Sister Morphine Marianne Faithfull

Best known for its inclusion on 1971 The Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers album, Sister Morphine was co-written by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Marianne Faithfull, first recorded by Faithfull and issued as the b-side for her February 1969 single Something Better. Faithfull lip-synched a performance of Something Better at The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus but since that film wasn't televised as originally intended the single got little exposure and didn't chart. Allegedly only 500 copies were issued by Decca and it has since become highly prized by collectors, although US copies on London Records are more common.For this first official reissue (complete with replica Decca sleeve) the sides have been flipped to give prominence to the more interesting recording. The musicians on Faithfull's Sister Morphine are identical to those that cut the Stones' version – RyCooder on slide guitar, arranger Jack Nitzsche on piano, Mick Jagger (acoustic guitar), Bill Wyman (bass) and Charlie Watts (drums) - with one exception. Keith Richards played acoustic guitar on the Stones' version.Faithfull revisited Sister Morphine to great effect in the late 70s and it was issued as a 12 inch single, but this remains the definitive reading of the song.