China Pans Stones' Playlist

When the Rolling Stones make their first-ever visit to China later this month, they won't be able to play some of their biggest hits.

Four signature tunes of the venerable rock band, now on its "40 Licks" tour of Asia, have been banned in Beijing and shackled in Shanghai: "Brown Sugar," "Honky Tonk Woman," "Beast of Burden," and "Let's Spend the Night Together."

It's not the first time "Let's Spend the Night Together" has been censored. When the Stones played the Ed Sullivan show in 1967, Mick Jagger satisfied American censors by singing "Let's spend some time together."

A Chinese concert organizer said the four songs were also cut from the mainland release of the band's "40 Licks" album, which forms the basis of the tour, though uncensored bootleg copies are available.

There was no comment from China's culture ministry.

The Rolling Stones arrived in Tokyo on Friday, the halfway point of the 117-concert tour and their first stop in Asia.

Until this year, not a single album by the Stones had ever been officially released in the world's most populous nation, said Dai Renzhi, a spokeswoman for EMI Records China.

"It's about time they let us in," guitarist Keith Richards joked when asked at a news conference about the concert dates in Beijing and Shanghai. "It's always nice to go to someplace new."

Finding something new isn't easy for a band like the Rolling Stones, now marking their 40th anniversary.

Of the 59 concerts they have already done on the tour, all but one was sold out, according to the promoters. They sold out all eight concerts in Australia, where they played before coming to Japan.

The Rolling Stones' other stops in Asia are Hong Kong, Singapore and India.