The Dead Boys’ Punk Cover of 'Brown Sugar' (1978)

On their 1978 album We Have Come for Your Children, Cleveland punk band The Dead Boys turned the Rolling Stones’ “Brown Sugar” into a snarling, sped-up two-minute assault. Vocalist Stiv Bators sneers the lyrics over guitarist Jimmy Zero’s razor‑sharp riff, stripping away the Stones’ piano and sax to leave only raw aggression. The cover became a staple of the band’s live shows and a favorite among punk purists.

As for the Stones’ reaction: no official comment was ever made public. A persistent rock‑fan rumor claims Keith Richards once told a journalist that the