On this day in 1962, The Rolling Stones entered the studio to record their first demos

After some early gigs and a short tour, the band decided it was time to record some songs. They rented Sound Studio in Highbury, North London, paying for one hour. The studio’s owner, jazz guitarist Curly Clayton handled the production for the group.

This early session saw the recording of three songs, all of them covers of some of their favourite artists that they had been performing at shows. First  was  Muddy Waters’ Soon Forgotten, then Jimmy Reed’s Close  Together and finally You Can’t Judge A Book (By Looking At The Cover), a Willie Dixon song made famous by Bo Diddley.  The recordings featured no bass as Dick Taylor had just quit the band and a replacement was still to be found.

These early recordings found little success amongst the labels it was sent to. They were rejected, most without comment. A spokesperson for Decca Records informed them that “It’s a great band, but you’ll never get anywhere with that singer.” However, after seeing the band in early 1963, Decca Records were swayed into signing the band after a recommendation by The Beatles’ George Harrison.