10 Great Rock Music Singles That Never Appeared On An Album
2. Jumpin' Jack Flash - The Rolling Stones
Across their multiple decades as an outfit, The Rolling Stones have released 121 singles. Even with 25 albums in the bag, that's not enough room for all of them.
Numerous of the band's most famous songs have been released without an album in their native UK. Honky Tonk Women, The Last Time, Get Off of My Cloud, and one of their all-time biggest tunes, Jumpin' Jack Flash.
From the moment that first chord kicks in, this song has an undeniable energy about it. "I was born in a crossfire hurricane" is one of the best opening lines in rock history and the song is as cherished now as it was when it came out back in 1968.
Whilst some Stones songs that weren't on a UK album did end up on one in America, this one didn't, making its album debut on the compilation record Through the Past, Darkly in 1969. A song of this magnitude could have sold albums all by itself, so it's mad that it never got the chance.
Still, when a song is popular enough to be played over 1,000 times live in concert, it's hard to argue with the release strategy.