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Today in Rolling Stones history: May 10

*Click for DAILY ROLLING STONES CHRONOLOGY 1962-present

May 10 in Rolling Stones history feels less like a normal day and more like the band speedrunning chaos, reinvention, lawsuits, and rock immortality all at once. From cutting their very first single Come On in 1963 to reshaping (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction into a fuzz-drenched revolution two years later, the Stones somehow kept stumbling directly into history. Add court appearances, Brian Jones busts, Allen Klein business drama, Bill Wyman proving on Monkey Grip he actually had a few tricks up his sleeve, and a surprise Juilliard performance decades later, and you get the perfect snapshot of why the Rolling Stones never operated like a normal rock band. Normal was clearly never part of the contract.

May 10, 1963: The Stones record Chuck Berry‘s song Come On at Olympic Studios, London. The single, produced by Andrew Loog Oldham and sound engineer Roger Savage would later become their first release, issued by Decca Records on June 7 1963. Other songs recorded that day were I Want To Be Loved (which ended up being the flip side of Come On), Love Potion No. 9 (unverified) and Bo Diddley’s Pretty Thing.

May 10, 1964: Colston Hall, Bristol, England (2 shows; first one without Brian)

May 10, 1965: The Stones cut a first version of (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction at Chess Studios in Chicago with Brian on harmonica, but the song ended up being re-recorded it two days later at RCA Studios in Hollywood, this time with a different beat and the Gibson Maestro fuzzbox that Keith had recently acquired, which became the officially released take. This version of Satisfaction (no fuzz guitar) was only used as the playback tape on the May 20 taping of the TV show Shindig!

May 10, 1967: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards appear at Chichester Crown Court in Sussex on drug possession charges, with both Stones electing trial by jury rather than backing down. The two Stones decide to fight the case instead of backing down, both pleading not guilty and choosing to go to trial. Despite the media frenzy surrounding the band at the time, Mick and Keith are each granted £100 bail and leave court still defiant as ever. At the same time Brian Jones is arrested at his London flat for apossession of hashish and cocaine, alongside his friend Prince Stash (Prince Stanislas Klossowski de Rola)

May 10, 1972: A press release announces that The Rolling Stones have finally settled their long-running legal and financial disputes with former manager Allen Klein and ABKCO Industries. The conflict, which had dragged on for years after the band split from Klein in 1970, centered around contracts, royalties, and control of the Stones’ 1960s catalog. While the agreement closed one messy chapter in the band’s business history, ABKCO would retain ownership of much of the group’s classic early material.

May 10, 1974: Release of Monkey Grip, Bill Wyman’s first solo album, and also the first solo album by a Stones’ member (Rolling Stones Records COC 59102)
SIDE A: 1. I Wanna Get Me A Gun/ 2. Crazy Woman/ 3. Pussy/ 4. Mighty Fine Time/ 5. Monkey Grip Glue
SIDE B: 1. What A Blow/ 2. White Lightnin’/ 3. I’ll Pull You Thro’/ 4. It’s A Wonder

Bill’s Monkey Grip could’ve easily ended up as one of those forgettable solo albums made by a member of a huge band, but instead it’s a surprisingly enjoyable and laid-back record with plenty of charm. While Wyman was never exactly known as the main songwriter in the Stones, the album pleasantly catches you off guard with its relaxed grooves and understated hooks. Backed by an impressive lineup including Dr. John, Lowell George and Leon Russell, among others, Monkey Grip feels musically rich without trying too hard. Tracks like I Wanna Get Me a Gun, White Lightnin’, I’ll Pull You Thro’ or Monkey Grip Glue roll along with an easygoing swagger, while Wyman’s loose, cheerful vocals are a world away from his famously expressionless stage presence. More than anything, the album succeeds because it never pretends to be bigger than it is.

May 10, 1976: Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland
Honky Tonk Women/If You Can’t Rock Me-Get Off Of My Cloud/Hand Of Fate/Hey Negrita/Ain’t Too Proud To Beg/Fool To Cry/Hot Stuff/Star Star/You Gotta Move/You Can’t Always Get What You Want/Band introduction/Happy/Tumbling Dice/Nothing From Nothing/Outa Space/Midnight Rambler/It’s Only Rock’n Roll/Brown Sugar/Jumpin’ Jack Flash/Street Fighting Man

May 10, 2005: The Stones perform three songs (Start Me Up, Oh No Not You Again and Brown Sugar) at the Julliard School of Music in New York City and then hold a press conference to announce their 2005-2006 world tour.

Mick: “This is one of the earliest concerts we’ve been to in a while, actually. We’re calling it the cornflakes concert. We don’t announce it as our last tour. We never think about it – we take each tour as it comes… I think that’s a trap to try and get people to buy your tickets and say, Well, I’ll never see them again… We’re having a great time recording. We are very upbeat about the tour… There’s a lot of other fantastic bands and a lot of old rubbish out there, and we hope it’s going to be a wonderful summer of rock & roll and we’re going to be right in there.”

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