How a 1964 Muddy Waters Compilation Shaped the Rolling Stones' Early Song Choices

The 1964 Chess compilation The Best of Muddy Waters landed in the UK at the exact moment the Rolling Stones were building their live set and first two albums. While fans assume the band always pulled from the famous singles, the comp was one of their primary sources—and they deliberately skipped the biggest hits. Songs like “I Want to Be Loved,” which Waters himself wrote but never released as a single, gave the Stones a way to sound authentic without repeating what other British R&B acts were already doing.

“I Want to Be Loved” is a perfect example: a slow, aching blues with a nasty guitar lick, not the kind of track that sold millions. By covering it—and other comp-deep cuts like “I Can’t Be Satisfied”—the Stones signaled they weren’t just pop fans dipping into the blues catalog. They were digging into the catalog of a living legend, picking the songs that felt dangerous and raw rather than the jukebox standards. It was a statement: we listened to the whole album, not just the singles.