At the close of 1963,
the Rolling Stones were, for want of a better word, on a -- roll. They'd done okay if not great the previous summer with their debut single, a cover of a
Chuck Berry obscurity called "Come On," which was more energetic than 99 percent of its competition, and then roared into the Top 20 in November with a follow up single, a savage rendition of the
Lennon-
McCartney song "I Wanna Be Your Man," complete with slide guitar and a bass that sounded like its amplifier was cranked up to 12.