A to Z Extra: Celebrating Ronnie Wood’s Birthday With His Top Five Most Essential Songs

Without a doubt, Ronnie Wood has proven to be one of the most reliable go-to dudes in rock and roll. For his 73rd birthday (6/1), here are the five that you might not know, but you need to have:

(5.) "Beck-Ola" by The Jeff Beck Group (Epic Records, 1969). For Jeff Beck's second solo album, it's (again) Rod Stewart on lead vocal with Ron Wood on bass(!), the legendary Nicky Hopkins on piano, and future Bowie-"Diamond Dogs" drummer Tony Newman. 7 songs, 32 minutes, guaranteed to rip your head off. What they do to a couple of Elvis classics can only be described as vicious.

(4.) "I Can Feel The Fire", written by Ronnie for his first solo release "I've Got My Own Album To Do" (Warner Bros., 1974). With help from Mick and Keith, you can pretty much call this one of the very the best-buried treasures in The Stones catalog.

(3.) The title track to the Faces' "Ooh La La" album (co-written with Ronnie Lane; Warner Bros., 1973). If Dylan had been hanging with Faces, this is what would have happened. Arguably their best song. Lead vocal by Ronnie (Wood, not Ronnie Lane.)

(2.) "Hey Negrita", The Rolling Stones (from the "Black and Blue" album, Rolling Stones Records, 1976). Under the song title on the label, it reads: "Inspiration by Ronnie Wood" and we're in favor of anything that jacks up Jagger (who turns in a monumental Monky Man vocal performance), totally driven by Ronnie's mayhem guitar. A lost treasure and one of their best.

(1.) "Miss Judy's Farm", Faces (from the album "A Nod Is As Good As A Wink...", Warner Bros. 1971). While "Stay With Me" (deservedly) became a classic rock radio staple, it was really this opening cut on Side One that destroyed the competition. Ronnie's riffs are like molten lava being dumped on your brain!!!