"You've Got the Silver"

Mick & Keith

I'm not sure when "You've Got the Silver" became my favorite Rolling Stones song. It must have slowly seeped into my brain after repeated spins of Let It Bleed, the Stones' 1969 album. There are some serious haymakers on Let It Bleed: "Gimme Shelter", "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "Love in Vain", "Monkey Man", just to name a few. There isn't a bad song on either album side. But "You've Got the Silver" stands out as unique - it's a quiet, front porch Keith Richards tune that largely avoids the Stones' signature chomping, bluesy guitar riffs. I thought such a sweet, melodic song would make a nice addition to part two of my acoustic project.

Naturally, one of my other favorite artists, Susan Tedeschi, must have thought the same. I recently discovered that Susan covered "You've Got the Silver" in 2005 with some guitar help from her husband, Derek Trucks. Honestly, Derek and Susan must have my ipod or something. It's a great version, but I wanted to stick closer to my "wall of resonators" sound without losing fidelity and simplicity. It is a song that should never stray far from the porch.