The single of the day ★ Tumbling Dice

'Tumbling Dice' was released as a 7" single in the UK on April 14, 1972, where it peaked at #5.
Its US counterpart, released at the same time, reached #7.
Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, 'Tumbling Dice' was the first single from the 1972 double album 'Exile On Main Street' and was recorded in the basement of the chateau Villa Nellcôte, near Villefranche-sur-Mer, France. The basic track of the song was recorded on 3 August 1971. Mick Taylor played bass on the track, due to Bill Wyman's absence that night, and Mick Jagger plays guitar. Richards said, "I remember writing the riff upstairs in the very elegant front room, and we took it downstairs the same evening and we cut it." Of the song, Jagger said "It was written to fit Keith's riff. It's about gambling and love, an old blues trick."... [+]

Vintage distributors' jukebox strips are popular among collectors.

About the songs
Nearly 80 songs recorded by the Rolling Stones entered either the UK or US charts since 1963, twelve of them peaking at #1 ['Satisfaction', 'Get Off Of My Cloud', 'Paint It, Black' and 'Honky Tonk Women' were #1 in both countries].

The early years also were the most prolific and, whereas most titles were not yet penned by the Jagger-Richards tandem, record labels Decca [in the UK] and London [in the US] would issue singles at a frantic pace, building the band's reputation as the Beatles' most serious threat.

However, no global marketing strategy would emerge before the 70's, and both countries cultivated their differences in their respective discographies, as would their affiliates in other parts of the world.

The richness and diversity of the Rolling Stones singles discography is mainly due to the fact that, during the 60's, Decca would consider singles an independent market from the LPs' one, whereas London would use this format as a 'lift' for album sales. Therefore, British singles would offer non-album tracks [except for compilations], and Decca England would pass on a few US releases, while the US would opt for different B-sides and be a little more productive.

US exclusive couplings and singles would however often be released on Decca in Europe, notably in Scandinavia for which UK would exclusively press 'export' singles [Denmark, Sweden and Norway also pressed their own records and imported regular UK releases].