Written by Johnny Marks and Marvin Brodie, and most famously performed by Chuck Berry, Keith's cover of "Run Rudolph Run" was originally released on Rolling Stones Records, with a B-Side of Jimmy Cliffs "The Harder They Come".
The single was re-released in 2007 by iTunes, under the Mindless Records imprint. This time the song was bundled with a previously unreleased 2003 recording of "Pressure Drop" with Toots & The Maytals.
Electric guitars: Keith Richards
Vocal: Keith Richards
Drums: Mike Driscoll
Bass: Keith Richards
Piano: Ian Stewart
Berry based this tale on "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer," giving Rudolph a bit of an attitude as he delivers the toys. Unlike Santa, however, Rudolph is copyrighted, and Berry had to give the publishing rights to Johnny Marks, who wrote the original Rudolph. Perhaps if Berry had used "Randolph" (another reindeer he mentions), he could have kept the publishing. That's what the makers of the British TV special Robbie the Reindeer did.
The song is sometimes known as "Run Run Rudolph," which is how it appears on Lynyrd Skynyrd's cover. Other artists to record the song include Sheryl Crow, Bryan Adams, The Grateful Dead, Jimmy Buffett, Dwight Yoakam, Bon Jovi and Keith Richards.
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Although Richards recorded the track in 1976, it was not until two years later, in 1978, when advance promotional copies were serviced to the press and to radio for airplay in the United States, prior to its release at retail. A second pressing ensued, in late 1979 for U.S. retail, while a UK release had been issued earlier, in February of that year.
The song was also released in Japan and in other selected countries in 1979. As had previously been the case with numerous Rolling Stones albums and singles, the release date of Richards’ version of "Run Rudolph Run" varied from country to country. 1978 had been a busy year for the Stones and for Richards, with both the release of "Some Girls," and their tour in support of the album.
In addition to confusion created by fans who misunderstand the difference between advance promotional availability and actual retail release dates, along with the variations that occur between countries, and other unrelated factors, such issues can complicate establishing the actual release date of a past recording. As a result, uncertainty has surrounded the exact release dates for this single, and of countless other recordings. Subsequent to the inception of Soundscan in 1991, with its strict policies that include new music releases being made available at retail solely on Tuesdays, there are now many less variables that ensue when documenting American release dates.
Part of what makes this re-issue remarkable is that Richards’ recording of "Run Rudolph Run" was solely available commercially as a 7-inch 45 RPM single. It was never commercially available on CD, and it had been out of print for over 25 years, until its recent holiday release as an itunes download (2007). The song has been recorded by a wide range of artists, a few of whom include Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bryan Adams, The Grateful Dead and Dave Edmunds. It was Chuck Berry’s Chess Records version, however, that inspired Richards. Berry’s version of the song was recorded on September 9, 1958, as was the single’s B-side, "Merry Christmas Baby." Berry would not return to the studio until a month later, to record "Little Queenie" and "That’s My Desire."
With the Rolling Stones having released versions of classic Chuck Berry numbers including "Little Queenie" and "Carol," that Richards should record "Run Rudolph Run" was not surprising. Atypically, the track was not written by Berry, who wrote most of his own songs. Richards’ longtime love for Berry’s music, as well as his admiration for Johnny Johnson, Berry’s late, great, one-time pianist, who Richards inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2001, has been well-documented, and played out on stages by Richards for over forty years. When inducting Berry into the Hall in 1986, the Rolling Stones guitarist remarked, "I lifted every lick he ever played."
Do not, however, expect any further Christmas offerings from Richards, who recently stated in an interview with drummer extraordinaire Steve Jordan on Sirius Radio, "It would be selling out."
In tune with one more of his longtime loves, there is a B-side on Richards’ 45 RPM of "Run Rudolph Run," his version of Jimmy Cliff’s hypnotic reggae track, "The Harder They Come." Richards would continue to express his longtime love for roots reggae in the studio through numerous recordings that include his work with the Wingless Angels, on their self-titled album, Max Romeo’s "Holding Out My Love To You," his extremely challenged relationship with late Peter Tosh, various works he recorded with the Stones, as well as reggae-influenced tracks that he recorded with his group, The X-Pensive Winos. "The Harder They Come" was later covered by artists as diverse as Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros, the MC5’s Wayne Kramer and Willie Nelson on his 2005 "Country Man" album. It was the seminal 1972 Perry Henzel film, "The Harder They Come," that brought this reggae anthem into mainstream consciousness.
In addition to "Run Rudolph Run," Richards simultaneously released, for the first time ever, his version of Toots And The Maytals’ "Pressure Drop." He recorded the song in 2003 at the Dangerous Music studio in New York City while he was recording the track "Careless Ethiopians" for the Toots album, "True Love," that would be released the following year. "Pressure Drop" had been originally recorded and written by Frederick "Toots" Hibbert in 1969.
PHYLLIS POLLACK
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Keith’s version is fantastic. It’s gritty, it’s rocking, and it’s Keith Richards for crying out loud. It was released as a single and the B-side is Pressure Drop with Toots and the Maytals. How awesome is that!?
The video is Keith and the X-Pensive Winos recorded at the Meadowlands in NJ in 1988.
video: [
www.youtube.com]
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-11-15 21:52 by exilestones.