Rolling Stones - Singles 1963-1965, 1965-1967 & 1968-1971 (2004-2005) [3 Box-Set, ABKCO]

There's a certain part of the collectors market that has a fondness for box sets that recreate the original singles and EPs British Invasion bands released during the '60s. These, to put it mildly, are not designed for practical listening – very few listeners like to load up their multi-disc player with CDs running two tracks – but that's kind of the point of these boxes: they're archival releases, targeted at collectors who relish recreations of these singles and EPs, as exercises in both history and nostalgia. In other words, these are replicas of artifacts, not the genuine thing, but since these singles and EPs are hard to come by (and often too expensive for fans on a budget), this is the next best thing to the actual item. So, to complain that it's easier to listen to the music on these box sets in other compilations – of course it's easier to listen to 33 songs on one disc instead of over the course of 12 CDs, but these box sets are as much about the visual impact as the musical impact. Collectors know this, and are happy with it, but the general public usually is unaware of these releases – frankly, they wouldn't be all that interested in them – so, when the Rolling Stones were finally given the singles and EP box set treatment in 2004, it was a bit of a surprise that was released with great fanfare, just as the SACD hybrid reissue series was in 2002. Consequently, some general audiences might wonder what the purpose of this 12-disc, 33-track set is, especially since almost all of the tracks are on the triple-disc set The Singles Collection: The London Years, which is far easier to digest. And for most audiences, who simply want to hear this music, that indeed is a more logical place to turn, but as an archival release The Singles 1963-1965 – the first installment of a three-box set series containing all of their American and British singles and EPs until 1971 – is both excellent and instructive. As a production, this is splendid. Each disc is given its own separate sleeve that recreates the original artwork (when there was no picture sleeve, a paper sleeve is recreated), there are inserts of classic promo photos, there's an excellent book with rare photos and liner notes by Nigel Williamson, and in perhaps the neatest touch, each CD is black, so it looks a bit like a mini-45. Strictly speaking, there aren't many rarities aside from some hard-to-find mono mixes and the "we want the Stones" intro to Got Live if You Want It!, which has never been released on CD – the semirarities "Money," "Poison Ivy," and "Bye Bye Johnny" only appeared on More Hot Rocks, but not The Singles Collection, but what is different is the context. By having these songs split into their original single and EP running order, forcing a disc change after every two (sometimes four or five) songs, listeners wind up experiencing each single as its own entity, gaining an appreciation for the Stones' consistency in their early days and also their growth. At first, these singles are bracing blasts of blues-rock energy, but by the end of the set, the Stones are deepening – they start to write songs, they try different styles, their blues becomes tougher. Of these, the most impressive are the first two EPs, The Rolling Stones and 5 X 5. Both later were spun out into albums, but these EPs are lean and sinewy, hitting the listener with strength and precision, and stunning brevity; the full-length LPs are classics in their own right, but the shorter format in a strange way captures the primal power of the early Stones. Of course, this is the kind of distinction that only hardcore collectors and geeks care about, but it is a palpable, noteworthy distinction that can't be heard anywhere else, and that makes The Singles 1963-1965 something more than simply a cool archival release.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

CD01: The Rolling Stones - Come On
Released June 1963 (UK)

Tracklist:

1. Come On (1:49)
2. I Want To Be Loved (1:51)



CD02: The Rolling Stones - I Wanna Be Your Man
Released November 1963 (UK) and March 1964 (US)

Tracklist:

1. I Wanna Be Your Man (1:44)
2. Stoned (2:09)



CD03: The Rolling Stones - Bye Bye Johnny
Released January 1964 (UK)

Tracklist:

1. Bye Bye Johnny (2:10)
2. Money (2:33)
3. You Better Move On (2:41)
4. Poison Ivy (2:06)



CD04: The Rolling Stones - Not Fade Away
Released February 1964 (UK) and March 1964 (US)

Tracklist:

1. Not Fade Away (1:48)
2. Little By Little (2:39)



CD05: The Rolling Stones - It's All Over Now
Released June 1964 (UK) and July 1964 (US)

Tracklist:

1. It's All Over Now (3:30)
2. Good Times, Bad Times (2:30)



CD06: The Rolling Stones - Five By Five
Released August 1964 (UK)

Tracklist:

1. If You Need Me (2:05)
2. Empty Heart (2:38)
3. 2120 South Michigan Avenue (2:10)
4. Confessin' The Blues (2:50)
5. Around And Around (3:04)



CD07: The Rolling Stones - Tell Me
Released June 1964 (US)

Tracklist:

1. Tell Me (2:39)
2. I Just Want To Make Love To You (2:16)



CD08: The Rolling Stones - Time Is On My Side
Released September 1964 (US)

Tracklist:

1. Time Is On My Side (2:53)
2. Congratulations (2:28)



CD09: The Rolling Stones - Little Red Rooster

Tracklist:

1. Little Red Rooster (3:06) - Released November 1964 (UK)
2. Off The Hook (2:34) - Released November 13, 1964 (US)



CD10: The Rolling Stones - Heart Of Stone
Released December 1964 (US)

Tracklist:

1. Heart Of Stone (2:46)
2. What A Shame (3:02)



CD11: The Rolling Stones - The Last Time
Released February 26, 1965 (UK) and March 1965 (US)

Tracklist:

1. The Last Time (3:42)
2. Play With Fire (2:13)



CD12: The Rolling Stones - Got Live If You Want It!
Released June 1965 (UK)

Tracklist:

1. We Want The Stones (0:12)
2. Everybody Needs Somebody To Love (0:35)
3. Pain In My Heart (2:03)
4. Route 66 (2:36)
5. I'm Moving On (2:12)
6. I'm Alright (2:22)

The second installment in ABKCO's series of box sets containing CD replicas of the Rolling Stones' singles and EPs, Singles 1965-1967 covers the classic period between "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "In Another Land," the time when the Stones started to reach beyond their hard blues base, and created some of their most indelible music. Like the previous box, Singles 1963-1965, each of the group's British and American singles and EPs are represented, reproduced in paper sleeves and pressed on all-black CDs designed to look like a 45. Where that set had some rarities – including the first release of such classic EPs as The Rolling Stones, 5 X 5, and Got Live If You Want It! – every cut on this box has been on CD before (all showed up on the triple-disc The Singles Collection: The London Years) and there is a slight tweaking of history here, with certain singles (like "Satisfaction," "Get Off of My Cloud," and "Paint It, Black") containing both the American and British B-sides. This may upset some purists, but it's a clever, efficient way to cover this ground; plus, even with the added song these discs run well under ten minutes, so it's a nice bonus that beefs up the discs slightly and makes them more listenable. Of course, this isn't designed for listenability in the first place, since changing the 11 discs is cumbersome, even with a multi-disc player – it's really a set to look at and admire, to gaze at each of the picture sleeves. But, if they're listened to a disc at a time, it does reveal what a splendid singles band the Rolling Stones were. There has never been a single as snide and cynical as "Satisfaction" backed by "The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man," while there has never been one as nasty and antisocial as "Paint It, Black" b/w "Stupid Girl," and their rebel reputation was cemented by "Get Off of My Cloud" b/w "I'm Free." These are revelations that this set makes clear through its singles replicas, and it helps make this set a necessary purchase for the hardcore.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

CD01: The Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

Tracklist:

1. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (3:43)
2. The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man (3:08)
3. The Spider And The Fly (3:38)



CD02: The Rolling Stones - Get Off Of My Cloud

Tracklist:

1. Get Off Of My Cloud (2:54)
2. I'm Free (2:24)
3. The Singer Not The Song (2:22)



CD03: The Rolling Stones - As Tears Go By

Tracklist:

1. As Tears Go By (2:45)
2. Gotta Get Away (2:06)



CD04: The Rolling Stones - 19th Nervous Breakdown

Tracklist:

1. The Rolling Stones - 19Th Nervous Breakdown (3:58)
2. The Rolling Stones - Sad Day (3:01)



CD05: The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black

Tracklist:

1. Paint It, Black (3:45)
2. Stupid Girl (2:57)
3. Long Long While (3:01)



CD06: The Rolling Stones - Mother's Little Helper

Tracklist:

1. Mother's Little Helper (2:47)
2. Lady Jane (3:09)



CD07: The Rolling Stones - Have You Seen Your Mother Baby, Standing In The Shadow?

Tracklist:

1. Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow? (2:35)
2. Who's Driving Your Plane? (3:13)



CD08: The Rolling Stones - Let's Spend The Night Together

Tracklist:

1. Let's Spend The Night Together (3:27)
2. Ruby Tuesday (3:13)



CD09: The Rolling Stones - We Love You

Tracklist:

1. We Love You (4:38)
2. Dandelion (3:47)



CD10: The Rolling Stones - She's A Rainbow

Tracklist:

1. She's A Rainbow (4:12)
2. 2000 Light Years From Home (4:44)



CD11: The Rolling Stones - In Another Land

Tracklist:

1. In Another Land (2:53)
2. The Lantern (4:25)

If the final installment of ABKCO's series of box sets containing CD replicas of the Rolling Stones' original singles for Decca and London during the '60s seems not quite as impressive as the first two, there's a reason for it: it's not. But that has little to do with either the music – some of the Stones' very best is here, including "Street Fighting Man," "Honky Tonk Women," and "Jumpin' Jack Flash," all viable contenders for the greatest rock & roll single ever – or the packaging, which is every bit as lavish and loving as the first two installments. Instead, the problem is that the nine singles collected here are a bit of a hodgepodge. The aforementioned trio are the group's last singles of the '60s, with the latter two being the last two singles the band conceived as stand-alone 45s. After that, there were two singles pulled from the 1971 album Sticky Fingers – "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses," both backed by album tracks (the former had a live version of Chuck Berry's "Let It Rock" on a U.K. pressing, but that's not available here) – and that LP is more commonly associated with the Stones' '70s albums for their own label, not their '60s work, so even if historically they were part of the London years, they don't quite feel like the end of this chapter; rather, they feel like the beginning of the next. That accounts for half of Singles 1968-1971. The remaining five discs contain Mick Jagger's excellent solo single of "Memo from Turner" from the film Performance, two singles from the 1975 '60s rarities compilation Metamorphosis ("I Don't Know Why"/"Jiving Sister Fanny" and "I Don't Know Why"/"Try a Little Harder"), the "Sympathy for the Devil" single – which was released in the U.K. in 1976, but is presented in its 2003 form containing contemporary dance remixes by the Neptunes and Fatboy Slim, variations that are, needless to say, rather incongruous in this setting – and, finally, a welcome bonus DVD containing the Stones playing "Time Is On My Side" on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, a live version of "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?" from 1967, and the classic promo video for "Jumpin' Jack Flash" from 1968, as well as an out-of-place 2003 video for the Neptunes' remix of "Sympathy for the Devil." While all these odds and ends are nice to have, since they tie up any loose ends from this era, the end result doesn't have the narrative flow or the rarities of the previous installments. That said, Singles 1968-1971 is a wonderful set for collectors, and it retains the high standard of the rest of the series.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

CD01: The Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash

Tracklist:

1. Jumpin' Jack Flash (3:38) - Released May 1968 (US and UK)
2. Child Of The Moon (rmk) (3:12) - Released May 1968 (US and UK)



CD02: The Rolling Stones - Street Fighting Man

Tracklist:

1. Street Fighting Man (3:09) - Released August 1968 (US) July 1970 and June 1971 (UK)
2. No Expectations (3:55) - Released August 1968 (US)
3. Surprise Surprise (2:31) - Released July 1970 nad June 1971 (UK)
4. Everybody Needs Somebody To Love (5:03) - Released June 1971 (UK)



CD03: The Rolling Stones - Honky Tonk Women

Tracklist:

1. Honky Tonk Women (3:01) - Released June 1969 (US) and July 1969 (UK)
2. You Can't Always Get What You Want (4:49) - Released June 1969 (US) and July 1969 (UK)



CD04: The Rolling Stones - Memo From Turner

Tracklist:

1. Memo From Turner (4:08) - Released November 1970 (UK)
2. Natural Magic (Ry Cooder Inst. From The Film 'Performance') (1:39) - Released November 1970 (UK)



CD05: The Rolling Stones - Brown Sugar

Tracklist:

1. Brown Sugar (3:49) - Released April 1971 (UK) and May 1971 (US)
2. Bitch (3:36) - Released April 1971 (UK) and May 1971 (US)



CD06: The Rolling Stones - Wild Horses

Tracklist:

1. Wild Horses (5:44) - Released June 1971 (US)
2. Sway (3:47) - Released June 1971 (US)



CD07: The Rolling Stones - I Don't Know Why

Tracklist:

1. I Don't Know Why (3:01) - Released May 1975 (US)
2. Try A Little Harder (2:17) - Released May 1975 (US)



CD08: The Rolling Stones - Out Of Time

Tracklist:

1. Out Of Time (3:21) - Released August 1975 (US) and September 1975 (UK)
2. Jiving Sister Fanny (3:20) - Released August 1975 (US) and September 1975 (UK)



CD09: The Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil (Remix)

Tracklist:

1. Sympathy For The Devil (Original Recording) (6:18) - Released April 1976 (UK)
2. Sympathy For The Devil (The Neptunes Remix) (5:55) - Released September 2003 (UK & US)
3. Sympathy For The Devil (Fatboy Slim Remix) (8:25) - Released September 2003 (UK & US)
4. Sympathy For The Devil (Full Phatt Remix) (5:33) - Released September 2003 (UK & US)



All thanks go to the original releaser