10 Greatest Vocal Performances In Classic Rock

With the initial shock factor of the British Invasion slowly dying out, the Rolling Stones were at a crossroads. Instead of just riding the wave of their early hits, the band went on to put some of the most feral blues rock the rock world had seen down on record.

Once the first guitar chords of "Gimme Shelter" start to play, you know you're in for something extremely dark. As Mick Jagger enters with the first line of a storm coming, he not only made a stellar start to the band's Let It Bleed album, but also signaled the start of the dark side of the 60's rock era. Throughout each of the verses, Jagger's voice is absolutely dripping with menace as he yearns to find refuge from the destruction ahead.

Even though Jagger is in top form, it's actually none of the Stones that land the killing blow of the song. That honor goes to Merry Clayton, whose screams are some of the best the genre had to offer at the time. The tone of her voice invokes both a panicked desperation along with a slightly primal urge. For proof of just how impressive Clayton's performance was, look no further than Jagger himself, whose famous utter of amazement can be heard on the final take of the song.