Description

2021 Record Store Day release on red and black splatter vinyl

The first record that Keith Richards ever released in his own name was a vinyl single called Run Rudolf Run, first released in 1978. Richards did several studio sessions during 1976 and 1977 but all that was released was these tracks. Perhaps the lack of productivity was due to the fact that Richards was in the middle of the most difficult period of his life. Richards burgeoning heroin addiction had started to become a problem. His French villa was the subject of a drug raid in 1972 and his British residence in 1973. In 1976, Richards infant son Tara, his third child by Pallenberg, died suddenly; the official cause was Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), although unsubstantiated rumors that the couple’s drug abuse was a factor circulated as well. In early 1977, Richards was busted for possession of cocaine, and faced the most serious charges of his life when, in Toronto, he was caught in possession of heroin. He narrowly escaped serving jail time, agreeing to perform a charity concert for the blind and enter drug rehabilitation in the United States. This singles A-side has now been re-issued as a 12 maxi and it features a cover of Keiths longtime hero and later collaborator Chuck Berry. The cover was all the more notable for Richards legions of fans, and those of the Rolling Stones, because it featured his band mates Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts. The original single featured a cover of Jimmy Cliff’s The Harder They Come while while a 2007 reissue featured his rendition of Toots and the Maytals ‘Pressure Drop. For this 2021 edition, to celebrate the holidays, both songs appear on the disc.

Track list:
1. Run Rudolph Run
2. The Harder They Come-Jimmy Cliff cover
3. Pressure Drop-Toots And The Maytals cover