Disc #1 vs Disc #2

Disc1 is great, disc2 is a little weak.

Mixed and schizo bag

What a disorganized collection. At first you can follow the Stones' progression in time, then you get a dash of cold water in the form of mostly half-baked covers. I guess no two people will agree on their favorites here, but here goes my opinion anyway.



"Tell Me" ranks as rank: sloppy, unoriginal and close to unlistenable. "Not Fade Away" doesn't add anything to the Buddy Holly version. Suddenly, we get the Jagger-Richards original "The Last Time," which may have been the first song they wrote together (others claim that was "As Tears Go By"). This is remarkable as an early effort, and as a contrast to the first two songs here. The energy jumps upwards again in "It's All Over Now." How about that marathon solo? You can feel the band having a whale of a session.



Then we get two more sluggish, disposable tunes in "Good Times" and "I'm Free" before entering the red-hot zone of eight varied and beautiful tracks -- minus "We Love You," which is worth a couple novelty listens, but can't compare with its company here. Why was this the single, and "Dandelion" the flipside? "Dandelion" is one of my all-time favorite Stones tunes, just in terms of sound, and because it's fun to play on guitar. Of course it's not typical Stones, and they haven't produced anything like it since '67, but I think it's unjustly overlooked.



"Lady Jane," "Out of Time" and "What to Do" (stuck on Disc Two here, who knows why?) can all be found on the album "Aftermath," which is worth having on its own. I do appreciate "Sittin' on a Fence" here, saving the trouble of locating the pastiche "Flowers" album for a romping acoustic ballad. It's another blast to play yourself. "Have You Seen Your Mother" is as gloriously wasted as rock gets, though I wonder what Keith meant when he said the wrong mix was released. What are we missing?



The streak of greatness sputters a little with "Child of the Moon." Since it's hard to find elsewhere, maybe it would be best on a "Metamorphosis"-type collection of oddities. We get another couple of album tracks, then a descent into early, primitive blues stylings, which you either love, hate, or confront with indifference. "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" is a bonus track for the CD, and it's interminable. But then you get gems like "Bye Bye Johnny" and "I Can't Be Satisfied," so the feeling emerges again of total anarchy in quality. Sadly, the final track is a letdown: "Long Long While." If the Stones had always sounded this dreary, they'd never have made it out of seedy clubs.



As with Hot Rocks 1, I think the music would have fit onto one CD alone -- maybe by eliminating the more regrettable tracks here. Because of the sheer brilliance of the best songs here, I think it's worth between 2 and 3 stars. Three, just because some listeners will find the rarer songs attractive.

More Of A "Best - Off" Than A Greatest Hits Set

This sequel to "Hot Rocks" ranks as one of the better Stones hits compilations. However, while the first one contained big hits, this 2 - disc set contains many lesser heard songs. Of the 28 song here, only two made the top 10 ("The Last Time" and "Have You Seen Your Mother Baby, Standing In The Shadow" both peaked at number 9). But does that make this cd any less enjoyable? No. In fact, it actually makes it better since there are so many hardcore fans (such as myself) wanting a cd filled with rarities.

Disc 1 starts off around the same period as the first disc on the first volume of "Hot Rocks". Songs like "Tell Me", "Dandelion", "It's All Over Now" and "Lady Jane" rank among the best Stones recordings of all time, certainly as good as "Satisfaction" or "Brown Sugar". Others like "Good Times, Bad Times" and "Out Of Time" (the "Metamorphisis" version is better) are dated, but the Dylan - esque "Sittin' On A Fence" is one their bst studio efforts. On the downside, the remastering on "We Love You" is a bit muddy. Still, great cd.

Disc 2's first 5 songs continue where the disc 1 left off. "She's A Rainbow" is bright abd bouncy, and contains the rare intro taking place at a fish market. Then comes the eerie masterpiece "2000 Light Years From Home", one of Brian Jones' finest works. "Child Of The Moon" a great rocker and a rare b -side (it was used to back "Jumpin' Jack Flash"). "No Expectations" is another one of Brian Jones' finest momenst and significant for his use of the bottleneck guitar. After the jaunty title track from 1969's "Let It Bleed", we immediately go back in time to 1962. "What To Do" is a nice romp. It's nice to hear "Fortune Teller" without the live overdubs on "Got Live If You Want It", while "Posion Ivy" is a delightful cover of the Coasters hit. "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" is nice but othing to rave about. "Come On" a cover of a Chuck Berry song and their first single ever (released in Britain only) is one of the best songs in their catalogue. "Money", "Bye Bye Johnnie", the second version of "Poison Ivy" (much more harder than the first one) and "I've Been Loving You Too Long" (minus live overdubs) are great covers. Bringing thsi et to a close is a marvelou cover of Muddy Waters' "I Can't Be Satisfied" (complete with excellent slide guitar, courttesy of Brian Jones), and "Long Long While", a great soul ballad in vein of Otis Redding.

This is a great cd for hardcore fans. New fans should wait awhile until they're more accquaintd to the Stones' material, but definitely should get it. Five stars across the board.