Description
Keith Richards – Run Rudolph Run / The Harder They Come / Pressure Drop – Red & Black Splatter Vinyl Record
Keith Richards’s solo renditions of “Run Rudolph Run,” “The Harder They Come,” and “Pressure Drop” showcase his deep reverence for rock ’n’ roll and reggae roots, filtered through his unmistakable guitar tone and rugged vocal delivery.
In December 1976, Richards cut his first solo single at Island Studios in London, laying down Chuck Berry’s holiday rocker “Run Rudolph Run” with himself on electric guitar, bass, and vocals, Ian Stewart on piano, and Mike Driscoll on drums. Paired as the B-side was Jimmy Cliff’s reggae anthem “The Harder They Come,” featuring Ron Wood on piano alongside drums by both Wood and Charlie Watts. Issued on December 12, 1978, on Rolling Stones Records RS 19311, this 7″ 45 RPM single marked Richards’s first release under his own name
Four decades later, for Record Store Day Black Friday 2018, “Run Rudolph Run” was reissued as a limited-edition red-and-black splatter 12″ vinyl, celebrating its 40th anniversary in a pressing of just 3,000 copies. The reissue package expanded the lineup, adding “Pressure Drop” (originally by Toots & the Maytals) to the A-side sequence alongside the two existing tracks, embracing Richards’s long-standing affinity for Jamaican music
“Pressure Drop” itself—a song about karmic justice penned by Frederick “Toots” Hibbert in 1969—had already become a reggae standard through the soundtrack of The Harder They Come film. Richards’s take preserves the track’s skanking feel while injecting sturdier backbeat accents and a grittier guitar lead, bridging the gap between the original’s laid-back groove and a rock interpretation
Together, these three covers distill Keith Richards’s musical DNA: the blues-inflected rock of Chuck Berry, the soulful grit of Jimmy Cliff’s reggae, and the roots-reggae swing of Toots & the Maytals. They stand as more than mere tribute; they’re affirmations of Richards’s belief in the universality of these genres, delivered with the same rawness and authenticity that has defined his work with the Rolling Stones and beyond.
Keith’s First Solo Single
On Limited Edition Red & Black Splatter-Vinyl
Remix Produced By Long-Time Collaborator, Steve Jordan
Features Appearances From The Rolling Stones’ Original Pianist Ian Stewart, Charlie Watts, Ron Wood And Reggae Legends Toots & The Maytals.
Brand new, never played and still in the factory plastic sealed
Track Listing
Keith Richards – Run Rudolph Run
Keith Richards – The Harder They Come
Keith Richards With Toots & The Maytals – Pressure Drop
