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Rolling Stones songs: I’d Much Rather Be With the Boys
Don’t put me on/ It’s over now, it’s no good looking back…
Mick Jagger: vocals Guest musicians: John McLaughlin (guitar), Joe Moretti (bass), Andy White (drums)m Christine Ohlman backing vocals (unconfirmed)/ Mike Leander: arrangements
More about I’d Much Rather Be with the Boys by The Rolling Stones
*By Marcelo Sonaglioni
A Different Kind of Early Stones Story
I’d Much Rather Be with the Boys occupies a strange yet fascinating corner of the Rolling Stones’ early songwriting world. While the band was still discovering its voice and polishing the Jagger–Richards partnership, a handful of compositions slipped through the cracks—some barely drafted, others quietly shelved at Decca, and a rare few carried unusual credits. This song, attributed to Andrew Loog Oldham and Keith Richards, belongs to that short list.
Its lyrical viewpoint strays from the typical early Jagger–Richards themes, framing a character who, after a bruising romantic letdown, chooses the comfort and loyalty of his gang over the uncertainty of a new love. The track hints at influences the Stones were absorbing, challenges they were navigating, and the creative tensions between manager, producer, and band. In its shadowy way, it offers a glimpse of what the Stones almost became before they settled into who they were.
Origins and Oddities
The authorship of the song is its first curiosity: instead of the emerging Jagger–Richards signature, the credit reads Richards–Oldham. It wasn’t the only time Oldham wrote with the pair—As Tears Go By stands as the famous example—but here, Mick Jagger was completely removed from the songwriting. In the wider catalog of early Stones leftovers, this one stands out as perhaps the strongest, even if still a modest effort. With its pop-soul vibe and British Invasion melodies, the tune shows surprising craft for a period when the band’s discarded compositions were often thin or underdeveloped. The ersatz Four Seasons harmonies, echoing piano, and sub-Phil Spector touches give it both charm and an identity crisis. Still, the lyric—valuing camaraderie over heartbreak—lands far more confidently than many of the era’s abandoned experiments, whether or not one interprets the narrative through a queer subtext that some listeners later identified.
Production and The Wall Of Sound Shadow
The song’s creation was fueled by Andrew Loog Oldham’s near-obsessive admiration for Phil Spector, especially the emotional drama of Be My Baby. Hoping to recreate that magic, Oldham pushed Richards to craft something in that mold. The resulting recording, cut on February 24 with the Andrew Oldham Orchestra rather than the Stones proper, submerged the track in a Spector-esque haze: flutes, maracas, female vocals, organ swells, and tight percussion locked into a dense sonic mass. Mike Leander, Oldham’s indispensable arranger, sculpted this atmospheric overload, layering instruments until the track echoed with dramatic saturation. The session players remain speculative ghosts—Andy White likely behind the drums, the young and astonishing John McLaughlin on guitar, and possibly Joe Moretti on bass. Mick Jagger’s contribution amounted to a rough guide vocal. The intention wasn’t to perfect a Stones track; it was to build a miniature Oldham-Spector fantasy.
Interpretations and Alterations
When the song was passed to the Manchester group The Toggery Five, they shaped it into something quite different—and arguably better. Their 1965 version injected a Drifters-styled rhythm, dramatic guitar figures, stronger emotional phrasing, and harmonies that avoided the imitation-Four Seasons trap. Even the bridge melody was modified, now supported by a bolder chord progression that added tension and lift. They also sidestepped the perceived homosexual undertones that some observers detected in Oldham and Richards’s lyrics. Instead of “I’d much rather be with the boys,” they sang, “I’d rather be out with the boys,” a subtle shift that removed ambiguity while maintaining the song’s message of choosing solidarity over romance. Though never a hit, their interpretation gave the song a clarity and direction the demo lacked. Later decades saw revivals by Nikki Sudden and the Reigning Sound, both drawn to the tune’s overlooked emotional pulse.
Legacy Beyond the Shadows
Despite its obscurity, I’d Much Rather Be with the Boys persists as a unique artifact—one of those half-hidden signposts revealing how the Stones were shaped by the forces orbiting them. The track captures Oldham at his most controlling and aspirational, Richards still exploring his songwriting instincts, and Jagger momentarily sidelined in a way that would rarely happen again. It also reflects the mid-’60s British pop environment, where managers and producers sometimes steered the creative process as aggressively as the musicians themselves. Whether heard through the lush orchestral demo or through The Toggery Five’s sharper, more focused version, the song functions as a window into an alternate Stones universe—one where Spector-styled theater, pop-soul melodies, and Oldham’s ambitions pushed the band down imaginary roads they ultimately left behind. It’s not a masterpiece, but it is a telling fragment of a band on the brink of discovering its true identity.
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