The Rolling Stones

1964 The Rolling Stones (3)

The Rolling Stones' first album has nine cover songs and only three original compositions by the Stones themselves: "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)", "Now I've Got a Witness (Like Uncle Phil and Uncle Gene)" and "Little By Little". The last two only offer appetizing hints of the glories to come, but the first is a genuine charmer.

1964 12 x 5 (5)

Seven covers. And five songs by the Rolling Stones: "Grown Up Wrong", "Congratulations", "Good Times Bad Times", "Empty Heart" and "2120 South Michigan Avenue". The first one is quite good. But the last four are not, to put it diplomatically, among Rolling Stones' greatest achievements. This album has only been released in the US. 

1965 The Rolling Stones No 2 (2)

Nine covers and three songs by the Rolling Stones (including one previously released on another album). The two original songs are "What A Shame" and "Off The Hook", both very good. This album has only been released in the UK, in January 1965. Confusingly, while its cover photo is the same as on the US album "12 x 5" (released three months earlier in October 1964), its track listing is much closer to the US album "The Rolling Stones Now", released only a month later, in February 1965.

 

1965 The Rolling Stones Now (2)

Only released in the US, this album has eight covers and four songs by the Rolling Stones (one new song and three previously released ones). The new song is weak "Surprise Surprise". "Heart Of Stone", previously released as a single in 1964 (but only in the US), is the best song on the album.

1965 Out Of Our Heads (US version) (6)

Now, this is a genuine head-scratcher, but bear with me. The US version of this album is completely different from the UK version. It has been released earlier, it has a different cover photo and it includes not only "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (their first genuine megahit), but also "The Last Time" (another huge success). It has four other new songs by the Rolling Stones as well: "The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man", "The Spider And The Fly", "Play With Fire" and "One More Try", all of them quite good. The rest of the album consists of covers. Now, the UK version of the same album has no "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", no "The Last Time", no "The Spider And The Fly", no "Play With Fire" and no "One More Try". And even some cover songs are different. The US version of "Out Of Our Heads" became the Rolling Stones' first number one album in North America, eventually going platinum.

1965 Out Of Our Heads (UK version) (2)

The UK version of "Out Of Our Heads" has a better cover photo, but otherwise it's a much inferior album in every respect. But it has two new songs by the Rolling Stones that haven't been included in the US version: "Gotta Get Away" and "I'M Free". The first is quite good, but not the second one.

1965 December's Children And Everybody's (4)

The confusion continues with this album that has only been released in the US. It has an identical cover photo as the UK version of "Out Of Our Heads", but it has a different name and a very different track list. There are six covers and six songs by the Rolling Stones (including two previously released on the UK version of "Out Of Our Heads"). The remaining four songs are: "As Tears Go By" (the best one on the album), "Get Off Of My Cloud", "Blue Turns To Grey" and "The Singer Not The Song". Except for the last one, they are quite excellent.

1966 Aftermath (15)

A classic Rolling Stones album, possibly their best. The first one without any covers. There are five timeless classics here: "Out Of Time" (not only the best song on the album but also, arguably, the best of all Rolling Stones' songs), "Paint It Black", "I Am Waiting", "Mother's Little Helper" and "Under My Thumb". There are also six more outstanding songs: "Goin' Home", "Take It Or Leave It", "Doncha Bother Me", "What To Do", "It's Not Easy" and "Lady Jane". And even the four weakest songs are quite impressive and memorable: "Think", "Flight 505", "Stupid Girl" and "High And Dry". As usual with the Rolling Stones, the US and the UK versions are quite different. The US version is missing four songs, but it has "Paint It Black", a hit single from 1966. 

1966 Big Hits High Tide and Green Grass (UK version) (2)

It's mostly a compilation album, with covers and previously released Rolling Stones' songs, but it also has two terrific 1966 singles not found on their other albums: "19th Nervous Breakdown" (one of their greatest hits and the best track here) and "Have You Seen Your Mother Baby Standing In The Shadow?".

1967 Between The Buttons (14)

A slightly disappointing album, especially the UK version, which doesn't even have "Let's Spend The Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday". Most compositions are much closer to psychedelia and baroque pop balladry than to rock music. The most original songs are definitely "Something Happened To Me Yesterday" and "She Smiled Sweetly", both sublime in their simplicity. Four other songs are quite interesting (and eccentric): "Complicated", "Cool Calm And Collected", "All Sold Out" and "Please Go Home". But "Who's Been Sleeping Here?", "Miss Amanda Jones" and "Back Street Girl" are quite unimpressive. And odd... but not in a good way.  And "My Obsession", "Connection" and "Yesterday's Papers" are downright boring.

1967 Flowers (2)

A compilation album with two new songs: "Ride On Baby" (a charming little number) and "Sittin' On A Fence" (a slight disappointment).

1967 Their Satanic Majesties Request (10)

The Stones were obviously stoned out of their minds when they made this album, and the result is a fascinating anomaly in the group's discography. Two absolutely amazing and brilliant masterpieces of psychedelic pop: "She's A Rainbow" and "2000 Light Years From Home". Four acid rock oddities: "2000 Man", "The Lantern", "In Another Land" and "Citadel".  And four atonal experiments with abstraction and chaos: "Sing This All Together (See What Happens)/Cosmic Christmas", "On With The Show", "Gomper" and "Sing This All Together". 

1968 Beggars Banquet (9)

The Rolling Stones' country blues album, with a few hard rock songs about street fighters and stray cats thrown in for good measure. And except for "Parachute Woman" and "Factory Girl", they are all excellent. The best song is definitely "Sympathy For The Devil", a superb samba rock number inspired by Mikhail Bulgakov's "The Master And Margarita". "Street Fighting Man", "Jigsaw Puzzle", "Dear Doctor", "Salt Of The Earth", "No Expectations" and "Stray Cat Blues" are quite memorable as well. "Prodigal Son" is a cover song.

1969 Through The Past Darkly Big Hits Vol 2 (4)

Mostly a compilation album, but it also has four recent singles: "We Love You" (1967), "Dandelion" (1967), "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (1968) and "Honky Tonk Women" (1969). All excellent.

1969 Let It Bleed (7)

Another mix of country blues and rock 'n roll. Two timeless classics, "Gimme Shelter" and 

"You Can't Always Get What You Want", as well as five pleasant little country music tunes: "Let It Bleed", "Midnight Rambler", "Live With Me", "You Got The Silver" and "Monkey Man". "Love In Vain" is a cover song. "Country Honk" is an early, country music version of "Honky Tonk Women"

1971 Sticky Fingers (9)

This is the Rolling Stones' best roots rock album, with songs that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. Nine very good tracks: "Brown Sugar" (the best on the album), "Wild Horses" (a close second), "Can't You Hear Me Knocking", "Moonlight Mile", "Dead Flowers", "Sway", "I Got the Blues", "Sister Morphine" and "Bitch". "You Gotta Move" is a cover song. 

1972 Exile On Main St (22)

Initially, "Exile On Main St" has not been well received by music critics, who found the quality of the songs inconsistent. Later, it has been reassessed favourably, and by the late 1970s it has become viewed as the Rolling Stones' greatest album. The truth, as usual, is somewhere in between. It's a fine, but uneven album, with eleven good (and often very good) songs - "Tumbling Dice", "Let It Loose", "Loving Cup", "All Down The Line", "Shine A Light", "Torn And Frayed", "Sweet Virginia", "Rocks Off", "Soul Survivor", "Ventilator Blues" and "Rip This Joint" - as well as five disappointing ones - "Turd On The Run", "Happy", "Sweet Black Angel", "Casino Boogie" and "I Just Want To See His Face". That last one has the dubious distinction of being, arguably, the Stones' worst song ever. "Shake Your Hips" and "Stop Breaking Down" are cover songs. The 2010 Rarities Edition of "Exile On Main St" includes "Good Time Women" (an early version of "Tumbling Dice") and 6 new songs. Among them, "Following The River" is quite impressive. The remaining five are less memorable: "Pass The Wine (Sophia Loren)", "Plundered My Soul", "I'M Not Signifying", "Dancing In The Light" and "So Divine (Aladdin Story)".

1972 More Hot Rocks Big Hits And Fazed Cookies (2)

A compilation album with two old singles from the 1960's that were not previously released on an album: "Long Long While" (1966) and "Child Of The Moon" (1968). Both are quite fine.

1973 Goats Head Soup (13)

Except for "Angie" (the best track on the album) and "Can You Hear The Music" (a close second), the songs here sound more or less the same, and "Goats Head Soup" is generally seen as the beginning of the Stones' decline after a string of critically acclaimed albums. Neither "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)", "Winter", "Star Star", "100 Years Ago", "Dancing With Mr D", "Silver Train", "Coming Down Again" nor "Hide Your Love" have much to recommend them. The 2020 Deluxe Edition of "Goats Head Soup" has additional tracks, including 3 new songs. Among them, "All The Rage" is quite impressive, but the same cannot be said of "Scarlet" and "Criss Cross".

1974 It's Only Rock 'n Roll (9)

More conventional than their earlier albums, but quite impressive. One classic Rolling Stones' song: "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)", definitely the highlight. And the rest is quite impressive as well: "Time Waits For No One", "If You Really Want To Be My Friend", "Fingerprint File", "Till The Next Goodbye", "Dance Little Sister", "Short And Curlies", "Luxury" and "If You Can't Rock Me". "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" is a cover song.

1975 Metamorphosis (11)

The best among the Rolling Stones' "unauthorized albums" featuring many previously unreleased (or, more accurately, discarded) outtakes, as well as alternate versions of well-known songs, recorded from 1964 to 1969. The most memorable among the latter is a string-adorned baroque-pop rendition of "Out Of Time", considered by some (like Quentin Tarantino, who used it to a great effect in "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood") as superior to the original "Aftermath" version, although much shorter. Among the outtakes, one is outstanding:    "(Walkin' Thru The) Sleepy City" (and Wim Wenders used it superbly in "Perfect Day"). Five others are also very nice: "If You Let Me", "I'D Much Rather Be With The Boys", "Each And Everyday Of The Year", "We're Wastin' Time" and "Family". However, the remaining five are quite forgettable: "Try A Little Harder", "Jiving Sister Fanny", "Memo From Turner", "Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind" and "I'M Going Down". "Metamorphosis" also has a longer version of "Heart Of Stone" and three cover songs. While unauthorized by the Stones, the album is actually perfectly legal, because their former manager Allen Klein has tricked them into signing away their rights. 

1976 Black And Blue (7)

For this album, the Rolling Stones decided to blend their traditional rock and roll style with heavy influences from reggae, blues, soul and funk music. They embrace soul with "Fool To Cry" (the best track on the album); hard rock with "Crazy Mama" and "Hand Of Fate"; blues with "Melody"; funk with "Hot Stuff"; reggae with the cover of "Cherry Oh Baby" and reggae rock with "Hey Negrita". And all these musical and thematic styles are merged on the seven-minute "Memory Motel". The release of this album was promoted with a controversial billboard on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood that depicted the model Anita Russell, bruised and bound, under the phrase "I'm Black and Blue from the Rolling Stones – and I love it!" 

1978 Some Girls (18)

The Rolling Stones' most controversial album. And no wonder. With lines like "Puerto Rican girls thats just dying to meet you" from "Miss You" and especially "Black girls just want to get fucked all night" from "Some Girls", the Stones have clearly been looking for trouble. And they got plenty, especially from Jesse Jackson, who wasn't at all amused. Mick Jagger probably figured out that dedicating a song like "Sweet Black Angel" (from 1972 album "Exile On Main St") to Angela Davis would earn him enough "street cred" to get away with it, but fat chance... Still, the Stones refused to be censored and the lyrics stayed. Anyway, while as politically-incorrect as it could possibly get, the album is quite fabulous. It has three timeless classics, "Beast Of Burden" (the best song on the album), "Miss You" (a great disco tune) and "Far Away Eyes" (a terrific country song), as well as four more excellent tracks: "Some Girls", "Respectable", "Shattered" and "When The Whip Comes Down". Only "Lies" and "Before They Make Me Run" are a bit disappointing. "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" is a cover song.  But that's not all. The 2011 Deluxe Edition of "Some Girls" has 12 additional tracks, including 3 covers and 9 original songs. Among the latter, there are three very good tunes: "Do You Think I Really Care", "No Spare Parts" and "Don't Be A Stranger". The others - "I Love You Too Much", "Claudine", "So Young", "When You're Gone" "Keep Up Blues" and "Petrol Blues" - are quite disappointing. 

1980 Emotional Rescue (10)

One of the Rolling Stones' weakest albums. Only two really good songs: "She's So Cold" and "Send It To Me". The rest is quite disappointing: "Let Me Go", "All About You", "Where The Boys Go", "Emotional Rescue", "Dance (Pt. 1)", "Indian Girl", "Summer Romance" and "Down In The Hole".

1981 Tattoo You (11)

"Tattoo You" is an album primarily composed of outtakes from previous recording sessions, some dating back a decade, with new vocals and overdubs. Because of it, it's often underrated and not always recognized as one of the band's greatest albums. It has one classic Rolling Stones' megahit, "Start Me Up" (often described as their last great song). But it also has four other fabulous songs - "Hang Fire", "Heaven", "Tops" and "Waiting On A Friend" - obscure gems that are yet to be discovered even by the group's most devoted fans. And the rest of the album is quite memorable as well, with excellent tracks like "Worried About You", "Neighbours", "Black Limousine" and "No Use In Crying", as well as more conventional (but politically-incorrect) tunes such as "Slave" and "Little T&A".

1983 Undercover (10)

An eclectic, but very pleasant album. A tug of war between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, each trying to take the band in a different direction. The first is adapting to modern trends in music, favouring reggae, worldbeat, and new wave musical textures, while the second wants the band to return to their blues rock roots. As a result, the tracks cover a wide range of styles. There are six good songs: "She Was Hot" (probably the best on the album), "Too Much Blood", "Wanna Hold You", "All The Way Down", "Feel On Baby" and "Tie You Up (The Pain Of Love)". And four songs are disappointing: "Undercover Of The Night", "Too Tough", "It Must Be Hell" and "Pretty Beat Up". 

1986 Dirty Work (8)

One of their weakest albums, recorded during a period when relations between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards had soured considerably. People Magazine named it one of the worst albums of 1986, while Pitchfork included the album cover in their list of "The Worst Record Covers of All Time". There are only two good songs here: "Sleep Tonight" (the best) and "One Hit To The Body". The rest ranges from unimpressive ("Dirty Work", "Fight" and "Back To Zero") to very disappointing ("Had It With You", "Winning Ugly" and "Hold Back"). "Key To The Highway", "Harlem Shuffle" and "Too Rude" are cover songs.

1989 Singles Collection: The London Years (2)

A compilation album, with two singles from the 1960's that have not been previously released on any albums: "Stoned" (1963) and "Who’s Driving Your Plane?" (1966).

1989 Steel Wheels (12)

A comeback album. "Continental Drift" is the best and the most original song on the album. Six other songs are also quite good: "Mixed Emotions", "Hearts For Sale", "Sad Sad Sad", "Blinded By Love", "Terrifying" and "Almost Hear You Sigh". However, "Slipping Away", "Can't Be Seen", "Break The Spell", "Rock And A Hard Place" and "Hold On To Your Hat" are rather forgettable.

1991 Flashpoint (2)

A live album with two very good new songs: "Sex Drive" and "Highwire"

1994 Voodoo Lounge (15)

A perfectly fine rock music album, with the Rolling Stones in top form. Nothing particularly innovative here, but nothing to be embarrassed neither. Almost all the songs are fine, and they are quite diverse too, from hard rock to roots rock to blues rock: "Out Of Tears", "You Got Me Rocking", "Thru And Thru", "Sweethearts Together", "I Go Wild", "Love Is Strong", "New Faces", "Sparks Will Fly", "Baby Break It Down", "The Worst", "Brand New Car", "Moon Is Up" and "Blinded By Rainbows". Only "Suck On The Jugular" and "Mean Disposition" are a bit disappointing.

1997 Bridges To Babylon (13)

The Rolling Stones' best album in 16 years. Except for "Low Down", there are only good songs here: "How Can I Stop" (the best), "Thief In The Night", "Anybody Seen My Baby?", "You Don't Have To Mean It", "Saint Of Me", "Always Suffering", "Might As Well Get Juiced", "Out Of Control", "Too Tight", "Gunface", "Flip The Switch" and "Already Over Me". 

2005 A Bigger Bang (16)

Six weak songs: "Look What The Cat Dragged In", "This Place Is Empty", "Back Of My Hand", "She Saw Me Coming", "Infamy" and "Driving Too Fast". And ten good songs: "Streets Of Love", "Rough Justice", "Dangerous Beauty", "Biggest Mistake", "Oh No Not You Again", "Rain Fall Down", "Let Me Down Slow", "Sweet Neo Con", "It Won't Take Long" and "Laugh I Nearly Died".

2011 The Singles 1971–2006 (1)

A compilation album. It includes a fine single, "I Think I’M Going Mad" (1984).

2012 GRRR! (2)

A greatest hits album with two rather unremarkable new songs: "Doom And Gloom" and "One More Shot".

2023 Hackney Diamonds (11)

"Mess It Up" is the best track on the album. There are also six other good songs: "Sweet Sounds Of Heaven", "Bite My Head Off", "Live By The Sword", "Driving Me Too Hard", "Get Close" and "Whole Wide World". Four songs are disappointing: "Tell Me Straight", "Dreamy Skies", "Depending On You" and "Angry". And "Rolling Stone Blues" is a cover song.

Other songs (9):

weak "And Mr Spector And Mr Pitney Came Too" (1964)

average "Stewed And Keefed (Brian's Blues)" (1964)

unimpressive "Stuck Out All Alone" (1968)

weak "Blood Red Wine" (1968)

mediocre "You Should Have Seen Her Ass" (1972)

average "Sure The One You Need" (1975)

unimpressive "Tried To Talk Her Into It" (1982)

mediocre "Strictly Memphis" (1985)

very good "Living In A Ghost Town" (2020)