Subject: Rolling Stones FAQ
From: rzepelaa@netaxs.com (Anthony J. Rzepela)
Date: 14 Sep 1996 02:33:28 GMT
Archive-name: music/rollingstones-faq
Last-modified: 1996/09/08
Version: 3.09
Welcome to the Rolling Stones' Mailing list FAQ list
====================================================
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COPYRIGHT 1994, 1995, 1996 (c) Anthony J. Rzepela (the "compiler")
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This FAQ list is intended for new subscribers to the Rolling Stones'
Internet mailing list and digest, known as 'Undercover', and users of
the USENET news group alt.rock-n-roll.stones, where it is a monthly
posting.
It is a four-part FAQ list, with the following sections:
Part 1: basic question list. You are reading it now.
Part 2: Live and Unreleased recordings - a history
Part 3: a bibliography of Rolling Stones-related material
Part 4: The "Lazy Man's Discography" of official releases
Availability:
Latest "official" (i.e., archived from news.answers) versions:
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EMAIL: send email to the address mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with
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Last revised - September, 1996
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Authors:
--------
For part II (Live and Unreleased recordings), we thank D.H. ("Mr. X.")
For part III (the bibliography), we thank Stephen Carter (e-address below).
For part IV (EPs and albums), we thank Anthony Rzepela (e-address below).
Contributors to Part I of the Rolling Stones FAQ list are:
Jens Backlund (jens.backlund@abo.fi)
Frank Blau
Jon Brode (also the major inspiration)
Stephen D. Carter (stevedc@central.sussex.ac.uk)
(cule@ee.manitoba.ca)
Dave Heller
Charles Papworth
Ken Pennington (hfin011@uabdpo.dpo.uab.edu)
Steve Portigal (stevep@rahul.net)
Dan Ream (dream@gems.vcu.edu)
Anthony J. Rzepela (rzepelaa@netaxs.com)
Bjornulf Vik (iorr@arena.no)
We'd also like to thank the fine-tooth brigade: our FAQ helpers/
proofreaders/fact-checkers:
Todd Furesz (furesz@kids.wustl.edu)
Jim Henning
Michael Honig (honey@mwald5.chemie.uni-mainz.de)
Mark C. Walters (mark@pluto.logica.co.uk)
Finally, we would like to thank the Rolling Stones, for....whatever.
Maintenance: Maintenance on parts one, three, and four are carried
------------ out by Anthony J. Rzepela. Discussion/disagreements
should take place on the mailing list 'Undercover'.
Summary of questions:
---------------------
1. Who ARE the Stones - what is the band lineup/history?
2. Hey! Do they get email???
3. What Stones-specific online resources are there?
4. Where can I get online lyrics/chords/tabulature/GIFs?
5. Where can I get an online discography?
6. Hey! Why isn't this discography complete?
7. Well, where *can* I get a complete one?
8. What about CDs? What do I need for a complete
set? How do they sound???
9. Can you at *least* tell me about the solo records????
10. Where can I get bootlegs?
11. Which bootlegs are best? Which will have my favorite song?
12. How can I get that Keith sound in the comfort of my own home?
13. Wouldn't it be neat if there were a Stones "museum"?
14. I'm a novice. Can you recommend the best...
a. albums
b. movies
c. books
d. home videos
e. fanzines
15. What is/who are
a. "Nanker Phelge"
b. "The Glimmer Twins"
c. "Rock and Roll Circus"
d. "Altamont"
e. "Cocksucker Blues"
16. Gossip
a. How many times have they been arrested?
b. How many times have they been married?
c. Will the band break up?
d. Are they going to tour?
e. Do you think this is the last time, really?
f. How old ARE they?
17. What gives with:
a. that tongue logo all over the place
b. cheese
18. Myths & legends:
a. Did Keith really get his blood changed?
b. Do they worship satan?
c. Is Paul dead?
d. Is Kim Poindexter a man or a woman?
Sources used in this FAQ list:
------------------------------
(full publication information on these books can be found in part three of
the FAQ list, The Bibliography From Hell)
The primary resources for fact-checking in this document are:
Dalton, David - "The Rolling Stones - The First Twenty Years"
Giuliano, Geoffrey - "The Rolling Stones Album"
Wyman, Bill - "Stone Alone"
Weiner, Sue & Lisa Howard - "The Rolling Stones A to Z"
==========================================================================
Answers:
@Q1. Who ARE the Stones - what is the band lineup/history?
The first Rolling Stones long-playing album was released in 1964, to
enough advance excitement to encourage the band's management to
release it with only a portrait of the band on the front. Once you
understand that, all the rest really just falls into place.
Originally comprised of Mick Jagger (vocals), Brian Jones (gtr),
Keith Richards (gtr), Ian Stewart (piano), Charlie Watts (drums), and
Bill Wyman (bass), Ian Stewart was 'demoted' by de facto manager
Andrew Loog Oldham by the time of their first album, because he did
not look the part of a Rolling Stone. Although Ian did not appear in
photographs or get listed in band personnel information, he played,
credited, on records and in concert with the Stones up until his death
in 1985.
The first 'real' personnel change took place with the dismissal of
Brian Jones in 1969, who died several weeks later. Before his
death, his slot was filled by a young guitarist named Mick Taylor,
who had been in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, and who stayed with the
Stones until December 1974.
Ron Wood, already a star from his work with Rod Stewart and the Faces,
joined as a 'special guest' in 1975 for a US tour and became a full
member by the end of the year. In 1993, bassist Bill Wyman, then 56,
officially quit after years of rumours and speculation. As of this
writing, no permanent replacement has been announced for Mr. Wyman,
although Daryl Jones, ex- of Miles Davis, Peter Gabriel, Sting,
Madonna and more, played bass on the 1994/95 'Voodoo Lounge' tour,
and on much of the 1994 'Voodoo Lounge' album.
@Q2. Hey! Do you think they read email???
As part of promotion for the "Voodoo Lounge" tour, Mick and Keith
have each participated separately in "online" Q&A sessions, but the
first ones were really in batch mode, with questions submitted to
them in advance by service users, then to the band at once by
representatives, after accumulating them. However, the Stones have
been at the bleeding edge of the latest in Internet doo-dadery.
Early in their 1994 tour, a five-song portion of a concert was
put out 'live on the Internet', and was the first scheduled one
of its type. (A renegade outfit actually beat the Stones to the
punch for the honor of 'first live concert over the Internet'
_after_ the Stones' announcement was made.)
Keith's second Q&A session took place live as the Stones
were about to take the stage in Oakland, CA., and in December
1995 Jagger, who had already done things on AOL and Prodigy,
went live on a CompuServe forum which was supposed
to demonstrate the latest in Internet-ready interactivity
applications (live video, for example). In it, Jagger
cited his lurking on unnamed Internet entities devoted to
the Stones (this could be the Usenet news group or 'Undercover' -
no one knows for sure) as one source for 1995 set list
suggestions.
There is no evidence that the Stones read or even accept
personal email from strangers, although a number of vendors
have claimed to manage email accounts for band personnel. Until
such time as it can be demonstrated exactly what happens with
email sent to those addresses, those vendors can pay for their
own advertising.
@Q3. What Stones-specific online resources are there?
Lists and newsgroups
The longest-running Stones-related Internet resource is
'Undercover', an e-mail mailing list for Stones discussion,
which is also available in digest form.
Subscription requests should be addressed to
the majordomo server at
majordomo@pobox.com
Majordomo subscription requests should be of one of the
four following forms:
SUBSCRIBE UNDERCOVER [your email addeess]
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Traffic from the list gets forwarded automatically to the USENET
newsgroup alt.rock-n-roll.stones, when possible, which loosely
translates to 'not usually'. The traffic from the newsgroup
does not come over to the mailing list. The newsgroup and
list are two different entities.
Here are some other USENET newsgroups which could conceivably
hold some online Rolling Stones content:
alt.rock-n-roll
alt.rock-n-roll.classic
The World-Wide-Web
The official WWW site for the Rolling Stones
is http://stonesworld.com
The 'official' World-Wide-Web site of the Voodoo Lounge tour
was at http://www.stones.com until recently; it offered (and
may yet still) live audio and video from the 1994 US tour,
photographs taken by Ron Wood, and selected other goodies,
including a band history authored by Stones expert and former
fanzine publisher Bill German.
There is a home page for the 'Undercover' list
http://www.netaxs.com/~rzepelaa/undercover
which has:
* recently mailed digests
* selected Stones' lyrics
* 1995 Tour reviews
* A database of Guest Appearances by Stones' personnel
on others' recordings.
* A database of Stones' songs covered by other artists
* A constantly updated sheet of other Stones' resources:
FTP sites, guitar tab archives, and other exciting
Stones-related Web sites run by individuals, such as
John A Artukovich's "FingerPrint File"
(http://www.primenet.com/~jaaiii) dedicated to the
history of live Rolling Stones recordings, and
Gary Paranzino's site dedicated to former Stone Mick
Taylor (http://www.webcom.com/~garnet/m_taylor/)
which includes Real Audio, a messaging area, and
an exhaustively researched career history.
FTP
The Rolling Stones are just one music act with lyrics,
pictures and more archived at 'THE' Internet
music-related FTP site, The University of Wisonsin-Parkside.
The host name is ftp.uwp.edu (or 204.95.162.190) and is
frequently too overwhelmed with active FTP connections
to respond. Any files available there via FTP
are also up and available on UWP's Web server:
(http://archive.uwp.edu/)
In the pub/music/artists/r/rolling.stones directory
there are JPEGs (found in the pictures/ subdirectory) and
lyrics (found in the lyrics/ subdirectory).
In Web-ese, these locations are:
http://archive.uwp.edu/pub/music/artists/r/rolling.stones/pictures/
http://archive.uwp.edu/pub/music/artists/r/rolling.stones/lyrics/
Other specific types of resources are detailed
in some of the following questions.
@Q4: Where can I get online chords/tabulature?
If you have access to USENET news, look at the groups
rec.music.makers.guitar.tablature and the more raucous
and free-wheeling alt.guitar.tab for guitar taulature.
People will often post chords or tablature to Stones
songs on this groups. If you have chords and/or tab
for a song, feel free to post it to those groups. Tab
is not appropriate for posting to Undercover (although it's
been done before, that doesn't mean it's appropriate).
If you are posting tablature, perhaps
the best solution is to post it to the newsgroups and
just indicate on Undercover that you have done so.
You should be willing to offer to mail it to
anyone who doesn't have news access.
Look on the newsgroup rec.music.makers.guitar.tablature
for the latest on new or de-commissioned OLGA sites.
OLGA is short for the Online Guitar Archive.
The list of available OLGA sites is constantly changing,
but maintained at http://www.olga.net/mirrors.html
If you do not have Web Browser access, here is a small
list of OLGA's FTP sites, as of April 1996:
ftp://mirrors.aol.com/pub/guitar/
ftp://ftp.uu.net/doc/music/guitar/
ftp://ftp.cosy.sbg.ac.at/pub/mirror/guitar/
ftp://ftp.diku.dk/pub/music/guitar/
ftp://ftp.leo.org/pub/rec/music/guitar/songs/olga/
ftp://ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de/pub/rec/music/guitar/songs/olga/
ftp://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/doc/guitar/
ftp://ftp.forthnet.gr/pub/guitar/
ftp://ftp.ci.ua.pt/pub/music/guitar/other/
ftp://ftp.ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au/pub/mirror/guitar/
ftp://ftp.rbit.co.za/pub/olga
@Q5. Where can I get an online discography?
Part IV of this document has a minimal listing which includes all
Rolling Stones EPs and albums released in the US and UK, excluding
out-of-print compilations. Original release dates, producer, song
lists, and maybe a biased comment or two, are added.
A section of it lists tracks which cannot be found on CDs as
of the time of this writing.
@Q6. Hey! Why isn't this discography complete?
To assemble a complete discography of the Rolling Stones is indeed a
daunting task. The band has, in its' long recorded history, multiple
versions of the same songs, multiple versions of an album depending on
country of origin, multiple record labels releasing their post-1970
recordings, mono and stereo versions of pre-1970 albums, mono and
stereo and "electronically processed" stereo versions of individual
songs, dozens and dozens of singles, dozens of European compilation
packages, and then, in the eighties, the re-release of three-quarters
of it all on compact disc. (!)
To give you an idea of the volume, take the experience of German Stones'
authority Dieter Hoffman, who has a book out on the topic called the
'White Book'. The work covers all these issues in excruciating detail,
and requires more than 560 pages to do so.
So, in a nutshell - *you* want a complete online discography? Be our
guest, and feel free to type one up.
@Q7. Well, where *can* I get a complete one?
Although it has a mistake or two (out of THOUSANDS of opportunities),
Dieter Hoffman's 'Das Weissbuch' (German for the 'The White Book',
ISBN: 3980248940) lists all official releases, vinyl and CD, single and
LP, promos and dance remixes, by the Stones in Germany, Japan, the UK
and the United States. It is more than 560 pages long and includes
photographs of covers and labels, and a detailed index of all known
recorded selections by the Stones, even those appearing on 'official
unauthorized' recordings (widely called 'bootlegs', see question 8).
It is available as an import, and will set you back about $US 90.00.
As of this writing, it is available from the Connecticut mail-order
firm "The Disc Junkie". Their phone number is 1-(203)-483-8317.
A more reasonably priced ($US 16), if less thorough and accurate book,
is available by Martin Elliott:
'The Rolling Stones: Complete Recording Sessions'
ISBN: 0-7137-2118-9
Great for a beginner, this book answers many basic questions. It is
current up to October 1989.
Stones "fanzines" can also be a good ongoing source of information
for collectors and interested parties. Please see the "fanzine" section
under question #14.
@Q8. What about CDs? What do I need for a complete set? How do they sound???
Part IV of this document also includes a brief summary on the
state of the Recorded Stones in _the_ format of the eighties
and nineties.
It briefly overviews who issues Stones CDs, what you need for
a complete set of Stones music on CD (short answer: you can't do it
on Compact Disc just yet), and what kind of sound you can expect
for your purchase.
@Q9. Can you at *least* tell me about the solo records????
Fair enough. For our purposes we are not, at this time, including any
appearances by band members on others' recordings, or band members'
efforts at producing or presenting other artists, but restricting
ourselves, in the interest of brevity, to recording projects prominently
featuring the member, his name, or some variation thereof (e.g., the Charlie
Watts Orchestra), and excluding singles and configurations that do not
present previously unavailable material.
Although considered the first 'solo' effort by a group member, 'Memo From
Turner', sung by Mick Jagger in the movie 'Performance', released in
1970, is credited to the 'Rolling Stones' on European compilations,
although the soundtrack, which is still in print, says 'Sung by Mick
Jagger'. No one, apparently, was all fired up to collect similar
credit for Mick's vocal from the movie "Ned Kelly": "The Wild-eyed
Colonial Boy", a traditional song sung by Mick's character. After
years of languishing unseen (and largely undemanded) the movie came
out on videocassette in 1993.
Next up, in 1972, was a collection of lukewarm 'jams' which took place
several years earlier in the studio while the Stones were 'waiting for
our guitar player to show up'. The effort was called "Jamming With
Edward", and it features the talents of Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Mick
Jagger, and non-Stones Nicky Hopkins and Ry Cooder. It was released on
the Stones' own record label, and rereleased on CD in 1995 by Virgin
Records in Europe.
The rest of the recordings listed below should be fairly straightforward.
Promo-only versions have an asterisk.
Jagger, Mick "Don't Look Back" sgl (1978)
(billed as a co-lead vocal w/Tosh in some countries)
"State of Shock" sgl (1984)
(billed as a co-lead vocal w/Michael Jackson)
She's the Boss LP (1985)
"Hard Woman" sgl (1985)
(German 7", re-recorded version of the LP track)
"Lucky In Love" (4:51*, 4:45, and 3:57* versions)
"Lucky In Love" (extended, and a 6 min. + dub version)
"Dancing in the Street" (duet w/ David Bowie)
sgl (1985)
"Ruthless People"/"I'm Ringin'" sgl (1987)
Primitive Cool LP (1987)
"Catch as Catch Can"
(flipside to "Let's Work") sgl (1987)
"Memory Motel"
(re-recorded for a BBC TV show) song (1990)
Wandering Spirit LP (1993)
"Sweet Thing" 12" single
("Mick's Extended Version", "Mick's Dub",
"Instrumental of Extended Mix", "Extended Remix",
"Stripped Down Version", "Instrumental of
Stripped Down Version") 12" (1993)
"Sweet Thing" CD5
("Mick's Extended Version", "Mick's Dub",
"Extended Remix", "Stripped Down Version",
"Instrumental of Stripped Down Version", "LP Mix")
CD5 (1993)
"Everybody knows About My Good Thing"/"Sweet Thing
(Funky Guitar Edit)"
(selections from the "Don't Tear Me Up" Euro-CD5)
CD5 (1993)
Richards, Keith "Run Rudolph Run"/"The Harder They Come"
sgl (1978)
Talk is Cheap LP (1988)
"Make No Mistake" (single edit) sgl (1988)
"Make No Mistake" (extended edit) 12" (1988)
Live at the Hollywood Palladium LP (1991)
Main Offender LP (1992)
"Eileen" US CD5 has 4 extra non-LP tracks
("Gimme Shelter", "Wicked As it Seems", and
"How I Wish", all live, plus "Key to the Highway"
with Johnnie Johnson)
CD5 (1993)
"The Nearness of You" (song) (1996)
(KR's 1980 recording of the old chestnut
is used in the Julian Schnabel film "Basquiat",
but does not appear on soundtrack CD)
Taylor, Mick Mick Taylor LP (1979)
Stranger in This Town (live) LP (1990)
Too Hot for Snakes LP (1991)
(Mick Taylor & Carla Olsen)
Once in a Blue Moon LP
(Gerry Groom, Mick Taylor & Friends)
Coastin' Home LP (1995)
Watts, Charlie Live at the Fullham Town Hall LP (1986)
(Charlie Watts Orchestra)
From One Charlie to Another
(CD plus book "Ode to a high-flying bird")
BOX (1991)
A Tribute to Charlie Parker
(Charlie Watts quintet) LP (1992)
Warm and Tender LP (1993)
Long Ago and Far Away LP (1996)
Wood, Ron I've Got My Own Album to Do LP (1974)
(aka "Cancel Everything", on CD)
Now Look LP (1975)
"Sweet Sunshine" (flipside to 'Big Bayou')
sgl (1976)
Mahoney's Last Stand (w/Ronnie Lane) LP (1976)
Gimme Some Neck LP (1979)
1234 LP (1981)
"It's Not Easy" (soundtrack to "Wild Life")
song (1984)
Live At the Ritz (w/ Bo Diddley) LP (1989)
Slide On This LP (1992)
"Seven Days" (appearance on Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary CD
CBS C2K 53230) song (1993)
"Somebody Else Might" (3:48 remix)/
"Ain't Rock & Roll" (3:46 remix) CD5 (1993)
Slide On Live (Plugged in and Standin') LP (1993)
"Stay With Me" (edit from live LP*) CD5 (1993)
"Somebody Else Might" (5:59 remix)/"Josephine" (remix)
(tracks are on US "Stay With Me" CD5) CD5 (1993)
Wyman, Bill Monkey Grip LP (1974)
Stone Alone LP (1975)
Bill Wyman LP (1981)
Green Ice (film soundtrack) LP (1981)
Digital Dreams (video soundtrack) LP (1983)
Willie and the Poor Boys LP (1985)
("superstar" group w/ Charlie Watts, others)
Stuff (Japan only) LP (1992)
@Q10. Where can I get bootlegs?
Stones fans are pretty lucky when it comes to bootlegs. There are
hundreds of Stones' bootlegs available, many of them are even
high quality recordings. You can find all sorts of things
bootlegged: demos, rehearsals, outtakes, concerts and interviews.
Unfortunately, bootlegs are sort of illegal.
A legal loophole discovered by 'Swingin' Pig' records in 1986 created
an explosion in the "unauthorized recording" market, although it still
finds challenges in court by the likes of U2, Phil Collins, and others.
Many, (but not all) "unauthorized recordings" are not "bootlegs" but
were legitimate releases throughout much of Europe at the time they were
released. (You may, if you are lucky, find "unauthorized recordings" at
your own local mom-and-pop record store clearly marked *IMPORT*.)
Local authorities in Europe have been increasingly successful
at finding ways to crack down on the manufacturers as the 90s draws
to a close. In the US, 1996 saw a marked increase in raids on
manufacturers and record shows, and shutdowns of long-standing retail
outlets.
Here are the 4 main ways to acquire bootlegs:
First, know your local record stores. Avoid the large chains - they
generally only carry legitimate items. The small, independently run
stores are good places to look, and used record stores are a good bet.
Get a phone book and personally visit all the stores listed. Bigger
cities and college towns usually have more of the stores you need.
Go to your nearest metropolis or campus and comb the stores.
Second, go to record shows and conventions. Even the ones that have
a "no bootleg" policy can be rewarding, as they often don't enforce
the rule very well. Check in area newspapers and with local record
stores for dates and locations. Goldmine magazine prints a national
directory of record show listings, but it may not list all of the
shows in your area.
Third, use mail order places. Record magazines, such as Discoveries,
(or "Record Collector", in the UK) abound with ads offering Stones
merchandise. Of course, there's always an extra risk involved when
dealing with mail-order places, but most that bother to advertise
in major magazines are reputable. If you're unsure of a vendor, start
small (buy one item) and work up to larger purchases. If they are
prompt and straightforward, then feel comfortable sending larger orders.
As a last resort, you can often resolve any dissatisfaction with
a vendor using the power of the purse: many credit card agreements
have "consumer clauses" which allow you to withhold payment
to a vendor if you can show that promised goods were not delivered
in a timely manner.
You can usually find a copy of Discoveries, Goldmine, or
Record Collector in record or book stores, or get in contact
with them directly.
Caveat emptor. Bootlegs are often over-priced and low quality.
Due to the legal gray area in which most bootlegs are sold,
sellers may not have a friendly return policy on them. Some
other vendors may refuse to do business with credit cards to
avoid the paper trail.
Fourth, trade tapes with friends. This is the cheapest way to build a
respectable collection of bootlegs. Buy a few and trade tapes to get other
things.
@Q11: Which bootlegs are best? Which will have my favorite song?
Part two of this document is occupied with nothing but answering
this question. It is a concise history of the band's performing
career, and it includes remarks on availability of outtakes,
unreleased studio recordings, and live performances.
@Q12. How can I get that Keith sound in the comfort of my own home?
Two approaches, here:
If you want to play like Keith, well you *really* need a Fender
Telecaster ;-). As well, Keith plays in open G tuning, his own 5
string version. Take your low E string OFF the guitar and tune it:
(low to high) GDGBD. You can always tune the low E string to D as well
if you don't want to remove strings. Keith sums up his guitar playing
thusly: "5 strings, 3 fingers, and one asshole."
or:
barre at the 5th fret (that's a C in open G tuning) and slam a few
chords... hammer on an Am7 form in fron of the bar.. that's an F... slam
a few more... repeat progression at the 2nd fret... noodle around on the
open G.... that'll get you through about 70% of all the solo albums and a
great deal of Stones stuff as well. A few tidbits... Keith uses talcum
powder on the neck before he plays...it speeds things up a lot, but if
you are really picky about strings, you will have to be religous about
wiping them when you are finished. And of course, never be so dull as to
actually play chords ON the downbeat... wait about 20 nanoseconds from
all major timing cues...get that one string about 2 clicks out of tune...
it's all in the tension, you know. And remember, no effects boxes and
keep in mind that "it only tightens up"...
@Q13. Wouldn't it be neat if there were a Stones "museum"?
Bill Wyman operates a restaurant called "Sticky Fingers" in the
well-heeled Kensington section of London. The food is much the
same general type of menu as you might find at Hard Rock. Cost
seems OK. The whole place is of course a shrine to a certain
well known band! Bill has decorated it with framed (etc)
posters, magazine covers, guitars, gold discs, etc etc. - even
an especially good blown up cutting on the right of the door
as you go out, headed 'Korner Cancels', referring to the
first real Stones Gig, on 12th July 1962. No trouble finding
things to read and gaze at while you await your meal. Most of the
time Stones music plays. Location: 1 Phillmore Gardens, London.
@Q14. I'm a novice. Can you recommend the best...
First.... a note on the worth of opinions. They are, as the saying
goes, like anal cavities. Everyone has one and they all stink. They
are also free, so remember that you get what you pay for.
Detached, objective judgment of the worth of a particular period of
the Rolling Stones' career is a problem all its own. As Keith
Richards has said, people tend to be fond of what they were hearing
the first time they got laid.
a. albums
If you are thinking of starting out with live albums or greatest-hits
compilations for an exposure to the Rolling Stones, (or for someone
else's benefit!), consider:
Their early work (the first eight years), originally on DECCA records
(London Records in the USA), is covered by any of the greatest-hits
compilations that are now being released on CD by ABKCO.
"Hot Rocks 1964-1971", the double-CD set, is a near-definitive collection
of hit singles. Alternatively, you could pair up the single CDs "High
Tide and Green Grass (Big Hits)" and "Through the Past Darkly (Big
Hits Part 2)" for a collection of equal length with a slightly
different impact. Or, get the 1989 ABKCO 3-CD set called "The London
Years", which is full to the rim with just about anything the band put
out as a single in these years. It includes everything found
on the American versions of the two "Big Hits" compilations, everything
on "Hot Rocks 1964-1971" with the exception of three HR songs, and it
has several somewhat rare selections otherwise unavailable
to CD consumers.
(As of June 1995, the three compilations mentioned in the paragraph
below seem to be off the shelves indefinitely and _superseded_ by the
1993 European compilation "Jump Back". If you can find any of these
three compilations on your store shelves, consider that they may
be gone forever soon. It's mostly no big deal: Two of the three
have material that is available elsewhere. 1981's "Sucking in the
Seventies", however, has several tracks on it unavailable elsewhere
on CD.)
Several compilations cover their post-ABKCO work. "Made in the Shade"
was originally released in 1975, and "Rewind (1971-1984)" in 1984.
Unfortunately, the CD releases of these two albums have an overlap of
four songs. "Rewind" is the better value for your CD money. "Sucking
in the Seventies", from 1981, is of interest largely to collectors.
It has three tracks otherwise unavailable on CD, and single/promo
edits of 6 other Stones numbers released after 1975.
A 1993 compilation, entitled "Jump Back", was not released in the
US, but has, on a single CD, everything found on the "Rewind" CD except
for "Hang Fire" and "Heartbreaker"; plus, thrown in for good measure
are "Bitch", "Wild Horses", "Respectable", "Mixed Emotions", and "Rock
and a Hard Place".
The Rolling Stones have released five "live albums" (six if
you count 1995's "Stripped" which has a limited number of
live performances) and except for 'Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!', (1970),
everyone seems to hate something about all of them.
Moving on to "regular" releases, many people are strongly persuaded that
the Rolling Stones' years with Mick Taylor, and just before, are an
artistic peak that no one before or since has been able to touch. To
acquire that era, you can obtain the albums released from 1968 to 1972.
(In order of release: 'Beggar's Banquet', 'Let It Bleed', 'Get Yer
Ya-Ya's Out' (live), 'Sticky Fingers', and 'Exile on Main Street').
While an investment in the ABKCO compilations provides a fairly complete
overview of the best of the Rolling Stones' first eight years, the band's
first three American releases ('Newest Hit Makers', '12 X 5', and 'Now!')
stand as a powerful documentary of what all the fuss was about.
'Aftermath' is also a favorite among many aficianados.
What one critic has referred to as their 'silver age' occurred in the
late 70's-early eighties, after many had given the band up for dead. The
albums "Some Girls", "Emotional Rescue", and "Tattoo You" (released from
1978 to 1981) show a veteran outfit churning out top-notch material
which was a critical and commercial success. Common rock criticism to the
contrary, this rejuvenation was NOT just the result of the appearance of
punk rock and the Sex Pistols in the world. After all, the punk
phenomenon didn't seem to do much for Led Zeppelin or the Who.
b. movies
The Rolling Stones are the focus of several films that have not made it
to the home video market.
Their film history is somewhat chaotic. Part of the reason you
can't see them all at your leisure may have as much to do
with technical feasibility as court injunctions.
Any movies that were subsequently released to the home video
market are listed under part d. of this question, "home videos"
'Cocksucker Blues' -
A concert film cum tour documentary, widespread exhibition of
this film has been frustrated by much legal wrangling over the
years. See question #14.
'Ladies & Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones' -
A concert film by which all others surely must be judged. High
excitement prevails in this film of two concert performances from
their 1972 American tour. Originally released in Quadrophonic
sound, the original soundtrack, recorded as it is on film
in an unusual manner, requires considerable labor to screen
properly. That effort is occasionally undertaken, as it was for
a September 1996 screening at Lincoln Center.
c. books
The number of published books about the Rolling Stones can (and does)
fill up a separate document all its own: Part three of this FAQ list.
Still, it is probably of some use to have a 'shortlist', some starting
point, so here are the titles of five current books we recommend for
giving you a good start in learning about the history, influence, and
greatness of the Rolling Stones.
Please note that these five are not necessarily the best
books about the Stones, but they ARE the best of what's currently
available.
'Dance With the Devil'
Stanley Booth
- Delayed for years due to litigation, this book combines
equal parts tedious personal confession and juicy Stones-tour
gossip. Particularly compelling is the detailed description of
a group rehearsal. An insider's account of the Stones' entree into
the big time.
'Symphony For the Devil'
Philip Norman
- Stops in 1983, but the author delivers a respectful and
competent biography. Bookended by anecdotes about their
1981 tour, Norman's analysis of characters in the play
known as the Rolling Stones is deep and thoughtful. Revised
and reissued in 1992.
'Keith Richards - the Biography'
Victor Bockris
- Little more than a cut-and-paste job of other,
indiscriminately chosen biographies, this book still has the
advantage of recent vintage, and the fact that the author
can turn out seductive and flowing prose. Never a dull moment,
which is actually difficult to say about lesser Stones'-related
works.
'The Rolling Stones Album'
Geoffrey Giuliano
- Biographically, nothing is very deep - only a thumbnail
sketch of the band's history is attempted. Sometimes, though,
this is more refreshing than failed attempts at deep analysis.
Intended as pornography for the Stones-memorabilia fetishist,
this book has great color photographs of records, books,
promotional items, and posters. If a picture paints a thousand
words, this is a million-word chronicle.
'Stone Alone'
Bill Wyman (with Ray Coleman)
- The only book by any band member that was there in the early
years, and at the height of the madness, this can (surprisingly)
get awfully boring. If, as is said, the devil is in the details,
then opportunities abound here, as one of Wyman's techniques is to
provide the full text of letters for rather unseemly work-a-day
tasks. Yet, there is no discussion of the band's working
techniques, except as they pertain to, for example, how long they
would spend working on a new song of Wyman's versus one penned by
Jagger and Richards. Great opportunities missed, but others taken,
if you have the interest and patience. NB: only covers up to
July, 1969.
Now these five *are* the best: good luck finding them all!
'Stone Alone' - Wyman/Coleman
'Symphony for the Devil' - Phillip Norman
'An Illustrated Record'
Roy Carr
- A beautiful, thoroughly researched, large-format book which
presents the Rolling Stones' discography up to 1976. It includes
tour history, side-project information, interviews, unreleased
album covers, and beautiful reproductions of the original DECCA
LP covers. Essential.
'The Rolling Stones - The First Twenty Years'
David Dalton
- Dalton has edited several books on the topic, any and all of
them worthwhile. Another large format book, this collection of
essays, reviews, band history, interviews, photographs, and a
sessionography, remains overwhelming years after you acquire it.
Out of print, and highly recommended.
'S.T.P.'
Robert Greenfield
The abbreviation of "Stones Touring Party", and the name of a
drug, this out-of-print classic is about life on the road
with the World's you-know-what on their most infamous excursion
to the United States, in 1972.
d. home videos
The Stones have several releases on home video.
Note: ("import") means this is a title that is not generally available
in the States except in 'specialty' stores. Since the rest of the world
has a different video standard from the US, these tapes may have been
made through a format-conversion process, and so may suffer in son et
lumiere.
Any title marked with an 'M' has a theatrical release in its history.
'Live Voodoo Lounge'
In November of 1995, a 94-minute home video began appearing
on shelves in the UK. This single VHS tape, released 12/95
in the US, is a 17-song distillation of the November 1994
"pay-per-view" concert from Joe Robbie Stadium
in Miami, Florida. It features one-time collaborations with
guests Robert Cray and Bo Diddley.
'The Rolling Stones '95 Voodoo Lounge in Japan'
(Japan-only release)
A double-disc (or double-VHS-tape) of the band's March
1995 performance in Tokyo which was originally shown on NHK-TV.
The set list includes "Sweet Virginia", "Slipping Away",
"Rock and a Hard Place", "Live With Me", "Angie", and
"Sympathy for the Devil".
M 'At the Max'
85 minute distillation of the concert film they said couldn't
be brought to home video. Originally filmed in
the eye-popping IMAX format, and exhibited only in planetariums
or learning institutions where your peripheral vision could
be properly occupied, this feature was culled from three
concerts in the 1990 European tour. PolyGram released this
title on home video in Europe in November '94 just as the
Stones planned to announce 1995 concert dates on the continent.
The video was released in the US shortly thereafter.
M 'Sympathy for the Devil' (ABKCO re-release)
Re-released for home video in 1994 under the auspicies of
ABKCO, this version of the Jean-Luc Godard film
'One Plus One/Sympathy for the Devil' uses the more
Stones-oriented title.
'Live Voodoo Lounge'
Highlights of the band's four August 1994 appearances at Giants'
Stadium at the New Jersey Meadowlands. This 90-minute concert
tape is basically the 1994 set at that time less five songs or
so (no 'Love Is Strong', 'Beast of Burden', 'I Go Wild', 'Happy',
or 'Can't Get Next To You', which were getting played regularly
at that point in the tour). This tape was only available from
Brockum (the Stones' concert souvenir marketeers) which claims
that the Spring of 1995 may find the item discontinued, like
many other 1994 tour souvenir items.
'The Rolling Stones: Unauthorised Biography'
This program consists mostly of *still* *photographs* floating in
a small portion of the screen over a black background. There is
occasional motion picture footage (a couple uninteresting complete
shots of some airport arrival or departure which would be shown for
only two seconds in a judiciously edited documentary.), and the *only*
music one hears is about 30 seconds of "Around and Around" in front
of that froofy curtain (is this PD stuff YET?). There are a couple
TV news stories (Mick's 1967 bust and the 1976 UK tour), about one
minute of a Wyman interview, and two minutes of of an interview
with Mick Jagger done after his 1992 solo appearance on Saturday
Night Live. (He wouldn't reproduce his comedic imitation of
Keith Richards for the interviewer without the props he had
on the live TV show.)
'25 X 5 (The Continuing Adventures of the Rolling Stones)' -
This two-hour retrospective of the band's entire career, released in
1990, has some Ultra-rare and exclusive footage and performances from
the band's own collection. It's narrated by interviews with the band,
so bring your own grain of salt. Highly recommended.
'Mick Jagger & the Rolling Stones'
A 30-minute episode of something called 'Celebrity Showcase'. At
least the outside box is honest: it warns potential customers
that there is no Rolling Stones music on the entire program. Not
reviewed.
'Video Rewind' -
A one-hour feature, this early attempt at making a unique offering
in the then-infantile home music video market is occasionally
successful and funny. Includes rarely seen "official" videos of
records released from 1978 to 1983, two television performances
from "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert" in the mid-70's, and a
cut-and-paste version of "Brown Sugar", using spliced
footage from several tours. The thread/plot tying this
all together is a long hallucination by Bill Wyman.
M 'Let's Spend the Night Together' -
The home video version of the film of their 1981 US tour, directed
by Hal Ashby. Opinion on this film is widely varying. Some longtime
Stones' enthusiasts are disappointed by the performance, while others
find it an exciting document of a great tour (current author loves
it, but he was 18 when the tour took place!). A video rental costs
you three bucks - we're not going to sweat making a bad recommendation.
The original VHS release, if you can find it, may not be in Hi-Fi.
'Rolling On' -
A 60-minute television documentary, assembled in 1982, but consisting
of an annoying 'cheese-rock' soundtrack (no Jagger-Richards tunes),
and some rarely seen footage from the 'Charlie is My Darling' era
(1965). Little to recommend it except when you mute the horrendous
audio tracks, and watch Jagger work a crowd in some rarely-seen
early live footage.
M 'Gimme Shelter' -
This home video of the documentary of the 1969 tour and the disastrous
free concert that closed it ("Altamont") stands as a classic film
separate from any other rock film due to its' too-true human drama
and its portrait of the end of an era. Refurbished in 1992, the newer
editions of the VHS tape are in Hi-Fi. Aficianados claim that the
later, HiFi versions of this release use, in fine ABKCO
tradition, less desirable mono tapes for the concert performance
masters.
'The Stones in the Park' ("import") -
A one-hour Granada TV documentary of the Stones' July 1969 free concert
in London's Hyde Park. The stage debut of new guitarist Mick Taylor, this
show has snippets of some classic performances. Rarely seen, but is
available for rent in select, non-"chain store" shops.
M 'One plus one (Sympathy for the Devil)' -
A pretentious bore by Jean-Luc Goddard, this film has splices of the
Stones building and recording the classic track 'Sympathy For the Devil'
in the studio in 1968. Since seeing the Stones 'behind-the-scenes' at
work is so rare, this is a valuable document. No. No. Yes. No. No. No.
(A 1994 re-release by ABKCO uses the 'Sympathy' title exclusively.)
'Charlie is My Darling' ("import")
A one-hour documentary of their 1965 tour of Ireland. Some stunningly
funny documentary footage of Keith and Mick, drunk, at a piano and
singing. Also, a nice portrait of the frenzy and excitement that
accompanied their early road work, including a truly frightening mob
scene at a show that got out of hand while the band was playing.
Same narrow distribution as the Hyde Park documentary video above.
M 'That was Rock/The TAMI Show' -
The Stones perform five songs in twelve minutes on the "Teenage
Music International" show, filmed in Los Angeles in 1965. Other
guests on the show(s) were Chuck Berry, James Brown, Lesley Gore,
Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, and Ike and Tina Turner. Worth it to
see a young Mick and Diana Ross singing together at the finale.
e. fanzines
* Basement News
c/o Dieter Hoffman
Lausitzer Strasse 13
D-63110 Rodgau
Germany
$20/3 issues (air mail)
Published by Dieter Hoffman, the author of the Schwarzbuch (Black
Book) bootleg bible and Weissbuch (White Book) listing of legit
releases. Provides detailed information on current band activity,
bootleg reviews, and the scuttlebutt on new Stones or Stones related
record or CD releases.
* Beggars Banquet [NOW OUT OF BUSINESS]
P O Box 6152
New York, NY 10128
(USA)
Monthly - 20 US Dollars/12 issues in the US, 25 US Dollars for overseas
Originally a 'pure' fanzine written by Bill German, this survived
being the semi-official Fan Club Magazine in the Mid-80's. Rather
tame and uncritical, and perhaps too much 'Bill German and the Stones'
(usually Ronnie). Wouldn't be without it.
[Ceased operations early 1996]
* Front Row Fan Club
Landseestr. 49
D-76437 Rastatt
Germany
A German-language monthly newsletter which has published
more than 50 issues. Includes live CD reviews.
English-language Home Page is at:
http://www.inka.de/sites/reuthe/index.htm
* It's Only Rock'n'Roll
Vabraaten 111
N-1392 Vettre
Norway [Tel: (+47) 6679 4297]
English Language, A5-sized magazine, first appeared in 1980.
Published approx. quarterly, four issues are definitely scheduled
for the year 1995. Price: NOK 200 (or, roughly, $US 30.00, or
20 English pounds) for four issues. No personal checks, please.
Visa and MasterCard accepted, which greatly simplifies things.
URL: http://www.arena.no/stones/
* Le Club Des Stones
BP535
75666 Paris Cedex 14
France
Actually the name of the French fan club for the Rolling
Stones, they'll issue four A4 magazines per year to you
(in French, natch) for 100F.
* Shattered
PO Box 3723
London SE15 1HW
A5-sized 'zine. Four issues 12 UK Pounds/18 pounds overseas
* Sticky Fingers
Suite 411
12190 1/2 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
USA
Published its first issue Jan/Feb 1996. Six issues are
published a year. Features extensive reviews of
live CDs. Not reviewed.
Rates: USA: $US 20 for 1 year ($36 for 2 years)
Canada: $US 25 for 1 year
Other: $US 30 for 1 year
* Stones People Europe
Middenweg 2
1217 HT Hilversum
The Netherlands
Quarterly
Prices (Eurocheque or cash only, please):
NLG 60 (60 Dutch Guilders),
NLG 80 outside of Holland
55 US Dollars for USA (incl. S/H)
15 US Dollars for sample issue (incl. S/H)
Launched in December 1995, the goal is to publish quarterly
issues of 64 pages each. Includes color photography, and all
text is in both Dutch and English. Praised even by the
competition. URL: http://www.euronet.nl/users/spe/html/stonespe.html
Email: spe@euronet.nl
* Tumbling Dice
Terry Carty
9 Collingwood Close
Westage-on-Sea
Kent CT8 8JD
(UK)
Quarterly
9 UK Pounds in UK, 12 UK Pounds in Europe, 18 UK pounds in rest
Single issue for 1.5 Pounds plus a SASE (A5 sized).
Only been going since early 1991 and still finding its feet. Each
issue much improved on the previous, and distribution problems
slowly disappearing. No band access.
@Q15. What is/who are
a. "Nanker Phelge"?
The credited author of several early compositions ("Stoned", "The
Underassistant West Coast Promotion Man"), "Nanker Phelge" is actually a
pseudonym used for group compositions. "Nanker" was the nick name for
a rather unpleasant facial expression band members used to make,
and "Phelge" the surname of an early roommate of Keith, Mick, and
Brian's whose personal hygiene left something to be desired.
b. "The Glimmer Twins"?
The production team known to the world as "The Glimmer Twins" consists
of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, so dubbed because of a chance encounter
with an elderly woman on vacation, who thought she recognized one of the
Stones, but only had a "glimmer" of the real identity of her find.
c. "Rock and Roll Circus"?
Mere days after the release of 'Beggar's Banquet' in 1968, the band
pulled together a 'circus': a television spectacle consisting of real
circus performers, and some progressive rock acts of the day.
Jethro Tull, The Who and Eric Clapton were in attendance, as were
lions, trapeze artists, and Yoko Ono.
The idea was to produce a unique showcase, but the footage was
eventually shelved, due to what the Stones felt was a sub-standard
performance. It had not been seen for 27 years, except for brief
excerpts in home videos (the Stones' '25 x 5', and the Who's performance
of 'A Quick One', which was in their own film/career
documentary, 'The Kids Are Alright'.).
It was also Brian Jones' last performance with the band.
The two main musical highlights were a 'supergroup' consisting of
Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Keith Richards, and Mitch Mitchell (of the
Jimi Hendrix Experience), and a performance of several songs
by the Stones themselves, including 'Route 66' (not filmed),
'Confessin' the Blues' (not filmed), 'Parachute Woman', 'Jumpin'
Jack Flash', 'Sympathy for the Devil', 'No Expectations', 'You
Can't Always Get What You Want', and 'Salt of the Earth'.
The surviving footage (65 minutes' worth), including six of
the Stones' selections, was placed on the October 1996 New
York Film Festival schedule thanks to an agreement between ABKCO and
the Rolling Stones. A wider consumer release, in some format,
is hoped for, but nothing has been announced as of this writing.
d. "Altamont"?
The band planned a large, free concert in San Francisco to cap off
their highly successful 1969 tour of the United States, similar to a
successful event they had done in London's Hyde Park several months
earlier. Between permit denials, greed, and a last-minute change of
venue, the event devolved from a potentially powerful West Coast
Woodstock to a poorly-planned mess. A bad choice of security
(American biker gang the "Hell's Angels") contributed to a day-long
sideshow of violence and "bad vibes".
By the time the Stones came on in the evening, tempers were short.
The dramatic stabbing of a spectator by one of the Hell's Angels
during the Stones' set was captured on film in the documentary
"Gimme Shelter", available now on home video.
e. "Cocksucker Blues"?
It is the title of both a notorious slow blues song performed by
Jagger which has been frequently bootlegged, and an unrelated film
project by Robert Frank which was a documentary of the Stones' 1972
American tour.
The song tells the woeful tale of a "lonesome schoolboy" who has come
to the big city (London) but does not know where to find all the
amenities a young man needs. Presented as a single by Jagger to
fulfill a contractual obligation to the then-despised
DECCA records, the label declined to release it. It did appear
very briefly as an 'official' release: as a bonus single
to a German boxed set in 1984. The box was quickly pulled,
and re-released without the offending tune.
The film is rarely seen, as a unique legal settlement has required
that its' director, Robert Frank, accompany each and every showing of
the film. More bark than bite. Drug-fueled orgies and
all kinds of human degradations were rumoured to be captured on film.
This was more a reflection of what people thought went on on a Stones'
tour than what actually happened. Rather tame, it has some tit, some
drunken revelry, some drug use by band members, and some footage of
the greatest rock and roll band in the world in action.
@Q16. Gossip
a. How many times have they been arrested?
The band's longtime acquaintance with law enforcement started with an
infamous 'pissing' incident in March of 1965 in which Bill Wyman, who
needed to use the rest facilities at a car fuel stop, was not only
refused admittance to the chamber, but told to promptly vacate the
premises. Mick Jagger and Brian Jones joined Bill in pissing against
a wall, and the Stones' image as 'bad boys' was firmly established. In
a remarkable show of solidarity and opportunism, which was not to
be repeated, all five band members showed up at court, several
weeks later...
Unfortunately, being pop-stars in the "swingin' sixties", they were
easy targets for aggressive narcotics enforcement officers. Human
nature and law enforcement being what they are, these officers
descended on the weakest and most vulnerable of the lot, Brian Jones,
with some regularity and viciousness, although by the end of the
Seventies, Mick and Keith also found themselves "busted" several
times, culminating in the most serious case, Keith's 1977 arrest for
heroin possession in Canada, which threatened the continued existence
of the band.
The Eighties, the decade of the "War on Drugs", produced its own
comical efforts at putting Stones Behind Bars, but these were so
poorly executed, they failed almost upon impact. Ron Wood, several
years younger than everyone else in the band, got his own taste in
1980. Although charges were dropped, Mr. Wood was said to have problems
with unspecified drugs in the early eighties, and also to have taken
care of them with a "Betty Ford"-type cure while the Stones were
languishing unused mid-decade. In 1994, Charlie Watts admitted
to a mid-80s episodic problem with abuse of speed and alcohol, and a
flirtation with heroin. He claims to have cleaned himself up
towards the end of 1986.
1965 - "Pissing" incident at a gas/petrol station. Five-pound fines
for Mick, Brian, and Bill are appealed.
1967 - The "Redlands" bust - allegations of carpeted girls and Mars bars.
Keith's conviction on "allowing his premises" overturned on
appeal; Mick's pep-pill possession successfully appealed - Court
found that he had been more severely sentenced than an "anonymous
young man".
1967 - Brian busted same day as the "Redlands" case court appearance.
1968 - Brian busted for cannabis. Found guilty and fined.
1969 - Hashish possession: Mick and Marianne Faithfull; Marianne
acquitted, Mick is fined.
1972 - Jagger and Richards held on assault of a photographer; delay means
the evening's show in Boston starts after midnight.
1972 - Keith's French pied-a-terre is raided; Coke, Hashish, heroin found.
1973 - Keith present when his British residence is raided. Drugs and guns.
1975 - Keith gets in trouble for carrying a knife in Fordyce, Arkansas
1977 - Keith fined 750 pounds + costs for coke possession.
1977 - Keith arrested for heroin possession in Canada. Eventually
"sentenced" to play a free concert and take his cure in New Jersey.
1980 - Ron and Jo Howard hang out with the wrong crowd in St. Maarten,
and spend several days in jail for possession of cocaine.
1987 - Jerry Hall gets into some trouble in Barbados when the local
customs people decide a 20-lb. package of marijuana is hers.
The "Kangaroo Customs" officers screw their own case, and Jerry
is found 'not guilty'.
b. How many times have they been married?
Both Charlie Watts and Keith Richards are on their first marriages.
Charlie married in 1964, Keith 19 years later. Brian Jones was never
married. Mick Jagger and Ron Wood are both on their second marriages,
to women they met in 1977. Ex-Stone Bill Wyman was the only member
married when he joined the group, and he entered his third legal
marriage shortly after leaving the group in 1993.
c. Will the band break up?
At some point, we believe.
d. Are they going to tour again?
The band cancelled dates which were scheduled for 1996
on their "Voodoo Lounge" tour. Rumours of future performances
are, as always, persistent, unconfirmed, and greatly exaggerated.
The current batch of rumour has them playing the United States
in 1997. (printed in the Washington Post, April 1996.)
e. Is this the last time, really?
They were first asked this in 1966.
f. How old ARE they?
Birthdays are as follows:
Jagger July 26, 1943
Brian Jones Feb. 28, 1942 (dismissed June 8, 1969; died July 3, 1969)
Richards Dec. 18, 1943
Stewart July 18, 1938 (died December 12, 1985)
Taylor Jan. 17, 1948 (quit December, 1974)
Watts Jun. 02, 1941
Wood Jun. 01, 1947
Wyman Oct. 24, 1936 (quit 1993)
@Q17. What gives with:
a. that tongue logo all over the place
When the band formed "Rolling Stones Records" in 1971, their label
design was basic yellow, with a small red, white, and black
"tongue-and-lip design", as the copyright notices now say, on the
left side. The "tongue-and-lip", and countless variations, have
since appeared on all kinds of official (and unofficial) Stones
memorabilia and products. In a 1971 interview in _Rolling Stone_
magazine, Keith Richards claimed that the inspiration was the
Indian goddess Khali, and he went on to say that we could expect
many variations on the theme.
The credit for the original design has been mistakenly given to
several people over the years. The most frequent misattribution
is the claim that it is a creation of Andy Warhol's. Even a
researcher as thorogh as Philip Norman has mistakenly
repeated this legend. Warhol designed two Stones' album covers,
including the first LP released on "Rolling Stones Records", but
he did not supply the tongue. Mr. Norman claims elsewhere
that the earliest inspiration was a set designed by
Kenneth MacMillan for the Royal Ballet's 'Paradise Lost'.
As recently as March 1995, Billboard magazine printed a blurb
which incorrectly hinted that the 1971 design which would go on to
remain imprinted on thousands' of Stones' fans' minds came
from one Ruby Mazur. Billboard finally saw their mistake
and identified Mazur as the designer of the first officially
used variation on the tongue: the Rolling Stones Records
open-hole 7" single sleeve. First used in 1972 and last used
9 years later, the sleeve design has one eye, and uses the
middle record-label open hole as "the mouth" of an ill-defined face.
The design for the sleeve is memorable because
the record-label hole is NOT perfectly round, as is standard
industry practice, but a contour of the Mazur-designed
open mouth.
On April 8, 1995, Billboard definitely attributed the original
classic design to John Pasch.
b. cheese
Very simple really...........
Woody says Keith is afraid of cheese in Rolling Stone
magazine, October 1994...
Undercover readers analyze the meaning of this for approximately six
weeks, digressing into the interelationship between cheese and heroin
addiction and constipation. A syndrome of tight pants wearers dubbed
(by a doctor) as "Mick Jagger's Revenge" joins the story. Exact
relevance, if any , unclear......
A newswire story about 18 people being injured in a Cheltenham, England
cheese-rolling festival and the fact that Brian Jones grew up there leads
to speculation that Brian Jones rolled cheese down a hill every year as a
child in Cheltenham and then grew up to be a Rolling Stone. Speculation of
cheese involvement in Brian's death in 1969 discussed now and then.........
A Toronto caterer to the Stones commented that Keith lingers round the
cheese tray and eats a lot for a skinny guy......
Keith tells Q magazine that he isn't allergic to cheese, but he might
as well be.....
Cheese influence on Stones lyrics analyzed (i.e. "don't wanna walk or
talk about cheeses, just want to see Keith's face)......
Steve Portigal gives cheese names to unsubscribers who send their
unsubscribe request to the readers, rather than to the admin address
as instructed at the end of each digest.
Mick Jagger, suspected of being an incognito reader of Undercover,
begins talking about cheese during concert song interludes,
introducing keyboard player Chuck Leavell at the Halloween show
in Oakland, 1994 with the phrase "I talk to the cheese". (editors'
note: current scholarship claims that what is said here
is "I talk to the trees.")
And why does this interest us?
To each his own answer...or as Bob Dylan used to say.."the ants
are my friends, they're blowin in the wind, the ants are just
blowin in the wind"
[special thanks to Dan Ream with his help on question 17.]
@Q18. Myths & legends:
a. Did Keith really get his blood changed?
It was a widely circulated rumour that to cure himself of an addiction
to heroin, Keith Richards flew to the Swiss chalet of an exclusive
physician who had a method for replacing all of a patient's nasty
addicted blood with good clean blood.
Great gossip. Bad science.
While it has been claimed in print by at least one biographer, this
author was also Keith's dealer for several years. It is widely
considered to be little more than another colorful urban legend.
b. Do they worship satan?
Among the phenomena that have become known to us since the formation
of the Rolling Stones are: CDs, wireless amps, home video, and
Serious Rock Criticism. Early Serious Rock Critics, trying in vain
to capture in prose the mystique, wonder, beauty, arrogance, and power
of the Rolling Stones, would often resort to demonic imagery. It did
not help matters that the band released songs like "Sympathy for the
Devil", or that Jagger performed in a swirling cape bathed in red
light. Blame this one on the old "four blind men describing an
elephant" syndrome.
Professional demonist and man-about-town Kenneth Anger once asserted
that Anita Pallenberg (Keith's paramour in the Stones' supposed
'demonic' period) was a 'witch'. But that's Kenneth Anger.
c. Is Paul dead?
He is rumoured to have shown up at a Rolling Stones concert in
New York City in 1978 to catch the festivities. Other than that,
no one seems to care.
d. Is Kim Poindexter a man or a woman?
Yes.
====================================================
Part Two
The Rolling Stones--Live and Unreleased recordings
The Rolling Stones--Live and Unreleased Audio
(Version 2.71 of *this* document, July 26, 1996)
The Rolling Stones have been around for over 30 years and have
released many albums. However, for some fans, they haven't released
enough. This is a guide for those fans who want to know what the
Stones were doing on their many unrecorded tours, or are curious to
hear the various working stages of a classic song. The only way to
hear this is from unauthorized recordings.
This portion of the FAQ is an introduction and guide to the
unauthorized recordings of the Rolling Stones. This information is
for educational purposes only. Please note that this article is _not_
written by Tony Rzepela. Your humble author chooses to remain
anonymous; call me Mr. X. Any comments, questions, or additional
information concerning this portion of the FAQ should be posted to
Undercover; I will see it and modify the FAQ as needed.
(Thanks to those of you who have contributed. You know who you are).
This is intended to be a general reference, to be carried around when
looking for unauthorized recordings. If you see such a recording,
check the date/location in the FAQ for quality and my comments. This
document doesn't have song titles but does include standard live set
lists, in case you are looking for a live version of a certain song
but aren't sure if it was ever performed. Set lists don't vary too
much except for the first shows of a tour and the Voodoo Lounge tour.
For song titles on a particular CD/LP, consult John Artukovich's
"Fingerprint File" at http://www.primenet.com/~jaaiii/, _Hot Wacks_
(many mistakes but at least the song titles are right), a more
specialized book such as Nico Zentgraf's _Collector's Delight or
Collector's Disease_, or a fanzine. For setlists, try accessing
Nico's data on the web at http://www.castrop-rauxel.netsurf.de/
homepages/j.delmere/Stones1.htm
Unauthorized recordings may be either live concerts or studio
outtakes. Live concerts may be recorded in several ways: In the
audience using a hand held tape recorder, by a sound man from the
soundboard, or from a radio broadcast. Audience recordings will
generally sound the worst, but modern technology makes it possible to
have very good audience recordings. Studio outtakes are generally of
good quality as the recording is usually professionally done. In all
cases, sound quality will deteriorate as analog copies are made from
one generation to the next.
This is a partial list of unauthorized recordings of the Rolling
Stones. It is not complete. I have omitted many LPs and CDs, and
virtually all tape only performances. Many of the best recorded
performances have been released by as many as 10 different companies;
I have listed only the best or one of the best versions. This list is
biased toward in-print CDs since they are what most people want, and
can be found without too much difficulty. However, I have included
some out of print and hard to get items which I consider important.
Listings are by location, date, length, quality, and source. All
quality ratings from 1 to 10 are done by the author, with 1 being
unlistenable and 10 being perfect release quality. Since I can't
listen to everything, some ratings are from books, fanzines, or
postings to Undercover. These ratings are in the form of EX
(excellent), VG+ (very good plus), etc. 'm' indicates mono, 's'
stereo, and 'es' electronic stereo.
Part 1: The Early Years with Brian Jones
Most of the recordings from this period are either from media
appearances such as the BBC and TV shows, or studio outtakes. Although
the band toured constantly, there are few unauthorized concert
recordings. This was the time of Beatlemania, and screaming girls and
often riots at concerts. With the extremely primitive PA systems of
the era, the Stones were frequently drowned out by the audience.
Set lists:
Second English tour, Feb./March 1964: Talking About You, Roadrunner,
Roll Over Beethoven, You Better Move On, Beautiful Delilah, It's
Alright, Not Fade Away, I Wanna Be Your Man.
September/October 1964 UK tour: I Just Wanna Make Love to You,
Walking the Dog, If You Need Me, It's Alright, Around and Around, It's
All Over Now.
March 1965 UK tour: Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, Pain in My
Heart, Down the Road Apiece, Time is on My Side, I'm Moving On, It's
Alright, Little Red Rooster, Route 66, The Last Time, Everybody Needs
Somebody to Love.
September/October 1965 UK tour: Mercy Mercy, Cry to Me, The Last
Time, Oh Baby We Got a Good Thing Going, I'm Moving On, She Said Yeah,
Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, That's How Strong My Love is,
Talkin' 'bout You.
Paris March 28, 1966: The Last Time, Mercy Mercy, She Said Yeah, Play
with Fire, Not Fade Away, That's How Strong My Love is, I'm Moving On,
The Spider and the Fly, Time is on My Side, 19th Nervous Breakdown,
Around and Around, Get Off of My Cloud, It's Alright, Satisfaction.
Paris April 11, 1967: Paint It Black, 19th Nervous Breakdown, Lady
Jane, Get Off of My Cloud, Yesterday's Papers, Under My Thumb, Ruby
Tuesday, Let's Spend the Night Together, Going Home, Satisfaction.
No audience tapes earlier than 1967 are circulating although there are
rumors of earlier tapes. Two of the April, 1967 audience tapes have
been made into German LPs and Japanese CDs, but neither are listed as
they are hard to get and sound pretty bad.
BBC '63-'65; 52 min; 9.5 m&s; "Get Satisfaction if You
Want"/others
Interesting BBC studio recordings; a few songs have a live audience. This
LP/CD and its numerous copies are made from 1985 rebroadcasts; older LPs
("Beautiful Delilah," "Rape of the Vaults," etc.) are made from tapes
recorded off the air in the '60s and are much worse quality but have some
different songs.
BBC TV & ITV '63-'65; 50 min; 8.0 m; "Crackin' Up"
This '80s LP and its CD copy are made from tapes recorded off the air back
in the '60s, with quite good sound quality. There is little overlap with the
above and it's worth hearing.
Ed Sullivan TV '64-'67; 7.5 m; "Conquer America"/others
Their famous TV appearances are available on several LPs and CDs, for over
20 years, and video as well. Many if not all performances are live vocals
with the rest of the band miming to the studio version of the song, so not
that interesting. The 1969 appearance is not on this disc because at the
time of its release, the performance was not yet 20 years old; this legal
barrier was surmounted for later releases. Of course some people don't worry
about things like that.
Outtakes '63-'65; 30 min; 9.0 s; "Bright Lights Big City"
A combination of very early outtakes and Chess Studios outtakes. Old LPs are
made from scratchy acetates but sound quite good otherwise; later CD releases
have lost the scratches. (Old LPs also have an inferior Montreux '72, see
below.) Moderately interesting; the early Stones sound none too confident
in the studio.
Outtakes '64-'70; 210 min; 9.0 m&s; "The Black Box"
Compilation of most of the decent sounding outtakes from the early period.
Most have been available on other releases but a few are new here. Includes
the Stones portion of the "Karaoke" (instrumental outtakes) CD. Having this
set would be enough early outtakes for most people.
Outtakes '64-'73; 70 min; 8.0 s; "Mad Shadows"
A fine collection of material over the years including material never
available before, even to tape traders. Mostly excellent sound.
TAMI show 10/29/64; 25 min; 9.5 m; tape (laser disc)
This performance is available on at least one LP but may not be on CD. The
video is available on a legal Japanese laser disc. Fantastic performance;
being able to see it makes it even better. Great guitar work by Keith and
Brian, and Mick does all his James Brown moves.
Stereo mixes/outtakes 65-'67; 60 min; 7.5 s; "Dartford Renegades"
This includes some of the stereo mixes that are on the non-US "Hot Rocks 1"
CD, only in noticeably worse quality, plus others that have never been
officially released in stereo such as "The Last Time." Also includes
outtakes dubbed from the rare German LP "As Time Goes By."
Paris 4/18/65; 40 min; ___ m; "Paris Match"/others
A French radio broadcast but the sound is primitive. The show is available
on several LPs and CDs; in fact the listed CD is so new I have not heard it
yet. This is supposed to be the best quality yet, after a mere 31 years.
Good concert and the crowd is riotous.
Paris 3/28/66; 37 min; 4.5 m; "F***ing and Sucking"
Rare Japanese CD. Another French radio broadcast; this one sounds even
worse.
Honolulu 7/28/66; 30 min; 7.5 m; "In Action"
First available on LP in horrendous and then pretty bad quality, this concert
is finally available in quite good quality on CD. This is the only known
true soundboard recording from the Brian Jones era. Amusing performance;
Charlie gets to introduce a song and announces one they already did, and Mick
says it will be their last concert ever! Undoubtedly he was influenced by
the Beatles, who would have their last concert on August 29.
Outtakes and live '66-'69; 75 min; 10.0 s/6.0 m (varies); "Time Trip 4"
This latest in the Time Trip series, this marks a return to form after the
sub par Time Trip 3. Superb quality outtakes, either never before available
or better than before, plus a few lesser quality live tracks. "Carol" at the
end is the same version as "Ya Yas" but sounds better here IMHO.
Paris 4/11/67 complete; 30 min; 5.0 m; "F***ing and Sucking" CD
Rare Japanese CD; this is the only release of the entire broadcast. Sound
quality is pretty bad. This is still the best available recording of the
1967 tour of Europe, the last tour with Brian Jones. Other releases of this
concert are from a re-broadcast and are combined with the 4/18/65 concert;
sound quality is a little better.
Citadel reh.; 51 min; 8.5 m; "Request and Requires"
Interesting if you like "Citadel." 25 takes of the song, most incomplete.
Good recording but lacking treble.
Surrey 3/68 reh + int; 45 min; 5.5 m; "1968 Surrey Rehearsals"
Pretty rare LP. Not on CD. Not a good recording, better on tape.
Interesting jams with the origins of Jumping Jack Flash, Stray Cat Blues, and
many other classics. Brian is not present; Mick and Keith laugh about it.
Part 1a: Brian is phased out
The Stones did their last tour with Brian in the spring of 1967. They
were unable to tour after that due to Brian's legal and health
problems. The Rock and Roll Circus was to be a way around this,
bringing the performance to the audience instead of the other way
around.
"Sympathy..." reh. 5-6/68; 20 min; 7.0 m; "Angie"
This LP has part of the music in the "Sympathy for the Devil" movie. Good
sound but not necessary now that the film is easily available.
Outtakes '68-'72; 70 min; 8.0 s; "On the Rocks"
Decent collection of outtakes including a few which first appeared here.
Good sound quality but later releases such as "The Black Box" (above) make
this mostly unnecessary.
Outtakes '68-'72; 85 min; 9.5 s; "Trident Mixes"
One of the classic LPs; has been copied onto CD. Fantastic sound quality,
especially for the vinyl era, though it's a bit scratchy. Some if not all
the music is from acetates, which are generally scratchy, so that could be
the reason. Several interesting cuts but I find some of the instrumentals
pretty dull. If you can find them, there are 2 recordable CDs of this
material plus the Exile outs (see below), which are said to be very good
quality without surface noise.
Outtakes/diff. mixes '68-'73;100 min; 10.0 s; "Time Trip" 1 and 2
An interesting yet frustrating set of CDs. Some alternate takes of classic
songs, combined with alternate mixes of classic songs which barely sound
different. Both CDs contain part of Montreux 5/72, see below. Superb sound
quality plus material which was never available in the vinyl era, but
probably could have been edited down to 1 CD.
Rock & Roll Circus 12/12/68; 18 min; 8.0 m; "R&R Circus"
Taken from the video soundtrack. Good sound and a fairly good and
interesting performance, the last one with Brian. The video is supposed to
be released late in 1996, but keep in mind there were rumors of its release
back in 1970.
Part 2: The middle period with Mick Taylor
After the forced exit of Brian, the Stones hired Mick Taylor as new
lead guitarist. His excellent playing made this lineup arguably the
best for live performances.
His first gig with them was a free concert in London's Hyde Park
before several hundred thousand people. Brian Jones had died 2 days
earlier and the concert became a tribute to him.
Hyde Park 7/5/69; 85 min; 8.0 m; "Stones in the Park"/others
First released on LP from an audience tape; later releases are from the movie
soundtrack and a WLIR FM documentary, with only "Down Home Girl" from the
audience tape. The performance is sloppy but energetic. This concert has
an unusual set list, partly due to Taylor's unfamiliarity with the band.
The first actual tour with Mick Taylor was the fall/winter 1969 US
Tour. "Let It Bleed" was released at the end of the tour. Toward the
end of the tour the band did some recordings at Muscle Shoals, Alabama
(partly documented on "Time Trip" above). New York, Muscle Shoals,
and Altamont are documented in the movie "Gimme Shelter." The official
live album from this tour is the excellent "Get Yer Ya-Yas Out." This
tour established a pattern which would continue until 1982: US tour
every 3 years, with a European tour the following year. There was no
1979 European tour, but the New Barbarians toured that year.
Typical set for 1969 US tour: Jumping Jack Flash, Carol, Sympathy for
the Devil, Stray Cat Blues, Love in Vain, Prodigal Son (not at all
shows), You Gotta Move (not at all shows), Under My Thumb, Midnight
Rambler, Live with Me, Little Queenie, Satisfaction, Honky Tonk Woman,
Street Fighting Man. Played infrequently: I'm Free, Gimme Shelter.
Played only at Altamont: The Sun is Shining (by Jimmy Reed), Brown
Sugar.
Quite a few of these shows were recorded by fans in the audience.
These tapes vary from atrocious to excellent. All of the good tapes
have been made into LPs or CDs.
L.A. Forum 11/8/69 2nd show; "Lost Satanic Tour '69"/
others
Audience tape that did not circulate until 1992. Hot show, Keith is on!
Apparent PA problems make for a guitar dominated mix. A rare German LP has
the entire show as does the Japanese "Born in a Crossfire Hurricane" CD,
which is made from a different source tape with Mick louder than the band.
Oakland 11/9/69 1st show; 70 min; 7.0 m; "Bring It Back Aliver"
Another audience tape that did not circulate until relatively recently. The
PA blows out early on; the replacement system is quiet which makes for a good
recording. The show is average. The rare "Liver Than They'll Ever Be" LP
and CD sound better than the more easily available title listed.
Oakland 11/9/69 2nd show; 70 min; 8.0 m; "Liver Than You'll Ever Be"/
many others
The first Stones bootleg. Many, many different releases on LP, now almost
the entire concert is on CD. (The listed CD is not quite complete due to
tape flaws but there is a rare Japanese CD has the entire Oakland tape, with
flaws.) Good audience recording for the time but Mick's voice is too loud.
Average performance. The LP, the first rock music bootleg with good sound,
caused a sensation back in 1970 and was even reviewed in Rolling Stone
magazine. CDs sound about the same as the old LPs, without the scratches
which plague some pressings. Coincidentally, a primitive incomplete
soundboard tape recorded by Bill Graham's people and broadcast on KSAN? in
1972? is available on a rare German LP which was dubbed onto the "Hangout"
CD. The soundboard tape sounds much different but the overall quality is
similar. An even better source for the broadcast soundboard tape is the
recordable CD "American Tour, 1969 Soundboard Compilation."
San Diego 11/10/69; 40 min; 8.0 m; "Stoneaged"
Best 1969 recording though it's an audience tape, good even by modern
standards. Decent performance, marred by the amazingly out of tune show-
closer Street Fighting Man. The LP has been copied onto CD; the entire
performance is available on a rare Japanese CD. Original LPs sound better
than any of the CDs.
Detroit 11/24/69; 70 min; 6.0 s; "Live in Detroit"
Decent audience recording for 1969 but not good by modern standards. First
released as the second ever Stones boot (also reviewed in Rolling Stone mag)
"We Didn't Really Get It on Until Detroit;" supposedly Mick said this meaning
it was the first really good show of the tour. Now out on this CD, dubbed
from the very rare 2 LP set with minimal loss in quality but some dialogue
chopped out. 3 songs (where are the rest?) from a soundboard tape
(supposedly from a video) are available on a rare German LP and the
recordable CD "American Tour, 1969 Soundboard Compilation."
Baltimore 11/26/69; 60 min; 6.5 m; "Baltimore 1969"
Decent audience tape of one of the best 1969 shows. First available on the
"Devil's Disciple" LP, now the entire tape is on CD in better sound. Love
in Vain on "Ya Yas" is from this show, not NYC as claimed.
MSG, NYC 11/27/69; 65 min; 7.0 m; "Stoned-MSG"/others
This show was another early boot LP; the entire concert is now on CD, same
quality but without LP surface noise. Above average audience tape, good
show. Little of this seems to be on "Ya Yas" except the dialogue between
Jumping Jack Flash and Carol.
West Palm Beach, FL 11/30/69; 70 min; 6.5 m; "Palm Beach 1969"/others
A good up front audience tape, marred by speed variations which start halfway
through. This was a damp, chilly concert where the Stones didn't go on until
4 AM, and the guitars are frequently out of tune. Still worth hearing. This
Japanese CD is made from a very low generation tape, probably the best
available.
Altamont Speedway 12/6/69; 82 min; 5.5 es; "Altamont"
The infamous free concert. A tape recorder is visible in the "Gimme Shelter"
movie; is this the tape? The recording is flawed, very muffled at times, and
the drums are frequently inaudible. Great concert highlighted by improvised
performances of Jimmy Reed's "The Sun is Shining" and the just-written "Brown
Sugar." Even the comments from the crowd are interesting. The entire
concert is on this Japanese 2CD set; there is also an incomplete Japanese
single CD which sounds considerably better but runs fast. One song, "Gimme
Shelter," is available from a near perfect board tape on "A Shot of
Salvation" below.
"Gimme Shelter" soundtrack; 40 min; 9.5 s; "There's No Angel Born in
Hell"/ others
There are several LPs and CDs made from the movie soundtrack.
Unsurprisingly, those released after the movie became available on HiFi video
sound quite good. Unlike "Ya Yas," these songs have minimal if any overdubs.
Note that the video in the movie is spliced together from several shows and
does not always match the music. The remastered video which was released in
1992? is virtually in mono but ca. 1989 CDs are stereo because they are made
from the earlier HiFi videos. (Don't know if the recent "Gimme Shelter"
unauthorized CD is mono or stereo.)
Live & Studio '69-'74; 30 min; 8.5 s; "A Shot of Salvation"
This was the first outtakes CD to break new ground compared to the vinyl era.
It has outstanding to excellent sound and includes material never before
available, even on tape. Rumor has it that this and some of the other
"Scorpio" and related CD are made from tapes sold at Sotheby's auction house,
which would certainly explain why the material is "new" to collectors.
The next tour, Europe in the fall of 1970, was musically similar to
the 1969 US tour except that a horn section was used for the first
time.
Typical set for 1970 European tour: Jumping Jack Flash, Roll Over
Beethoven, Sympathy for the Devil, Stray Cat Blues, Love in Vain,
Prodigal Son, Dead Flowers, Midnight Rambler, Live with Me, Little
Queenie, Let it Rock, Brown Sugar, Honky Tonk Woman, Street Fighting
Man. Played infrequently: Gimme Shelter.
Most of these shows are available as audience tapes. As with 1969
tapes, quality varies from atrocious to pretty good. Almost all of
the good tapes have been made into LPs or CDs.
Hamburg 9/14/70; 67 min; 6.5 m; "Let it Rock"
Decent, well balanced audience tape. The speed gets warbly toward the end.
Good performance as are all 1970 shows. This is a Japanese CD, may be hard
to get. Also available on another rare Japanese CD, "Prodigal Sons Tour
Mother Europe," coupled with a poor recording from Copenhagen 9/12/70.
Berlin 9/16/70; 70 min; 7.0 m; "Berlin 1970"/others
Above average audience tape but not great by modern standards. Very good
performance before a wildly enthusiastic crowd. Parts of the concert are
also available on LPs in pretty bad to comparable quality. This is a hard
to get Japanese CD; it is also out on another Japanese label in presumably
the same quality.
Paris 9/22/70; 70 min; 5.5 m; "Paris 1970" (FM
w/commentary)
This tape comes from a French radio broadcast, but the sound isn't very good.
Apparently the source tape came from a microphone held to the radio speaker.
How times change. The recording is certainly no better than an audience
tape, and the between song commentary is annoying. This is a Japanese CD,
may be hard to get.
Paris 9/23/70; 60 min; 7.5 m; "Some Like It Hot"/1 other
The only 1970 soundboard recording to date, and a primitive one at that which
surfaced in 1993. This hard to get Japanese CD adds in the last 2 songs from
a radio broadcast; the first release ("Paris 1970") does not have them but
sounds slightly better. Worth getting, it's another fine 1970 show with a
long "Brown Sugar."
Essen 10/07/70; 50 min; 7.0 m; "European Tour 1970"
Another early boot, until the mid '80s this was the only easy to get 1970
show. A very well recorded audience tape of a good concert. The LPs have
been copied onto CD but the best source is the old Rubber Dubber 2 LP set.
Before their contract with Decca expired, The Stones were required to
record one more song. Fed up with Decca, they recorded Cocksucker
Blues, an obscene tale about a lonesome schoolboy. Its unauthorized
releases are frequently paired with a studio outtake of Brown Sugar
featuring Eric Clapton on third guitar.
"CS Blues"/"Brown Sugar"; 10 min; 10.0 s; "CS Blues"/12"/7"
"CS Blues" is a cool song if you're not offended by the subject matter and
have a sense of humor about it. Even Mick cracks up a little while singing.
This "Brown Sugar" is interesting and has more of a funky/party feel than the
official version. Both songs are usually available in extremely good
quality.
The band did a farewell tour of England in March, 1971 before moving
to France as tax exiles. "Sticky Fingers" was released after this
tour. Let It Rock from Leeds 3/13 has been legally released in Europe
on vinyl.
Typical set for 1971 English tour: Jumping Jack Flash, Live with Me,
Dead Flowers, Stray Cat Blues, Love in Vain, Midnight Rambler, Bitch,
Honky Tonk Woman, Satisfaction, Little Queenie, Brown Sugar, Street
Fighting Man. Played infrequently: I Got the Blues, Let It Rock
(encore).
Only one audience tape from this tour exists other than the ones
listed below.
Leeds, UK 3/13/71; 60 min; 10.0 m; "Get Your Leeds Lungs Out"
Great recording from the BBC though in mono. The first 2 songs are missing.
Relatively laid back performance. Available on numerous LPs and CDs but the
Swingin' Pig and Royal Sound releases are noticeably better than the older
vinyl.
London 3/14/71; 52 min; 6.5 m; "London Roundhouse"
Mediocre audience recording on LP and copied to a Japanese CD. Good
performance. "More Music and Better Sound" LPs have "Prodigal Son," others
don't.
Marquee Club 3/26/71; 40 min; 8.0 m; "Marquee 71 + Sticky Out"
(sic)
TV broadcast with bad sound for a professional recording. Fine performance
but it was touched up in the studio. This is the only live version of "I Got
the Blues." The enhanced original broadcast is available on several LPs but
the CD listed above is best. The unenhanced performance, which was going to
be re-broadcast in 1992, is available on 2 different CDs; the better one is
the Japanese "The Lost Marquee Tapes 1971."
"Exile on Main Street" was recorded in the basement of Keith's house
in France. Outtakes are available.
"Exile" outtakes; 35 min; 8.0 s; "Tropical Disease"/others
Some interesting outtakes. Good quality professional recordings but some
hiss; more songs and better quality on tape. The "Abkco Masters" CD uses a
better tape source but unfortunately runs too fast; get it only if you have
a CD player with a pitch control.
Rehearsing for the upcoming 1972 US tour, the Stones were filmed by
the BBC.
Montreux rehearsals 5/21/72; 25 min; 9.0 m; "Gather No Moss"
Also available on several LPs ("Bright Lights Big City" for one) and the Time
Trip CDs; this is fine quality and there are no duplicate songs as on Time
Trips.
The 1972 US tour in support of "Exile on Main Street" was sucessful
both musically and financially. Not one but two movies were made, the
unreleased behind-the-scenes "Cocksucker Blues" and the concert
documentary "Ladies and Gentlemen the Rolling Stones." Several
concerts were recorded for a double LP live album but it remains
unreleased due to Decca withholding the rights to songs.
Typical set for 1972 US tour: Brown Sugar, Bitch, Rocks Off, Gimme
Shelter, Happy, Tumbling Dice, Love in Vain, Sweet Virginia, You Can't
Always Get What You Want, All Down the Line, Midnight Rambler, Bye Bye
Johnny, Rip This Joint, Jumping Jack Flash, Street Fighting Man.
Played infrequently: Loving Cup, Torn and Frayed, Ventilator Blues,
Don't Lie to Me, Dead Flowers, Honky Tonk Woman (encore), Uptight/
Satisfaction (encore).
Many of these shows are available as audience tapes, with the quality
ranging from atrocious to very good. All of the good tapes have been
made into LPs or CDs except for snippets here and there.
Vancouver 6/3/72; 85 min; 6.5 m; "Vancouver 1972"
Decent audience recording. First show of the tour and sloppy, but this is
the only live performance of several songs. This Japanese CD is said to be
the better of at least 2 from this show.
Hollywood Palladium 6/9/72; 55 min; 6.5 m; "Burning at the..."
Decent audience recording. Very good show. LP has been copied onto a rare
Japanese CD.
Dallas 6/23/72 reh.; 135 min; 7.5 s; "Stones Touring Party"/
others
Apparent studio rehearsals, perhaps to get ready for the upcoming filming.
Hard to say, because the material is fairly uninteresting jams with little
in common with the '72 set. Mediocre mixing board recording with excessive
vocals.
"Ladies & Gentlemen" sndtrk; 80 min; 8.5 s; "Dragon Slayers"
This is the 1972 tour movie recorded in Fort Worth and Houston 6/24-25. This
rare Japanese CD is quite good quality but not as good as what can be heard
in "25x5." Earlier LPs, including "Dragon Slayers," are not as good as this
CD.
Washington, DC 7/4/72; 75 min; 6.5 s; "Washington '72"
Japanese CD of an above average '72 recording. Interesting filler, 3
soundboard songs from 3 different shows: ADTL, Pittsburgh 7/22/72 in stereo;
MR Sydney 2/27/73; and SFM, unknown.
Charlotte, NC 7/6/72; 62 min; 7.0 s; "Back to the Roots"/ others
Best audience recording of the '72 tour. Missing the first 2 songs. A rare
Japanese CD includes the incomplete second song. Available on LPs since not
long after the concert, but the CDs are better and more complete. However,
even the CDs are not as good as some tapes.
Philadelphia + Fort Worth; 170 min; 8.5 s; "Philadelphia Special"(1 &
2)/ others
Some of the unreleased live album has come out on boots. Legend has it these
versions of the recordings were first broadcast on either Radio Luxembourg
or WMMS Cleveland, but a more believable story is that 2 cassettes were sold
backstage during the 1975 tour by a Stones associate. (Apparently the
cassettes were then played over the radio in Cleveland.) These are fine raw
recordings that have not been properly mixed in the studio. Best sources are
the pre-Swingin' Pig "Philadelphia Special" 2 LP set (b&w cover, 'RSGL 72'
written in dead wax) and the Swingin' Pig "Philadelphia Special 2." All
other LPs and CDs are inferior; the Swingin' Pig "Philadelphia Special 1" is
overly NoNoised, and "Unreleased Decca Live Album" (should be Rolling Stones
Records, btw) is hissy. Incidentally "PS2" includes a few songs from the
"Ladies and Gentlemen" soundtrack. Why?
Fort Worth/Houston/Philly; 35 min; 9.0 m; "Keep Your Motor Runnin'"
This LP is part of the finished mixes of the Lost Live Album, unfortunately
in mono. These recordings are a little tinny but sharper than those above.
This LP has been copied onto a recordable CD of the same name with a slight
loss in sound quality and may have been copied onto a Japanese CD but I am
not certain.
MSG, NYC 7/26/72; 45 min; 8.5 s; "Welcome to New York"
Mick Jagger's 29th birthday was also the last concert of the '72 tour.
Legend has it this stereo soundboard recording was stolen from the mixing
desk by 2 fans. Some LPs ("Madison," "Tour '72") are in mono and only have
the "Mick Taylor" channel so Keith can barely be heard. Swingin' Pig
releases are dubbed from old vinyl and drastically over NoNoised. Best
source is old vinyl with 'RS 546 REI' written in the dead wax. Good luck
finding a copy! Next best is probably the later pressing with the '2815'
matrix; these are considerably easier to find.
The next tour was to Australia with a few stops along the way. The
first stop was Los Angeles, where the Stones played a benefit concert
for victims of the Nicaraguan earthquake. Musically, this tour was
similar to the '72 US tour, except the LA and Hawaii shows feature
attempts at older songs such as Route 66 which don't work that well
and are dropped for the Australian tour.
Typical set for winter 1973 tour: Brown Sugar, Bitch, Rocks Off,
Gimme Shelter, Happy, Tumbling Dice, Love in Vain, Sweet Virginia, You
Can't Always Get What You Want, Honky Tonk Woman, All Down the Line,
Midnight Rambler, Little Queenie, Rip This Joint, Jumping Jack Flash,
Street Fighting Man. Played infrequently: Route 66, It's All Over
Now, No Expectations, Live with Me.
There are several audience tapes from this tour not made into LPs or
CDs. None are that exciting quality wise.
LA Forum 1/18/73; 80 min; 6.5 m; "Winter Tour 1973"
Mediocre audience tape with a couple rare songs. The LPs have been copied
onto a Japanese CD which has the treble considerably boosted. The scratches
sure are loud (!) but the music does sound better this way.
Honolulu 1/21/73 1st show; 75 min; 7.5 s; "1973 Tour in Hawaii"/
others
Above average audience recording. Good performance. Available incomplete
on LP, CD is complete, similar quality.
Honolulu 1/21/73 2nd show; 83 min; 7.5 s; "Tropical Windsongs"/others
Another above average recording, on several CDs in roughly the same quality
from a tape which surfaced in 1992; some are missing "Street Fighting Man"
due to the length of the show.
Melbourne 2/17/73; 73 min; 7.0 m; "Temperature Rising"
Good up front audience recording with some speed fluctuations. This tape did
not circulate before the CD was released. Good performance.
Perth, Australia 2/24/73; 50 min; 9.0 s; "Rocks Off"
A classic. This stereo soundboard tape first turned up in 1987 on a German
LP and is now on several CDs. Great recording and performance. I think this
Swingin' Pig release is the best; it's a combination of the 2/24 show with
parts of the 2/26 show; there is no 2/24 2nd show as some boots claim. It
sounds a little better than disc 1 of "Happy Birthday Nicky" below.
Sydney 2/26/73; 65 min; 8.5 s; "Happy Birthday Nicky"
The CD may claim disc 2 is 2/24 2nd show, but there was no 2nd show that day;
it's actually Sydney 2/26. This is another stereo soundboard recording
though not quite as good as 2/24; the tape has been copied a few more times.
Avoid the Japanese "Winter Tour 1973" 2CD set if you ever see it; it's the
audience tape of the show. At least it has the last 2 songs missing from the
soundboard tape.
Sydney 2/27/73; 65 min; 8.0 s; "Wizards of O.Z."/3 others
This tape did not surface until 1993. It's another stereo soundboard but not
as good as the 2 above. The last show of the tour; Mick babbles at times.
Another good performance. This release is the best of the 4 CDs. Note that
all of these Australian soundboard tapes are missing the last couple songs.
To promote "Goats Head Soup" the Stones recorded 4 songs for Don
Kirshner's TV show.
Don Kirshner TV 7/17/73; 20 min; 8.5 m; "Beast of Eden"/others
I haven't heard this CD; they are also on the old "Angie" LP and of course
video too. Unexciting to hear but kinda neat to watch.
For the fall of 1973 there was a European tour in support of "Goats
Head Soup." Billy Preston replaced Nicky Hopkins as the keyboard
player. This would be the last tour with Mick Taylor.
Typical set for 1973 European tour: Brown Sugar, Gimme Shelter,
Happy, Tumbling Dice, Star Star (deleted from KBFH broadcast), Angie,
You Can't Always Get What You Want, Dancing with Mr. D, Heartbreaker
(first half of tour only), Midnight Rambler, Honky Tonk Woman, All
Down the Line, Rip This Joint, Jumping Jack Flash, Street Fighting
Man. Played infrequently: Bitch, 100 Years Ago, Silver Train, Sweet
Virginia.
Most of these shows are available as audience tapes. Quality varies
but most are mediocre.
Vienna 9/1/73; 100 min; 7.5 m; "100 Years Ago"/ others
Very good audience tape for the time. First show of the tour and there are
some mistakes but also some rare songs. Available on several LPs and CDs;
this rare Japanese double CD combines the fairly common audience tape with
a lesser quality tape to make a complete concert. It's still best to get
this from tape as they used the lesser tape for all of CD2; should have used
it for only the last 1.5 songs which the better tape doesn't have.
Various, Radio Luxembourg; 30 min; 10.0 m; "A Shot of Salvation"
This is a combination of Newcastle 9/13 and London 9/9. Great mono recording
and performance. The rare Japanese CD "CS Blues" has the songs in the
correct order and with longer edits than "A Shot..." but sounds the same.
Two versions of this broadcast exist. The alternate version can be heard on
a rare German LP, a rare Japanese CD, and the "Gather No Moss" CD
(mislabelled as "Brussels"); it is not as good quality, but does include
"Midnight Rambler."
Birmingham 9/19/73; 70 min; 8.0 s; "Birmingham Odeon 1973"
Very well done audience tape and good performance. The Oh Boy CD is the best
of at least 2.
Bern 9/26/73 2nd show; 75 min; 6.5 s; "Bern-1973"
Very clear audience tape reveals some sloppiness by the band. Rare Japanese
CD.
Munich 9/28/73 2nd show; 75 min; 6.0 m; "Olympia Hall 1973"
Rare Japanese CD, average recording. I mention this CD mainly to note that
this is the true Munich recording; this date is sometimes given for the King
Biscuit broadcast (see below).
Hamburg 10/2/73 1st + Essen 10/10/73; 45 min; 7.0 s; "Jean Clarke
Mammorial..."
A fairly common LP from the '70s but not available on CD. Good up front
recording. "The Stars in the Sky..." LP is a copy of this.
Brussels 10/17 + London 9/9/73; 75 min; 9.5 s; "Brussels Affair"/others
This is a very common show on many bootlegs from the time of its first
broadcast on the King Biscuit Flower Hour in Sep. 1974 until now. All songs
are from Brussels except Happy, Gimme Shelter, Heartbreaker, and Street
Fighting Man are from London. Old 2LP sets such as "Nasty Music" combined
this broadcast with 4 songs from the NYC 7/26/72 concert. Later CDs have
confused things further, for example "Brussels Affair" uses a remixed
broadcast for the first 3 songs, which happens to use the Brussels versions
of Happy and Gimme Shelter. Got it? The absolute best sounding release of
this broadcast is the rare German LP "Europe '73;" the "Brussels Affair" CD
is dubbed from it after the first 3 songs. The "Nasty Music/Sound"/"A Tour
de Force" LPs are almost as good; the classic "Bedspring Symphony" LP is
slightly below them but does have a hilarious introduction. A recent 2 CD
set "Headin' for an Overload" reproduces the first 2 broadcasts from 1974
(note 1 disc exactly matches "Bedspring Symphony") in very nice quality, and
is nicely packaged, but the CDs overlap and neither is complete, so I still
recommend "Brussels Affair" as the best easily available CD. ("Headin'..."
also includes a Dudley Moore/Peter Cook interview with MJ and CW about the
newly released album "It's Only Rock and Roll.") The recent recordable CD-R
"La Bruxelles Complete" pieces together the Brussels concert from various
broadcasts; quality varies somewhat.
Alternate mixes and outtakes from "Goat's Head Soup" and "It's Only
Rock and Roll" have recently surfaced:
'73-'74 alt mixes/outtakes; 51 min; 9.5 s; "Acetates"
Once again interesting material which was never circulating has turned up on
CD. Really good quality with only slight distortion on a few songs, no
typical acetate crackles. I prefer most of the alternate mixes to the
released versions, and the outtakes are pleasant enough. The last few songs
are unimportant "mono mixes" which don't sound any different to my ears.
To promote "It's Only Rock and Roll," the band again appeared on Don
Kirshner's TV show.
Don Kirshner TV 7/74; 13 min; 8.0 m; "Beast of Eden"
I believe this CD is the first unauthorized release of these songs; they are
fairly easily available on video. The widely seen "It's Only R&R" video is
from this show, as are the less well known ultra camp "Till the Next Goodbye"
and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg."
Part 3: The Ron Wood era:
Just before the Stones were to go into the studio to record "Black and
Blue," in December 1974, Mick Taylor quit. Three different guest
guitarists ended up on the album, and the band also jammed with Jeff
Beck.
Outtakes '73-'79; 45 min; 9.5 s; "Lonely at the Top"
A classic LP of studio outtakes which has also been copied onto CD; recent
CDs may be from tape source but I haven't heard them. Great quality and
interesting material. Most songs have Ron Wood but a few are with Mick
Taylor.
Studio reh. 1-4/75; 70 min; 7.5 s; "Black and Blue Sessions"
Not so great quality CD of outtakes. The source tape is fairly hissy.
Moderately interesting with some extended songs; some songs are without final
overdubs. This is a fairly rare Japanese CD; similar material is on a more
easily available CD and the "Reggae and Roll" LPs.
For the summer of 1975 US tour, Ronnie Wood was the "guest" lead
guitarist. Although Black and Blue was mostly recorded before the
tour, it was not released until after the tour was over. The 1975 and
1976 tours featured much longer sets than had been played in the past.
Billy Preston also performed two songs at each show.
Typical set for 1975 US tour: Honky Tonk Woman, All Down the Line, If
You Can't Rock Me/ Get Off of My Cloud, Star Star, Gimme Shelter,
Ain't Too Proud to Beg, You Gotta Move, You Can't Always Get What You
Want, Happy, Tumbling Dice, It's Only Rock and Roll, Heartbreaker,
Fingerprint File, Angie, Wild Horses, That's Life, Outta Space (both
sung by Billy Preston), Brown Sugar, Midnight Rambler, Rip This Joint,
Street Fighting Man, Jumping Jack Flash. Played infrequently: Rocks
Off, Sure the One You Need, Star Star, Gimme Shelter, Luxury, Dance
Little Sister, Cherry Oh Baby, Lady Jane (a capella by Mick),
Sympathy for the Devil (encore at about half the shows).
Most 1975 shows are available as audience tapes. In general audience
tapes from this point on are noticeably better; the drums sound better
in particular.
Baton Rouge, LA 6/1/75 1st show; 135 min; 7.0 s; "Cajun Queen's..."
Baton Rouge, LA 6/1/75 2nd show; 135 min; 7.0 s; "Whores in the Night"
The first 2 shows of the 1975 Tour of the Americas. First available on LP
incomplete and in mediocre quality, these are both 3LP sets of the entire
concerts, made from good clear audience recordings. One of these shows is
available as a Japanese CD "Baton Rouge '75." Both shows seem a little
tentative but not bad.
Buffalo 6/15/75; 65 min; 7.5 s; "Hot As Hell"
Soundboard recording.
NYC 6/27/75; 150 min; 7.5 s; "Welcome Back to NY"/others
Well recorded audience tape. First available on LP back in the '70s ("Stereo
Baby"), this has been on several LPs and CDs, but these Japanese CDs are the
best so far.
LA Forum 7/11/75; 160 min; 7.5 m; "Rockin' at the Forum"
Taken from the slightly famous "Hot As Hell" video except this is the
complete show. Soundboard recording with excellent drum sound but the
guitars are too low. Mediocre performance IMHO.
LA Forum 7/13/75; 140 min; 9.0 s; "LA Forum 1975"/ others
An extremely good audience tape, even by modern standards. This was recorded
by the people who released it on vinyl as the classic "1975 Tour of the
Americas" 3LP set. Now out on CD in even better quality than the old LPs.
This Japanese CD (IMP 026/7) is the only one with the entire concert; others
are incomplete. Maybe it's just the recording, but IMHO these are mostly
better performances than sides 1, 2, and 4 of "Love You Live."
Cow Palace, SF 7/15/75; 120 min; 7.0 s; "It's Only Rock & Roll"
Good audience tape. This is a rare German 3 LP box set; also available on
a Japanese CD.
Detroit 7/28/75; 90 min; 7.5 m; "Rock and Roll Goes on the
Road Again"
Soundboard recording though not the greatest.
The 1976 European tour was musically similar to the 1975 US tour,
except that songs from "Black and Blue" were played.
Typical set for 1976 European tour: Honky Tonk Woman, If You Can't
Rock Me/ Get Off of My Cloud, Hand of Fate, Hey Negrita, Ain't Too
Proud to Beg, Fool to Cry, Hot Stuff, Star Star, Angie, You Gotta
Move, You Can't Always Get What You Want, Happy, Tumbling Dice,
Nothing from Nothing, Outta Space (both sung by Billy Preston),
Midnight Rambler, It's Only Rock and Roll, Brown Sugar, Midnight
Rambler, Street Fighting Man, Jumping Jack Flash. Played
infrequently: Rip This Joint, Cherry Oh Baby, Sympathy for the Devil.
Played at Knebworth only: Satisfaction, Around and Around, Little Red
Rooster, Stray Cat Blues, Let's Spend the Night Together, Dead
Flowers, Route 66, Wild Horses, Honky Tonk Woman, Country Honk theme.
Most shows are available as audience tapes. For some reason there are
also a fair number of soundboard tapes available.
Frankfurt 4/29/76; 45 min; 7.5 s; "Frankfurt 1976"
Soundboard recording. This Vigatone CD is better than any other LP or CD.
Paris 6/6/76; 100 min; 8.5 m; "Paris Aux Printemps"
Soundboard recording. Parts of this show are on "Love You Live."
Paris 6/7/76; 125 min; 7.0 m/8.5 s;"Vive La France", "Paris
Par Exc."
The entire concert is on the audience tape "Vive...," which has been dubbed
onto CD. "Paris Par Exc." is an extremely good stereo soundboard recording
of the end of the show; I think this is out on a rare Japanese CD. Good
performance; parts of this show are on "Love You Live."
Lyon 6/9/76; 71 min; 8.0 s; "Backstage Limited"
Soundboard recording. This is a rare CD but I think this performance is
available on the more common "Les Inrockuptibles" (huh?).
Knebworth 8/21/76; 90 min; 8.5 s; "Hot August Night"/others
One of the Stones longest concerts, definitely the longest of the '60s and
'70s, before a large crowd. The Stones worked up a special expanded set list
for this show only. Interesting performance, if only to hear the unusual
songs. Many audience tape recorders were running, so was one at the
soundboard, plus there's a pro-shot video! The audience tapes range from
lousy to fairly good. Frustratingly, the soundboard recording is incomplete,
and the best version is on a rare German LP which also runs too fast.
Neither of the 2 videos is close to complete either. The only source for the
entire 2.5 hour show which isn't missing anything is a rare Japanese CD
apparently made from an audience tape; don't know the title but it's on the
Shaved Disc label.
The Stones came to Toronto in early 1977 to record live at the El
Mocambo Club. Keith was arrested there for heroin possession, but
recording took place and became side 3 of "Love You Live."
Toronto 3/4 & 3/5/77; 40 min; 8.5 s; "Small Club Gig"
I don't have this CD, but have a rare German LP. That is a combination of
a soundboard tape and 3 songs from an acetate, which were released on a fan
club disc. Good performance.
The next studio album was "Some Girls." Outtakes are available.
Outtakes late '77; 100 min; 9.0 s; "Paris Outtakes" I & II
This material is available on several LPs and possibly several CDs, but the
Vigatone set of 2 CDs is superior to anything else. Very good recording and
some interesting alternate and outtakes.
Outtakes late '77; __ min; 9.0 s; "Some Girls Sessions"
This is a copy of a rare Japanese CD. These songs are mostly studio jams
which I find very uninspiring.
For the 1978 US tour, the band played most of "Some Girls" and dropped
many older songs. The sets were considerably shorter than the '75-'76
sets. Billy Preston was sacked; keyboardists Ian Stewart and Ian
McLagan were featured prominently. After the tour, the Stones
appeared on Saturday Night Live; they are the only band to appear and
play a three song set without interruption.
Typical set for 1978 US tour: Let It Rock, All Down the Line, Honky
Tonk Woman, Star Star, When the Whip Comes Down, Lies, Miss You, Beast
of Burden, Just My Imagination, Shattered, Respectable, Far Away Eyes,
Love in Vain, Tumbling Dice, Happy, Sweet Little Sixteen, Brown Sugar,
Jumping Jack Flash. Played infrequently: Hound Dog, Satisfaction,
Street Fighting Man.
Most if not all shows are available as audience tapes. This tour was
heavily bootlegged; about 75% of the tour dates are available on
vinyl. Most have decent but not great quality. The listing below is
rather short since the LPs are all long out of print and I don't
collect them all.
Woodstock 5/78 reh.; 129 min; 8.5 s; "1978 Tour Rehearsals"/
others
Very good soundboard quality. This CD is copied from 2 rare LPs. Oddly
enough they do a version of "CS Blues" which of course was not played during
the tour.
Passaic, NJ 6/14/78; 90 min; 9.0 s; "Garden State 78"/others
Excellent stereo soundboard recording. Probably the most well known boot of
the tour. Legend has it the tape was stolen from the soundboard before the
show ended which explains why the end is missing. Good performance except
the incomplete encore "Street Fighting Man" sounds completely unrehearsed;
it's terrible. Original LPs sound better than any CD release; in fact The
Swingin' Pig "Out on Bail" appears to be dubbed from vinyl.
US radio '78 (various); 90 min; 9.5 s; "A Summer Romance"/others
There are many, many releases of this material. Modern CDs sound a little
better than the original LPs but usually don't have as many songs. There are
several versions of the radio broadcasts from different cities (Houston,
Detroit, Memphis, and Lexington), so it is possible to get two different
versions of some songs such as "Shattered."
LA 8/78 outtakes; 93 min; EX- s; "One Night with Tallahassee
Lassie"
This is a copy of a rare Japanese CD "The Harder They Come," with extra
material added. The LA material was never before available.
Keith's sentence for heroin possession in Toronto was light: Perform
a benefit concert for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.
At the start of the New Barbarians tour in Toronto, the Stones made a
surprise appearance.
Toronto 4/22/79 2nd show w/New Barbs; 100 min; 9.0 s; "Blind Date Revisited"
This used to be only available as an audience tape but a soundboard tape
turned up in 1995 and was put out by The Swingin' Pig. John Belushi
introduces the band. The performance can charitably (pun intended) be
described as "ragged;" the singing is mostly atrocious.
"Emotional Rescue" outtakes are available.
"Emotional Rescue" outtakes; 67 min; EX- s; "Emotional Rescue Demos"
I don't have this CD, but these songs can be heard in quite good quality on
LP; the CD should be similar.
As mentioned previously, the Stones broke from previous trends by not
touring Europe in 1979. The New Barbarians, with Keith and Ronnie,
toured instead. The next Stones tour was in the US, 1981, for "Tattoo
You." There was an official live album, "Still Life," and movie,
"Let's Spend the Night Together."
Typical set for 1981 US tour: Under My Thumb, When the Whip Comes
Down, Let's Spend the Night Together, Shattered, Neighbors, Black
Limousine, Just My Imagination, 20 Flight Rock, Going to a Go Go, Let
Me Go, Time is on My Side, Beast of Burden, Waiting on a Friend, Let
It Bleed, You Can't Always Get What You Want, Little T&A, Tumbling
Dice, She's So Cold, All Down the Line, Hang Fire, Star Star, Miss
You, Start Me Up, Honky Tonk Woman, Brown Sugar, Jumping Jack Flash,
Street Fighting Man (a few shows), and/or Satisfaction (most shows).
Played infrequently: Tops, Down the Road Apiece, Mona, Star Star.
Most if not all shows are available as audience tapes. About two
thirds of the tour dates are available on vinyl. The listing below is
rather short since the LPs are all long out of print and I don't
collect them all.
USA '81 (various, FM); 90 min; 9.5 s; "Time is on Our Side"/many
others
The various FM broadcasts are on many different LPs and CDs. As with the '78
broadcasts, different versions of some songs are available. The official
live album "Still Life" overlaps with these broadcasts. Excellent quality
on almost all releases; some CDs are copied from old LPs.
Buffalo 9/27/81; ___ min; "Buffalo '81"
This is a Japanese CD, may be hard to get. I quote: "This is a GREAT
audience recording... There is little crowd noise and it's nice and clear.
Also this neat gem contains the rare '81 tour track TOPS."
Seattle 10/15/81; 125 min; 8.5 s; "Bloody Night in Seattle"
Raw recording from a pro-shot video, but I like it. Good sound mix. First
released as a rare CD on the Terappin (sic) label; this Japanese CD is a
little better.
Chicago 11/22/81 w/M. Waters; 35 min; EX; "Sweet Home Chicago"
The Stones pay tribute to one of their heroes by playing with him and other
Chicago blues stars in a small club. Semi-professionally recorded and filmed
(the film has the wrong date). Worth seeing, or settle for the audio.
Kansas City 12/1?/81; 145 min; 8.0 s; "Together At Last" (partly
w/Mick Taylor on third guitar)
I think this is mostly a ripoff. The Stones played 2 nights in KC and Taylor
joined them onstage for 1. It sounds like most of the CD is from the night
he wasn't there, which sounds better. Audience tape. Not very interesting
IMHO.
Hampton, VA 12/18/81; 140 min; 10.0 s; "Hampton '81"/many others
Pay-per-view cable special available on many different LPs and CDs. Of
course videos also circulate. Excellent recording, unsurprisingly. I think
a few songs are on the official live album "Still Life."
The next tour was the 1982 European tour, which was musically similar
to the 1981 tour.
Typical set for 1982 European tour: Under My Thumb, When the Whip
Comes Down, Let's Spend the Night Together, Shattered, Neighbors,
Black Limousine, Just My Imagination, 20 Flight Rock, Going to a Go
Go, Chantilly Lace (first part of tour), Let Me Go, Time is on My
Side, Beast of Burden, Let It Bleed (first part of tour), You Can't
Always Get What You Want, Little T&A, Tumbling Dice, She's So Cold,
Hang Fire, Miss You, Honky Tonk Woman, Brown Sugar, Start Me Up,
Jumping Jack Flash, Satisfaction. Played infrequently: Angie.
About two thirds of the tour dates are available on vinyl.
Gothenburg, Sweden 6/19/82; 130 min; 8.0 m; "One More Time"
Quite good audience recording. Rare LP, copied as "Never Stop" which is now
out on CD.
Wembley, London 6/26/82; 45 min; 9.0 m; "One Day in June"
Rare German LP made from a BBC video (never broadcast?). Not on CD. This
is apparently the show where Keith punches Ronnie for spacing out on stage.
That's not on the video, but the start of "She's So Cold" is incredibly bad
and the entire concert is pretty lame. Naturally this is a really good
recording.
Naples 7/17/82 + hotel/backstage; 102 min; EX s; "Shattered in Europe"
The concert portion of this is 76 min and said to be the on stage monitor
mix. I haven't heard it but here's a typical enthusiastic Undercover review:
"What a great recording and performance... Keith is really on and at his
best. The band sounds real raw and powerful with an energetic performance
that leaves Mick breathless much of the time. Ronnie does some great solos
that complement Keith's rhythm and soloing." The rehearsals are 26 min and
said to be extremely good quality.
Due to tensions within the band, there was no touring again until
1989.
Outtakes are available for "Dirty Work."
"Dirty Work" outs. 7-11/85; 69 min; EX- s; "Dirtiest Work"
This is also available on vinyl.
After much speculation if there would ever be another tour, the Stones
finally toured the US in 1989 in support of "Steel Wheels." For the
first time, most of the live material was not from the new album.
Each concert was a look back on their long career, and they performed
songs that had never been attempted live. The band also used a much
larger cast of supporting musicians than in the past. The Stones
"toured" Japan in February 1990 by playing in Tokyo for about 10 days.
Typical set for 1989 Steel Wheels US tour: Start Me Up, Bitch, Sad
Sad Sad, Undercover of the Night, Harlem Shuffle, Tumbling Dice, Miss
You, Ruby Tuesday, Play with Fire, Rock and a Hard Place, Mixed
Emotions, Honky Tonk Woman, Midnight Rambler, You Can't Always Get
What You Want, Little Red Rooster (not at all shows), Before They Make
Me Run or Can't Be Seen, Happy, Paint It Black, 2000 Light Years from
Home, Sympathy for the Devil, Gimme Shelter, It's Only Rock and Roll,
Brown Sugar, Satisfaction, Jumping Jack Flash. Played infrequently:
Shattered, Salt of the Earth, Dead Flowers, One Hit to the Body,
Angie, Almost Hear You Sigh, Terrifying.
Most shows are available as audience tapes. The sophisticated sound
system plus improvements in tape recorders and microphones means some
audience recordings are very good indeed.
Toronto 9/3/89; 95? min; EX ; "Live in Toronto"
Made from a pro-shot video.
Dallas 11/11/89; 145 min; 8.5 m; "Texas Rangers"
Again, made from a pro-shot video.
Atlanta 11/21/89; 120 min; EX ; "Back in Business"
LA 10/19/89; EX- ; "Mixed Emotions"
Atlantic City 12/19/89; 150 min; 10.0 s; many CDs + videos
Widely available.
Tokyo 2/26/90; 140 min; 10.0 s; "The Steel Wheels
Performances"/ others
Available on several LPs and CDs but not all are complete. This is one of
a few which are.
The 1990 Urban Jungle Tour was musically similar to the Steel Wheels
tour. Typical set for Urban Jungle Tour: Start Me Up, Sad Sad Sad,
Harlem Shuffle, Tumbling Dice, Miss You, Almost Hear You Sigh, Ruby
Tuesday, Rock and a Hard Place, Mixed Emotions, Honky Tonk Woman,
Midnight Rambler, You Can't Always Get What You Want, Can't Be Seen
(3/4 of shows), or Before They Make Me Run (1/4 of shows), Happy,
Paint It Black, 2000 Light Years from Home, Sympathy for the Devil,
Street Fighting Man, Gimme Shelter, It's Only Rock and Roll, Brown
Sugar, Jumping Jack Flash, Satisfaction. Played infrequently: Bitch,
Angie, Dead Flowers, Factory Girl, Blinded by Love, Terrifying, Little
Red Rooster, I Just Wanna Make Love to You.
Most shows are available as audience tapes.
Basel, Switz. 6/27/90; 145 min; 7.5 s; "Basel '90"
Fairly good audience tape.
London 7/7/90; 135 min; 10.0 s; "Seventh of July"
>From a BBC broadcast. I find Chuck Leavell to be very annoying during
"Midnight Rambler."
Outtakes from the Stones' next studio album "Voodoo Lounge" first
turned up on a 4 CD set.
Voodoo Lounge outtakes 7&9/93?; ___ min; EX s; "Voodoo Brew"
Quality is said to be outstanding, with nice packaging too. Some people have
said they prefer these versions to the official release. Some people have
also complained about the cover art.
Voodoo Lounge outtakes 7&9/93?; ___ min; EX s; "Voodoo Stew"
The follow up to Voodoo Brew. Quality is once again said to be outstanding.
Some people prefer this to Voodoo Brew.
In 1994 the Stones went on tour again, in support of "Voodoo Lounge."
This was their first tour after the departure of bass player Bill
Wyman; his replacement Darryl Jones is not a permanent band member.
Typical set list for Voodoo Lounge Tour: Not Fade Away, *, Tumbling
Dice, **, You Got Me Rockin', Shattered, Rocks Off, Sparks Will Fly,
Satisfaction, Beast of Burden, ***, ^, Memory Motel or Wild Horses,
****, #, Miss You (not at first show), ##, ###, ####, @, @@, @@@, I Go
Wild, Honky Tonk Woman, Before They Make Me Run or Happy, The Worst,
@@@@, Love Is Strong, Monkey Man, Street Fightin' Man (preceded "Brown
Sugar" until beginning of September), It's Only Rock 'n' Roll, Start
Me Up (followed "Monkey Man" until beginning of September), Brown
Sugar, Jumpin' Jack Flash (encore).
Sometimes played:
*Undercover of the Night (first two DC shows only),
**Live With Me,
***Out of Tears,
****No Expectations (Club gig and Cleveland 8/28 w/Lenny Kravitz),
#All Down the Line,
##Hot Stuff (first DC show only),
###Can't Get Next to You,
####Brand New Car,
@Sad Sad Sad (Toronto 8/19 only),
@@It's All Over Now,
@@@Heartbreaker (added Philadelphia 9/23),
@@@@Sympathy for the Devil (added Las Vegas 10/14),
^Far Away Eyes (added San Antonio 11/5)
Played only in Miami November 25:
Live with Me (with Sheryl Crow), Stop Breaking Down (with Robert
Cray), Who Do You Love (with Bo Diddley), acoustic set of Angie, Dead
Flowers, and Sweet Virginia. Several songs dropped for this show to
make room for the special ones.
Most if not all shows are available as audience tapes.
Toronto 7/19/94 club gig; 75 min; 7.5 m; "Secret Gig"
Audience tape. Not great by modern standards but listenable. Missing the
first song, a rare Japanese double CD has it.
Washington, DC 8/1/94; 135 min; 8.5 s; "First Night Stand"/others
State of the art audience recording.
Birmingham, AL 8/6/94; "Out For Blood"
Best audience recording from the '94 Tour according to the Fingerprint File.
Giants Stadium 8/14/94; EX m; "Welcome to Voodoo Lounge"
Giants St. 8/14/94 (video); EX s; "Sparks Will Fly"
Giants Stadium 8/15/94; EX s; "The Circus is Back in Town"
/others
Toronto 8/19/94; VG s; "Out for Blood"
Philadelphia 9/23/94; VG m; "Honky Tonk Motel"
New Orleans 10/10/94; EX s; "Voodoo Kiss"/others
Very muddy sounding radio broadcast. This is on many, many CDs. This was
remixed for an edited re-broadcast the first weekend in July, 1995, and
sounded much better; we'll see if that turns up on a CD.
Las Vegas 10/14&15/94; VG+ s; "Voodoo Lounge Lizards"
Oakland 10/31/94; EX s; "Voodoo at Halloween"/ at
least 1 other
Made from a pro-shot video. This is the first non-broadcast pro-shot video
of this tour to become available. Some releases are said to be better than
others but not sure which is the best.
Miami 11/25/94; EX s; "Party Lounge"/others
Pay-per-view cable special and also a radio broadcast. Much better sound
than the New Orleans broadcast. CDs made from the radio broadcast lack
"Beast of Burden."
After playing Vancouver, BC, December 18 (Keith's birthday), the North
American Tour ended.
The tour continues in 1995 with dates in Mexico, South America, South
Africa, Japan, Australia, and Europe.
Several 1995 set lists have been posted to Undercover, here they are:
Rio, Feb. 4: Not Fade Away, Tumbling Dice, You Got Me Rocking, It's
All Over Now, Live With Me, Sparks Will Fly, Satisfaction, Out Of
Tears, Angie, Midnight Rambler, Rock And A Hard Place, I Go Wild, Miss
You, Introductions, Honky Tonk Women, Happy, The Worst, Sympathy For
The D., Monkey Man, Street Fighting Man, Start Me Up, It's Only Rock'n
Roll, Brown Sugar, Jumping Jack Flash
Santiago, Chile Feb. 19: Not Fade Away, Tumbling Dice, You Got Me
Rocking, Rocks Off, Rock And A Hard Place, Sparks Will Fly,
Satisfaction, Angie, Out Of Tears, Love Is Strong, It's All Over Now,
I Go Wild, Miss You, Honky Tonk Woman, Before They Make Me Run,
Slipping Away, Sympathy For The Devil, Monkey Man, Street Fighting
Man, Start Me Up, It's Only Rock and Roll, Brown Sugar, Jumping Jack
Flash (encore)
Johannesburg, South Africa, Feb. 25: Not Fade Away, Tumbling Dice,
You Got Me Rocking, It's All Over Now, Live With Me, Sparks Will Fly,
Satisfaction, Out Of Tears, Angie, Rock And A Hard Place, Midnight
Rambler, I Go Wild, Miss You, Intros, Honky Tonk Women, Happy,
Slipping Away (first performance), Sympathy For The Devil, Monkey Man,
Street Fighting Man, Start Me Up, It's Only Rock'n Roll, Brown Sugar,
Jumping Jack Flash
Tokyo Dome, March 6, 8, 9, and 12: Not Fade Away, Tumbling Dice, You
Got Me Rocking, Live With Me (March 6, 12) OR Shattered (March 8) OR
All Down The Line (March 9), It's All Over Now (March 6) OR Rocks Off
(March 8, 9, 12), Sparks Will Fly, Satisfaction, Angie (March 6, 12)
OR Love In Vain (March 8) OR No Expectations (March 9), Sweet Virginia
(March 6, 12) OR Dead Flowers (March 8) OR Let It Bleed (March 9), Doo
Doo Doo (March 6) OR It's All Over Now (March 8) OR Rock and Hard
Place (March 9, 12), Love Is Strong, I Go Wild, Miss You, Honky Tonk
Women, Before They Make Me Run (March 6, 9, 12) OR Happy (March 8),
Slipping Away (March 6, 8, 12) OR The Worst (March 9), Band
Introduction in japanese, Sympathy For The Devil, Monkey Man, Street
Fighting Man, Start Me Up, It's Only R'n'R, Brown Sugar, Jumping Jack
Flash (encore)
Western Springs, Auckland, NZ April 15: Not Fade Away, Tumbling Dice,
You Got Me Rocking, Shattered, All Down The Line, Sparks Will Fly,
Satisfaction, Beast of Burden, Angie (acoustic), Sweet Viginia
(Acoustic), I Go Wild, Miss You, Honky Tonk Women, Before They Make Me
Run, Slipping Away, Sympathy For The Devil, Gimme Shelter, Street
Fighting Man, Start Me Up, It's Only R n R, Brown Sugar, Jumping Jack
Flash
Amsterdam, Holland, May 27 (club gig): Not Fade Away, It's All Over
Now, Live with Me, Let It Bleed, Beast of Burden, Angie, Wild Horses,
Sweet Virginia, Dead Flowers, Still a Fool, Down in the Bottom, Shine
a Light, Like a Rolling Stone, Jump on Top of Me, Connection,
introductions, Before They Make Me Run, Slipping Away, Monkey Man,
Can't Get Next to You, All Down the Line, Rip This Joint, Respectable
Nijmegen, Holland, June 13: Not Fade Away, Tumbling Dice, You Got Me
Rocking, It's All Over Now, Live With Me, Sparks Will Fly,
Satisfaction, Beast Of Burden, Wild Horses, Like A Rolling Stone,
Gimme Shelter, Rock And A Hard Place, I Go Wild, Miss You,
Introductions, Honky Tonk Women, Before They Make Me Run, The Worst,
Sympathy For The Devil, Street Fighting Man, Start Me Up, It's Only
Rock 'n Roll, Brown Sugar, Jumping Jack Flash
No doubt most of these shows are available as audience tapes.
Rio de Janeiro 2/4/95; ___ min; EX s; "Bucketfull of Water" others
>From a TV broadcast. The other release of this is apparently mono.
Buenos Aires 2/16/95; 140 min; EX s; "Sympathy for the Voodoo
Cult"
This is said to be a soundboard tape, as opposed to a broadcast or audience
tape.
Johannesburg, S.A. 2/25/95; ___ min; EX s; "Everything But The Cobra"
>From a TV broadcast, except "Rock and a Hard Place" is an audience recording
from 2/24. Good sound mix on the broadcast but I haven't heard this CD.
Tokyo 3/12/95; ___ min; EX s; numerous CDs
This was a pay per view TV broadcast so sound should be excellent on any
release. I am told that some have a glitch at one point; sorry don't know
which ones. This is also out as a legit 2 laser disc set and probably VHS
video as well.
Melbourne, Austr. 3/27/95; VG ; "Keef Sings Slippin' Away"
Melbourne, Austr. 3/28/95; "Voodoo Rain Dance"
Best audience recording from the '95 Tour according to the Fingerprint File.
"Keef Sings Happy" is inferior.
Amsterdam 5/27/95; ??? ; "Marvelous Mickey Jaggero
and His Friends"/others
This is out on several CDs but all are recorded from the town square where
the concert was broadcast. There's lots of singing along by the crowd. Said
to be an excellent performance. There is a very nice audience tape, probably
from the town square but with minimal crowd noise, which will apparently be
coming out very soon on a Japanese CD.
Stockholm 6/3/95; VG+ ; "Voodoo, I Like It"
Also includes 1 song from Helsinki June 6 and 3 songs from a TV broadcast of
this show.
Nijmegen 6/13-14 + Landgraaf 6/18/95; ___ min; EX-; "Voodoo Lounge Holland"
A 3CD Box of all songs played at these shows plus a 4th CD with the songs
from Rotterdam 8/29-30 not played in Nijmegen/Landgraaf, plus JJF. Said to
be an audience "state of the art" recording.
Paris Olympia 7/3/95; 135 min; 8.5 s; "French Made 95"/1 other
Great audience recording of one of the small venue shows. Interesting song
selection and good performance. This is a rare Japanese CD; there is a
cheaper and more easily available European CD but I don't know its name.
Brixton Academy 7/19/95; "Having A Laugh In Brixton"/
others
I haven't heard this but am told: Another nice club gig with again a
different setlist from Paris/Amsterdam. There are 2 other recordings of this
show (also different source?).
Lisbon, Portugal 7/24/95; "Da'Lapa Incident"
I quote: "This is a strong and impressive stereo DAT audience recording...
They are playing well late in the tour, seemingly well greased, and enjoying
themselves... This is one of the better live Rolling Stones documents ever,
in spite of a noisy Portuguese crowd."
The author acknowledges that every living member and ex member of the
band has done some sort of solo project. Keith's solo tours of 1988
and 1992-93 have been heavily bootlegged, and Mick's tour of 1988 is
also fairly well represented. However, cataloging those releases is
beyond the scope of this guide. Plus, I don't collect that material.
Notes on collecting CDs:
In the United States, every unauthorized release (not made by Virgin,
London/Abkco, RSR, etc.) is considered a bootleg. This is not always
the case in other countries, particularly in Europe. For example, the
Swingin' Pig label was legal in Luxembourg due to their less
restrictive copyright laws. Similar situations have existed in
Germany and Italy also. These companies pay royalties which the
artist may choose not to collect, and are completely legal, even
though their CD may be mastered from an old bootleg record.
Unsurprisingly, the major record companies are not happy with these
legal unauthorized releases (which are illegal once they leave their
country of origin) and are trying to unify the copyright laws.
The overseas copyright laws seem to be ever-changing. If anyone knows
what's going on with the copyright/legality situation in Europe or
anywhere else, feel free to post the information to Undercover. Of
course there are plenty of "underground" companies which don't worry
about legality.
General comments on CD companies/labels:
The Swingin' Pig is generally good. Most of their CDs were mastered
from tapes, unlike some companies which use old records, and they
generally use the best available tape for a particular show. On the
downside, they sometimes overdo the noise reduction, which makes the
music sound bassy and compressed. They are still in business, and
released the best CD so far of the first show of the '94 tour.
Scorpio and related labels such as Gold Standard are also good.
Unlike most labels, they have actually put out "new" material. They
still aren't above dubbing some tracks off old records here and there.
Yellow Dog, famed for their Beatles and other releases, has finally
released a 3 CD set of early outtakes in good quality.
The Vigatone label has produced only a few Stones CDs but they are all
excellent, from tapes. The Chameleon or "Chamelion" label is also
excellent.
Invasion Unlimited has produced a series of studio outtakes CD. All
of the material appears to be copied from other releases so there's
nothing new, but the CDs are compiled logically and might be worth
getting if you are starting collecting and missed the original
releases.
"Terappin" or Terrapin label CDs are very hard to come by but are
mostly rare material in decent to good quality.
Japanese CDs on labels such as Digger Productions, Hot Lips Records,
Idol Mind, Stone Crazy, and especially Vinyl Gang Productions are
generally hard to come by in the US but often have rare material. The
quality of these varies but is generally as good as what tape traders
have. For most of 1993-1994, it seemed Japanese labels were the only
ones putting out previously unreleased material, even material which
was not in tape trading circles. They seem to have run low on old
rare material by now, but that hasn't stopped them from putting out
CDs. They are releasing any halfway decent tape they can get their
hands on, from bad quality early recordings with Brian to 1981
audience tapes to audience recordings of the 1995 Japanese shows.
_Bibliography_
Basement News fanzines. Rodgau, Germany: Dieter Hoffmann
Heylin, Clinton. The Great White Wonders: London, England: Penguin, 1994.
Hoffmann, Dieter. Das Rolling Stones Schwarzbuch (Black Book). Vaihingen,
Germany: New Media Verlag, 1987.
Hoffmann, Dieter. Rolling Stones--Das Weissbuch (White Book). Winsen,
Germany: New Media Records, 1991.
Live! Music Review, December 1993.
Musician magazine, September 1994.
No Expectations fanzine. No. 9, January, 1992. Lerdala, Sweden: Mats Jarl
Stember, Wilfried. The Rolling Stones Collector's File 2.
Dortmund, Germany: Stember, 1984.
Zentgraf, Nico. Collector's Delight or Collector's Disease?
Berlin, Germany: Zentgraf, 1992.
====================================================
Part Three
The Rolling Stones--A Bibliography
Originally prepared and maintained by: Stephen D. Carter
(S.D.Carter@Sussex.ac.uk)
[NOTE: please see the end of this document for a
copy of a note supplied by Stephen Carter with
the December 1995 issue of this bibliography]
The Rolling Stones, unlike the Beatles seem to have had
few even half-decent authors or publishers produce books
about them. The majority of the books on this list are,
frankly, not too good. A few (Stone Alone, etc) are
imperative!
Read this list, and the books, with low expectations!
This list has been constructed with help from many people.
Among them are : Tony Rzepela, Bruce Dumes, Angi
and several others who, if they email me will be duly
credited! Also Jim Henning, Stephen Weinberg, David Wedig,
Andy Meuck, Ed Fronczkowiski, Steve Portigal, John
O'Sullivan, Dave Heller.
Like the Stones, Stephen's a Brit, so are most of the ISBN's.
-------/////00000\\\\\------
Citations list author, title, year, and finally, ISBN.
The author, the Stones and the ISBN's are all British. :-)
...and Mick, I know you'll see this, so if you ever feel
like popping in to autograph any of my stuff, there's no need
to ring ahead.
--------------------------------------------------
ed. Bill Buford
Granta
84 0140075658
Granta is a quarterly book/magazine of 'New English Writing'
Issue 12 consists largely of an extensive extract from
Stanley Booth's "True Adventures of the Rolling Stones".
ed. David Dalton
The Rolling Stones : The Greatest Rock'n'Roll Band in the World
75 0352300922
Quite an early and well written account of the band. It
does not attempt to be a 'biography, but is collection of
essays/accounts on various aspects. As such it succeeds.
(Reissued with updates in 1979)
ed. Johnny Dean
Record Collector
Monthly magazine from the original publishers of both the
Beatles and Rolling Stones Monthly Magazines. The issues
that have special features are worth getting.
Each issue has an 'artists' directory that is up-to-date
with the right issues to get for your favourite artists.
43/45 St Mary's Road, Ealing, London, W5 5RQ. UK
ed. Johnny Dean
The Rolling Stones Book
64
Date unclear, but precedes the Rolling Stones Monthly from
the same publishers. Nice photos - a real period piece.
Even has a bit about 'The Official Rolling Stones Fan Club'
93/97 Regent St. Now, whatever became of that!?
ed. Nicholas Drake
The Sixties : A Decade in Vogue
88 1871307260
Vogue magazine has always been noted for the quality of its
photo's. Any collation of its Sixties photo's will
therefore be both excellent and will contain several shots
of the Fabs, the Stones and their chums.
Will not disappoint. Will re-stress the astonishing changes
in style (etc) that took place during those turbulent
years.
ed. Jonathan Eisen
Altamont - The Forgotten Festival : Death of Innocence ...
3800021715
272 page paperback. A collection of articles, interviews
pictures about Altamont. Relic of a bygone era and quite
worth the read. (SW)
ed. Pete Goodman
Our Own Story by The Rolling Stones
64
Wonderful period piece that asserts it is 'as we told it to
Pete Goodman'.
Written for mass consumption at the start of the band's
career.
ed. Nigel Grant
A Pixerama Foldbook of the Rolling Stones
64
A very early period piece - 12 small photo's of the band
in a concertina fold out style. The text is superbly dated,
and very wrong in places. 'The lads got their name for the
group from a Chuck Berry song 'The Rolling Stones''.
Buy it if you ever see it.
ed. Mick Jagger
The Rolling Stones Monthly Book
64
Short lived (30 issues) monthly 'Official Rolling Stones
Book edited by the Stones for their Fans' from the same
stable as the still running Beatles Monthly.
Despite the fact that it is mostly the product of the
imagination of a press/publicity crew it is worth getting
if you ever (unlikely) see it. Re-issue long overdue.
ed. Joyce Robins
The Sixties : The Style : The Sounds : The Stars
84 0862731895
A 64 page rush through the music of the turbulent 60's.
Produced by Marks & Spencer, so quality is good. Nothing
profound, only a bit on the Stones.
ed. Robert Love
The Best of Rolling Stone
93 0863697690
A compilation of a selection of the best articles from the
magazine.
Robert Greenfield gets an article about the Stones. Worth
getting for this, and all of the rest!
ed. Dr Andreas Papadakis
Architectural Design : New Architecture
90 1854900293
A special edition of Architectural Design concentrated on
'New Architecture' and included an article by Mark Fisher
on his designs for the 1989 Steel Wheels stage - plus some
stunning colour photos.
ed. Rolling Stone
The Rolling Stones
76
A compilation of the main features on the Stones from
Rolling Stone covering the first interview in 1968 through
to 1975.
Excellent.
ed. Brian Roylance (& Bill Wyman)
Blinds and Shutters : The Photographs of Michael Cooper
90 0904351378 Genesis
A distressingly beautiful book, full of upsettingly unique
photos at a heart-stopping price.
Cooper was the 'court' photographer to the Beatles (he did
the Sgt. Pepper cover photo) and the Stones (Satanic
Majesties) and others. As such these photos are unique.
Wonderful.
ed. Jack Scott, Nick Logan
Greatest Hits : Very Best of NME
74 1850371473
A selection of the best interviews from NME. Good interview
with Mick - Roy Carr interviewer.
ed. Sue Weeks
Creative Technology - August 1995
95 Haymarket
Magazine for hard-core Art techno-freaks...
This issue has loads on how the computer animated
spikey Tongue was done for the 1994/5 Voodoo Lounge Tours
Unknown
The Rolling Stones : 24 Posters
83 0862830605
24 nicely printed pictures (not posters) from the 81 Tour.
No text. Marginal value.
Unknown
The Rolling Stones Complete
1981 0860017611
Collection of words and music to all original Stones
compositions released from 1963 through 1980. Separate
complete lyrics section, and a UK discography through 1980.
Over 70 photo's, up to and including 1978
Unknown
Rolling Stones Stripped: A Trip through the Voodoo Lounge Tour 1994-1995
1995 1873884419
Glorified post-tour programme, but with excellent and exciting
photography from the tour. A few minor itinerary mistakes, but
lots of interesting interview snippets (largely
taken from Westwood One radio network broadcasts), and respectable
(if uncompelling) prose which steers clear of the self-absorption
that has marred other print documentaries of the Stones on the road.
Felix Aeppli
Heart of Stone : The Definitive Rolling Stones Discography
85 0876501927
Well indexed and and as thoroughly researched as a book
without 'official' backing could be. Although it is
extensive and thorough, sources close to the band dismiss
this book as dreadfully inaccurate.
An obvious need exists for an authorized version.
Mandy Aftel
Death of a Rolling Stone : The Brian Jones Story
82 0283989459
Reasonably good biography of the life and death of Brian.
Good photo's, and research are spoiled by the author's
largely uncritical approach to Brian.
John Aldridge
Satisfaction : The Story of Mick Jagger
84 0862761352
Very good book about the history of the Rolling Stones, plus
an analysis of the personality of Jagger, explaining how he
has managed to resolve so many contradictions in his
character that in the end there seemed to be no
contradiction (from blurb)
Great Pix, plus discography.
(Angi)
Christopher Andersen
Jagger Unauthorised
93 0671712098
Only go for this one if you are a terminal
completist. Not the best book in the booklist
Robert Armstrong
Rolling Stones
83 089813109X
This 31 page children's book provides an overview of the
Stones' history, their early chart success, the death of
Brian Jones, the big tours in the early 80's, Tattoo You,
and so on.
Mentions drugs, but not Mars bars. (SP)
Atalanta Press
The Rolling Stones : Poster Book
89 1870049225
Large format, well printed book of 20 pullout posters.
Pretty. For complete-ists only.
Stephen Barnard
The Rolling Stones : Street Fighting Years
1993 1851708626
Excellent book. Despite being so big that it is hernia
inducing. Superb photo selection, reproduced with great
clarity. The text (not matching the photo's) should be
read as a series of essays (with flaws). Photo's arranged
(seemingly) randomly - but some great ones!
Grab this book!
Jo Bergman
The Rolling Stones Blue Book
?? ?
Jo Bergman's chronology (for the press?) of the Stones
from 1963 to 1969. Nice & unusual photo's, even if
everything is printed in a tasteful blue.
All text appears in English, French, German & Italian.
Victor Bockris
Keith Richards : The Biography
92 0091743974
In a field where few serious biographies exist, any gallant
attempt should be welcomed. But..
This book suffers from poor editing, from the (bizarre IMHO)
view that much of the success of the Stones stems from the
homo-erotic relationship of Jagger/Richards/Jones. Later
parts read as slick cuttings jobs. I'm glad my copy was a
half price remainder!
Massimo Bonanno
The Rolling Stones Chronicle : The first thirty years
90 0859651355
Chronologically arranged list of hi-lights and low spots
from the first 30 years.
Nice photo's, but the number of entries ensures a generally
shallow approach. The early years (62/3) are better than
most books - but still flawed. (Ed. note: an updated version
closing at the end of the 1995 tour, instead of 1990,
was published in the UK. No US issue as of this writing.)
Stanley Booth
Dance With The Devil
84 0394534883
US version of 'True Adventures'
Stanley Booth
Keith : Till I Roll Over Dead
94 0747207704
Unlike 'True Adventures' which is one of the best & most
readable books about the Stones, this book is hard going
at times. A great disappointment, and few insights into the
subject.
Personal gripe. Much transcribed verbatim from Keith's odd
speaking style - fun once, tedious after 50 pages!
Stanley Booth
The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones
85 0434081000
In 1969 Stanley Booth was granted the rights to put together
a book about the Stones. 16 years later it came out. An
entertaining read, full of racy tales and the like - both
from the Stones and from the author.
How much is true? Who cares!
(Extract first published in Granta)
Marie Cahill
The Rolling Stones - A Pictoral History
90 1856270351
Extremely well written, not deep, but complete. Almost
entirely accurate, carefully and lovingly composed to
accommodate the format as best it can. First class
captions.
Honest effort to gain an interesting captivating mix of
stock images and the unfamiliar
Roy Carr
The Rolling Stones : An Illustrated Record
76 0517526417
Well researched and illustrated retrospective. Some good
stuff from the very early years (62/63).
Terry Carty
Tumbling Dice
1991 UK based attempt to get a fanzine off the ground. After
7 issues (as of Sept '93) it is too early to judge.
Enthusiastic and deserving of support.
Tumbling Dice, 9 Collingwood Close, Westgate on Sea,
Kent CT8 8JD UK
Teresa Celsi
The Rolling Stones
1994 0836230981
Slim & small (8cm x 10cm, hardback) Stones entry in
yet another novelty gift-book series. Chronology
stops in 1993, and the discography doesn't even pretend
to be complete.
Prose stylish, highlighted quotes well-chosen, photos
wonderful. But small. Really small. (AR)
Barbara Charone
Keith Richards
79 0708816584
Quite a well researched biography about one half of the
Glimmer Twins. Too uncritical to be of real value. Access
to Keith assured some unusual photo's.
Updated 1982 version in US.
Alan Clayson
Call Up The Groups : The Golden Age of British Beat 62-67
85 0713715537 Blandford Press
Catches the development of British pop at the moment the
Beatles were up and coming, follows the careers of the
well-known and little-known Beat groups of the First Wave
Ray Connolly
Stardust Memories
83 0907516300
A compilation of articles previously published in the
Evening Standard.
Great articles, great background to The Sixties. Only does
2 Beatles - Paul & Ringo, and 2 Stones - Mick & Charlie.
Michael Cooper & Terry Southern
The Early Stones : Legendary photographs of a band in the ma
93 0436201372
A book of Michael Cooper's photo's, with a foreword (and
comments by Keef) could hardly fail. This one nearly does.
Illegible text, poor printing of ace photo's, and even some
mistakes (P157=questionable).
However, this is an essential book!
Gus Coral (& David Hinckley & D Rodman)
The Rolling Stones : Black & White Blues, 1963
95 1570361509
Excellent book of Coral's photos of a date on the 1963 tour
and of the Stones recording 'I Wanna Be Your Man'.
Although the text drifts off the point from time to time,
the photo's are SO GOOD that this book is an absolute
must-buy-it-as-soon-as-possible!
David Dalton
The Rolling Stones : The First Twenty Years
81 0500272611
Well researched, well produced and illustrated retrospective
on the Stones.
Time for an update - the First Thirty Years?
David Dalton
The Rolling Stones - An Unauthorized Biography in Words, ...
72 0825626692
This is Dalton's first book on The Stones, which he has
revised several times. It is loaded with outstanding
pictures and the text is good.
Difficult to find. Worth grabbing. Thanks to DH for
finding my copy! Excellent early-ish book. (DH)
David Dalton & Mick Farren
Rolling Stones in their own Words
80 0860015416
One of an extensive series of similar volumes. Well
presented collection of quotes - sorted by topic. Nice
photo's. Being quotes it steers clear of the risk of
bad research!
(Reissued with some updates in 1985)
Mary Laverne Dimmick
The Rolling Stones - An Annotated Bibliography
79 0822933845
Just what it says, she adds her knowledgable comments about
the books (etc) listed. Much less complete than
'Yesterday's Papers' but more user friendly. (DH)
Tim Dowley
The Rolling Stones
83 0882547348
There are better books on the list.
Martin Elliott
The Rolling Stones Complete Recording Sessions
90 0713721189
Any book claiming to be 'complete' that is produced without
access to either the Stones' own sources, or even Alan
Klein's, is doomed. A brave attempt, but flawed.
Simply demonstrates the need for an authorized version.
Richard Elman
Uptight With The Stones
73
Short book which documents a small part of their 1972 US
Tour. Elman is a good writer but doesn't know that much
about The Stones. Extremely difficult to find. DH.
Marianne Faithfull (with David Dalton)
Faithfull
94 0718136586
A far better book that I was expecting. She tells about
her life & times, not just with the Stones, but before
and after.
Interesting, far from being a superficial kiss-and-tell, and
worth getting.
Even debunks the Mars Bar story!
Nicholas Fitzgerald
Brian Jones : The Inside Story of the original Rolling Stone
85 0399130616
Personal memoire of Swingin' Sixties hanger on to Brian's
entourage. Vivid portraits of whirlwind escapades in
Paris, London etc. Fascinating stuff about life on the
'inside'.
Despite failings, valuable. AR.
Paul Flattery
The Illustrated History of Pop
??
An excellent treatment of 1950's-1960's British Pop. Out of
print since mid-70's, but if you find it (Wise Publishers,
England) you'll learn all about Dickie Valentine, Adam
Faith, Helen Shapiro, Cliff Richards, and all the British
stars whose careers were permanently derailed by the
Fab Four.
Chet Flippo
It's Only Rock and Roll : My On The Road Adventures with the
Rolling Stones
85 0312038518
Long account of Chet's years on the road thru 75, 78 and 79
with the Stones. Worthwhile thoughts on the Stones - at
times thought-provoking, at times funny, as well as accurate
reportage of life in the big league.
Enjoyable and recommended. Strangely never available in the
UK.
Pete Frame
Rock Family Trees
79 0860014142
This book, an essential part of any book collection, charts
the evolution of various groups.
The Stones are shown linked to the Pretty Things (by Dick
Taylor) and tenuously to The Kinks.
Little on the Beatles.
Pete Frame
Rock Gazetteer of Great Britain
89 0950540263
Essential reading for any serious student of UK rock music,
which of course dominates the world. Lots of short (often
witty) paragraphs about rock's famous places the length and
breadth of the land.
Could do with an index though!
David Fricke & Robert Sandall
Rolling Stones : Images of the World Tour 1989-90
90 1852830816
This 'official' photographic record of the tour is very
disappointing. The unique access by chosen photographers
could have and should have produced a better (in every way)
book.
The photos should all have been dated and the location
noted.
Tony Gale & Andy Neil
The Rolling Stones : Olympic Recording Sessions June 1968
94 187388413X
A slim book of photo's of..um... the 1968 One Plus One
sessions.
Overpriced, but still nice as the photos seem to capture
an atmosphere.
Bill German
Beggars Banquet
A semi-official monthly newsletter about the Stones. Bill
German has good access to Ronnie. Worth subscribing.
Beggars Banquet, PO Box 6152, New York, NY 10128
Geoffrey Giuliano & Cris Eborn
Not Fade Away : The Rolling Stones Collection
92 1850282161
An abolutely SUPERB book full of SUPERB illustrations of
what is (I guess) the second Best Stones Collection - Chris
Eborn's.
Wonderful printing, well composed, incredible value.
Let down rather by the text - apart from the captions.
John Glatt
Rage & Roll : Bill Graham & The Selling of Rock
1993 1559722053
Bill Graham was allegedly caught pocketing a *lot* of
money from the Stones' till on the '81 US tour.
Based in part on an included interview with Wyman,
this bio of Graham explores the tale and its
ramifications, among other topics, like a bio of
the man who created the big rock concert industry
as we know it today. Frequent Stones references/anecdotes
(AR).
Nigel Goodall
Jump Up : The Rise of the Rolling Stones : The first 10 Yrs
95 1898141088
The text does not add a great deal to the body of knowledge
about the Stones.
The pictures are well selected and printed.
But, Nigel Goodall should stick to his books on Cliff
Richard.
Robert Greenfield
S T P : A Journey through America with the Rolling Stones
74 0841503230
Very famous book about the 1972 US Tour. Well written by
an 'insider'. How did those boys survive!?
Andre Hagedorn
It's Only Rock'n'Roll : The Rolling Stones : Dates & Facts
90 3927801089
A German book of dates and facts about the Rolling Stones.
Cheap printing, nice photo's - but I've not got a clue
about the text..... :-)
Jerry Hall (with Christopher Hemphill)
Jerry Halls' Tall tales
1985 067150911X
222 page paperback - Jerry's autobiography. What you would
expect. Lots of inside stuff & photo's. Good for those
who like gossip. SW
James Hector
The Complete Guide to the Music of the Rolling Stones
1995 0711943036
One of a series of CD-sized books, this Stones entry
intelligently discusses their recorded history, and
includes coverage of important issues like flipsides
and CD re-releases. Hector can be overcritical, and
tends to take mediocre records personally, but he
is well-informed and intelligent, which makes the
reading a pleasure. The pictures are good, and with
very few exceptions, each and every track the Stones
officially released gets a conmment or two. An alphabetical
index of song titles is included. [AR]
Gary Herman
Rock'n'Roll Babylon
82 0859650413
Compulsive reading about the seamier side of the life (and
death) the Rock Greats.
Not surprisingly the Stones pop up regularly.
Tim Hewat
Rolling Stones File
67
Apparently this is in part the proceedings against
The Glimmer Twins from the West Sussex Quarter Sessions
June 27/28/29 1967. JH.
Clinton Heylin
The Great White Wonders : A History of Rock Bootlegs
95 014023285O Penguin
An accessible history of Rock Bootlegs, starting with the
first (Dylan) and the second (Stones) - taking a level
headed look at the (let's face it) illegal industry from
a range of angles. USA Version - Bootleg: The Secret History
of The Other Recording Industry.
If you are serious about Rock, collect Bootlegs, then this
for you.
Mark Hodginson
Marianne Faithfull : As Tears Go By
91 0711924015
An appreciatively critical, not fawning, well written book
that sets a good standard for others to match. Not having
any 'official' approval is both a weakness, and a strength.
Whatever the flaws, I wish that more Rock Biographies were
to this high standard.
Dezo Hoffman
The Rolling Stones
?? 009158311x
Dezo was a staff photographer with Record Mirror and his
first assignment to cover the Stones is re-printed here
- dated May 1963.
An excellent book of first class photos from 1963 to the
early 70's.
Dieter Hoffman
Rolling Stones - Das Schwarzbuch
87 3926886005
The Black Book - bootleg discography with pictures, quality
ratings etc. About 600 are listed. Much, much better than
Hot Wacks. DH.
Dieter Hoffman
Rolling Stones - Das Weissbuch
91 3980248940
Totally amazing detailed catalogue of Stones (legal)
releases. UK, US, Germany, 7, LP, CD. You name it, it's
there! Includes song index. Expensive (99 DM) but well
worth it for the serious collectors. (See also Das
Schwartzbuch by ther same author)
A E Hotchner
Blown Away : The Rolling Stones and the Death of the Sixties
90 0671693166
Less than readable account that draws upon interviews with
everyone except the Stones. Interview extract pasted
together out of context results in a book with little value.
One nice photo.
William Hughes
Performance
70
Book of the film. Almost.
Marsha Hunt
Real Life
86 0701130261
Marsha describes life growing up in USA and then her move
to London, run ins with Mayall, Mick Taylor, Elton John,
being a cebrity, and then Jagger.
Many dropped names, not huge Stones content, but picture
of Jagger better than most on offer. SP
Laura Jackson
Golden Stone : The Untold Life & Death of Brian Jones
94 185685067X
Hardly untold. Yet another telling of a familiar tale.
The promised revelation of the identity of Jones' (alleged)
killer comes 200 pages into the 228 pages of text.
Only for completeists.
Tony Jasper
The Rolling Stones
76 0706405498
Cuttings job. Nicely printed selection of photo's.
Philip Kamin & Peter Goddard
The Rolling Stones : The Last Tour
82 0825301181
Longish text for little reward. Often pretentious.
Excellent photo's, although the captions are sometimes
incorrect.
James Karnbach & Philip Kamin
The Rolling Stones : The Last Tour
83 0283989807 Sidgwick & Jackson
Written by long time Stones authority James Karnbach,
exciting coverage of shows, many pages of photo's, and
finally an interview with Ronnie.
Plus a breakdown of the performance history of each song
in the '82 set list.
(May have appeared in USA as .... In Europe)
Hilary Kay
Rock'n'Roll Collectables
92 185510069X
Coffee table sized book that draws on Hilary's position as
THE inventor of the famous Sotheby's memorabilia auctions.
Some excellent photo's - including one of the alternative
Pepper drumskin - described as 'in a private collection'
(Paul has it!)
Expensive, but buy if remaindered at about half price!
The Kicker Twins
The Stones Bible
92
Privately published (photocopied) in Germany, this lists
concerts by city and compares bootleg LP/CD to tapes for
completeness. Only 200 copies printed. DH
Volker Kluge
The Rolling Stones - At the Rarest
81
Bootleg discography, mostly obsolete due to the passage
of time, and Das Schwarzbuch. DH
June Knight
On the Scene : The Rolling Stones
64
Only 36 pages, but packed with good quality early photos.
Interestingly Brian follows Mick in the pecking order of
of the group.....
Sebastian Krueger
Rolling Stones Pur
90 3923192453 Kunst Der Comics
(Precis of AM's submission)
Excellent book of coloured Stones cartoons, if (by all
accounts) a tad wierd!
Keith on Kruger : "Very Interesting Work! It must have been
a good pencil"
Sebastian Krueger
STONES
94 3890825052 Edition C, Switzerland
(Precis of AM's submission)
Excellent book of coloured Stones cartoons, if (by all
accounts) a tad wierd.
Keith on Kruger : "Very Interesting Work! It must have been
a good pencil"
Annie Leibovitz & Terry Southern
The Rolling Stones on Tour
78 0906196078
Beautifully produced and presented book of great photo's
of the Tour of The Americas '75.
A talented photographer with privileged access to the tour
has captured some great images. See page 68.
Spencer Leigh & Peter Frame
Let's Go Down The Cavern - The Story of Liverpool's Merseybeat
84 0091585414
An EXCELLENT book written by Someone Who Was There. Full of
detail without being tedious. Always interesting. Lots
of anecdotes and loads of facts.
Very good indeed. Buy it if you see it.
David Littlejohn
The Man Who Killed Mick Jagger
77 0671819135
294 page sleazy novel about a psychopath who stabs Jagger
to death on stage at Oakland Coliseum in 69.
'A great read for Stones Fans'. SW
Philip Luce
The Stones
70 0093051905
An early attempt at a half-serious account
of the rise and rise of the Stones. A historic curio.
Wonderful cover shot of Charlie
Sutherland Lyall
Rock Sets : The Astonishing Art of Rock Concert Design
92 0500276978
This book details the Stage Set designs of Fisher Park - the
architects who designed the 'Steel Wheels' and 'Urban Jungle
stage sets.
Very high quality photo's and reproduction. Excellent.
Michael Lydon
Rock Folk : Portraits from the Rock'n'Roll Pantheon
4400740245
199 page paperback with essays on Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry,
Smokey Robinson, BB King, Grateful Dead, Joplin, and of
course the Rolling Stones.
Stones essay is almost half the book (69 tour) and is a
good companion to the Stanley Booth book. SW
Chrissie Lytton Cobbold
Knebworth : Rock Festivals
85 0711907749
Fascinating behind the scenes account of the Knebworth
Festivals - by the lady of the house!
Good account of Stones' appearance (longest ever set?).
Jessica MacPhail
Yesterday's Papers : The Rolling Stones in Print 1963-84
86 0876502095
No original text, but a book of lists of books, newspaper
articles, magazines, and file reviews. Ambitious but flawed
by the fact that the earliest reference is May 1963 - almost
a year after the first one. Dreadful typeface makes this
book very hard to use.
An honorable attempt at an impossible task. A must for all
serious students.
Gered Mankowitz
Satisfaction : The Rolling Stones photos of Gered Mankowitz
84 0283991178
First class book of photo's taken by one of the inner circle
of favoured photographers from the early years.
Gered Mankowitz
Rolling Stones : Masons Yard to Primrose Hill : 1965-1967
95 0904351483
Yet another stunningly produced limited edition (1,750)
book from Genesis. Excellent selection of excellent
photo's, excellently presented. First class text about
Gered's work with the Stones 65-67.
All copies autographed by Gered.
J Marks
Mick Jagger : The Singer Not the Song
73 0349122881
A less than useful bio of Mick. Everone has a different
perspective on the Band, this is J Marks'.
Linda Martin
The Rolling Stones in Concert
82 0617376954
Text tells you nothing new, but the photos are good - often
with stunning clarity.
Suffers, like many books, from badly captioned photos.
Linda McCartney
Sixties: Portrait of an Era
92 1855100894
Linda got her Big Career Break by taking photo's of the
Stones in New York in 1966. Nice photo's, nicely printed
and presented. Overpriced book.
Mind you, it has some superb photo's, including The Best
Photo Ever of Jimi.
Linda McCartney
Linda's Pictures
76 0345278151
Very nice 1976 collection of Linda's photo's. Worth
grabbing if you see it as some of the shots are not
repeated in the 1992 glossy coffee table production.
Actually quite a nice book!
Linda McCartney
Sixties : Portrait of an Era
92 1855100894
Overpriced, but well produced, coffee table book of Linda's
pictures. From her early break crashing a Stones session
in June 1966 through to some intimate photo's with the
Beatles and her husband.
Includes The Best Ever Photo of Jimi, and a superb photo
of the Fabs about to cross Abbey Road. Accept as a gift,
or buy if remaindered.
Miles
The Rolling Stones : A visual Documentary
94 0711934606
Even if it is a pretty obvious cash-in on the Voodoo Lounge
tour hype, it is an excellent book of well printed and
presented photo's and 'diary' entries.
What I'd expect from Miles.
Buy it.
Miles
Rolling Stones : An Illustrated Discography
80 0860017621
An ESSENTIAL book for all Stones fans. An excellent listing
of the band's records up to 1980 (and thus in need of a new
edition).
Few books on this list are mandatory, this is one!
Philip Norman
The Life and Good Times of the Rolling Stones
89 0712630384
A large format photo book, short on text. Given that Norman
has written first class books about both the Stones and the
Fabs, one has to wonder what the point is.
Only buy of remaindered and very cheap.
Philip Norman
The Stones
84 0552124877
Pete Townshend writes 'It's a good thing that a writer of
Philip Norman's class has finally produced a book on The
Stones'.
Agreed. Even if this is flawed, and I don't know if it
really is, too many of the Stones books are very lightweight
and it is a pleasant change to have one that is actually
serious and thorough.
Andrew Oldham
The Rolling Stones : the Singles Collection
89
The re-issued boxed set of Singles (CD et.al.) has an OK
book of notes. Useful notes, more useful for all of the
words of the songs and the notes about the singles.
Robert Palmer
The Rolling Stones
83 0722166567
A well researched and presented book from the publishers
of Rolling Stone. Light on text, heavy on pictures.
Tony Palmer (ill. Ralph Steadman)
Born Under A Bad Sign
70 718303036
Usual 'hard to read' stuff from Palmer. Book has value
because it is contemporary, and Palmer moved in the circles
he writes about.
Essays about 60's music, musicians and movers...
Jeremy Pascall
The Rolling Stones
77 0702600156
(No information - source Melvyl System)
Guy Peellaert, Nik Cohn
Rock Dreams : Under the Boardwalk
74 0330240080
A book of fantasy drawings of The Great Stars in likely and
unlikely situations. The Stones are (rather strangely)
illustrated.
It is said that Jagger was so impressed that this was the
reason why Peellaert was commissioned to do the cover for
It's Only Rock'n'Roll.
John Platt
London's Rock Routes
85 0947795707
Quite a nice round up of famous rock locations around the
capital. A good chapters on the Stones, and the Beatles.
Greg Quill
The Rolling Stones : 25th Anniversary Tour
89 0921458029
Some neat pictures, but contains factual errors.
Mike Randolph
The Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus
95 1898422029 Tracks
Not to be confused with a book with the identical title
from the same author (!), this is a smaller "Stones-only"
special limited (2,000) edition. Nice photo's.
Collectors only though!
It would be nice to see the video/film!
Mike Randolph
The Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus
91 157116210X Faber & Faber
Lovely book of photo's from a famous, but little documented,
event. Photo's of all the artists - including some
great shots of both the Stones, and of Lennon.
Daft production means that some of the nicer pictures are
across 2 pages, but to see them means breaking the book!
That's the pix... now for the video?
Terry Rawlins
Who Killed Christopher Robin : The Truth Behind the Murder
94 0752209892
Further exposure to the theory that Brian was murdered.
Not an easy book to read.
The theory undermined by some gross errors in the book
(Witterings being near Roehampton etc)
But, buy if remaindered!
The Rolling Stones
Concert Programmes
Any history of any group can only be helped by a study of
their Concert Programmes. As the years have passed these
have progressed from small quick throw-away jobs, to lavish
well produced (and expensive) souvenirs.
Yet another way for the bands to make money.
William Ruhlmann
The Rolling Stones
93 0861247957 Bison
Nicely presented selection of well printed photo's of
the band, along with a fairly light weight accompanying
text.
A FAR better book than I was led to believe to expect -
I guess it to be aimed at the pre-teen market who ask their
(grand)Parents.... "Who are the Rolling Stones".
Ethan Russell
Dear Mr Fantasy
85
Many good photo's of the Stones and other bands,
personalities, etc. Especially good photo's from 1969
when he was the official tour photographer. DH.
Tony Sanchez
Up and Down with the Rolling Stones : The Inside Story
79 0688085156
'Spanish' Tony's account of several years wheeling and
dealing with the Stones (mainly Keith). An interesting read
because even if 99% is grossly inflated it gives a flavour
of what life was like with the band during the late 60's to
early 70's.
Spanish Tony is immortalised on the (censored) Beggars
Banquet cover (below Parachute Woman).
Christopher Sandford
Mick Jagger : Primitive Cool
94 0575057491
(Review Under Construction)
Anthony Scaduto
Mick Jagger
74
Lengthy and detailed look at how Jagger was perceived
in 1974.
Carey Schofield
Jagger
83 0708826156
A disappointingly lightweight bio of Mick.
Davin Seay
Mick Jagger : The Story Behind The Rolling Stones
93 1559721928
(Original reviewer's notes abbreviated by Carter to...)
'There is some stunningly inept writing here, apart from
subject matter. Makes the head spin.'
For completeists only
Marianne Sinclair
Those Who Died Young : Cult Heroes of the 20th Century
0859650294
Inevitably a mention of Brian Jones (& Keith gets mentioned
in the Gram Parson's bit). JH.
Mandy Smith (with A Coulson & I Millar)
It's All Over Now
93 1857820827
Kiss and Tell.
Miss Smith was the much publicised teen-bride of Bill.
The marriage did not last much longer than the Steel Wheels
& Urban Jungle Tours.
This is her version of events.
Mick St Michael
Keith Richards in His Own Words
1994 071193634X Omnibus
Disappointing collection of tertiary quotes from Keith
along with equally disappointing pictures. (JO'Sullivan)
For completists only.
Wilfred Stember
The Rolling Stones : Collectors File 2
84
A stirling attempt by a German fan to list all shows,
albums, recordings etc.
Yet another book to compare with other similar and worry and
wonder about the differences.
Come on Bill, do the decent thing and publish YOUR database!
George Tremlett
Rock Gold : The Music Millionares
90 0044405480
Although in parts a bit like an economics text book, it
is a surprisingly readable account of where (and how) the
MONEY goes.
Could have done with a harder editor - but worthwhile
nevertheless
George Tremlett
The Rolling Stones Story
74 0860071286
Tory Ex-GLC Councillor does a mean job with a cuttings
file.
Andre Verdet and Bill Wyman
Chagall's World
84 0385193246
When a book of an interview with Chagall was to be published
who better than to do the photo's than (then) near neighbour
Bill Wyman.
Nice book.
Sue Weiner & Lisa Howard
The Rolling Stones : A-Z
83 0711905495
Encyclopedia format of a paragraph about people, songs and
the like to do with the band. Helpful in settling disputes.
3000 entries ensures brevity of each entry.
Welch, Chris
The Rolling Stones
1994 1858680697
Part of a mass-market 'CD book' series, the editors
at least chose a competent and knowledgeable author
to pen the Stones' history. Welch, with much industry experience
and a KR interview from '77 under his belt, writes an
engaging and lively (if compact) history with some unorthodox
but at least well-informed views on the Stones' history and output.
Great photos. Sloppy discography/summary for the appendix.
Timothy White
Rock Lives : Profiles & Interviews
90 0805013962
Interviews & profiles of everyone from Robert Johnson
to Prince, taking in Keith on the way.
'There's really only one song in the whole world and
probably Adam and Eve hummed it to each other....'. SP.
Ron Wood (with Bill German)
The Works
88 0006373542
Ronnie's short autobiography. Also has a paragraph or two
about his influences.
Lightweight, but the sketches are nice.
Bill Wyman
Stone Alone : The Story of a Rock'n'Roll Band
90 0670828947
Bill's own account of the band's story up to the 1969 Hyde
Park concert. A surprisingly absorbing read, despite the
great detail. Although Ray Coleman did edit the book, it
was written by The Man himself and was reportedly cut down
from 300,000 words. Deals with interraction with Beatles.
Essential. How long will we have to wait for Volume 2 (in
preparation).
Nico Zentgraf
Complete Works Vol. I 1962-1975
1993
Covering the years 1962 to 1975, Zentgraf meticulously records
all appearances by the Rolling Stones together or alone:
television shows, concerts, recording sessions; nothing escapes
the relentless cataloguing. Published by Stoneware Publishing,
a private publisher in Germany specializing in Stones'
books, copies of this book from an unfortunate press run are
still available directly from them. Not reviewed.
Nico Zentgraf
Complete Works Vol. II 1976-1986
1994
This 'sequel' to "Complete Works Vol. 1", covering
1976-1986, is no longer available. Like Volume I,
published by Stoneware. Not reviewed.
===============================================================
Special note from outgoing editor Stephen Carter (12/95)
===============================================================
This message should reach you as the header to a new version of
the Books FAQ. This version incorporates a number of changes:
* I have gone through the text very carefully, and there are
many fewer silly typo's than there once were.
* The list is in fact generated from a database on my home
personal computer - a getting-rather-old Atari. Previously
I had two databases - one for each of the two rather good
bands. This meant a rather large amount of duplication
(etc), so I have now merged the two, and re-categorised some
entries around a schema of Beatles, Stones, Both and
General. The Beatles FAQ is the total less Stones, and vice
versa.
* Necessarily some text had to be tinkered with to make sense.
* I have edited some text entries - see later.
Those are the changes.
In doing the above, one thing that 'drove me' was the need to
EDIT the text to make it less 'informal' - and in some cases to
remove what may have been read as libel! The increasingly
litigous nature of the Internet has forced me to do this. A
couple of years ago it may have been OK to describe a book as
"Dreadful" - perhaps no longer?
I have been doing the Stones list for 3 years, and the Beatles
one for (?) 5 - this will be my last one. The main reasons for
giving this up are:
* The litigous nature of the Internet (above)
* I was, and am, more than happy to do this job out of the
kindness of my heart. I do this for the next guy/girl - and
she/he does a similar turn for me (or the next person). But
I deeply resent the growing commercialisation of this aspect
of the Interent - so the fact that someone may have taken a
copy of this FAQ (largely, but not uniquely, my own work)
and is selling it on a CD offends me most profoundly. I am
happy to *give* the fruits of my labours to my friends, but
I'm not prepared to permit someone else to sell it for their
profit!
* It is a lot of work in all. It is someone else's turn - so
I freely give this text to the community and only ask that
while it still applies, my input is noted somewhere. (If
future FAQ maintainers can take Atari Superbase files, then
they can have the original database copied - or in due
course I expect I'll have a more industry standard version
which I'll make available.
* I want to use the database for my own purposes - basically
as a catalogue of my own book collection - which extends the
scope of the FAQ a tad too far.
It has been fun, and I **DO** want to hear about any new (or
discovered old) books - but as a user and not a FAQ maintainer.
====================================================
Part Four
The Rolling Stones--The Lazy Man's Discography
Version 3.09
September 1996
This discography
1) lists the Rolling Stones' original long-play and EP releases issued
in either the UK or United States, sorted by release date.
Those DECCA LP releases of the 60s which were unique to the UK,
in either title or configuration, are underlined in Eastward-pointing
arrows: ">>>>>>>>>>>>>>>"
Those London LP releases which were unique to the US, in either
title or configuration, use Westward-pointing arrows: "<<<<<<<<<<<<<"
From "Their Satanic Majesties' Request" on, the British and American
releases of previously unreleased material on LPs were congruent, with
the exception of "Metamorphosis" (1975).
2) discusses the Rolling Stones on Compact Disc (search forward
in this document for the text "CDs, CDs, CDs"). This section
answers the following questions:
Who issues them?
When did they come out?
What are they like?
What do I need minimally for a "complete" Rolling Stones collection on CD?
What about stereo versions of early Stones tracks?
(The detail work on this last question was done by Chris M.
[ChrisM42@aol.com]).
3) lists songs that were officially sanctioned and available at
some point, but never made it to any EP or LP in the UK or US
(search forward in this document for the text "Flipsides and
Oddities").
Concerning comprehensiveness:
We have declined to catalogue out-of-print compilations that began
appearing in Europe in the seventies. While they filled important
gaps in European collections at the time they were released, the fact
is that with only a few exceptions, any track that was on those records
is now available somewhere on Compact Disc, small variations of
individual versions of a title notwithstanding.
(
Exceptions:
* 2 tracks (plus an intro) from the 1965 UK EP "Got LIVE if you want it!"
* 6 tracks released on "Rest of the Best", a 1984 German box set
These tracks appeared on out-of-print European compilations, but
have still to make it to CD.
)
We have also declined, at this point in time, to exhaustively catalogue
those small variations on the same track between different LP releases.
While some variations are indeed significant, and some versions still
have not appeared on a legitimate Compact Disc in any country, we feel the
omissions do not prevent the document from being a useful resource.
With the specific exception above, compilations stay on the list as
long as they either stay in print, or offer something found on no
other EP or LP.
This discography/FAQ-section is maintained by Anthony J. Rzepela
(rzepelaa@netaxs.com).
Helps, hints, corrections, suggestions, and even some more
substantial contributions were graciously provided by:
Jens Backlund (jens.backlund@abo.fi)
Stephen D. Carter (stevedc@central.sussex.ac.uk)
Dave Heller
Michael Honig (honey@mwald5.chemie.uni-mainz.de)
Chris (ChrisM42@aol.com)
Mark C. Walters (mark@pluto.logica.co.uk)
Bibliography:
-------------
Hoffman, Dieter "Das Weissbuch" ISBN: 3980248940
Wyman, Bill (w/ Ray Coleman) "Stone Alone" ISBN: 0670828947
============================================================================
The Rolling Stones (EP) (17-Jan-1964)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> PROD: Impact Sound
Bye Bye Johnny / Money (That's What I Want) // You Better Move On /
Poison Ivy
NB: Rereleased on vinyl in 1982; Track 3 appears on "December's
Children", German compilations "20 Super Hits" & "Heartbreakers",
and the UK compilation "Slow Rollers"; Tracks 1,2, and 4 appear
on "More Hot Rocks"; all tracks are on out-of-print German vinyl
compilations "Around and Around" and "The Rolling Stones Story
(Part 2)"
The Rolling Stones (17-Apr-1964)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> PROD: Oldham/Eric Easton/Arr. Stones
Route 66 / I Just Wanna Make Love To You / Honest I Do / Mona (I Need
You Baby) / Now I've Got a Witness / Little By Little // I'm a King
Bee / Carol / Tell Me / Can I Get A Witness / You Can Make It If You
Try / Walking the Dog
NB: To duplicate this track lineup with US releases, take US lp debut
("England's Newest Hitmakers"), remove "Not Fade Away", and add
"Mona" (found on 3rd US LP/CD, "Now!") and replace "Tell Me" with
the "long" version of it, not found on any US CDs. Long "Tell Me"
was on the 11-LP box set from Mobile Fidelity in 1984, but on no
other US release.
England's Newest Hit Makers (01-May-1964)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< PROD: Oldham/Eric Easton/Arr. Stones
Not Fade Away / Route 66 / I Just Want to Make Love to You / Honest I
Do / Now I've Got a Witness / Little By Little // I'm a King Bee /
Carol / Tell Me / Can I get A Witness / You Can Make it if You Try /
Walking the Dog
NB: Then-manager Eric Easton's co-producer credits have been removed
from CD reissue. To duplicate this release's track listings, take
UK lp debut, remove "Mona", and add "Not Fade Away" and the
"short" US album version of "Tell Me" (both found on the German
"More Hot Rocks" CD).
Five by Five (EP) (14-Aug-1964)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> PROD: Oldham/Impact/Arr. Stones
If You Need Me / Empty Heart / 2120 South Michigan Avenue //
Confessin' the Blues / Around and Around
NB: Vinyl rereleased 1982; all 5 tracks can be found on American
LP/CD "12 X 5"; a longer/complete version of track 3 ("2120 South
Michigan Avenue") appears nowhere except the German compilation
"Around and Around", which was included in toto in the box set
"The Rolling Stones Story" - also vinyl, also out of print.
12 x 5 (24-Oct-1964)
<<<<<< PROD: Andrew Loog Oldham/Arr. Stones
Around and Around / Confessin' the Blues / Empty Heart / Time Is on My
Side / Good Times Bad Times / It's All Over Now // 2120 South Michigan
Avenue / Under The Boardwalk / Congratulations / Grown Up Wrong / If
You Need Me / Susie Q
NB: includes all of the "5 X 5" UK EP, four tracks from the second UK
LP ("No.2"), and 3 tracks taken from singles/compilations: "It's
All Over Now", "Good Times Bad Times", and "Congratulations"
No. 2 (16-Jan-1965)
>>>>> PROD: Andrew Loog Oldham/Arr. Stones
Everybody Needs Somebody To Love / Down Home Girl / You Can't Catch Me
/ Time Is On My Side / What A Shame / Grown Up Wrong // Down The Road
Apiece / Under the Boardwalk / I Can't Be Satisfied / Pain In My Heart
/ Off The Hook / Suzie Q
NB: To duplicate, start with US LP "Now!", and add (from "12 x 5")
"Time Is On My Side", "Susie Q", "Under the Boardwalk", and
"Grown Up Wrong"; and finally (from "More Hot Rocks") use "I
Can't Be Satisfied".
Now! (13-Feb-1965)
<<<< PROD: Andrew Loog Oldham/Arr. Stones
Everybody Needs Somebody To Love / Down Home Girl / You Can't Catch Me
/ Heart of Stone / What a Shame / Mona (I Need you Baby) // Down the
Road Apiece / Off the Hook / Pain in My Heart / Oh Baby (We Got a Good
Thing Goin') / Little Red Rooster / Surprise, Surprise
NB: To duplicate this track lineup using UK releases, take UK LP "No.
2", delete tracks 4,6,8,9,12, and add "Mona" (from first UK LP),
"Heart of Stone" and "Oh Baby" (UK version of "Out of Our Heads")
, "Little Red Rooster" (single, or UK "High Tide and Green
Grass"), and "Surprise, Surprise" (flipside). Track 1 claims to
be 2:57, but is actually 5:00.
Got LIVE if you want it! (EP) (11-Jun-1965)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> PROD: Oldham/Impact/Arr. Stones
We Want the Stones / Everybody Needs Somebody To Love / Pain in My
Heart / Route 66 // I'm Moving On / I'm Alright
NB: Vinyl rereleased 1982; all tracks are on German compilations
"Rest of the Best" and "Collectors Only" (vinyl only, both out of
print); Tracks 4 and 5 can be found on "December's Children";
track 6 on US version of "Out of Our Heads"; tracks 2,3,5, and 6
are on German compilation "Legends of Rock"
Out of Our Heads (30-Jul-1965)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< PROD: Andrew Loog Oldham/Arr. Stones
Mercy Mercy / Hitch Hike / The Last Time / That's How Strong My Love
Is / Good Times / I'm Alright // Satisfaction / Cry To Me / The Under
Assistant West Coast Promotion Man / Play With Fire / The Spider and
the Fly / One More Try
NB: Features "I'm Alright" from the UK EP "Got Live if you want It".
To duplicate using UK releases, use also the UK version of "Out
of Our Heads"; the singles "Satisfaction", "The Last Time", and
"Play With Fire"; "One More Try" (found on the 1971 UK
compilation "Stone Age"); and "Spider and the Fly" (flipside to
the UK "Satisfaction" single)
Out of Our Heads (24-Sep-1965)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> PROD: Andrew Loog Oldham/Arr. Stones
She Said Yeah / Mercy Mercy / Hitch-Hike / That's How Strong My Love
Is / Good Times / Gotta Get Away // Talkin 'Bout You / Cry To Me / Oh
Baby (We Got a Good Thing Goin') / Heart of Stone / The Underassistant
West Coast Promotion Man / I'm Free
NB: To duplicate this UK issue, Americans need "She Said Yeah",
"Gotta Get Away", "Talkin About You", "I'm Free" (all from
"December's Children"), "Heart of Stone" and "Oh Baby" (from
"Now!"), and the US "Out of Our Heads"
December's Children (04-Dec-1965)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< PROD: Andrew Loog Oldham/Arr. Stones
She Said Yeah / Talkin' About You / You Better Move On / Look What
You've Done / The Singer not the Song / Route 66 // Get Off of My
Cloud / I'm Free / As Tears Go By / Gotta Get Away / Blue Turns To
Grey / I'm Moving On
NB: Tracks 6 & 12 are taken from the UK "Got LIVE if You Want It" EP;
To duplicate, Britons can find tracks 1,2,8, and 10 on the UK
version of "Out of Our Heads". Compilations, singles, or buying
the US CD outright are the only way to cull tracks 3,4,5,7,9,11;
German CD based on mono version of old US LP lineup.
Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) (02-Apr-1966)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>> PROD: Andrew Loog Oldham/Arr. Stones
Mother's Little Helper / Stupid Girl / Lady Jane / Under My Thumb /
Doncha Bother Me / Goin' Home // Flight 505 / High and Dry / Out of
Time / It's Not Easy / I Am Waiting / Take it or Leave It / Think /
What To Do
NB: To duplicate this Euro-config, Americans need "Mother's Little
Helper","Take It or Leave It", and "Out of Time" (all found on US
compilation "Flowers"), and "What To Do" (from the double-disc
"More Hot Rocks"); but the correct, long version of "Out of Time"
(5:36) is not on a US CD at all, and on US vinyl only with the
1984 Mobile Fidelity box set.
Aftermath (02-Jul-1966)
<<<<<<<<< PROD: Andrew Loog Oldham/Arr. Stones
Paint It, Black / Stupid Girl / Lady Jane / Under My Thumb / Doncha
Bother Me / Think // Flight 505 / High and Dry / It's Not Easy / I am
Waiting / Going Home
NB: "Paint It, Black" is the only title here not also on the European
configuration.
Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) (04-Nov-1966)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PROD: Andrew Loog Oldham/Arr. Stones
Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow? / Paint It,
Black / It's All Over Now / The Last Time / Heart of Stone / Not Fade
Away / Come On // Satisfaction / Get Off of My Cloud / As Tears Go By
/ 19th Nervous Breakdown / Lady Jane / Time Is On My Side / Little Red
Rooster
NB: Several tracks appear on UK LongPlayer for the first time ever:
US LPs had by this point already included "Little Red Rooster",
"The Last Time", "Not Fade Away", "Satisfaction", "It's All Over
Now", "Paint It, Black" & "Get Off of my Cloud".
Got LIVE if you Want it! (10-Dec-1966)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< PROD: Andrew Loog Oldham
Under My Thumb / Get Off of My Cloud / Lady Jane / Not Fade Away /
I've Been Loving You Too Long / Fortune Teller // The Last Time / 19th
Nervous Breakdown / Time is On My Side / I'm Alright / Have You Seen
you Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow? / Satisfaction
NB: Poorly recorded; several tracks are just studio recordings with
canned audience on top (esp. track 5). ABKCO's "Digital Remaster"
from the mid-80s uses a different version of "Under My Thumb"
from the original London release; UK customers got tracks 1,3,5,
6,9, and 12 in 1971, on the compilation "Gimme Shelter"
Between the Buttons (20-Jan-1967)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> PROD: Andrew Loog Oldham/Arr. Stones
Yesterday's Papers / My Obsession / Back Street Girl / Connection /
She Smiled Sweetly / Cool, Calm and Collected // All Sold Out / Please
Go Home / Who's Been Sleeping Here? / Complicated / Miss Amanda Jones
/ Something Happened to Me Yesterday
NB: Last non-compilation album produced by Andrew Loog Oldham; US
release can be duplicated by starting with this, and adding
singles "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday", and
dropping tracks 8 and 3.
Between the Buttons (11-Feb-1967)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< PROD: Andrew Loog Oldham/Arr. Stones
Let's Spend the Night Together / Yesterday's Papers / Ruby Tuesday /
Connection / She Smiled Sweetly / Cool, Calm, and Collected // All
Sold Out / My Obsession / Who's Been Sleeping Here? / Complicated /
Miss Amanda Jones / Something Happened to Me Yesterday
NB: last album produced by Oldham; to get UK release, drop tracks 1,
3, and add "Please Go Home" and "Back Street Girl" (both found
on"Flowers")
Flowers (15-Jul-1967)
<<<<<<< PROD: Andrew Loog Oldham/Arr. Stones
Ruby Tuesday / Have You Seen your Mother, Baby, Standing in the
Shadow? / Let's Spend the Night Together / Lady Jane / Out Of Time /
My Girl // Backstreet Girl / Please Go Home / Mother's Little Helper /
Take it Or Leave It / Ride On, Baby / Sittin' on a Fence
NB: A US compilation containing 4 single sides, 5 UK-version LP
tracks (2 from "Between the Buttons", and 3 from "Aftermath")
plus 2 tracks which remain unavailable elsewhere on CD ("My Girl"
and "Ride On Baby"). "Sittin' on a Fence" can be found on the UK
version of "Through the Past Darkly", and also on "More Hot
Rocks"
Their Satanic Majesties' Request (09-Dec-1967)
================================ PROD: Rolling Stones
Sing This All Together / Citadel / In Another Land / 2000 Man / Sing
This All Together (see what happens) // She's a Rainbow / The Lantern
/ Gomper / 2000 Light Years from Home / On With the Show
NB: First album not produced by Andrew Loog Oldham; 1st and only
album to be produced by 'Rolling Stones'; 1st album with
identical track listings on either side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Last LP to have an American Mono version. Super-short "promo"
versions of tracks 6 and 9 briefly appeared commercially on a US
7" rerelease with 5N-906 etched in groove.
Beggar's Banquet (07-Dec-1968)
================ PROD: Jimmy Miller
Sympathy For the Devil / No Expectations / Dear Doctor / Parachute
Woman / Jig-Saw Puzzle // Street Fightin' Man / Prodigal Son / Stray
Cat Blues / Factory Girl / Salt of the Earth
NB: First album produced by Jimmy Miller. DECCA banned use of the
original "toilet & graffiti" cover, which was later used on the
ABKCO rerelease in 1986 on lp and CD. NB: an alternate version of
"Street Fighting Man" was only on the earliest pressings of the
US 7-inch.
Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits, Vol. (12-Sep-1969)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PROD: Andrew Loog Oldham/Arr. Stones
Jumping Jack Flash / Mother's Little Helper / 2000 Light Years From
Home / Let's Spend the Night Together / You Better Move On / We Love
You // Street Fightin' Man / She's A Rainbow / Ruby Tuesday /
Dandelion / Sittin' On a Fence / Honky Tonk Women
NB: Compilation; dedicated to Brian Jones, dead two months earlier
Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits, Vol. (13-Sep-1969)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> PROD: (various)
Out of Time / Don't Lie To Me / Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind /
Each and Every Day of the Year / Heart of Stone / I'd Much Rather Be
with the Boys / (Walkin' through the) Sleepy City / We're Wastin' Time
/ Try A Little Harder // I Don't Know Why / If You Let Me / Jiving
Sister Fanny / Downtown Suzie / Family / Memo From Turner / I'm Going
Down
Made In the Shade (06-Jun-1975)
================= PROD: (various)
Brown Sugar / Tumbling Dice / Happy / Dance Little Sister / Wild
Horses // Angie / Bitch / It's Only Rock 'n Roll / Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo
(Heartbreaker) / Rip This Joint
NB: compilation; Briefly available as a CD under Sony and EMI. Virgin
Records still have not put a version out on disc.
Black and Blue (01-Apr-1976)
============== PROD: Glimmer Twins
Hot Stuff / Hand Of Fate / Cherry Oh Baby / Memory Motel // Hey,
Negrita / Melody / Fool To Cry / Crazy Mama
NB: first new album released with Ron Wood as a member. 20-bit
digital remaster CD, issued by Virgin/EMI 6/94, said to have one
or two tracks with longer fades.
Love You Live (23-Sep-1977)
============= PROD: Glimmer Twins
Intro/Honky Tonk Women / If You Can't Rock Me/Get Off My Cloud / Happy
/ Hot Stuff / Star Star // Tumbling Dice / Fingerprint File / You
Gotta Move / You Can't Always Get What You Want // Mannish Boy /
Crackin' Up / Little Red Rooster / Around and Around // It's Only Rock
and Roll / Brown Sugar / Jumping Jack Flash / Sympathy for the Devil
NB: live; recorded in Paris 1976, Toronto 1977, and several
uncredited sites; another 'Warhol' cover art; dedicated to Keith
Harwood, recently deceased; CD version, which was available under
Sony, is not scheduled (so far) from Virgin.
Some Girls (09-Jun-1978)
========== PROD: Glimmer Twins
Miss You / When the Whip Comes Down / Just My Imagination / Some Girls
/ Lies // Far Away Eyes / Respectable / Before They Make Me Run /
Beast of Burden / Shattered
NB: Cover reworked due to objections of pictured celebrities,
including Lucille Ball. One flipside ("Everything's Turning to
Gold") and one remix ("Miss You") were later "compiled". There
are "Promo" mixes for "Before they Make Me Run" and "Shattered"
which are still uncompiled. 1st Stones lp preceded by a 2-year
gap.
Emotional Rescue (23-Jun-1980)
================ PROD: Glimmer Twins/Kimsey (assoc.)
Dance (Pt. I) / Summer Romance / Send it To Me / Let Me Go / Indian
Girl // Where the Boys Go / Down in the Hole / Emotional Rescue /
She's So Cold / All About You
NB: Early copies had a very large, color 'thermo' poster, also found
in the special limited edition Virgin/EMI CD, June 1994. "Promo"
edits of "Emotional Rescue" and "She's So Cold" (latter has no
line saying "God Damn Cold") are still "uncompiled".
Sucking in the Seventies (12-Mar-1981)
======================== PROD: Glimmer Twins
Shattered / Everything Is Turning to Gold / Hot Stuff (version) / Time
Waits For No One (version) / Fool To Cry (version) // Mannish Boy
(version) / When the Whip Comes Down (live) / If I was a Dancer (Dance
Pt. 2) / Crazy Mama (version) / Beast of Burden (version)
NB: Compilation featuring six single edits, a B-side, and 2
previously unreleased goodies (tracks 7 and 8). A separate Promo
12" single has an instrumental version of "If I was a Dancer".
Only "Shattered" is issued here as found on its original LP
incarnation. Available on CD under Sony, Virgin has no plans to
release this compilation.
Tattoo You (27-Aug-1981)
========== PROD: Glimmer Twins
Start Me Up / Hang Fire / Slave / Little T & A / Black Limousine /
Neighbours // Worried About You / Tops / Heaven / No Use in Crying /
Waiting On a Friend
NB: featured songs in the can from as far back as 1973. Last Stones'
studio LP to be preceded by less than a two-year gap. 20-bit
digital remaster CD issued by Virgin/EMI June 1994 has a
significantly different version of track 3 ("Slave"). The German
1983 release on CD (EMI) is the first-ever CD issued by The
Rolling Stones.
Still Life (American Concert 1981) (01-Jun-1982)
================================== PROD: Glimmer Twins
Intro (Take the A-Train) / Under My Thumb / Let's Spend the Night
Together / Shattered / Twenty Flight Rock / Going to a Go-Go // Let Me
Go / Time Is On My Side / Just My Imagination / Start Me Up /
Satisfaction (outro: "Star Spangled Banner")
NB: live album from the US tour in '81; first US CD ever issued (by
mistake in 1984). "Beast of Burden (live)", issued only as a
flipside to "Going to a Go-Go", later appeared on the 1990 CD
"Collectibles". This live record was available on a CD under Sony
and EMI, but is not currently scheduled for release by Virgin.
Undercover (01-Nov-1983)
========== PROD: Glimmer Twins/Chris Kimsey
Undercover of the Night / She Was Hot / Tie You Up (The Pain of Love)
/ Wanna Hold You / Feel On Baby // Too Much Blood / Pretty Beat Up /
Too Tough / All the Way Down / It Must Be Hell
NB: "short" version of "Wanna Hold You" available in US only on
initial vinyl pressings distributed by WEA, and in Germany and
Japan on EMI CDs. As of CBS reissue, the track seems to have
disappeared. One flipside ("Think I'm Going Mad", B-side to "She
Was Hot") is still "uncompiled".
Rewind (lp) (01-Jun-1984)
>>>>>>>>>>> PROD: (various)
Brown Sugar / Undercover of the Night / Start Me Up / Tumbling Dice /
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll / She's So Cold // Miss You / Beast of Burden
/ Fool To Cry / Waiting on A Friend / Angie / Respectable
NB: compilation - UK issue is missing "Hang Fire" from its American
counterpart, but includes "Respectable" and "She's So Cold".
Rewind (lp) (01-Jul-1984)
<<<<<<<<<<< PROD: (various)
Miss You / Brown Sugar / Undercover of the Night / Start Me Up /
Tumbling Dice / Hang Fire // Emotional Rescue / Beast of Burden / Fool
To Cry / Waiting on a Friend / Angie
NB: compilation. Note different track listing from CD, and the
European version of the lp, which had "She's So Cold" and
"Respectable", but left out "Hang Fire".
Dirty Work (21-Mar-1986)
========== PROD: Steve Lillywhite/Glimmer Twins
One Hit (to the Body) / Fight / Harlem Shuffle / Hold Back / Too Rude
// Winning Ugly / Back To Zero / Dirty Work / Had It With You / Sleep
Tonight
NB: Dedicated to recently deceased Ian Stewart; check out "fadeout"
at end of album.
Rewind (CD) (01-Dec-1986)
=========== PROD: (various)
Miss You / Brown Sugar / Undercover of the Night / Start Me Up /
Tumbling Dice / Hang Fire / It's Only Rock'n'Roll / Emotional Rescue /
Beast of Burden / Fool To Cry / Waiting on a Friend / Angie / Doo Doo
Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
NB: compilation (adds "Heartbreaker" and "It's Only Rock and Roll" to
the American LP configuration); A German CBS reissue on vinyl in
1990 (450199-1) uses this CD-based song lineup.
The London Years (01-Aug-1989)
================ PROD: (various)
Come On/ I Want To Be Loved/ I Wanna Be Your Man/ Stoned/ Not Fade
Away/ Little By Little/ It's All Over Now/ Good Times, Bad Times/ Tell
Me/ I Just Want To Make Love To You/ Time Is On My Side/
Congratulations/ Little Red Rooster/ Off The Hook/ Heart Of Stone/
What A Shame/ The Last Time/ Play With Fire/ Satisfaction/ The Under
Assistant West Coast Promotion Man/ The Spider and the Fly/ Get Off Of
My Cloud/ I'm Free/ The Singer Not the Song/ As Tears Go By
(Disc 2)
Gotta Get Away / 19th Nervous Breakdown / Sad Day / Paint It, Black /
Stupid Girl / Long Long While / Mother's Little Helper / Lady Jane /
Have You Seen You Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow? / Who's
Driving Your Plane / Let's Spend the Night Together / Ruby Tuesday /
We Love You / Dandelion / She's A Rainbow / 2000 Light Years From Home
/ In Another Land / The Lantern / Jumpin' Jack Flash / Child of the
Moon
(Disc 3)
Street Fighting Man / No Expectations / Surprise Surprise / Honky Tonk
Women / You Can't Always Get What You Want / Memo From Turner / Brown
Sugar / Wild Horses / I Don't Know Why / Try A Little Harder / Out Of
Time / Jiving Sister Fanny / Sympathy For the Devil
NB: Compilation; features most of the singles and flipsides released
under DECCA/ABKCO. Heavy overlap with the 1972 compilations "Hot
Rocks" (This set has all HR's titles but 3, and the "You Can't
Always Get What You Want" found here is not the same) and "More
Hot Rocks" (17 of MHR's 25 tracks are found here.)
Finally on CD are "Metamorphosis" tracks (the four songs relased
as singles); three early gems ("I Wanna Be Your Man", "I Want to
Be Loved", and "Stoned"); and the single version (no choir) of
'You Can't Always Get What You Want'. The 'Performance'
soundtrack version of "Memo from Turner" was previously not a
'Rolling Stones' title in the States.
Steel Wheels (28-Aug-1989)
============ PROD: Chris Kimsey / Glimmer Twins
Sad Sad Sad / Mixed Emotions / Terrifying / Hold on to Your Hat /
Hearts For Sale / Blinded By Love // Rock and a Hard Place / Can't Be
Seen / Almost Hear You Sigh / Continental Drift / Break the Spell /
Slipping Away
NB: three flipsides from this album: seek out "Cook Cook Blues"
("Rock and a Hard Place"), "Fancyman Blues" ("Mixed Emotions"),
and "Wish I'd Never Met You" ("Terrifying"), or get all three on
the 1990 CD compilation entitled "Collectibles". First LP to be
preceded by a 3-year gap.
Collector's Edition/Collectibles (01-Jun-1990)
================================ PROD: (various)
Rock and a Hard Place (version) / Miss You (12" single) / Cook Cook
Blues / Everything Is Turning to Gold / Winning Ugly (remix) / Beast
of Burden (live) / Fancyman Blues / Harlem Shuffle (London Mix) / Wish
I'd Never Met You / Mixed Emotions (remix)
NB: included with either the "Collection 1971-1990" box set, or the
"Flashpoint" special edition double-pak issued in the States
(where it uses the name "Collectibles")
Flashpoint (CD) (02-Apr-1991)
================ PROD: Chris Kimsey / Glimmer Twins
Continental Drift / Start Me Up / Sad Sad Sad / Miss You / Rock and a
Hard Place / Ruby Tuesday / You Can't Always Get What You Want /
Factory Girl / Can't Be Seen / Little Red Rooster / Paint it Black /
Sympathy For the Devil / Brown Sugar / Jumpin' Jack Flash /
Satisfaction / Highwire / Sex Drive
NB: This CD, not yet on Virgin Records' release roster, is de facto
out of print.
Flashpoint (lp) (02-Apr-1991)
================ PROD: Chris Kimsey / Glimmer Twins
Continental Drift / Start Me Up / Sad Sad Sad / Miss You / Ruby Tueday
/ You Can't Always Get What You Want / Factory Girl / Little Red
Rooster // Paint It Black / Sympathy For the Devil / Brown Sugar /
Jumpin' Jack Flash / Satisfaction / Highwire / Sex Drive
NB: 14 (12 on vinyl) live + 2 new studio tracks; first time a
simultaneous release had different tracks on different media;
seven live songs were released as flipsides to singles from this
album. (see list at bottom).
Jump Back - The Best of the Rolling Ston (22-Nov-1993)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PROD: (various)
Start Me Up / Brown Sugar / Harlem Shuffle / It's Only Rock 'n' Roll /
Mixed Emotions / Angie / Tumbling Dice / Fool To Cry / Rock and a Hard
Place / Miss You / Hot Stuff / Emotional Rescue / Respectable / Beast
of Burden / Waiting On a Friend / Wild horses / Bitch / Undercover of
the Night
NB: Compilation; with 20-bit digital remastering, this is the first
Stones' release on Virgin records (Keith's solo label since 1988)
Voodoo Lounge (CD) (12-Jul-1994)
================== PROD: Don Was/Glimmer Twins
Love Is Strong / You Got Me Rocking / Sparks Will Fly / The Worst /
New Faces / Moon Is Up / Out of Tears / I Go Wild / Brand New Car /
Sweethearts Together / Suck on the Jugular / Blinded by Rainbows /
Baby Break it Down / Thru and Thru / Mean Disposition
NB: Release date puts this a month shy of being first Stones' album
with a 5-year delay. Flipsides include "The Storm", "So Young",
"Jump On Top of Me" and "I'm Gonna Drive". Track 15 ("Mean
Disposition") is not on non-CD media. First new studio album to
have different track listings on different media.
Voodoo Lounge (lp) (12-Jul-1994)
================== PROD: Don Was/Glimmer Twins
Love Is Strong / You Got Me Rocking / Sparks Will Fly // The Worst /
New Faces / Moon Is Up / Out of Tears // I Go Wild / Brand New Car /
Sweethearts Together / Suck on the Jugular // Blinded by Rainbows /
Baby Break it Down / Thru and Thru
NB: Release date fell one month shy of being the first Stones' album
with a 5-year delay. Flipsides: "The Storm", "So Young", "Jump On
Top of Me" and "I'm Gonna Drive" (see bottom). CD version is the
only format with a 15th track, "Mean Disposition". First new
studio album to feature different tracks on diff. media.
Stripped (14-Nov-1995)
======== PROD: Don Was/Glimmer Twins
Street Fightin' Man / Like a Rolling Stone / Not Fade Away / Shine A
Light // The Spider and the Fly / I'm Free / Wild Horses // Let it
Bleed / Dead Flowers / Slipping Away / Angie // Love In Vain / Sweet
Virginia / Little Baby
NB: Special "Multimedia" portion of CD version features QuickTime
video of acoustic and backstage jams. Requires computer hardware
(a select list of CD-ROM models) which can recognize the CD-Plus
disk format. Flipsides not on album include versions of "Black
Limousine" and "All Down the Line", live from 1995 European tour.
No vinyl version in USA.
======================== CDs, CDs, CDs =========================
Who issues them?
At any one time, legitimate CDs from the Rolling Stones (i.e., CDs
the Rolling Stones WANT to release, and not the "Official
Unauthorized" variety of CDs widely issued in Europe over the last
several years, often including live concerts and out takes) are
issued by only two companies:
ABKCO (owned by Allen Klein, who has rights to all Rolling Stones
recordings originally issued up to and including 1970, and
the rights to all Rolling Stones compositions up to and
including 1971's "Sticky Fingers", plus a handful of songs
from 1972's "Exile on Main Street") and its subcontractors
(typically, "London" records, which is the label on which
American versions of Stones recordings were issued in the
1960s).
or
"The Rolling Stones" (which owns all of the band's post-1970
recordings) and its subcontractors. (As of this writing,
this would be Virgin Records, which was coincidentally
sold to Stones' alma mater EMI after the Rolling
Stones signed with Virgin in 1992.)
Since "The Rolling Stones" own almost all of their post-1970 "recordings",
what they can do is license them for release on their current label,
whatever it may be, and take the recordings with them when the
record company contract expires. This would explain the variety of
companies you may see issuing post-1970 CDs by the Rolling Stones in
your local used CD store (although American Stones CDs from this era
were, up until 1993, and with only one WEA exception, issued only by
Sony/CBS, who signed the Rolling Stones worldwide in 1984. One may
also see European or Japanese CDs from this era issued by EMI, the
Rolling Stones' label in much of the world from 1977 to 1984.)
*Whew!*
When did they come out?
The first Rolling Stones CD ever issued was 'Tattoo You', in Europe
by EMI in 1983. In the States, it is "Still Life", mistakenly
released in 1984 by WEA, the Stones' American label at the time.
American CDs did not officially appear until 1986, when Sony/CBS
started issuing them, and ABKCO began unleashing its cache of
1960s recordings in the States as it had been doing since 1984
in Europe.
What are they like?
The release of CDs did not freeze in stone (heh heh) any particular
version of a song, or album, or Stones recording career overview.
Indeed, it exacerbated a long-standing problem where different
issues of a Stones album have literally different tracks on them, as
was the case in the early 60s; or where discernibly different
versions of a single song may be on different issues of an album, a
situation still happening 20 years on, in 1983, with the release of
'Undercover', and its two distinct versions of "Wanna Hold You".
Even when a CD has two different versions (as in the interesting
case of "More Hot Rocks"), it may still mean that a particular
version of a song can only be found on old vinyl.
(some examples include:
* a full-length version of "2120 South Michigan Avenue" found
only on the German compilation LP _Around and Around_,
* the "original" live recording of "Under My Thumb" which did not
make it to the CD remaster of the "Got LIVE if you Want it!" album,
and on and on......)
Other, more esoteric issues also exist: true (i.e., channel-separated)
stereo vs. electronically processed stereo versions of songs; and
multiple (as many as four) distinct versions of a single song existing
officially with obvious changes, such as a missing guitar solo, organ,
percussion track, or verse. Many of the American ABKCO CDs
are considered inferior to their European counterparts (released
on the "London" label) due to a poor selection of masters.
Many of the tracks which people find preferable on
European CDs were remastered by Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs for an
American box set of vinyl reissues in 1984. This deluxe set included
the Stones' London Records (US) album catalogue up to and including
1972's "Hot Rocks (1964-1971)".
In July 1995, the line becomes almost hopelessly blurred,
as ABKCO "streamlined" its' Stones catalog, and officially
released in Europe CDs made from the masters which had
previously fed only the American market, and discontinued
the "original European" pressings which had been available
on London CDs.
Hype about "remastering" (a red-on-black banner across the
front of each title - just like the American covers) should
be taken with a grain of salt. The CDs and LPs made available
by ABKCO for the European market in July of 1995 are only
clones of the inferior CD catalogue which had been available
in the United States for many years.
These sweeping changes seem to have had little impact,
however, on Polydor's operations in Japan. In Japan,
Polydor today continues to issue CDs which do not conform to the
"ABKCO" standard.
What do I need minimally for a "complete" Rolling Stones collection on CD?
As it stands now, there is no way to have a complete Rolling
Stones' collection without having at least some old vinyl records.
As this applies to ABKCO, there are 22 song _titles_ never
issued on CD at all (12 of those courtesy of the unimportant
"Metamorphosis", which can be found on several illegitimate CD
releases), and several previously released and available
_versions_ of other titles yet to see the light of laser.
As it applies to Rolling Stones Records, there are three or
four (depending on your attitude towards flexi-discs) _titles_
still not released on CD. In addition, there are more than a
dozen versions (promo/mono edits and dance remixes) of titles
which are not on CD.
The ABKCO years:
[Ed. note: July 1995 -
Thanks to ABKCO, the distinction between 'US' and 'UK'
CDs is now obsolete. References to 'UK' CDs in the
following paragraphs should be taken to mean the now
out-of-print CDs which were in circulation in Europe
in the 1980s and early 1990s.
As of July 1995, ABKCO replaced the preferable
Euro-market CDs and LPs with recordings pressed from
the 'American masters'. Since, as
of this writing, limited quantities of the preferable
Euro-CDs may still be available on the aftermarket,
we will reserve the luxury of the easy terminology
for the sake of legibility.
Note also: It may still be possible to get the
'preferable' [or 'UK'] versions of select titles,
such as 'Hot Rocks 1', as Japanese imports.
]
When wondering "which version" of an ABKCO CD to buy, consider
recommendations on sound quality from friends, and remember,
if you are trying to get a "complete" (i.e. as complete as it
can be on CD) collection of CD _versions_, no collection which
does not mix CDs of "UK" and "US" versions will do it for you,
as no "American CD" has, for example, the five-minute-plus
version of "Out of Time" (from "Aftermath"), the full-length
"Tell Me" (from the first album) or true stereo versions of several
early tracks, even ones that were available in true stereo
on American vinyl previously (such as "Paint It, Black").
Buying "all American" on ABKCO CDs will give you a complete
collection of CD-available _titles_, but you have to buy
them _all_ (including the 3-disc "London Years" box), and
you only get to economize by leaving out "Hot Rocks (1964-1971)"
and the two single-disc "Big Hits" compilations.
After all this CD collecting, you still will not have
the following titles:
* the six vinyl-only tracks which were released in Germany
("I've been Loving You Too Long (studio)", "Con le Mie Lacrime",
"Tell Me Baby, How Many More Times", "Memphis Tennessee",
"Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Cocksucker Blues")
* the first three tracks from the 1965 EP "Got Live if
You Want it!" (although one of these tracks is just a restless
crowd chanting "We Want the Stones!", called, appropriately
enough, "We want the Stones!")
* the 12 tracks from the UK version of the 1975 compilation
_Metamorphosis_ which never made it to the _London Years_
box. So far, the only non-bootleg CD source of ANY tracks
from _Metamorphosis_ is the _London Years_ box, and that
box only provides four of the 16 tracks which were originally
released on Metamorphosis. (The US 'Metamorphosis' had
fewer tracks.)
A CD collector trying to get a complete set of CD-available _titles_
_must_ include some discs whose track listings are based on American
LP track listings, as several US LPs (esp. "December's Children")
have tracks which never appeared in a DECCA/UK-format LP except on
long-out-of-print and definitely-not-on-CD compilations (like
1971's "Stone Age").
The post-ABKCO years:
Certain later (post-1970) albums were notoriously mistreated in their
switch to digital, and with the advent of 20-bit mastering
technology, Virgin Records reissued 20-bit remasters of the
Rolling Stones' studio output from "Sticky Fingers" (1971) to
"Steel Wheels" (1989), with eight of these titles available in
limited edition commemmorative packaging, in June 1994.
Some people report (trivially) longer fades on some of the tracks
on these Virgin remasters, raising the spectre of "different versions"
all over again, and forcing one to track down CBS-issue CDs in
order to have a complete set of CD _versions_.
At this point, the future on CD of the three compilation and three
live albums originally issued by "Rolling Stones Records" between
1975 and 1991 (all of which were issued on CD after 1984 by CBS) is
up in the air. The three live albums and the single compilation
"Sucking in the Seventies" have material which can't be culled
from other currently available CD sources.
About two dozen post-ABKCO tracks have never been issued on CD,
although only four of them ("Let it Rock", "Exile on Main Street
Blues", "Through the Lonely Nights", and "Think I'm Going Mad")
are actually separate performances. For the most part, post-ABKCO
tracks still not on CD are 12" "dance" remixes, or mono/promo edits,
and are of varying value.
What about stereo versions of early Stones tracks?
(Thanks to Chris M. [ChrisM42@aol.com])
"Aftermath", released in the US in June 1966, was the first Stones' LP
recorded entirely in stereo. A good deal of the material issued
before that is available, scattered, in _true_ Stereo (and not the
'Electronically Reprocessed' Stereo of the early US LPs issued
on London records.)
Japanese CDs currently provide the bulk of this luxury item.
The Japanese "Rolling Stones No. 2" has true stereo on "Time Is
On My Side", "What A Shame" (Charlie hammers the right channel!),
"Down The Road Apiece" and "I Can't Be Satisfied", with the remaining
tracks in mono. The Japanese issue of "The Rolling Stones, Now!"
has a stereo "Heart of Stone", but, faithful to the track listing
of its' original LP counterpart, includes neither "Time is on my
Side" nor "I Can't Be Satisfied". It does, however, include the true
stereo "What a Shame" and "Down the Road Apiece".
On the 1965 title "December's Children", one finds true stereo
for "Look What You've Done" and "Get Off My Cloud". The UK track
listing of the 1966 greatest-hits compilation "High Tide and Green
Grass" was used for a Japanese CD reissue which has true stereo on
"It's All Over Now", "Heart of Stone", and "Time is on my Side".
This same "High Tide" CD inexplicably uses the 'electronically
reprocessed stereo' version of "Get Off My Cloud", even though
a true stereo is issued on other disc titles.
The Japanese CDs of the 1972 titles "Hot Rocks" and "More
Hot Rocks" are probably the easiest to locate for American
consumers, and they provide most of the tracks mentioned above.
(Note the 3 exceptions: "Look what You've Done", "What A Shame",
and "Down the Road Apiece". These 3 tracks are found on neither
"HR" nor "MHR").
Also note:
* "Hot Rocks" and "More Hot Rocks" are four individually issued CDs
* "Hot Rocks 2" is NOT the same as "More Hot Rocks"
* the Japanese track listing used on "More Hot Rocks 1" and
"More Hot Rocks 2" is not what one would expect
after looking at the American CD issue of "MHR". The American
CD issue just followed the London LP's idea of what songs
belong on "disc 1" and "disc 2", and in what order.
All of "Hot Rocks 2" is in stereo (no big whoop, although
some find that a true stereo "Honky Tonk Woman" is a coveted
item), and "HR1"'s pre-"Aftermath" stereo stuff includes
"Time Is On My Side", "Heart Of Stone", "Play With
Fire", "Satisfaction", "Get Off My Cloud", and
"Mother's Little Helper".
"More Hot Rocks 1" has true stereo for "It's All Over Now"
and the shorter, "American" version of the track
"Out of Time" (3:50). "More Hot Rocks 2" rounds out our list
of pre-6/66 stereo with "What To Do", "Have You Seen Your
Mother Baby, Standing In The Shadow?", and "I Can't Be Satisfied".
Neither "The Last Time" nor "19th Nervous Breakdown" has been
_officially_ released in Stereo, but both are available on
'unauthorized' (some would say "bootleg") CDs, including
one title called, helpfully, "In Stereo" (Chapter One, 25203).
========================Flipsides and oddities=========================
The following selections appeared on the 1980 German Compilation
LP called "For Collector's Only" [sic], and the 1984 4 LP German boxed
set "The Rest of the Best", but nowhere on the albums listed above for
the USA or UK. Since the deletion of these two compilations,
these tracks remain unavailable officially. Items marked "F" are
available on "For Collector's Only", and "B", the German box.
(Note that the first and sixth tracks are glorified bootlegs,
the third and fourth are not _really_ the Rolling Stones,
and that "For Collectors Only" would get you what remains.)
B "Tell Me Baby, How Many Times" recorded Chicago, June 1964
BF "I've Been Loving You too Long" recorded Los Angeles, May 1965
B "Da Doo Ron Ron" Andrew Loog Oldham Orchestra, 1964
B "Memphis Tennessee" "" ""
BF "Con le Mie Lacrime" Italian "As Tears Go By", Spring '66
B "Cocksucker Blues" Olympic Studios, 1970
(limited edition 7" bonus single
found only w/ Sept. '84 issue.)
The following titles/versions have been officially released by the
Rolling Stones for public consumption (i.e., not exclusively
found on promo items, intentionally or not) at some point, but have
yet to appear on any LP or compilation released in the States or the UK.
1968 "Street Fightin' Man"
Notorious 1st issue of the US single had not only
a banned picture sleeve, but an alternate version
which disappeared as well. One of the priciest
of all Stones rarities.
1971 "Let It Rock" - third track on UK "Brown Sugar" single
- replaced "Sister Morphine" on the Spanish version
of the LP "Sticky Fingers"
1971 "Sway"
This 3:25 version was the B-side to original
"Wild Horses" 7" single in the States.
1972 "Exile on Main Street Blues"
promotional flexi-disc, included w/purchase of
UK magazine, so since one COULD just go out
and buy it at one point, it's listed here.
1972 "All Down the Line"
different version from LP. This pressing of the
"Happy"/"ADTL" single was eventually discontinued.
1974 "Through the Lonely Nights"
flipside to "It's Only Rock'n'Roll" 7" 45
1978+ "She's a Rainbow"/"2000 Light Years From Home"
The 1967 US 7" promo held edited versions which
eventually reappeared, after 1978, on a London
Records USA single with a "Sunset" style label.
Etched into closing groove of the "Sunset"
issue is the matrix number 5N-906.
1984 "Think I'm Going Mad"
flipside to "She Was Hot" 7" 45
1990 The "Flashpoint" sides. A number of live performances
recorded on the 1989-1990 tours were used as flipsides
to singles pulled off "Flashpoint". These include:
"2000 Light Years from Home" (Highwire US7", UK CD single "A")
"Undercover of the Night" (Sexdrive US7",
Ruby Tueday UK CD single "A")
"Play With Fire" (Ruby Tuesday 7", UK CD single "A")
"I Just Wanna Make Love To You" (Highwire UK12", UK CD single "A")
"Tumbling Dice" (Jumpin' JF 7", Benelux CD single)
"Street Fightin' Man" (Benelux CD single [same as above] )
"Harlem Shuffle" (Ruby Tuesday UK CD single "B")
This list does not pretend to exhaust your methods of getting
the tracks, it just offers suggestions for finding them.
1993 "Gimme Shelter (live)" - (cassette only, UK only) -
issued as part of a benefit project for the homeless in
1993, in which various artists cover the song, the Stones'
contribution was a live, "Urban Wheels" version. This
version does appear on a CD, but it is the Promo.
1994 "The Storm" (Flipside of "Love Is Strong" - found on US
cassette, CD single, and 7" vinyl of "LIS". Also on
the 4-track European CD VSCDT1503, and a Limited
Edition, numbered, 7" UK single.)
1994 "So Young" (Found on European "Love Is Strong" CD listed
immediately above, and the US CD single for "Out
of Tears".)
1994 "Jump On Top of Me" (Found on European CD [VSCDG 1518],
cassette [VST 1518] and Ltd. edition 7" UK single of "You
Got me Rocking", but NOT on the UK 12" vinyl single, which
has 3 remixes of YGMR only. In the States, it's found on CD
single V25H-38468, cassette single, and 12" single. Also,
this is on the full-length soundtrack CD to Robert Altman's
1994 film "Pret-a-Porter". It is also on the "Voodoo
Lounge CD-ROM", an interactive computer disc released in
November 1995, as one of four choices for accompaniment
to the "Screen Raver".)
1994 "I'm Gonna Drive" (flipside of "Out of Tears", found on US
Cassette single 4km-38459, the US CD single V25H-38459,
the US 7" NR-38459, and in the UK on the 7" single and
CD single.)
1995 "I Go Wild (live)" (found on US/European CD-5 of "I Go Wild";
performance is taken from the Nov. 25, 1994 show in Miami,
Florida at Joe Robbie Stadium.)
1995 "Black Limousine (live)" (Track 2 on European CD-5 of "Like a
Rolling Stone" [VSCDT 1562], released October 1995; also on
the American "LARS" single V25F-38523; and the Japanese CD
of the full-length album release, "Stripped";
Performance is from Brixton Academy in London, July 1995.)
1995 "All Down the Line (Live)" (Track 3 on European CD-5 of "Like a
Rolling Stone" [VSCDT 1562], October 1995, and in November
of that year on the US CD single V25F-38523)
1996 "Live With Me (live)"
"Tumbling Dice (live)"
"Gimme Shelter (live)"
(Tracks 2, 3, and 4 on the first European CD single
[VSCDT 1578] issued for "Wild Horses" (track 1),
which was taken from "Stripped". "TD" is actually an edit
of two versions: a rehearsal and a public performance.)
1980-1994 The "remixes". While the Collectibles CD includes
one remix each of several popular songs, some persist that
have never been released on any collection:
"Undercover (Extended)" (Undercover 12")
"Feel On Baby (Instrumental)" ("" " ")
"Too Much Blood" (several exist) (Too Much Blood 12")
"Harlem Shuffle (New York mix)" (Harlem Shuffle 12")
"One Hit (London Mix)" (One Hit 12")
"Rock and a Hard Place" (R & a HP US 12")
(Oh oh hard dub mix, Bonus Beats Mix, Dance Mix,
Michael Brauer Mix)
"Terrifying (remix)" (Terrifying 12")
"Sexdrive" (Club Mix,Dirty Hands Mix)
(Sexdrive Euro- CD5)
"Love Is Strong" (Bob Clearmountain Mix)
(4th track on European
CD single VSCDT1503)
"Love Is Strong" (Joe the Butcher club mix, plus
5 Teddy Riley mixes - radio, extended,
extended rock, dub, & instrumental)
(UK CD VSCDX1503)
(US 12" has all these except the radio mix,
US CD has the extended remix and the instrumental.
US 7" has the extended remix.)
"You Got Me Rocking" (Perfecto Mix, Sexy Disco Dub Mix, and Trance
Mix, last of which is on the UK and US 12" vinyl
singles and US CD-5; first two are on the UK and
Australian 4-track CD-5.)
"Out Of Tears" (Don Was Edit, and the Bob Clearmountain Remix Edit;
both found on US Cassette single 4km-38459
and US 7" NR-38459.)
"Sparks Will Fly" (Radio Clean; found on VSCDT 1524, 7243 8 92711 26)
Added to the European CD-5 of "Out of Tears", the
big change, in the words of Michael Honig
(honey@mwald5.chemie.uni-mainz.de):
It sounded as if someone has added some ... ahem, "lubricant"
exactly on the little holes of the cd that encode the words
of the line in question: It goes something like
"... I wanna 'uck you sweet a"
"I Go Wild" (Scott Litt remix, and Luis Vesto Straight Vocal mix)
Both are on the US CD-5 for "I Go Wild",
rel. April 1995 (V25H-38478); and a European
CD-5 released the month after that. Scott Litt
remix available on a Ltd. Ed. UK 7" picture
disc.
"Like a Rolling Stone (Edit)"
A 4:18 version of the Bob Dylan cover tune done on the
November 1995 album "Stripped". Found on the European
CD-5 for "LARS" [VSCDT 1562], released October 1995.
1971-1990 The "promos". Released to radio stations and DJ pools,
promotional singles will often include a version of a record that
is more amenable to commercial airplay or dance club use, by virtue
of cleaned-up language, a different running time, or a hotter mix
more friendly to the intended arena (radio play or dance clubs).
Many promos exist for the Rolling Stones where one side is "Mono"
and the other is "Stereo", but here we catalogue records that
were more substantially altered or edited, AND did not see a
public commercial release:
"She's a Rainbow"/"2000 Light Years from Home" (Promo 7")
(eventually released commercially by mistake - see above.)
"Wild Horses" (shorter version) (Promo 7")
"It's Only Rock 'n' Roll" (shorter) (Promo 7")
"Before They make Me Run" (Promo 7")
"Shattered" (clocks in under 3 minutes!!) (Promo 7")
"Emotional Rescue" (Promo 7")
"She's So Cold" ('clean' - no 'God damn cold') (Promo 7")
"If I was a Dancer (Instrumental)" (Promo 12")
"Waiting On a Friend" (more than a minute off) (Promo 7")
"Undercover" (Promo 7")
"Sexdrive" (edited Club version) (US Promo 12")
"Wild Horses (Edit)" (4:07) (European Promo CD
VSCDJ 1578)
###
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