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Rolling Stones unreleased:Chainsaw Rocker
Also known as: Cookin’ Up ; What I Am Saying Is True Written by: Jagger/Richards Recorded: EMI Pathé Marconi Studios, Boulogne-Billancourt, France, Nov. 11-Dec. 16 1982 (Undercover sessions) Guest musicians: Chuck Leavell (piano)
In the middle of the Undercover sessions of late 1982 the Rolling Stones captured a fierce burst of energy that never officially surfaced: Chainsaw Rocker. Also known as Cookin’ Up or What I Am Saying Is True, the track was cut at EMI Pathé Marconi Studios in Boulogne-Billancourt between November 11 and December 16, with Chuck Leavell adding his unmistakable boogie-charged piano. Martin Elliott later described the song as “a real rocker that smacks along,” noting Mick Jagger’s faint vocals buried in the mix. What makes this outtake so intriguing is not just its raw drive, but the moment in which it was born—an era when the Stones were reshaping their sound, wrestling with new influences, and chasing something bolder than what fans had come to expect. Chainsaw Rocker feels like a snapshot of that turmoil, swagger, and reinvention.
A band experimenting at full speed
Before listeners ever heard the Undercoveralbum, the Stones were already deep into a creative tug-of-war. The early ’80s pushed them toward new wave, funk, and punk-leaning textures, and instead of resisting the shift, they plunged into it. At Pathé Marconi, synthesizers hummed, electronic beats collided with trademark riffs, and gritty, sharpened edges crept into their sound. Mick Jagger drove much of this forward—vocally, stylistically, and conceptually—while Keith Richards countered with the kind of ragged-but-brilliant guitar work that defined the band, this time experimenting with more layered and unexpected approaches.
The sessions were anything but calm. Tension crackled between Jagger and Richards, especially over the musical direction of the album, but that friction also fueled a sense of urgency. From this pressure cooker came tracks like Undercover of the NightandShe Was Hot, songs that blended political bite, personal narratives, and infectious grooves. Many others including Chainsaw Rocker remained unheard, yet they reveal the depth of creativity circulating in the studio.
The legacy of the undercover era
Though Undercoverdidn’t land with the same commercial force as earlier records, the sessions behind it proved something essential about the Rolling Stones: they were still willing to take risks. The changing musical landscape of the early ’80s demanded reinvention, and the Stones answered with boldness rather than nostalgia. Chainsaw Rocker, even as an unreleased fragment, captures that moment perfectly—a gritty, fast, piano-driven outburst that mirrors the band’s determination to evolve. It stands today as a reminder that some of the Stones’ most revealing work never made it onto an album, yet still carries the unmistakable fire of a band refusing to stand still.
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