‘Up Against the Wall’: A Rare 1977 Rolling Stones Track

By Marcelo Sonaglioni on March 25, 2026

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Rolling Stones unreleased: Up Against the Wall

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Not every The Rolling Stones track was meant for the spotlight—some were left behind, quietly capturing the band in transition. Up Against the Wall, from the Some Girls sessions, is one of those rare fragments where experimentation takes over structure. With Keith Richards driving the groove and a loose, unfinished feel throughout, the track reveals a creative process still in motion. It’s less about the final product and more about the moment—when risk, instinct, and reinvention shaped the Stones’ evolving sound in ways fans rarely get to hear.

Also known as: On Our Knees
Written by: Jagger/Richard
Recorded: EMI Pathé-Marconi Studios, Boulogne-Billancourt, France, Oct. 10-Dec. 1977 (Some Girls sessions)

From Martin Elliott’s book The Rolling Stones Complete Recording Sessions 1962-2012:
An instrumental with harmonica, the introduction reminiscent of Ventilator Blues. Keith Richards is at the forefront of the mix while Ron Wood can hardly be heard in the background.Two versions exist. One at six minutes and an edited four minute version.

rolling stones unreleased up against the wall 1977

**A hidden groove from the Some Girls vaul**ts

Buried deep within the sessions that produced Some Girls lies a track that never quite stepped into the spotlight—Up Against the Wall, also known as On Our Knees. Recorded between Oct. 10 and Dec. 1977 at EMI Pathé-Marconi Studios, the piece feels like a raw sketch of a band rediscovering its edge. Driven by a gritty, harmonica-laced intro reminiscent of Ventilator Blues (from Exile On Main St., 1972) it places Keith Richards front and center, while Ronnie Wood lingers almost ghostlike in the mix. Two versions survive—a sprawling six-minute take and a tighter four-minute edit—both hinting at something unfinished yet magnetic. Rather than a polished song, it’s a window into process: loose, instinctive, and alive with the tension of ideas still forming.

Experimentation, excess and what didn’t make the cut

The story of Up Against the Wall only makes sense when viewed through the chaotic creativity of the Some Girls sessions. At that point, The Rolling Stones were in a phase of reinvention, blending rock, punk, and even disco into a sharp, modern sound. Tracks like Miss You, Beast of Burden and Shattered would define the final album, but behind them was a flood of material—nearly 50 songs recorded, many left behind.

Much of that energy came from a shift in how the band worked. Mick Jagger emerged as a primary creative force, co-producing with Richards while pushing the group toward experimentation. The core lineup—Jagger, Richards, Wood, Charlie Watts, and Bill Wyman—handled most of the instrumentation, marking a return to a more self-contained approach not seen since Beggars Banquet.

This shift came at a cost. Traditional collaborators were used less, and even Ian Stewart sat out, as Jagger’s guitar work filled more space. Richards himself admitted that while outside musicians might have been “technically superior,” stepping away from them pushed the band into unfamiliar territory. That sense of risk defines Up Against the Wall. It may not have made the final tracklist, but it captures the Stones in motion—testing limits, chasing ideas, and leaving behind fragments that still resonate decades later.

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