The Rolling Stones shine, shine, shine with a live version of their 1981 rocker, “Black Limousine.” 

There’s a song called “Long Black Limousine” that was penned back in 1958 by two Southern California country musicians, Vern Stovall and Bobby George. Jody Miller was the first to make the charts with the oft-recorded tune, but the Elvis Presley version is probably the best well-known, and it’s been covered by everyone from Bobby Bare to The Grateful Dead. It’s one of the grand three-minute melodramas in country music.

This is not that song.

This tune is a Rolling Stones original written by Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, and Keith Richards and first released on the 1981 LP, Tattoo You. It’s a straight-ahead rocker without a bell or whistle on it, or a tear of regret.

We used to shine shine shine shine 
Say what a pair say what a team 
We used to ride ride ride ride 
In a long black limousine 

This live version was recorded on December 18, 1981 in Hampton, Virginia and can be found on the Hampton Coliseum (Live 1981) album released in 2012. After 30 years, It’s startling, astonishing almost, to reencounter one of the world’s great rock and roll bands near the absolute height of its powers. Man, is this good.