ROLLING STONES ~ "GET YER YA-YA'S OUT!"

Original released on LP Decca SKL 5065

(UK 1970, September 4)

Recorded during their American tour in late 1969 and centered around live versions of material from the "Beggars Banquet" - "Let It Bleed" era, "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!" is often acclaimed as one of the top live rock albums of all time, although its appeal has dimmed a little today. The live versions are reasonably different from the studio ones, but ultimately not as good, a notable exception being the long workout of "Midnight Rambler," with extended harmonica solos and the unforgettable section where the pace slows to a bump-and-grind crawl. Some Stones aficionados, in fact, prefer a bootleg from the same tour (Liver Than You'll Ever Be, to which this album was unleashed in response), or their amazing the-show-must-go-on performance in the jaws of hell at Altamont (preserved in the "Gimme Shelter" film). Fans who are unconcerned with picky comparisons such as these will still find Ya-Ya's an outstanding album, and it's certainly the Stones' best official live recording. (Richie Unterberger in AllMusic)

The Fun Facts: It is documented and was understood at the time that the cover art was inspired by 'Visions of Johanna' by Bob Dylan. The line in the song which is illustrated in the photograph is "Jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule." The jewels and binoculars are shown together with musical instruments and a camera hanging from the mule or donkey. Charlie Watts is in mid jump and he has only white socks on his feet with no shoes. He is also wearing the tee shirt he wore for that concert tour and also the hat that was worn by Mick Jagger. The album cover states that the photographers were taken by David Bailey for the front cover and by Ethan Russell for the concert photographs on the back. (Streetmouse in RateYourMusic)

O 2º Álbum Britânico dos Rolling Stones

ORIGINAL RELEASED AS LP DECCA LK 4661
(UK 1965, JANUARY 15)

O segundo álbum britânico dos Stones foi apenas editado após o aparecimento do 2º álbum americano, devido ao facto de nessa altura as audiências britânicas não se encontrarem focadas nos LPs, aos quais preferiam os singles e EPs, que controlavam o comércio em Inglaterra. A fotografia na capa, de David Bailey, é a mesma usada no álbum americano "12X5" dois meses e meio antes (editado a 17 de Outubro de 1964 pela London) mas apenas 4 temas - "Under the Boardwalk", "Suzie Q", "Grown Up Wrong" e "Time Is On My Side" aparecem nos dois LPs. Depois, neste 2º álbum aparecem 7 novas canções que só 4 meses depois seriam editadas nos EUA, no álbum "The Rolling Stones Now!" e, pasme-se, a versão de Muddy Waters, "I Can't Be Satisfied" só apareceria em 1973 em solo ianque. Este LP tem ainda a vantagerm de apenas ter sido editado em mono, pelo que não existem cópias em "rechanneled stereo" com que nos devamos preocupar. Ou seja, este 2º álbum dos Stones mostra que a discografia oficial que deve ser levada em conta é a inglesa e não a americana. Como aliás acontece com a discografia dos Beatles.

THE ROLLING STONES 1ST UK ALBUM

1ª Edição no UK: LP Decca LK 4605 (mono) (1964, Abril 17)

1ª Edição nos US: LP London LL 3375 (mono) (1964, Maio 30)

Agora que os octogenários Jagger & Richards acabam de nos presentear com um álbum imaculado ("Hackney Diamonds" será mesmo o último?), é bom voltar atrás e recordar como tudo começou. Os Rolling Stones não eram estranhos ao estúdio quando começaram a gravar este primeiro LP em Janeiro de 1964. Já tinham conseguido hits em 1963 com "Come On", de Chuck Berry, e "I Wanna Be Your Man", de Lennon e McCartney. Pouco a pouco os Stones começaram a estabelecer um modelo confiável: pegar numa música de blues, torná-la mais difícil e mais rápida. Na esteira dos Beatles, o resultado foi um sucesso. Nos Estados Unidos, a London Records adicionou a frase "England's Newest Hit Makers" a uma capa que, na Grã-Bretanha, ousadamente não trazia nenhuma informação que não fosse o logotipo da gravadora. A editora americana também substituiu "I Need You Baby (Mona)", de Bo Diddley, por uma versão de sucesso de "Not Fade Away", de Buddy Holly. Os Rolling Stones ainda não eram tão bons quanto o material que lançariam nos anos seguintes. Mas a sua arrogância teve um impacto sísmico na pop educada da época – e continua a ecoar até hoje.

As primeiras prensagens do lançamento do álbum de estreia no Reino Unido incluíram por engano a versão sem piano de "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)" (com 2:52 m); todos os lançamentos subsequentes viriam no entanto a apresentar a versão com piano. A gravação completa (4:06 m) desta versão para piano, que apareceu no LP padrão do Reino Unido depois que o erro foi corrigido, tem um final abrupto antes da execução da música terminar. A maioria das outras versões em LP e CD do álbum de estreia no Reino Unido - bem como o álbum de estreia dos Stones nos EUA, oficialmente chamado de "England's Newest Hit Makers" - contém uma versão editada desta gravação, que desaparece por volta dos 3:48 minutos. Em Junho de 1964, "Tell Me" foi lançado como single apenas nos EUA, com a duração de 2:47 minutos. Alcançou a posição #24 por duas semanas, e durou na Billboard Hot 100 um total de 10 semanas. O lado B foi um cover da canção de Willie Dixon "I Just Wanna Make Love to You". O single "Tell Me" foi relançado em várias coletâneas dos Rolling Stones, incluindo "Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass)", "More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies)", "30 Greatest Hits" e "Singles Collection: The London Years". Ao longo dos anos, a edição de 3:48 minutos foi sempre a utilizada.

Andrew Loog Oldham, que juntamente com Eric Easton produziu este primeiro álbum da banda, escreveu na apresentação: «Os Rolling Stones são mais do que apenas um grupo – são um modo de vida. Um modo de vida que capturou a imaginação dos adolescentes do país e os tornou um dos grupos mais procurados da música Beat. Porque os Stones têm a premissa básica do sucesso da música pop – a de que o seu público compra discos, e discos com o som que lhes é dado neste seu primeiro álbum: uma abordagem básica e emocionante de Rhythm and Blues que, misturada com os seus cinco personagens explosivos, lhes deram três sucessos e um EP que permaneceu nas tabelas de singles por quinze semanas. Nos oito meses desde que os Stones embarcaram na sua carreira pop, eles não só conquistaram grandes sucessos como quebraram recordes de público em digressões por todo o país. Os Stones emergiram como cinco talentos inteligentes, que viajarão com sucesso muito além dos domínios da música pop. E neste álbum há doze boas razões para isso.»

The ROLLING STONES: "Sticky Fingers" (New Stereo Mix + Bonus Tracks)

 

Original released on LP Rolling Stones COC 59100

(UK 1971, April 23)

Pieced together from outtakes and much-labored-over songs, "Sticky Fingers" manages to have a loose, ramshackle ambience that belies both its origins and the dark undercurrents of the songs. It's a weary, drug-laden album - well over half the songs explicitly mention drug use, while the others merely allude to it - that never fades away, but it barely keeps afloat. Apart from the classic opener, "Brown Sugar" (a gleeful tune about slavery, interracial sex, and lost virginity, not necessarily in that order), the long workout "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" and the mean-spirited "Bitch," "Sticky Fingers" is a slow, bluesy affair, with a few country touches thrown in for good measure. The laid-back tone of the album gives ample room for new lead guitarist Mick Taylor to stretch out, particularly on the extended coda of "Can't You Hear Me Knocking." But the key to the album isn't the instrumental interplay - although that is terrific - it's the utter weariness of the songs. "Wild Horses" is their first non-ironic stab at a country song, and it is a beautiful, heart-tugging masterpiece. Similarly, "I Got the Blues" is a ravished, late-night classic that ranks among their very best blues. "Sister Morphine" is a horrifying overdose tale, and "Moonlight Mile," with Paul Buckmaster's grandiose strings, is a perfect closure: sad, yearning, drug-addled, and beautiful. With its offhand mixture of decadence, roots music, and outright malevolence, "Sticky Fingers" set the tone for the rest of the decade for the Stones. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

Honestly, for rock 'n roll this is the one that captures it. "Sticky Fingers," from it's iconic cover to the guitar crash and bash of Keith Richards and Mick Taylor, is the perfect representation of raw sleazy rock 'n roll. When you've been around as long as the Stones have it's hard for people to remember just why the Stones are so revered. The answer lies in four essential records, 1968's "Beggar's Banquet," 1969's "Let It Bleed," 1971's "Sticky Fingers," and 1972's "Exile On Main St." In this era rock music, to quote Homer Simpson, "achieved perfection." In these four albums lie everything you need to know about rock music, from it's blues roots, to its sexual imagery, its debauchery and rebellion. Of the four aforementioned albums, it's "Sticky Fingers" that sticks out. Most people would pick "Exile" or "Bleed" as the masterpiece, but as great as those albums are, for me it's "Sticky Fingers" that I come to most often. Everyone that listens to classic rock radio or who has purchased a Rolling Stones compilation should be familiar with "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses." However, it's the album cuts that make "Sticky Fingers" a definitive rock album. Many people, including some of the Stones themselves, feel that the line up on this album is the best line up the Stones ever had. (No disrespect to Brian Jones or Ronnie Wood) The reason is the spectacular lead guitar of Mick Taylor, which is on full display on tunes like "Sway," "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'" and "Bitch." "Sway" in particular is an excellent showcase for Taylor. The tune is a lament about "that demon life" that's "got you in its sway," and it features two guitar solos from Taylor. The first solo shows off his prowess with the slide guitar, while the outro solo is a dramatic building solo that is complimented by subtle and faintly soaring strings. "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" has an iconic Richards riff to open things up and it closes with a fantastic latinesque jam that feature a great sax solo followed by another classic Taylor solo. "Bitch" is the Stones best use of a horn section. The horns really punch out of the mix as the guitars battle for prominence. Its a great use of musical tension. "I Got the Blues" is the Stones doing Stax and it includes a soulful organ solo from Billy Preston. "Dead Flowers" does a great job of capturing the world weariness of the best country music, as Mick sings in his faux southern American accent, «I'll be in my basement room with a needle and spoon and another girl to take my pain away.»"Moonlight Mile" closes the album on a somber note with some gorgeous string arrangements. The Stones next record continues and expands the sound established here, but no record, rock or otherwise beats it. (Justin Griffin in AllMusic)

The ROLLING STONES: "Let It Bleed"

Original released on LP London NPS-4 (US 1969, November 29)

Decca LK/SKL 5025 (mono/stereo) (UK 1969, December 5)

Mostly recorded without Brian Jones - who died several months before its release (although he does play on two tracks) and was replaced by Mick Taylor (who also plays on just two songs) - this extends the rock and blues feel of "Beggars Banquet" into slightly harder-rocking, more demonically sexual territory. The Stones were never as consistent on album as their main rivals, the Beatles, and "Let It Bleed" suffers from some rather perfunctory tracks, like "Monkey Man" and a countrified remake of the classic "Honky Tonk Woman" (here titled "Country Honk"). Yet some of the songs are among their very best, especially "Gimme Shelter," with its shimmering guitar lines and apocalyptic lyrics; the harmonica-driven "Midnight Rambler"; the druggy party ambience of the title track; and the stunning "You Can't Always Get What You Want," which was the Stones' "Hey Jude" of sorts, with its epic structure, horns, philosophical lyrics, and swelling choral vocals. "You Got the Silver" (Keith Richards' first lead vocal) and Robert Johnson's "Love in Vain," by contrast, were as close to the roots of acoustic down-home blues as the Stones ever got. (Richie Unterbergerin AllMusic)

The ROLLING STONES: "Aftermath"

Original released on LP Decca LK 4786

(UK 1966, April 15)

Most widely known as the first album the band did of all original compositions, it is also important because it is the band’s first great album. It is as fearsome as their singles, perhaps more so, as the band is allowed to be the more vile then they have ever been on songs such as “Stupid Girl” («look at that stupid girl, the way she powders her nose, she’s the worst thing in this world»), “Under My Thumb” («under my thumb, a squirming dog who just had her day»), and “It’s Not Easy” («gotcha running like a cat in a thunderstorm»), all about Mick Jagger’s ex-girlfriends. These kind of songs have their roots in the r&b of the early sixties but also point towards something new with the way th band lays down the melodies. The most important thing that "Aftermath" finally gets right about the group is that they can balance these hard rocking tunes with moments of pure beauty such as the dulcimer driven “Lady Jane”, the somewhat generic but still entertaining “Think”, and the hidden pop gem “I Am Waiting”, which is one of the most underrated songs from the band’s entire catalogue. Only “Flight 505” and “High and Dry” ring false notes and are skippable. Last but not least, the album ends with an eleven-minute blues ditty called “Going Home” which is a durable tune despite its extended length. This song sets a precedent for longer songs on albums from 1966, as like-minded musician’s from all over the world were experimenting with longer song lengths: The Seed’s “Up in Her Room”, Frank Zappa’s “Monster Magnet”, Bob Dylan’s “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands”, Love’s “Revelation”, The Who’s “A Quick One”, and “Paul Butterfield’s “East West”. In all, "Aftermath" set a new standard for how to make a rock album and it never gets old. (Trevor Young in AllMusic)

The ROLLING STONES: "Goats Head Soup" (New Stereo Mix + Bonus Tracks)

Original released on LP Rolling Stones COC 59101

(UK 1973, August 31)

Sliding out of perhaps the greatest winning streak in rock history, the Stones slipped into decadence and rock star excess with "Goats Head Soup", their sequel to "Exile on Main St". This is where the Stones' image began to eclipse their accomplishments, as Mick ascended to jet-setting celebrity and Keith slowly sunk deeper into addiction, and it's possible hearing them moving in both directions on "Goats Head Soup", at times in the same song. As Jagger plays the devil (or, dances with Mr. D, as he likes to say), the sex and sleaze quotient is increased, all of it underpinned by some genuinely affecting heartbreak, highlighted by "Angie." This may not be as downright funky, freaky, and fantastic as "Exile", yet the extra layer of gloss brings out the enunciated lyrics, added strings, wah-wah guitars, explicit sex, and violence, making it all seem trippily decadent. If it doesn't seem like there's a surplus of classics here, all the songs work well, illustrating just how far they've traveled in their songcraft, as well as their exceptional talent as a band - they make this all sound really easy and darkly alluring, even when the sex'n'satanism seems a little silly. To top it all of, they cap off this utterly excessive album with "Star Star," a nasty Chuck Berry rip that grooves on its own mean vulgarity - its real title is "Starf*cker," if you need any clarification, and even though they got nastier (the entirety of "Undercover", for instance), they never again made something this dirty or nasty. And, it never feels more at home than it does at the end of this excessive record. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

ROLLING STONES: The First British EP

Original released on EP Decca DFE 8560

(UK 1964, January 10)

At this point the Stones were still trying to straddle the line between being blues enthusiasts and scoring a hit. The four tracks included on the band's first EP manage to be both respectful covers while having a commercial gloss, so as a whole this is probably more representative of the early group than their first two singles. The Searchers' "Poison Ivy" is done in fine style, although it's lacking a certain something in the vocal; Jagger's still the band's weak point here. Nothing wrong with Keith's enthusiastic Chuck Berry imitation on "Bye Bye Johnny", and it's fun to hear the group cover "Money" in a much dirtier style than the Beatles, with Brian Jones' banshee harmonica the standout. The real winner, though, is the gorgeous cover of Arthur Alexander's "You Better Move On", which is the first indication that the Stones' real future lay in soul, not blues, and Mick's first truly great vocal. (in RateYourMusic)

The ROLLING STONES Rock And Roll Circus

Original released on CD ABKCO 1268-2

(UK, October 1996)

The "Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus" became a thing of legend when the Rolling Stones refused to air it. Recorded in early December 1968, the show became famous for several reasons before it was officially released in 1996. First, fans of the Who were allegedly in for a treat with a performance of their mini-rock-opera "A Quick One While He's Away." Second, it featured an appearance by a supergroup known as the Dirty Mac, consisting of John Lennon and Eric Clapton on guitar, Keith Richards on bass, and Mitch Mitchell (of the Jimi Hendrix Experience) on drums. Last, it reportedly featured the last appearance of Brian Jones with the Rolling Stones before his death. This just had to be great. Right?! Well, in retrospect it is easy to see why this was shelved. the Who's performance is tight, but not as exciting as some claim it to be. Jethro Tull and Marianne Faithfull's performances are dull. The Dirty Mac is just okay, worth it mainly to hear Keith Richards play some thumpin' bass, an instrument he only turned to on occasion. (I must admit that I love the loathed "Whole Lotta Yoko" - I am clearly the target audience for that shit!) the Rolling Stones' set is relatively listless, save for "Parachute Woman," which is a revelation, far and away better than the version on "Beggars Banquet". They even mime over "Salt of the Earth," which is unfortunate. Probably the best thing on here apart from "Parachute Woman" is Taj Mahal's banger "Ain't that a Lot of Love," which gives the album a pulse it is lacking elsewhere. This expanded edition, available officially on vinyl for the first time, sounds fantastic. The bonus material is largely mediocre, of historical interest only, though the Dirty Mac's "Warmup Jam" provides some sloppy fun. Diehard fans of the various groups represented here will all probably claim to like this more than they really do. The event, with its ill-conceived circus theme, the Stones' version of Magical Mystery Tour (which at least had some brilliant music), is nothing more than a decent set of performance across what amounts to a missed opportunity. (in RateYourMusic)

This is the most interesting archival release of the Rolling Stones since "More Hot Rocks", 20 years ago, and the first issue of truly unreleased material by the Stones from this period. And the Stones have some competition from the Who, Taj Mahal, and John Lennon on the same release. Filmed and recorded on December 10-11, 1968, at a North London studio, "Rock and Roll Circus" has been, as much as the Beach Boys' Smile, "the one that got away" for most '60s music enthusiasts. The Jethro Tull sequence is the standard studio track, but the rest - except for the Stones' "Salt of the Earth" --is really live. The Who's portion has been out before, courtesy of various documentaries, but Taj Mahal playing some loud electric blues is new and great, the live Lennon rendition of "Yer Blues" is indispensable, and the Stones' set fills in lots of blanks in their history - "Jumpin' Jack Flash" in one of two live renditions it ever got with Brian Jones in the lineup, "Sympathy for the Devil" in an intense run-through, "Parachute Woman" as a lost live vehicle for the band, "You Can't Always Get What You Want" as a show-stopping rocker even without its extended ending (no Paul Buckmaster choir), and "No Expectations" as their first piece of great live blues since "Little Red Rooster." (Bruce Eder in AllMusic)