Mick Jagger / Keith Richards / 3:09
Musicians
Mick Jagger: vocals
Keith Richards: lead guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Brian Jones: rhythm guitar
Bill Wyman: bass
Charlie Watts: drums
Recorded
RCA Studios, Hollywood: December 8–10, 1965
Technical Team
Producer: Andrew Loog Oldham
Sound engineer: Dave Hassinger
Mick Jagger is once again settling scores with women, at any rate those who have caused him to suffer (presumably before he achieved his spectacular double status as rock star and sex symbol). The scenario: the male half of a couple that has been separated for a year is addressing his former partner. Who was responsible for the breakup? He asks her to be mature and, most importantly, to think about the past. Take a look and you will find/You’re gettin’ old before your time: it is a cruel assessment, all the more so as the former lover is accused of not keeping her promises.
In addition to Marianne Faithfull, another important ambassador of the music of the Rolling Stones in the mid-sixties was Chris Farlowe. Seduced by the melody of “Think,” the singer from Islington asked Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Andrew Loog Oldham to produce his cover of the song. “Think” was his first single to enter the British charts: initially on January 2, 1966 (number 49), and for a second time on February 16 (number 37).
It is interesting to note Keith’s use of his Maestro Fuzz-Tone, which gives his Epiphone Casino its distorted sound throughout. Paradoxically, the musician who popularized fuzz guitar in rock music employed it rarely, and then only as a substitute for the horn section he had in his head… He had already done this on “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” and on “Think” his use of it as a horn stand-in is even clearer. In addition to fuzz guitar, Keith seems to be playing a 6-string acoustic that launches the intro (whose first four notes are the same as the riff of George Harrison’s “Wah-Wah” [1970]) and lead guitar, taking a solo at around 1:50. This leaves Brian Jones on rhythm (on his Gibson Firebird). Bill Wyman plays an excellent bass line on his Framus Humbug, and Charlie Watts sets a good groove on his Ludwig kit. Mick Jagger is entirely at ease in this type of song halfway between pop and R&B. He is supported by good vocal harmonies from Keith. However, the results are not truly satisfying. The production is good, the number well written, and the tune catchy, but “Think” lacks that extra dimension that is needed to raise it to the level of “Mother’s Little Helper” or “Paint It Black.”