his own. Jagger’s punchy pop albums were quite unlike his work with The Rolling Stones, but they garnered a following all the same. Fans took to the r/RollingStones subreddit to share their thoughts on whether the song in question could have been a hit.

The fan wrote: “Primitive Cool. I’ve lately been filling in my gaps in knowledge as a Rolling Stones fan and filling in my gaps of knowledge (a lot of post Some Girls). Also listened to the first two Mick Jagger albums, and I got to say I was pretty shocked at how good Primitive Cool was. It’s a bit uneven, but Jeff Beck brings an intensity missing from a lot of She’s The Boss (a pretty good album as well, maybe more even).

“Two songs in general I find to be absolutely bangers, and I have been wearing out. Say You Will (in contention as a top Jagger power ballad) and Shoot Off Your Mouth (fucking awesome punkish song with great guitar work by both Jagger and Beck). Any other fans of this album?”

One fan outlined the work on Wandering Spirit as the closest Jagger got to replicating what would have been a likely success for The Rolling Stones. They wrote: “I’m a fan. It’s not as good as She’s the Boss, but Jagger goes both more pop (Let’s Work) and more experimental here (Primitive Cool). People like to say that Wandering Spirit is his best, but if I want Stonesy Mick, I’ll listen to the Stones. I think his first two solo albums are his best.”

The original poster replied: “I can kind of see why Keith was pissed at him. Some of these songs really could have been Rolling Stones hits.”

Another fan added: “I like it too for the most part. I don’t like Throwaway, Let’s Work and War Baby, though. But the rest is good, compelling music with some highlights, like the title track, Primitive Cool, Kow Tow, Shoot Off Your Mouth and Peace for the Wicked. I might prefer it to She’s the Boss. I don’t know, I gotta get back to that album and check. One that I’m not a fan of is Goddess in the Doorway. There’s five good songs in it, at best.”

A third suggested Jagger needed Richards as his musical foil. They wrote: “There’s a few that I like but for the most part it’s a stinker. I like Kow Tow, Shoot and Party Doll. Most of these songs needed Keith to reel in Mick.”