The Rolling Stones have released an unheard song from the 1970s for the very first time.
Titled “Scarlet”, the track was recorded in 1974 with Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and musician Rick Grech.
It will feature on the group’s forthcoming re-release of their 1973 record Goats Head Soup, which will be unveiled on 4 September.
“Scarlet” is one of the album’s three previously unheard tracks, and you can listen to it here.
Speaking about recording the song, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger said: ”I remember first jamming this with Jimmy and Keith in Ronnie’s basement studio. It was a great session.”
Guitarist Keith Richards added: “My recollection is we walked in at the end of a Zeppelin session. They were just leaving, and we were booked in next and I believe that Jimmy decided to stay. We weren’t actually cutting it as a track, it was basically for a demo, a demonstration, you know, just to get the feel of it, but it came out well, with a line up like that, you know, we better use it.’’
Goats Head Soup’s re-release will also include “demos, outtakes and live performances”.
The other unheard tracks to feature on the record include “Cross Cross” and “All the Rage”.
Goats Head Soup came out in August 1973, on the heels of Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile on Main St.
The Independent gave it the 10th spot in a ranking of The Rolling Stones’ 10 best albums, noting that it was “released to middling reviews from critics spoiled by the unprecedented run of creativity that began with Beggar’s Banquet“, but that it’s ”now viewed much more favourably”.
