This is an example of slide guitar part in the Rolling Stones adaptation of Robert Johnson’s “Love In Vain” from the Let It Bleed album of the band.
Critic Richie Unterberger describes it as “as close to the roots of acoustic down-home blues as the Stones ever got”.
Mick Jagger commented on the song’s arrangement:
“We changed the arrangement quite a lot from Robert Johnson’s. We put in extra chords that aren’t there on the Robert Johnson version. Made it more country…”
Mick Taylor’s slide in the third bar is amazing but nevertheless i didn’t stop playin’ my guitar to offer a difference between my open E tuning and Taylor’ standard tuning (with all due respect…).
Open E tuning is wellcome in both blues and country tunes,and this one is a great exemple of how a song can be modified witout chanching its glamour.