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Rolling Stones unreleased: Mercy Mercy (alternate take)
The Rolling Stones are barely a year into their recording career when they return to Chicago’s Chess Studios in November 1964 and leave behind another piece of evidence that subtlety was never really the plan. Mercy Mercy, written by Don Covay and Ronnie Miller, already carries plenty of soul, but this alternate take catches the Stones attacking it with the loose, hungry energy of a band still figuring out exactly how much trouble it can cause in a recording studio. Mick Jagger sounds urgent, the guitars bite, and the whole performance feels less polished than the released version. Naturally, that is precisely what makes it interesting.
Written by: Don Covay/Ronnie Miller Recorded: Chess Studios, Chicago, USA, Nov. 8 1964
A Raw Take from Chicago’s Iconic Chess Sessions
In November 1964 The Stones stepped into the legendary Chess Studios in Chicago—the same sacred ground where their blues heroes had once recorded—and laid down an alternate take of Mercy Mercy. While the released version is well-known to fans, this unreleased cut shows a different shade of the band: looser, slightly rougher, but oozing with the gritty energy that defined their early sound. The Stones weren’t just covering a Don Covay and Ronnie Miller song—they were soaking in the American R&B spirit and flipping it into something unmistakably theirs.
Jagger’s vocals in this take are a little more urgent, Keith’s guitar lines slightly rawer, and together they make the track pulse in a different way. It’s a rare look behind the curtain, offering a glimpse of the Stones experimenting, exploring, and evolving right in the heart of the Chicago blues temple.
The Sound of a Band Becoming Itself
The Chess sessions of 1964 were more than just recordings—they were a rite of passage. For a British band raised on imported vinyl, being at Chess Studios was like walking into rock and roll’s inner sanctum. Mercy Mercy is one of those tracks that bridged their admiration for American soul with their own swaggering edge. This alternate take doesn’t just reflect a work-in-progress—it captures the Stones becoming the Stones. The groove is infectious, the rhythm relaxed but insistent. And most of all, it’s honest. That honesty, that hunger, is what made the Stones’ sound stick—and what makes this unreleased gem worth the deep dig.
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