The Rolling Stones – Some More Girls Vol. 1 Review

There is little better than bootleg cuttings of The Rolling Stones during their Some Girls period. They had bounced back from the frankly poor Black and Blue, clawing back a funk sound that complemented their blues-rock fundamentals. Deep cuts and B-sides compiled into this bootleg are well worth listening to. This is another side to the band who were deep in the trenches of Miss You and all the glories that come with finding your groove in the studio. It would be the last time the Mick Jagger-fronted group managed to do so for decades. But they did it, and their spoils of war are plentiful enough to keep us going. Truly, finding a better opening song from the band than Miss You is impossible. But Some More Girls Vol. 1 tries its best with the country rocker, Claudine. A left-field choice, but a wonderful opportunity to hear Jagger and the band play around with their instrumental influences and where their music could head next.  

While it would be moderately disappointing to hear from the band from Tattoo You onwards, these deep cuts and extra rips from the Some Girls period is wonderful. Back in jail again for the titular woman in the first track, a grisly murder made to sound a little lighter thanks to the Keith Richards guitar work and that on-stage stomp style Jagger brings to the studio. He has a knack for it and when it works, as it does across Some Girls, the band are unstoppable. Solid rock and roll is what the band provides the whole way through this bootleg. Stripped of this desire to be a pop band, Jagger’s direction was removed from proceedings for a frequently fun listen. Some More Girls Vol. 1 throws in saxophones, percussion-led instrumental sections, and those usual whoops and hollers that bring out the best in Jagger as a frontman. His vocal work across this album is exceptional, as is the performance from the rest of the band. Exceptional form at a period when it mattered most.  

Songs like When You’re Young start as slow-tempo rambler tracks but build with a motivation and thrill only The Rolling Stones can provide. Once that pace is set by the instrumentals, the band rarely throw themselves into a different direction mid-song, and this call for a clean slate from Jagger is some of the best writing the group has ever put out into the open. This is good material that can be a little tricky to track down in one spot. Fans and bootleggers are at their best when serving a purpose which both brings out the best in the band, but also brings together lesser-known material that acts as a supplement to an official release. Some More Girls Vol. 1 does just that and it’s strengthened by that context. Forget the quality of the material at hand, much of it very strong, the intention of the bootlegger matters most of all here.  

Those final tracks are staggering. You Win Again is nothing short of a delight. A slow, swaying country piece which lingers in the hearty roots of the genre. It’s a nice turn of form from the band, who prove they can adapt themselves to whatever the session calls for. Jagger has a voice which is suited to the Americana style. The Rolling Stones often feel like a band whose associations with the United States overshadow their origins in the United Kingdom, and it’s songs like You Win Again that highlight just how much they leaned into their Stateside popularity. An extremely interesting listen this one, a chance to hear the worthy songs which didn’t make the cut on one of The Rolling Stones’ finest albums.