One of the greatest guitarists and songwriters of all time, Keith Richards has been a crucial part of The Rolling Stones’ success. His partnership with Mick Jagger has produced songs that have inspired millions of musicians worldwide over the past six decades. Throughout his career, he had the chance to meet many incredible artists and watch them perform, and some became his favorites. Rock and Roll Garage selected two songs that Keith Richards once said are among the best of all time. The 2 songs Keith Richards said are among the best of all time The Ronnetes "Be My Baby" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSPpbOGnFgk&list=RDjSPpbOGnFgk&start_radio=1&pp=ygUKYmUgbXkgYmFieaAHAQ%3D%3D The first song is "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes, which Keith Richards said in his autobiography Life that was one of the greatest songs ever recorded. "The Ronettes were the hottest girl group in the world, and early in 1963 they’d just released one of the greatest songs ever recorded, 'Be My Baby,' produced by Phil Spector. We toured with the Ronettes on our second UK tour, and I fell in love with Ronnie Bennett, who was the lead singer." "She was twenty years old and she was extraordinary, to hear, to look at, to be with. I fell in love with her silently, and she fell in love with me. She was as shy as I was, so there wasn’t a lot of communication, but there sure was love. It all had to be kept very quiet because Phil Spector was and notoriously remained a man of prodigious jealousy. She had to be in her room all the time in case Phil called. And I think he quickly got a whiff that Ronnie and I were getting on. He would call people and tell them to stop Ronnie seeing anybody after the show. Mick had cottoned to her sister Estelle, who was not so tightly chaperoned." He continued: "(...) She told me later that Phil was acutely conscious of his receding hairline and couldn’t stand my abundant barnet (London rhyming slang for hair: Barnet Fair). This insecurity was so chronic that he would go to terrible lengths to allay his fears. To the point where, after he married Ronnie in 1968, he made her prisoner in his California mansion, barely allowing her out. Preventing her from singing, recording or touring." "In her book she describes Phil taking her to the basement and showing her a gold coffin with a glass top, warning her that this was where she would be on display if she strayed from his rigorous rules. Ronnie had a lot of guts at that young age, which didn’t, however, get her out of Phil’s grip," Keith Richards said. She was married to the famous producer Phil Spector from 1968 to 1974 but decided to keep his surname until the end of her life. Phil Spector died in 2021 after serving nearly 20 years in prison for murder. The first time Keith Richards heard "Be My Baby" Their friendship continued over the decades and they even had the chance to record together. In 2007 he was the one who inducted The Ronettes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. During his speech, Keith recalled the first time he ever heard their classic "Be My Baby". "In 1964, North of England, on the road as usual, I climbed out of my little cubicle and I'm walking down that corridor. It's green, it smells, it's dark." "As I get to the stairwell I start to hear these voices (thinking I was high already). But as I go down the stairwell I hear this beautiful little chant set up Nedra and Estelle. I realize I'm listening to The Ronettes. Then that pure, pure voice over the top singing 'Be My Baby'. I realized that despite Jack Nitzsche's beautiful arrangements they could sing their way right through a wall of sound. They didn't need any of that. They touched my heart right there and then. And they touch it still," Keith Richards said (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage). Ronnie Spector passed away in 2022 at the age of 78, victim of cancer. At the time the Rolling Stones guitarist released a statement, saying: "This is so sad. Ronnie was a very dear friend and she leaves a huge gap. How I’m going to miss that infectious laugh and that great voice! My deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. One love," he said. Elvis Presley "Mystery Train" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njw2oB8oRTs&list=RDnjw2oB8oRTs&start_radio=1&pp=ygUdRWx2aXMgUHJlc2xleSAiTXlzdGVyeSBUcmFpbiKgBwE%3D The second song mentioned by Keith Richards in his autobiography was "Mystery Train" by Elvis Presley. He gave the song as an example of how primordial rhythms are and said it was one of the best of all time. "There’s something primordial in the way we react to pulses without even knowing it. We exist on a rhythm of seventy-two beats a minute." "The train, apart from getting them from the Delta to Detroit, became very important to blues players because of the rhythm of the machine, the rhythm of the tracks, and then when you cross onto another track, the beat moves. It echoes something in the human body. So then when you have machinery involved, like trains, and drones, all of that is still built in as music inside us." "The human body will feel rhythms even when there’s not one. Listen to “Mystery Train” by Elvis Presley. One of the great rock-and-roll tracks of all time, not a drum on it. It’s just a suggestion, because the body will provide the rhythm. Rhythm really only has to be suggested. Doesn’t have to be pronounced. This is where they got it wrong with “this rock” and “that rock.” It’s got nothing to do with rock. It’s to do with roll," Keith Richards said. Keith Richards said "Mystery Train" showed the essence of Elvis' sound</h4> When Elvis’ first album, released in 1956, was part of the documentary series “Classic Albums” in 2001, Richards said hearing the record was like the world had gone from black and white to co lor. “He hit it like a bombshell. It was like the world went from black & white to technicolor. I guess they were the first white band that anybody heard of with a good lead singer, that was sailable. They had the rhythm. The beautiful thing about Elvis was that he sort of turned everybody into everybody (and made people think) ‘maybe you can do it’.” Keith Richards continued: “I was just as interested in the band as I was in Elvis. So I just considered him to be part of it, you know, Bill Black, Scotty Moore and D.J. Because of the early ones (Elvis albums) didn’t have drums on it. This is the funny thing he is the king of Rock and Roll and some of his earlier records don’t actually have drums. That's the essence right there (of Elvis) 'Money Honey', 'Mystery Train', 'Baby Let's Play', 'I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone' (I still can't play that one properly). The sound and the attitude on those are so pure, so unforced, joyous. There was an enthusiasm that came out right off the tape from Elvis and the band,” Keith Richards said (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage). Like most artists of his generation, he was deeply influenced by Elvis Presley. But he was more interested in the singer’s band than in the frontman himself. When asked which bands he would like to have been a member of, his choice was Elvis' original band and in interview in 2008, Keith said they were one of the greatest bands of all time. “I would start personally with probably The Hillbilly Cats, Elvis’ band. Scotty Moore (Guitar), D.J Fontana (Drums) and Bill Black (Bass). The most amazing stuff and it was very early on.”The post The 2 songs Keith Richards said are among the best of all time appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.