Let it Bleed Songs Ranked

Let It Bleed is the eighth British and tenth American studio album by English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in December 1969 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and London Records in the United States. Released shortly after the band’s 1969 American Tour, it is the follow-up to 1968’s Beggars Banquet. As with Beggars Banquet, the album marks a return to the group’s more blues-sound approach that was prominent in the pre-Aftermath period of their career. Additional sounds on the album draw influence from gospel, country blues and country rock. The album charted top ten in several markets, including reaching number one in the UK and number three in the US. While no high-charting singles were released from the album, many of the album’s songs became staples of Rolling Stones live shows and on rock radio stations for decades to come, including “Gimme Shelter” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, both of them listed on “best ever” songs lists, including 2004’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” by Rolling Stone magazine. The album was voted number 40 in Colin Larkin’s All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd edition (2000).^[2] In 2005, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and is on Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. Here are all of Let it Bleed songs ranked.

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9. Country Honk

“Country Honk” is as good as “Honky Tonk Women”, its electric version : it features a wild country sound and most of all, a great fiddle solo. Every time I listen to this song, I feel like being in a saloon.”

8. You Got the Silver

“‘You Got The Silver’ is a touching and nice ballad, tons better than all the weird wailing stuff he’s been throwing at us since Goats’ Head Soup. This one is really catchy and memorable, and not any less heartfelt or moving.”

7. Live With Me

“Two tracks from “Let It Bleed”, “Live With Me” is a down and dirty come on to some unnamed female, while “Let It Bleed” mocks their biggest rivals with another honky tonk blues with Jagger’s leering vocal, barroom piano and slow blues guitar all gathering momentum as the song goes on.”

See more: Rolling Stones Albums Ranked

6. Monkey Man

“‘Monkey Man’ lyricswise belongs to Satanic, not here; however, Keith’s riffing is so mature here compared to those earlier days! Ronnie Wood is said to have admitted the riff on ‘Monkey Man’ is his favourite Keith riff of all time; I may not agree with him, but I sure can understand him, as it was somewhere around this time that Mr Richards really turned into that aggressive riffage machine that we all know and love him for.”

5. Love In Vain

“Love In Vain” was a valiant attempt at covering a Robert Johnson blues classic. Johnson’s was simple, ominous and ultimately superior.”

See more: Rolling Stones Songs Ranked

4. Let It Bleed

“”Let It Bleed” sees the Stones parodying the gospelly-pomposity of the Beatles in-the-can but still unreleased at the time “Let It Be” with a carousing, rabble-rousing, bar-room-ballad which just unwinds on rolling piano as it goes, only pausing for a stoned slide-guitar solo, Jagger teasing out his cocksure lyric like the on-stage shaman he’d become by this time.”

3. Midnight Rambler

“Midnight Rambler” is one of my top ten Rolling Stones songs. It features one of last Brian Jones contributions to the group. “Rambler” is a sophisticated, complicated song with tempo changes and mood swings. Charlie Watts drives the song throughout and Mick Jagger provides a subtle vocal on this long song that you don’t want to end. I saw The Rolling Stones perform this song live about 15 years ago and I remember it as the highlight of the concert. The songs structure is made for improvising within a live setting.”

2. You Can’t Always Get What You Want

“You Can’t Always Get What You Want discards the choral opening of the album version which is a bit of a shame, but it’s still an excellent song. From that softer start it seems more melancholic on the surface, before building up slowly until that rapturous ending that sounds like some heavenley ascent. The piano work here, courtesy of Al Kooper, is probably the best thing giving it an airy, deft feeling.”

1. Gimme Shelter

“Gimme Shelter” is almost a companion piece to “Sympathy For The Devil.” It is another ominous song by The Stones that brings the 1960s to a close. The Stones were saying that flower power and the summer of love were gone and the Vietnam era had arrived. Merry Clayton’s screaming vocal compliments Mick Jagger and sets the tone for not only this album but for the next several years.”