Mick Jagger has been busy for decades fronting the legendary rock band The Rolling Stones. However, he’s done quite a bit of work outside of the band, including acting in the 1970 film Performance, providing backing vocals to collaborators’ songs, and periodically releasing solo material. A lot of Jagger’s solo work has been received with mixed reviews; however, these five underrated songs are definitely some of Mick Jagger’s best outside of the Stones.
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1. “War Baby”
This track from the 1987 album Primitive Cool features a few big names in the rock music world. Specifically, Dave Steward of The Eurythmics produced the song (and album), Paddy Moloney of The Chieftans plays the uilleann pipes, and Jeff Beckon plays lead guitar. It’s a slick, jammy, and political song about the Cold War.
2. “Lonely At The Top”
She’s The Boss from 1985 was Jagger’s first attempt to establish himself as a solo musician outside of The Rolling Stones. Ironically, the first track on this album was a collaborative composition between him and Keith Richards. Still, “Lonely At The Top” was just as much Jagger’s as it was Richards’ composition, and it’s a stylish piece of work. It has a vaguely Fleetwood Mac feel, too. (From the Lindsey Buckingham era, of course.)
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3. “Party Doll”
Another stellar track from Primitive Cool, “Party Doll” features another collab with Paddy Moloney. The two musicians work beautifully together on this track, and Moloney’s mere presence adds a folky, Celtic vibe to the song as a whole.
4. “Too Far Gone”
Goddess In The Doorway was an honest effort back in 2001, and Jagger hasn’t release another solo album since. There are a few shining tracks on this record, notably “Too Far Gone”. It’s a bluesy tune with a lot of soul, and Joe Perry (of Aerosmith) lends some excellent guitar riffs to the track.
5. “Don’t Tear Me Up”
Wandering Spirit was Mick Jagger’s only solo album of the 1990s, and “Don’t Tear Me Up” is definitely one of the most underrated songs on the album. We’d argue that it’s one of his best solo songs to date, too. The blues guitar on this track, paired with a chord organ, create an almost rock opera-esque vibe together. Jagger’s vocals are incredibly passionate, too. One can only imagine how this track would sound as a Stones single.
Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive
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