My Site

The Unreleased series

Beggars Banquet is the seventh British and ninth American studio album by the Rolling Stones. It was released in December 1968. It marked a return to the band’s R&B roots and is generally viewed as more primal than the psychedelia of Their Satanic Majesties Request. It also started off a string records that is usually regarded as the band’s best work.

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards hired producer Jimmy Miller, who had produced the Spencer Davis Group and Traffic. This partnership would prove so successful that Jimmy Miller would work with the band until 1973.

The recording sessions for Beggars Banquet started in March and finished in June.

Today’s unreleased track is Highway Child off these sessions.

It is probably recorded June 26 – 28, 1968 and is never officially released. There are also some indications that Ry Cooder played parts on the song when he visited the Fifth Dimension (June 26). I do not know if this is included on the circulating version but Stephen Davis writes in his Stones Biography that Ry Cooder was in on a jam and recording of Muddy Waters’ Still a fool and Keith Richards’ titled Highway Child.

Highway Child (unreleased):

• Vocals:Mick Jagger Guitars
• Keith Richard Bass
• Brian Jones Drums
• Charlie Watts
• (…and maybe Ry Cooder)

It is included on several bootlegs, but as far as I can tell there is only one version of the song in circulation.

Lyrics: HIGHWAY CHILD
(Jagger/Richards)

Won’t you come on and call my name
Can’t you see I’m a only one
Whoa when you call my name
Yeah I’m the lonely one
Yeah when you come along
We go for a drive
Yeah I’m a lonely boy
Yeah going by
Every time I get to shell it down
Every time that you put me down
Can’t you see by now, I’m a highway child
Can’t you see by now, I’m a highway child

Whooo!

Well when you call my name
Who should you hypnotize
Yeah when you scratch my lights out
Yeah I feel it’s all right
Yeah when you scratch me babe
Then you find me up peak
Yeah make me feel so good
Your plan would never look complete
Won’t you come in and settle down
Can’t you see I’m a hauling bound
Can’t you see by now, I’m a highway bound
Can’t you see by now, I’m a highway bound

Yeah get it!

Yeah!
Yeah baby when you call my name
You can see I’m the only one
Hey I’m in misery
Little mama I’m the lonely one
Yeah when you promise me
Yeah when you promise I
Yeah I’m in misery
I’m a highway child
If you promise to call my name
I can promise to settle down
Can’t you see by now, I’m a highway child
Can’t you see by now, I’m a highway child

–

Check out:

• The Rolling Stones – concerts, videos, albums & other

– Hallgeir

Sources: Old Gods Almost Dead – Stephen Davis (book), Wikipedia, Allmusic