The Last Time: Stones and Staples

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 12:51 pm

I wonder if one of you can clear up a puzzle I have. For years—well, decades—I've heard that the Rolling Stones early hit 'The Last Time' is a note-for-note rip-off of a Staples Singers gospel number, with secular lyrics replacing the religious lyrics of the original. I've also heard that the Staples Version blows the Stones away. Even though I have found both these claims in print, I've never found a reference to the name of the Staples song. I'd like to listen to the original but it's hard to chase up a song if you don't know its name.

The situation is a puzzling one to start with. The Stones were usually very good when it came to crediting and paying their sources. It's a bit of a mystery why they didn't give credit here. The only reason I can imagine is that, having changes the lyrics, they figured they had a different song. They might also have thought that co-authorship might be inappropriate and unwelcome given that the original was religious. My guess is that Pops Staples would have been glad of the money.

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 1:07 pm

Seems to be that both songs share the same name..

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.lasso?id=478

Hope this helps ,

Slan,
D.

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 1:10 pm

Thanks a lot, D. Boy, you were quick off the blocks.

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 1:15 pm

You're very welcome Wombat.

It was more down to luck than any knowledge on my part. I've always had the lucky knack of putting the right words into Google and usually get a result, in this case I put "Rolling Stones covers of Staples Songs " into Google and that link jumped off the page at me.

Luck of the Irish

Slan,
D.

Miwokhill · Post by **Miwokhill** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:44 pm

Also by googling I found it's on the album 'Uncloudy Day' If you go to Amazon, at least on the U.S. site, they have it for $13.98 but to hear a sound sample of the tune go down to the third item which is the import version along with sound samples. It's, not surprisingly, a gospel song, and they seem to be singing 'my last time' as if it's about themself rather than the Stones version being about someone else.

It also seems to be on a reissue on Ace Records which came out in Aug. 04.
-mike

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:11 pm

dubhlinn wrote:You're very welcome Wombat.

It was more down to luck than any knowledge on my part. I've always had the lucky knack of putting the right words into Google and usually get a result, in this case I put "Rolling Stones covers of Staples Songs " into Google and that link jumped off the page at me.

Luck of the Irish

Slan,
D.

Now why didn't I think of that?

I often google to find answers to other people's questions as well as my own but it didn't occur to me this time. I usually think, why didn't they google first?

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:15 pm

Miwokhill wrote:Also by googling I found it's on the album 'Uncloudy Day' If you go to Amazon, at least on the U.S. site, they have it for $13.98 but to hear a sound sample of the tune go down to the third item which is the import version along with sound samples. It's, not surprisingly, a gospel song, and they seem to be singing 'my last time' as if it's about themself rather than the Stones version being about someone else.

It also seems to be on a reissue on Ace Records which came out in Aug. 04.
-mike

All my skewed mental processes are on display today. I've actually seen at least one of those albums and wondered if the song was there, but because I'd assumed it had a different name I didn't notice the obvious. It's becasue I was aware of the new release that I asked.