Comments, input and alterations are very welcome!
________________________________________________________________________________

Poison Ivy
(Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller)

De Lane Lea Music Recording Studios, Holborn, London, UK, November 14, 1963

Mick Jagger - lead vocals, percussion
Keith Richards - electric guitar
Charlie Watts - drums
Bill Wyman - bass, backing vocals
Brian Jones - electric guitar, backing vocals

She comes on like a rose and everybody knows
She'll get you in dutch, you can look but you'd better not touch

Poison Ivy, Poison Ivy
Well, late at night while you're sleeping, Poison Ivy comes a creeping all around

She's pretty as a daisy, but look out man she's crazy
She'll really do you in, but if you let her get under your skin

Poison Ivy, Poison Ivy
Late at night while you're sleeping, Poison Ivy comes a creeping all around

Measles make you bumpy and mumps'll make you lumpy
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch
A common cold'll cool you and whooping cough'll fool you
But Poison Ivy's gonna make you itch

You're gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You'll be scratching like a hound, the minute you start to mess around

Poison Ivy, Poison Ivy
Late at night while you're sleeping, Poison Ivy comes a creeping all around

Produced by Andrew Loog Oldham

First released on:
The Rolling Stones - “The Rolling Stones” EP
(Decca DFE 8560) UK, January 17, 1964
_______________________________________________________________________________

Poison Ivy (alternate take)
(Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller)

Decca Studios, West Hampstead, London, UK, August 1, 1963

Mick Jagger - lead vocals, percussion
Keith Richards - electric guitar
Charlie Watts - drums
Bill Wyman - bass, backing vocals
Brian Jones - electric guitar, backing vocals

She comes on like a rose and everybody knows
She'll get you in dutch, you can look but you'd better not touch

Poison Ivy, Poison Ivy
Well, late at night when you're sleeping, Poison Ivy comes a creeping all around

She's pretty as a daisy, but look out man she's crazy
She'll really do you in if you let her get under your skin

Poison Ivy, Poison Ivy
Well, late at night when you're sleeping, Poison Ivy comes a creeping all around

Measles make you bumpy and mumps'll make you lumpy
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch
A common cold'll cool you but whooping cough'll fool you
But Poison Ivy's gonna make you itch

You're gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You'll be scratching like a hound, the minute you start to mess around

Poison Ivy, Poison Ivy
Well, late at night when you're sleeping, Poison Ivy comes a creeping all around

Measles make you bumpy and mumps'll make you lumpy
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch
A common cold'll cool you and whooping cough'll fool you
But Poison Ivy's gonna make you itch

You're gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You'll be scratching like a hound, the minute you start to mess around

Poison Ivy, Poison Ivy
Well, late at night when you're sleeping, Poison Ivy comes a creeping all around

Produced by Michael Barclay

First released on:
Various Artists - “Saturday Club” LP
(Decca LK 4583) UK, January 25, 1964



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-02-11 11:38 by René.

It's not their most successful cover, though I like Charlie's drums on this one. I also like Bill's sliding bass rolls from 1:15 to 1:19, which are heard more clearly in the "enhanced" version.

There's a curious sped-up version on YouTube.





Then there's the "enhanced sound" version, but not even this factor helps them to "own" this cover, which is quite a literal copy of the original. It's not a track that they truly transformed into a virtual Stones original, like their take on Lennon-McCartney's I Wanna Be Your Man.

There were many r'n'b, blues and rock'n'roll songs that the Stones covered in their early days that outshone the originals - It's All Over Now, Little Red Rooster, Around And Around, Route 66 to name but a few.

Unfortunately this was not one of them. There's nothing wrong with it but it's just not one that I'd stick on an album of greatest early material. And I guess that's because they usually set such a high benchmark.

To me it sounds a bit rushed and not as relaxed as The Drifter's original which was a hard act to follow anyway.

I love both versions. Pretty heavy and punky to be that early in their career

I got that early version very late in my beeing a Stones-Fan-career...

Being the last track on the album named 'Around and Around' it wasn't my favourite...but it's good pop...that might be the 'problem' for me since I liked their Bluesy and ballad stuff from the early production...

only 4,5/5 for these two...

2 1 2 0

Love this one; dirty, funky, and propulsive. I wonder if they intended it to sound so dirty and garage-like, with the slight distortion, but it really works well here.

Drew

Ace.

Great vocals

Wouldn't mind them digging this one up again.

I have 2 versions of this. One is a bit more raw (which I like) than the other.

Quote
BluzDude
I have 2 versions of this. One is a bit more raw (which I like) than the other.

+1

Quote
DandelionPowderman

Quote
BluzDude
I have 2 versions of this. One is a bit more raw (which I like) than the other.

+1

+2

We didn't hear this in the States until More Big Hits and Fazed Cookies in 73(?). It's kind of fun and catchy.

Here's the Batman version...

[thepowergoats.com]