England's Newest Hit Makers

by

The Rolling Stones

Edit

With the release of the remastered super audio CDs (SACD) of the Stones ABCKO catalog (which includes all the early Decca/London material), there is now some confusion as they have released some of the early albums in both US and UK versions.

This is the later May 29, 1964 - U.S. London Records vinyl version of The Rolling Stones, often listed as England's Newest Hitmakers. The UK version has not been released on CD. Here is how you know the difference:

April 17, 1964 - U.K. Decca Records vinyl version

.....includes Mona (I Need You Baby), does not include Not Fade Away

.....Tell Me version 1 (long 4:08 version without fade out but with guitar break)

May 29, 1964 - U.S. London Records vinyl version

.....includes Not Fade Away , does not include Mona (I Need You Baby)

.....Tell Me version 1 (short 2:59 version with fade out but without guitar break)

You will find Mona (I Need You Baby) on the CD release of The Rolling Stones, Now!

The album was originally released in the UK without any title....the Band wanted people to ask for "the Rolling Stones album", but the U.S. record company execs added "England's Newest Hitmakers" to the cover. Some of the Amazon reviews of this album sound like the reviewer is hearing the Stones for the 1st time. Come On!.... this one features no less than *5* signature songs! The best version of Carol done until the Stones themselves topped it with the live versions in the 80s, the classic Route 66 (which they still do), Mick's 1st signature song in Buddy Holly's Not Fade Away, Willie Dixon's I Just Want To Make Love To You (years before Mick would make headlines mouthing the much less controversial Let's Spend The Night Together on the Ed Sullivan Show), and the 1st Jagger/Richards composition Tell Me (which is still hard to get out of your head). And this doesn't even get into the 2 Motown groove pieces Can I Get A Witness and Walking the Dog. Now, try to think of another band that came anywhere near this on their 1st release....not many....perhaps the Beatles, but jeesh, at least the Stones didn't do any Broadway hits!

This is the remastered super audio CDs (SACD) of the Stones ABCKO catalog (which includes all the early Decca/London material. ABCKO acquired the Stones' catalog after Allen Klein became their manager in 1965. The resulting legal battles produced releases that the Stones opposed (they took out full page adds asking fans not to buy them), including the controversial Metamorphosis releases (which are now available on CD for the 1st time ever). But the sad fact is that the Stones lost control of their great early material. With these remastered SACD releases, we at last have some idea of what they really sounded like in the studio. I guess if we had these 40 years ago they would have ended up Greatest Rock And Roll Band in the Universe instead of just our tiny little World.

The tracks were recorded in 1964 as follows:

Jan 3, 1964 at Regent Sound, London

.....Carol

.....Route 66

.....Walking the Dog

.....You Can Make It If You Try

Jan 10, 1964 at Regent Sound, London

.....I Just Want To Make Love To You

.....I'm A King Bee

.....Honest I Do

Jan 28, Feb 3-4, 1964 at Regent Sound, London

These were the famous sessions with Phil Spector, Gene Pitney, & Graham Nash that also produced the profane "Andrew's Blues" and the drunken "Spector & Pitney Came Too" that were never released.

.....Little By Little

.....Can I Get A Witness

.....Now I've Got A Witness

.....Tell Me

.....Not Fade Away

This information comes from "It's Only Rock And Roll: The Ultimate Guide To The Rolling Stones" by Karnbach and Bernson and from my own

collection.

The American debut of The Rolling Stones was part of the British Invasion, the wave of UK bands who hit the U.S. in the wake of the Beatles early-1964 breakthrough. Only a handful of bands would mature and survive, and the best of them were The Rolling Stones.

Still, there was no guarantee from listening to this fine album that the Stones would be around. Eric Burdon of the Animals was a better vocalist than Mick Jagger, the Yardbirds' Eric Clapton then later Jeff Beck and Jimmy Paige had the better guitar attack, and few British bands (beyond The Beatles) wrote their own songs. That means the London blues bands largely recorded blues songs to fill their albums, and how long could they keep that up?

What the Stones did have were attitude. Jagger's lewd, sneering vocals and Keith Richards' Chuck Berry-influenced guitar were the bedrock of this band from day one. A third key ingredient was Brian Jones' slide guitar, perhaps the best slide playing east of the Mississippi Delta.

The album opens with a stunning remake of Buddy Holly's Not Fade Away. The Bo Diddley beat makes this song move. It is fantastic. The remaining covers are performed fast and furious: Route 66, I Just Want To Make Love To You, Carol (great guitar), and the hilarious Walking The Dog. The Stones' versions are light years from the earthy, dark originals by Muddy Waters et al, but have an energy that remains infectious 40 years on. I'm A King Bee features the nastiest slide guitar from 1964.

Of the originals, only Tell Me is worth mentioning. This slow ballad echoes early-60s soul more than Chicago blues, and features some fine vocal work.

The remaining songs, however, fail to measure up. Can I Get A Witness is the poorest offering on this album, and left me scrambling for the far superior Marvin Gaye original. Little By Little and You Can Make It If You Try are unconvincing British imitations of American vocals.

Overall, this is a solid set of black American blues & soul performed by a white British band. I would have awarded NEWEST four stars, but there are only 12 and no bonus tracks. At least Apple/Parlophone issued the Beatles catalogue at their original 14 songs. ABKCO - in all their wisdom and greed - have stuck us with these second-rate American incarnations at full price. No wonder CD burning is rampant.