The Rolling Stones need no introduction. As one of the most celebrated British bands of the British Invasion era, they shaped what it was to be young and free in the 1960s. No other band – aside from The Beatles of course – had the same kind of universal appeal, and few others matched their dizzying success. Here, we’ve bought you some fantastic footage of Mick Jagger and co. performing a soaring rendition of their 1969 single ‘Gimme Shelter’.
By 1995, Britain was in the midst of a pop renaissance, and there was a sense that the nation was back in limelight after decades in the shadows. That same year, The Rolling Stones released their Stripped album, a collection of eight studio recordings and six live tracks, the latter of which were taken from four intimate concerts throughout 1995.
This rendition of ‘Gimme Shelter’ at Amsterdam’s Paradiso venue is taken from the band’s accompanying tour and features ‘How Can I Ease The Pain’ singer Lisa Fisher on backing vocals. It also boasts an incredible solo by Keith Richards.
The original female vocal on ‘Gimme Shelter’ is that of Merry Clayton, a gospel singer who sang for the likes of Ray Charles. Discussing her appearance on the song in the 2013 film 20 Feet from Stardom, Clayton recalled receiving a call to come into the Stones LA studio late one night.. She was heavily pregnant at the time but accepted the offer nonetheless – showing up in a pair of silk pyjamas with curlers in her hair. Her soaring vocal blew Jagger and the band into the stratosphere. In fact, you can hear Mick in the background of the track yelling “whoo!” at around the 3.04 mark.
In his Life memoir, guitarist Kieth Richards explains how the song came about: “I wrote ‘Gimme Shelter’ on a stormy day, sitting in Robert Fraser’s apartment in Mount Street. Anita (Pallenberg) was shooting Performance at the time, not far away… It was just a terrible f–king day, and it was storming out there. I was sitting there in Mount Street, and there was this incredible storm over London, so I got into that mode, just looking out of Robert’s window and looking at all these people with their umbrellas being blown out of their grasp and running like hell. And the idea came to me… My thought was storms on other people’s minds, not mine. It just happened to hit the moment.”
Listen to a rarely heard stripped-back version of The Rolling Stones’ classic song ‘Gimme Shelter’.
