I love knowing that the Rolling Stones started as blues cover band before they began writing their own music. You can't argue that the Stones are one of the most important bands ever, but I find it hilarious that the band was essentially a fashion show during their formative years. White fans wanted to hear blues music coming from white faces, and the Stones fit the bill. As we know, the band eventually rose to the occasion and started knocking out classic tracks. One of my favorite tracks by the early Stones is Paint it Black, which dropped today.
After its release, Paint it Black stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for eleven weeks and helped cement the Stones' early sound. Although my first encounter with the song came via covers, my love of the original version trumps the multitude of variants – no matter how competently arranged- composed by other artists. Special nod to the Judas Priest version of the track, though.