Merry Clayton rips into Gimme Shelter

I always though the Rolling Stone's 1969 classic 'Gimme Shelter' was their best tune. Tight, nasty, funky, and downright mean, this was the satanic cool of Jagger/Richards at its height. What made the tune so majestic however, were the co-lead vocals of gospel singer Merry Clayton who banshee-wails 'Rape, murder, is just one shot away'. Really chilling stuff. Clayton is a much better singer than Jagger, and for me, it was she who sold the song. As such, her 1970 solo version is a revelation. Think the Stax-Volt horns with a plodding funky-rock groove and a soul diva wailing about the storm threatening her very life, and rape and murder being just a shot away. Killer stuff this is.



And here is the legendary extended Stones version that really extends the groove. Listen for Merry's vocals, and where her voice cracks.