Tallahassee Lassie

Hot from their 1978 S.E.A.T. tour the Rolling Stones stayed together with the intention to complete some earlier Paris session material and also to record a few new tracks. In August 1978 the Stones gathered at RCA Studios, Hollywood; familiar ground, since the band had been recording extensively at RCA during the early stages of their career (1964-1966).

As it turned out, only two Paris takes, 'Summer Romance' and 'Where The Boys Go', both with Ian Stewart on piano, were worked upon during the RCA sessions. Many of the other songs recorded at the sessions were cover versions, which suggests they were played for fun or inspiration rather than any serious intention of them being recorded for an album.

During the sessions, the band dug deep into their roots, playing the blues (Jimmy Reed, Walter Jacobs), rhythm & blues (Willie Dixon), rock 'n' roll (Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry), country (George Jones, Chuck Willis) and reggae (Jimmy Cliff). One of the covers, Freddy Cannon's classic song 'Tallahassee Lassie', with Stu on piano, eventually saw the light of day on the Stones' 2011 "Some Girls" re-release.

Adapted from the following source: Martin Elliott, The Rolling Stones Complete Recording Sessions 1962-2002, Cherry Red Books, 2002.