Chuck Berry / 2:35
Musicians
Mick Jagger: vocals
Keith Richards: guitar
Brian Jones: guitar
Bill Wyman: bass, backing vocals (?)
Charlie Watts: drums
Unidentified musician(s): hand claps
Recorded
Regent Sound Studios: January 3, 1964
Technical Team
Producer: Andrew Loog Oldham
Sound Engineer: Bill Farley
Like many Chuck Berry songs, “Carol” is an ode to adolescence, with the inevitable sleek automobiles, rock ’n’ roll dancing joints, and, of course, the exaltation of female sensuality. To put it in a nutshell, it is a song on which the Chuck Berry legend was founded. It was released as a single in August 1958 (with “Hey Pedro” as the B-side) and reached number 18 on the charts.
Following “Come On” and various other numbers they had performed onstage, the Rolling Stones now dipped into the Chuck Berry repertoire again for their first album. In fact “Carol,” recorded on January 3, 1964, was, along with “Route 66,” one of the first tracks they completed for it. They imbue it with the same energy as “Route 66,” moreover, and one can only admire the way Keith and Brian complement each other. Compared to Chuck Berry’s version, the Stones’ seems to have been given a shot of adrenaline. Carried along by an excellent rhythm section consisting of Charlie (whose bass drum pedal is still squeaking!), Bill, and Brian, Keith, on his Harmony, plays jubilant guitar licks that, it has to be said, closely resemble those of the inventor of the duckwalk—including the actual solo. Mick, who sings with a slight delay, plays his part with assurance and sets the whole thing alight. The only thing lacking is Ian Stewart’s piano, an instrument that is nevertheless present on Berry’s version. Finally, prominent and indispensable hand claps have been overdubbed. One thing to note is the very poor fade-out, which begins in the wrong place and continues for too long.
Jimmy Page, who attended some of the Stones’ early gigs, remembers this Chuck Berry cover in particular: “They did Carol and it sounds raw as fuck, they were really spitting it out. The whole vibe of it was just great. Carol was the sort of thing we’d been listening to for a number of years, and all of a sudden there’s a band of guys doing it in your living room. Amazing.”17
For a period of several years, “Carol” was to become one of the group’s bravura stage numbers, One of their best versions can be found on the album Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! (1970).