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Not every forgotten studio recording is a hidden masterpiece waiting for justice—sometimes it’s simply a fascinating puzzle that never found its final piece. That’s exactly what makes The Rolling Stones’ Golden Caddy so intriguing. Most bands would have abandoned it without a second thought. The Stones, naturally, kept tinkering, proving that even their unfinished ideas could enjoy a surprisingly long shelf life. For fans who love exploring the band’s creative detours, this elusive outtake offers plenty to uncover.
Also known as: Part of the Night Written by: Jagger/Richard Recorded: Pathé Marconi Studios, Boulogne-Billancourt, France, Dec. 1-19 1982(Some Girls sessions)
From Martin Elliott’s book The Rolling Stones Complete Recording Sessions 1962-2012: This went around the Stones recording mill when in 1982 it was worked on again for potential release on theUndercoveralbum. There are two outtakes from 1978, both instrumental. It was hard to see where this track was leading with its dual repetitive riffs. It was tried with less guitar and with more keyboard and mellotron sounds in 1982 where there are two other outtakes. The last lengthy nine-minute take has a few spoken words by Mick Jagger and a Spanish sounding guitar.
Chasing Shadows: About Golden Caddy
In the back corridors of the Rolling Stones’ legendary Some Girls sessions, there’s a track that almost slipped through the cracks—Golden Caddy, a song that seems to exist in the studio ether, never quite landing in public hands. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards revisited it in 1982 during the Undercoversessions, experimenting with keyboards, mellotron layers, and subtle tweaks to the guitar lines.
Even the longest take, a sprawling nine-minute exploration, featured only a few scattered spoken words from Jagger and a Spanish-flavored guitar that teased at what could have been. Two instrumental outtakes from 1978 remain the earliest glimpses, haunting evidence of a song that constantly flirted with form but never fully revealed itself. For Stones aficionados, it’s a ghostly reminder of how even legends toyed with sounds that were too elusive—or maybe too perfect—to release.
Evolution in the Studio
Over the years, Golden Caddy shifted from guitar-heavy experimentation to keyboard and mellotron explorations, showing the band’s willingness to push textures and moods. Each version is a study in restraint, repetition, and subtle innovation, a track that captures the Stones testing boundaries without ever locking down a final form.
The 1982 Revisit
During the Undercover sessions Jagger and Richards breathed new life into the track, layering keyboards and adding faint Spanish guitar flavors. Spoken-word snippets appear, giving listeners a tantalizing glimpse of narrative, while the evolving instrumentation highlights a band constantly pushing their own creative edges—even if the song ultimately remained unreleased.
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