A Box of Stones that Rocks!!!

What a great idea! While their most noteworthy contemporaries, the Beatles, were one of the first bands to explore the possibilities of creating great albums, by and large the Stones remained a band that created listenable, danceable, rockable hit singles. (There were some exceptional albums, however, such as Aftermath and Beggars Banquet.) So, their original record company has a great idea: Why not gather together ALL the Stones singles (the ones released on the London label from the years 1963-1976) with their flip sides (both US and UK) and release them in one great big beautiful box! Brilliant, huh??? Actually, it is an excellent concept and, for the most part, well executed. It is true that many of the Stones great singles are here: "Satisfaction," "Get Off of My Cloud," "Brown Sugar," "Let's Spend the Night Together," etc. It is also true that many of their lesser known singles and fabulous flips (B-sides) are here as well. Many other bands would feel very lucky to have just one song as good as "The Spider and the Fly," "The Under-assistant West Cost Promotion Man," "Play With Fire," "Little Red Rooster," and "Ruby Tuesday". So, that means it's a perfect compilation, right? Well, not quite. For one thing, both hits and flips include a lot of clunkers, such as "Sad Day", "Memo from Turner," "The Singer Not the Song" and "Surprise, Surprise." Also included are some of the mid-sixties demos later gathered on the album Metamorphosis, such as "I Don't Know Why" and "Jiving Sister Fanny." They are interesting ideas, but obviously unfinished. Finally, since this is a singles collection, that means we get the cut version of "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Most listeners will no doubt want the full version that contains the choral section at the beginning, found on the Let It Bleed album. Still, over 3/4 of the cuts are worthwhile, and many are classics not easy to find in one place. So, grab your boxers, put on this box, and rock this town!!!

Stoned To My seat listening to this

A comprehensive collection of single releases from 1963-71 which is far more than it proclaims in it's title. This is the most complete collection of Rolling Stones singles and b-sides available on CD format. From their first in June of 1963 (Come On b/w I Want to Be Loved), you will find almost every aspect of the Stones singles material represented, including British flip-sides and Decca/London singles released after 1971. This 3CD (4LP) set overlaps thirty-five (35) songs from the Hot Rocks collections (4CDs), but offers an additional twenty-three (23) selections. Remaining true to the singles, songs such as Sympathy For the Devil, You Can't Always Get What You Want, and Dandelion are heard as they were in their original edited (or extended) "single" form for this album. note-though it would have been a great highlight, this collection does not contain Street Fighting Man as it is heard in it's initial 7" form, that version remains otherwise unavailable on any official CD or LP. When the song Wild Horses was released as a single, it's b-side Sway was found in alternate form as well; that recording was not owned by Decca/London, and thus was not included in this collection.

The best!

This three-disc set is by far the best overview of the Rolling Stones' first twelve years as recording artists.
Spanning 1963-1975, "The London Years" chronicles every single the band ever released during those years, including B-sides.

"Hot Rocks 1964-71" is an excellent compilation for those who just want a brief overview, but if you want to dig a little deeper, this is the way to go. "The London Years" only includes the singles (well, almost), and the Stones made many excellent albums for sure. Even their earliest R&B records were impeccably paced. But their singles always had a special punch, and here you get all of them.

The album opens with a Chuck Berry cover, "Come On", before moving through various blues and R&B covers ("I Want To Be Loved", "The Little Red Rooster", "Time Is On My Side"), and literally dozens of Jagger/Richards-originals, including "Satisfaction", "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "Street Fighting Man", "Honky Tonk Women", "Brown Sugar", "Wild Horses" and many, many more.

Scoop up this magnificent collection of music, and "Jump Back: The Best of the Rolling Stones 1971-1993", and you'll have a much better overview of the Stones' career than those who just opt for "Forty Licks".