The Rolling Stones: Singles Box 1963-1965

For some reason the cover above shows "1966". It is incorrect, the box covers 1963 to early 1965, starting with Come On in June 1963 and ending with the Got Live If You Want It EP in June 1965. What a two year period - and why, Satisfaction hadn't even been released yet! A lot of people forget just how long they had been going before that song, don't they? Here's what they did....

Come On

The Rolling Stones' first single, this energetic blues rock Chuck Berry cover never fails to do it for me. Many Stones commentators that I have read seem to under-rate it, viewing it as shallow and throwaway. Not me. I love it. It overflows with youthful enthusiasm, and, of course, it introduced the world to the glory that would be the Rolling Stones.

I Want To Be Loved

If it was not apparent on Come On, The Stones' passion for the blues really made itself known on this brooding, bluesy Willie Dixon cover. For authenticity, it would seem, Jagger's confident, mature-sounding vocal even included using the African-American/Caribbean pronunciation of "ask" as "aks". He even sounded a bit like Elvis too, something I don't think he was aiming it. The sounds rocks along impressively, with a bit of a vague air of menace to it in places, particularly in that deep "I wanna be luuurved" bit.

I Want To Be Your Man

The first shared Beatles/Stones song, written by Lennon and McCartney. Lennnon is reported to have said "we weren't going to give them anything great, were we?". Their version appeared on the With The Beatles album, and theirs is somewhat cleaner, but personally I prefer the Stones' edgier, fuzzier version. That has always be the way for me with the two groups. Stones all the way.

Stoned

A Booker T. & The MGs-inspired groovy little instrumental here. It has that whole Green Onions-style vibe. Actually, it wasn't totally an instrumental as the group murmur "Stoned" at the end of each instrumental passage, in true period fashion. 

The next four songs appeared on The Rolling Stones EP.

Bye Bye Johnny

The Stones loved a Chuck Berry cover and this was one of several from this stage of their career. It is covered in suitably lively, rocking fashion, with Keith Richards' guitar to the fore. The vocal is confident too. It is almost punky in its frenetic pace. Like the next track, though, the sound isn't great.

Money (That's What I Want)

The Stones and The Beatles both covered this iconic Berry Gordy/Janie Bradford song made famous by Barrett Strong. You may think that The Stones would do it really well, better than The Beatles in fact. However, for me, that is surprisingly not the case, The Beatles do it much better. The Stones' version is muffled sonically, full of grainy sound only lifted by a spirited Jagger vocal. Not their best. Nowhere near it. 

You Better Move On

Jagger delivers the cover of an Arthur Alexander song soulfully, showing that he wasn't just an upbeat blues rocker. It showed a softer more sensitive sound to The Stones, both musically and image-wise. The Stones' version has a rather sweet, innocent appeal to it but, actually, my favourite cover of it was by Mink De Ville on their 1982 Coup De Grâce album.

Poison Ivy

A much covered song in the sixties - The Dave Clark Five, The Paramounts, The Hollies, Manfred Mann are among many others to record it. The Stones recorded two different versions in 1963, the first version appeared on this EP, released in early 1964. The second version appeared on a 1972 compilation called More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies), the follow-up to the popular Hot Rocks collection. I prefer the slightly faster first take. I've always loved the line "you're gonna need an ocean, of calamine lotion". The sound is much better on both versions of the song when compared with that found on Bye Bye Johnny and, particularly, Money (That's What I Want).

Not Fade Away

Buddy Holly's fast-paced romp would seem to have been tailor-made for The Stones. Once more, they put their own unique stamp on it, from Jones's harmonica to Richard's guitar to Jagger's effortlessly drawly vocal. It is 1:48 of early Stones perfection. It is best heard via The Rolling Stones In Mono box set.

Little By Little

A comparatively chugging bluesy number - compared to some of the Stones' material from the time - Little By Little still ain't bad though, such is the quality present. Phil Spector was involved in the creation of this, a sort of re-hash of Jimmy Reed's Shame Shame Shame. Vague plagiarism was de rigeur in the British blues explosion, wasn't it?

It's All Over Now

A huge 1964 number one here. It was a Bobby Womack song that The Stones made their own, so much so that most people these days just think it was a Stones original. It was the first of five consecutive UK number ones. You can hear why - it has boundless youthful energy and helped in establishing just what The Stones were all about. Kudos to the stereo version too - there's a surprise!

Good Times Bad Times

An early Jagger-Richards number that sounds very much as if it were an authentic piece of Delta blues. It is pretty credible in its slow bluesy grind, and also its impressive harmonica solo. It reminds me a bit of a blues song that Queen recorded as a 'b' side in 1974 called See What A Fool I've Been.

The next five tracks formed the 5 x 5 EP.

If You Need Me

This soulful ballad had an organ sound not dissimilar to that which was used on Time Is On My Side. Very churchy and gospel. The song had been a hit for Wilson Pickett in 1961. It is the one of the six stereo mixes included on the extended 12 x 5 album where the difference is not that apparent. The song just has a mono vibe to it.

Empty Heart

An early Jagger/Richards song in their curious Nanker/Phelge guise. It was not a throwaway instrumental, like Stoned, but a "proper" song and not a bad one too. It has a really cool, almost funky little rhythmic guitar and drum intro, one that showcased Charlie Watt's drumming skills. Brian Jones's harmonica ain't half bad either. I think this is a genuinely underrated early Mick 'n' Keith song. Get a load of that Booker T-ish organ from the very talented Ian Stewart as it swirls and stabs too. Like all these songs, it also has an absolute killer of a stereo version. Check it out.

2120 South Michigan Avenue

This is an absolutely groovy as fuck little Ian Stewart-powered organ, bass and drums instrumental that I love to death, even more when Brian's harmonica comes in. This is a seriously quality instrumental cut, up there with those of the heavily-influential Booker T. & The MGs if you ask me. The stereo version sounds absolutely bloomin' marvellous. Just listen to it - wow. 1964? Are you kidding me! Actually, the mono version is just as thumpingly deep, bassy and powerful. Good times to be had all round with this one.

Confessin' The Blues

Guess what - another one with a really good stereo version, this has always been one of my favourite Stones blues covers. The song had also been covered by Chuck Berry. It dated from the 1940s originally and it just drips with slow, harmonica and guitar-driven blues power, chugging on relentlessly and beautifully. I love it. It is one of the best early Stones numbers. Classic early Stones blues, put it any relevant playlist.

Around And Around

This storming, energetic cover of a Chuck Berry rocker makes for a really fine start to the album. It was actually the first song The Stones ever performed live (in Ealing in 1962) and it was a number popularly covered by many British Blues Explosion artists such as The Animals on their debut album and also by David Bowie during the sessions for his 1972 Ziggy Stardust album, on which it was originally intended to appear. The song just does it for me, in whatever format. Check out the rollicking piano and Keith's early riffing. Superb. 

Tell Me

Tell Me You're Coming Back is Jagger and Richards' first song and you can tell. It has that typical mid-sixties Stones sound that the other songs don't have. That mid-paced, electric and acoustic guitar backed sound. It has an excellent guitar solo near the end too. It is a bit of an underrated early Stones number.

I Just Want To Make Love To You

I Just Want To Make Love To You saw Mick Jagger's first use of innuendo in his drawly vocal delivery on this Willie Dixon Chess Records blues classic. Brian Jones contributes harmonica here, not Jagger. 

Time Is On My Side

The now more popular "guitar intro" version of the song appeared on the UK album The Rolling Stones #2 as opposed to the starker, more downhome, bluesier one that appeared on the US-released 12 x 5 album and as a US single. The US single one is the one that appears in this collection. However, the guitar" one is probably the superior one and has Jagger giving an impressive vocal as he draws out "ti-i-i-ime" enthusiastically. It is one of The Stones' first notable musical achievements - the song is full of bluesy passion married to considerable musical proficiency for ones so young. 

Congratulations

A very sixties - dare I say Beatles-ish - ballad from Jagger and Richards. It is not up there with their other compositions on this albums. It is not bluesy or rocking. It is maudlin sixties pop. That said, though, it is pretty good pop for 1964. It has a nice gentle melody to it.

Little Red Rooster

A surprise number one UK single for The Stones in that it was a classic, slow-grinding Willie Dixon blues, with nothing remotely pop about it at all. It was a gamble to release it as a single but boy, it worked. It only seems to be available in its original mono recording, but what a sound it gives us - full, warm, bassy and possessing a wonderfully clear percussion sound throughout. I just love the sound on this with a vengeance. Paul McCartney once said that The Stones were "just a blues covers band" - well, if they kept covering the blues as well as this, no-one was complaining, were they? They covered the blues far more convincingly than The Beatles covered rock 'n' roll or Motown. 

Off The Hook

The enthusiastic, upbeat bluesy Jagger/Richards rock-pop of Off The Hook is the next step in the group's development. Granted, they were, to a great extent, imitating the music that inspired them, but they were doing it well, and learning how to craft a song. Their development as songwriters was remarkably rapid, if you think about how much progress was made in how short a time. It is another long-time favourite of mine. 

Heart Of Stone

Jagger tells his little girl she needs to forget him and she will never break his heart of stone, exploiting the whole "bad boy" thing. Don't let your daughter go near a Rolling Stone, for he has a heart of stone. The song leans heavily on traditional blues in its slow melody. It has a fine, deep bassline too. It showed that The Stones could do moody slowies as well as breakneck rockers. It is one of those tracks from the period that I prefer listening to in its stereo format. The song was released as a single in the US but not in the UK.

What A Shame

A song that also sounds superb in stereo, this early Mick and Keith number possesses a complete corker of a lead-off upbeat bluesy guitar riff. It is catchy as hell. Bill Wyman's throbbing bass s wonderful too. Add some harmonica too and you have a seriously good early Stones blues. Those boys had the blues, didn't they? Yes, they covered lots of other people's stuff, but don't ever devalue their own blues compositions.

The Last Time

A Jagger-Richards number that very much followed in the soundsteps of It's All Over Now in its upbeat verve and vigour, the song had an absolute corker of a jangly guitar riff. Perfect mid-songs pop. Jagger's end of the chorus "oh no" vocal bit was incredibly catchy, as was the "no no no no" shrieking bit at the end.

Play With Fire

This was another of those atmospheric slow, cynical ballads that warned society girls not to dally with those mad, bad and dangerous to know Rolling Stones. It is notable for some more Elizabethan/baroque-influenced grandiose-sounding keyboard backing. It also has some "swinging London" location references in St. John's Wood, Knightsbridge and Stepney, neither of which were near Carnaby Street or the King's Road, but never mind, for many they will have fitted the bill. 

The final tracks are from the Got Live If You Want It EP. 

We Want The Stones (Live)

Lots of teenage girls screaming.....13 seconds of it. Would you believe Nanker/Phelge claimed writing credits!

Everybody Needs Somebody To Love (Live)

An enthusiastic 36 seconds playrd over the background of screaming that suddenly goes into Pain In My Heart. Was this intentional? It just sounds like bad editing to me. 

Pain In My Heart (Live)

See above. Not a bad performance, though, all things considered. Just.

Route 66 (Live)

A pointless live cut from the Got Live If You Want It scream-fest. Sure, it rocks and its riffy, but the sound quality is bloody awful. It functions as a useful curio/period piece, however. 

I'm Moving On (Live?)

I believe this country and western number was a studio track that was recorded with crowd noises dubbed over it, inadvisedly. For that reason the music on it has a better sound quality than the bona fide live tracks. There is something that doesn't sound quite right about it, despite its punky energy.

I'm Alright (Live)

Played live against that afore-mentioned background of screaming from 1965's Got Live If You Want It Album, this is a frenetic, chaotic rendition of a Bo Diddley song, redeemed only by one of those rubbery Bill Wyman basslines. Otherwise, the sound quality is pretty damn ropey.