I don’t know how it felt to you, but the entire career of the Rolling Stones seemed to coalesce in 1971. In the aftermath of “Aftermath” there were so many distractions that the band could barely stay afloat.

They did not even tour America for the three years after that album’s release. Then, in 1969, the floodgates seemed to open. ‘Let It Bleed” furthered the artistic rebirth of “Beggar’s Banquet”, the 1969 tour of America once again made the band uber-famous (and infamous, due to Altamont), and suddenly (or at least to the casual American fan it appeared to happen suddenly), the Rolling Stones were ubiquitous.

They were referred to as the greatest rock and roll band in the world (something they couldn’t have even dared if the Beatles hadn’t collapsed). Mostly, though, the increased presence was due to an influx in releases. The tour document “Get Yer Ya-Yas Out,” followed “Let It Bleed” was but there was also another greatest hits collection, called “Through the Past Darkly, accompanied by an overwhelming influx of other hits collections (“The ‘Promotional’ Album”, “Stone Age” and, of course, the ultimate greatest hits double album, “Hot Rocks”). It was ridiculously redundant, but these are the albums that cemented the band’s authority as ‘the world’s greatest rock and roll band’ for the next decade.

“Brown Sugar” is the single that kick-started the next phase. With so much old material recirculating, the new song seemed like manna from hell. A hit song about sexual debauchery with a slave girl was new high/low for the band. Here is where things stood as the ‘70s took hold;

1) Little Queenie

2) Honky Tonk Women

3) Let It Rock

4) Brown Sugar (rare version)

5) Brown Sugar

6) Sway

7) Wild Horses

8) Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’