Raw Power - The raw power of the early Rolling Stones albums are awesome. Have been a fan of the Stones since the beginning.
Great Blues - Great from start to finish. Really revealing their brilliant, young talent. The instrumental 2120 South Michigan Avenue is terrific. Every song is an eye and ear opener.The album was great,then bought the 8 track, then the cassette, and again just had to buy the CD as it s an unforgettable collection of thier work.
Plenty of Good Stuff Here - This America only release isn t quite the stunner that their first record was (in my opinion), but there is certainly plenty of good stuff here. The lead song, Chuck Berry s Around and Around is one I just love. I also like the Stones version of Wilson Picket s If You Need Me, and their version of Bobby Womack s It s All Over Now. It is curious that I like these better than the ones written by Mick and Keith themselves, but I suppose that s because they were just starting out as song writers. They hadn t come into their own yet. The version of Time on My Side, is the organ version, which I like better than the guitar version. This album taken in total sort of reminds me of Chicago Blues. I like it a lot, though I don t play it all that much any more.
One of the all time best - This is a great example of why I became such a big fan of the Stones. This was the best album of the British invasion period. I submit that the first five Stones US albums were the best work they ever did, this was Brian Jones Rolling Stones at their best.Brian was the heart and soul of the Stones and as good as they were/are they have never been better. 2120 South Michigan Ave.(the address of Chess Records) was thier only instrumental and it sizzles. Way to go Nanker Phelge. Where have you gone?
Cementing The Early Legend - The Stones 2nd US album, released Oct 23, 1964. It cemented the early blues band legend with tracks from their famous Chess Studios session in Chicago during the 1st American tour (Muddy Waters helped carry their gear into the studio) and tracks recorded at Regent Sound in London. Essentially, this is the album that finalized their status with Chicago blues forever.The album starts with Check Berry s Around And Around, which the Stones had been doing as a show stopper in the UK, the big hits Time Is On My Side and It s All Over Now, and the great slow blues numbers Confessin The Blues & Good Times Bad Times. Although they used to do a lot of instrumentals, 2120 S. Michigan seems to have survived as the only memory of this part of the early Stones familiar to most fans. Personally I always liked Congratulations, but never cared for their version of Susie Q, although it was very popular at the time.The tracks recorded June 10-11, 1964 at Chess Studios in Chicago were (Around And Around, Confessin The Blues, Empty Heart, Good Times Bad Times, It s All Over Now, 2120 S. Michigan version 2, If You Need Me). Tracks recorded at Regent Sound in London were done on Feb 25, 1964 (Susie Q), June 24-26, 1964 (Time Is On My Side version 1, Congratulations), and Sep 28-29, 1964 (Under The Boardwalk, Grown Up Wrong).This album was never released in the UK, however the tracks were released in the UK as follows:6-26-64 It s All Over Now, Good Times Bad Times8-14-64 Five by Five EP - If You Need Me, Empty Heart, 2120 S. Michigan version 1, Confessin the Blues, Around and Around1-16-65 The Rolling Stones No. 2 - Time Is On My Side version 1, Grown Up Wrong, Under The Boardwalk, Susie QCongratulations was not released in the UK until 10-5-73 on the album No Stone Unturned