Mick Jagger continues to confuse and confound Father Time – not to mention the rest of us – by reaching his 73rd birthday in a fully functional state.

The Rolling Stones’ co-founder and frontman was born on July 26, 1943, in Kent, England. And as far as we can tell, he remains in good spirits and good health (all things considered) – 50-odd years as a rock star, and counting.

Jagger shows no sign of stopping. In fact, his 29-year-old ballerina girlfriend, Melanie Hamrick, is pregnant. That’s right, Sir Mick will be fathering his eighth child later this year. What friggin’ planet is this guy from?

Stones’ guitarist extraordinaire, Keith Richards, once said – and it bears some relevance to Jagger and the rest of the living members of the band – “It’s great to be here; it’s great to be anywhere.” Yet these guys just keep going and going.

In honor of Mick’s Birthday (and the fact that he’s still rocking), we pay tribute to the artist who set fire to America’s rock-n-roll landscape as he parachuted in with the British Invasion.

Here are some smoking vintage performances from The Rolling Stones – the band that loved and nurtured its “bad boy” image more than any other (with the possible exception of Led Zeppelin).

1960′s COMPILATION
The Rolling Stones
Compilation from the ’60s

Here’s a fantastic compilation from The Stones’ early years – complete with original members Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica), Ian Stewart (piano) and Bill Wyman (bass), in addition to Jagger, Richards and Watts. Video highlights include: “You Better Move On” (3:04), “Play With Fire” (8:36), “I Just Want To Make Love To You” (10:58), “Time Is On My Side” (21:19), “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (27:13), “19th Nervous Breakdown” (33:44), “Let’s Spend The Night Together” (43:37), “Paint It Black” (47:02), “It’s All Over Now” (49:52), “The Last Time” (53:09) and “Get Off My Cloud” (56:45).

Special thanks to user murrough mcbride for posting this video on YouTube.

SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL
The Rolling Stones
The David Frost Show (1968)

Jagger plays Lucifer, blowing the audience’s collective mind. Don’t miss Mick kneeling down on the stage and stripping off his shirt (5:50), exposing the racy “bad boy” underbelly of rock-n-roll. What is absolutely priceless are the bewildered looks on the faces in the crowd as the song closes (6:27). Shock and awe.

GIMME SHELTER
The Rolling Stones
Pop Go The Sixties (1969)

This early live rendition of “Gimme Shelter” was performed without guest female vocalist Merry Clayton, who is featured on the recording released on Let It Bleed in 1969. If I don’t get some shelter…

TUMBLING DICE
The Rolling Stones
Montreux Rehearsals 1972

This footage offers a behind-the-scenes look at the band rehearsing “Tumbling Dice” – and Mick Taylor is in the house.