The Rolling Stones Unreleased Magic: ‘Hear It’ (1964)

By Marcelo Sonaglioni on October 25, 2025

Like what you see? Help keep it going! This site runs on the support of readers like you. Your donation helps cover costs and keeps fresh Rolling Stones content coming your way every day. Thank you!

Rolling Stones unreleased: Hear It

BRIAN JONES AND THE WHAT-IF SONG
Back in ’64 Brian Jones wasn’t just the Stones’ wizard on guitar and sitar—he was dreaming of his own solo moment. Hear It might’ve been part of that plan, maybe even co-written with Jet Harris from The Shadows. The frustrating part? No tapes survive, so it’s all rumor and mystery. That’s why Hear It feels so special: a ghost track that shows Brian’s ambition and a road the Stones never fully explored.

Written by: Jones/Richard or Oldham/Richard
Recorded: Regent Sounds, IBC and Decca Studios, London, England, July 21-23 1964
Guest musicians: Jim Sullivan (guitar)

From Martin Elliott’s book THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS 1962-2012:
This may have been a Jones composition. It is typical Oldham territory with with violin accompaniment. Jim Sullivan guests on guitar. Brian Jones at the time was writing material for a possible solo single release. He had formed a friendship with Jet Harris, who toured with the Stones in February and March 1964. Brian and Jet were rumoured to have written together but no recordings are available, if indeed any were made.

*Click for MORE STONES UNRELEASED TRACKS

The Mystery Behind Hear It

In the summer of 1964, deep inside London’s Regent Sounds, IBC, and Decca Studios, the Rolling Stones recorded a curious track titled Hear It. Unlike the fiery R&B covers that dominated their early setlists, this song hints at something more experimental, even fragile. Guest guitarist Jim Sullivan joined in, bringing an extra layer of texture, while a violin accompaniment gave the piece an almost haunting edge—far removed from the Stones’ usual raw swagger. What makes Hear It even more intriguing is its uncertain authorship. Some sources credit Brian Jones alongside Keith Richards, while others suggest Andrew Loog Oldham may have been the collaborator.

The ambiguity only adds to the song’s mystique, leaving fans and historians alike wondering whose fingerprints are truly all over this lost recording. With no official release, the track remains a half-buried relic from the Stones’ formative days, whispering of roads not taken.

Brian Jones’ Untold Ambitions

At the time Brian Jones wasn’t just the band’s multi-instrumentalist—he was also chasing solo dreams. Rumors swirled that Hear It might have been intended for a single of his own, as Jones explored new creative directions. Around then, he struck up a friendship with Jet Harris, the ex-Shadows bassist who had shared the tour bill with the Stones earlier that year. Talk of co-writing sessions between Brian and Jet bubbled up, yet frustratingly, no recordings survive to prove it. If true, these collaborations could have given us a glimpse into an alternate musical path Jones might have followed. Sadly, they remain part of the “what if” lore that surrounds him. Hear It, then, is more than an unreleased track—it’s a snapshot of Jones’ ambitions, of a moment when the Stones might have branched out in ways history never allowed.

COPYRIGHT © ROLLING STONES DATA
ALL INFORMATION ON THIS WEBSITE IS COPYRIGHT OF ROLLING STONES DATA. ALL CONTENT BY MARCELO SONAGLIONI.
ALL SETLISTS AND TICKET STUBS TAKEN FROM THE COMPLETE WORKS OF THE ROLLING STONES.
WHEN USING INFORMATION FROM ROLLING STONES DATA (ONLINE OR PRINTED) PLEASE REFER TO ITS SOURCE DETAILING THE WEBSITE NAME. THANK YOU.