The truth behind Rolling Stones’ famous NYC truck stunt 50 years ago: ‘Complete shock’

They went from “Get Off of My Cloud” to “Get Off of My Flatbed Truck.”

That was nan lawsuit erstwhile the Rolling Stones, taking their sanction rather literally, wheeled down Fifth Avenue successful a astonishment capacity connected a flatbed motortruck 50 years agone connected May 1, 1975.

But photographer Bob Gruen — who changeable nan promotional stunt to denote nan Stones’ Tour of nan Americas ‘75 — had a premonition astir nan top-secret mission.

“I was astatine the Bottom Line nan time before, and I saw Paul Wasserman, who was nan Rolling Stones’ property agent, and I said to him, ‘I heard there’s going to beryllium a property convention aliases something.’” Gruen told The Post. “And he said, ‘Yes, we were trying to get a licence for Times Square, but it didn’t activity out. We’re looking for a place.’”

But unbeknownst to Gruen, he stumbled upon nan solution.

“Totally joking, I said, ‘Oh, What are they gonna do? Get connected a flatbed truck?’” he said. “And he looked astatine me, he put his digit to his lips, and he says, ‘Be quiet.’ He didn’t want anybody other to hear, and I thought, ‘What did I say?’”

Indeed, nan adjacent time nan Rolling Stones eschewed nan accepted property convention that was expected and played “Brown Sugar” down Fifth Avenue arsenic their measurement to denote nan circuit successful a twist that would besides service arsenic nan debut capacity of caller guitarist Ronnie Wood, who was replacing nan precocious departed Mick Taylor.

It was drummer Charlie Watts’ thought to return it to nan NYC streets successful this big-wheeled way.

“This was Charlie’s doing,” wrote Wood successful his 2007 memoir “Ronnie: The Autobiography.”

“He publication location that achromatic jazz artists utilized to rotation done Harlem playing connected a flatbed, truthful he nicked nan thought for us.”

On nan greeting of May 1, 1975, a telegram was sent to journalists astir nan Stones property convention — successful a clip earlier emails and cellphones.

“They sent retired a telegram astatine 9 o’clock successful nan greeting and told you to beryllium someplace astatine 10 o’clock,” recalled Gruen. “It says to spell to Flowers, nan edifice connected Fifth Avenue, for illustration 8th Street aliases something.”

But erstwhile Gruen sewage location and saw comedian “Professor” Irwin Corey appearing to lead nan property conference, he knew thing was off.

“There’s nary measurement nan Rolling Stones are going to beryllium interviewed by a comedian connected nan level of Irwin Corey,” he said. “It conscionable didn’t make consciousness astatine each … and I was reasoning astir what Paul had said nan nighttime earlier astir a flatbed truck. So I near nan property conference, I went outside, and I walked up nan street.

“And judge enough, location was a flatbed truck, and nan Rolling Stones were getting connected it,” Gruen continued. “When I sewage there, they were conscionable getting retired of limos.”

The Rolling Stones — successful New York to rehearse for nan summertime circuit that would statesman connected June 1, 1975 —had been lodging successful luxury astatine nan Plaza and Pierre hotels adjacent Central Park.

“We gathered astatine nan Plaza, went retired nan rear door, sneaked into an crystal pick van, and went downtown to nan area of 12th Street and 5th Avenue,” wrote Wood successful “Ronnie.”

“A flatbed motortruck was waiting for us, each group up pinch amps and instruments.”

The show — and nan stunt — went connected from there.

“It was a complete daze to everybody,” said Gruen. “Of course, we flipped and started taking pictures. And past nan motortruck started moving, and they started playing.

“The Rolling Stones were playing unrecorded successful nan street. It was phenomenal … It was for illustration nan Rolling Stones are connected tour. They’re already traveling.”

And though nan set stopped concisely astatine Flowers, they didn’t disembark for nan accustomed property convention arsenic suggested.

“They usually did a Q & A,” said Gruen, “but this clip they didn’t.”

Gruen doesn’t callback immoderate constabulary beingness aliases thoroughfare closure during nan Stones’ rotation down Fifth Avenue from 12th Street to Waverly Place, crossing astatine nan intersection of Washington Square Park.

“I was virtually moving and trying to get a spot to move and attraction and get immoderate pictures, but they were moving, you know, not fast, but accelerated capable that you had to benignant of activity to support up pinch them,” he said. “And you know, astir of my pictures are blurry.”

The astir vulnerable facet of it each was group hanging retired of their windows to get a glimpse of nan Stones.

“It’s fortunate cipher really fell retired of their window, because group opened their windows and they were flipping retired that they were playing,” said Gruen. “People are leaning complete trying to spot what’s happening. It was chaos.”

But arsenic Gruen followed nan Stones down Fifth Avenue, location wasn’t capable clip for a existent crowd to stitchery connected nan streets.

“It didn’t really move into a large crowd, because they benignant of drove down nan thoroughfare and astir nan corner, and they were gone,” said Gruen. “I retrieve nan motortruck going astir nan area wherever nan parkland was … and past that’s erstwhile they sewage into limousines, took disconnected and disappeared.”

Gruen besides took disconnected connected his motorcycle to create his movie arsenic speedy arsenic possible.

“I sewage connected my bicycle, rode home, instantly developed nan film, utilized a hairsbreadth dryer to barren immoderate of nan negatives, and instantly made a bunch of prints,” he told nan Post. “I stopped connected 57th Street and dropped them astatine Paul Wasserman’s office, which was a large measurement for me, because from past on, he knew that I was nan champion and nan fastest. He couldn’t judge he came backmost from lunch, and location were already pictures sitting connected his desk.”

Gruen would spell connected to screen different Stones promotional stunts successful New York— from arriving by train for nan “Steel Wheels” circuit motorboat astatine Grand Central Station successful 1989, to arriving by statesmanlike yacht to denote nan 1994 “Voodoo Lounge” tour, to landing by blimp astatine Van Cortlandt Park successful nan Bronx to footwear disconnected nan 2002-03 Licks tour.

But for Gruen, nan flatbed motortruck down Fifth Avenue — which would animate akin stunts by AC/DC and U2 – remains a typical street-fighting memory.

“It was perfectly mind-blowing,” he said.