The Rolling Stones have a new album coming out next month, Foreign Tongues, which means it'll have been three years since the release of Hackney Diamonds. That's pretty surprising, given that before then, their last album of originals, A Bigger Bang, had come out eighteen years prior in 2005. But then, given the death of Charlie Watts in 2021, the band probably wants to put out as much as they can before either Mick or Keith drops dead for good - although with the latter, that'd be hard to tell; he's basically a zombie at this point!
Anyway, to mark the occasion, I've decided to share something that I'd had last worked on a few years back for Strawberry Peppers: The Second Coming, but never had the chance to share until now. A re-organization of the Stones' early albums up to Between the Buttons! Because the US and UK albums differ greatly when it comes to song selections (even more so than the Beatles' albums up to Revolver), it gets pretty messy pretty easily, so this is my attempt at finding a middle ground between the two, and hopefully untangle the mess that is the Stones' early recording career.
Please note that not every song is going to be gathered up, as I'd imagine that some would still be released as singles. Also, every song would be in mono, as can be found in the box set The Rolling Stones in Mono from 2016.
Side A (13:41)
1. Not Fade Away - 1:47
2. Route 66 - 2:20
3. I Just Want to Make Love to You - 2:17
4. Honest I Do - 2:09
5. Now I've Got a Witness - 2:29
6. Little by Little - 2:39
Side B (17:19)
7. I'm a King Bee - 2:35
8. Carol - 2:33
9. Tell Me (You're Coming Back) - 4:05
10. Can I Get a Witness - 2:55
11. You Can Make It If You Try - 2:01
12. Walking the Dog - 3:10
The band's debut album was simply titled The Rolling Stones, while the US gave the subtitle England's Newest Hit Makers, which has since gone on to be the official title. Surprisingly, there is little difference between the two albums, with their March 1964 single "Not Fade Away" (a Buddy Holly cover, sourced from Stray Cats) leading off the US version, dropping "Mona (I Need You Baby)" in the process. Ultimately, this results in a shorter Side A by around a minute and a half, but what can you do? Then again, the debut album could still work either way.
Original sources
- Singles 1963-1964 (2004) - "Not Fade Away"
- The Rolling Stones: England's Newest Hit Makers (1964) - tracks 2-12
Side A (17:20)
1. Around and Around - 3:05
2. Confessin' the Blues - 2:48
3. Empty Heart - 2:37
4. Time Is on My Side - 2:52
5. Good Times, Bad Times - 2:30
6. It's All Over Now - 3:28
Side B (13:07)
7. 2120 South Michigan Avenue - 2:07
8. Under the Boardwalk - 2:48
9. Congratulations - 2:28
10. Grown Up Wrong - 1:50
11. If You Need Me - 2:03
12. Susie Q - 1:51
In August 1964, the Stones released an extended play called Five by Five, but in America two months later, they expanded it to a full album, throwing in four non-album tracks and three from The Rolling Stones No. 2. This is the American track listing with no edits, down to "Time Is on My Side" being the single version.
Original sources
- Five by Five (1964) - tracks 1-3, 7 and 11
- Singles 1963-1964 (2004) - tracks 4-6 and 9
- The Rolling Stones No. 2 (1965) - tracks 8, 10 and 12
Side A (22:18)
1. Everybody Needs Somebody to Love - 5:03
2. Down Home Girl - 4:11
3. You Can't Catch Me - 3:38
4. Heart of Stone - 2:50
5. What a Shame - 3:03
6. Mona (I Need You Baby) - 3:33
Side B (18:41)
7. Down the Road Apiece - 2:55
8. Off the Hook - 2:38
9. I Can't Be Satisfied - 3:26
10. Pain in My Heart - 2:11
11. Oh Baby (We Got a Good Thing Goin') - 2:06
12. Little Red Rooster - 3:05
13. Surprise, Surprise - 2:20
The Stones' second album, creatively titled No. 2, was released in January 1965, while in America, their third album was given the subtitle Now!, and released in February. Their December 1964 single "Heart of Stone" was later released on the UK edition of Out of Our Heads in July 1965, but here, I am placing it where it rightfully belongs, much like the US edition. "I Can't Be Satisfied" was not featured on the US version, but here, I am placing it as the third track of Side B, per the UK version.
Original sources
- The Rolling Stones No. 2 (1965) - tracks 1-3, 5 and 7-10
- Out of Our Heads UK (1965) - tracks 4 and 11
- The Rolling Stones: England's Newest Hit Makers (1964) - "Mona (I Need You Baby)"
- Singles 1963-1965 (2004) - "Little Red Rooster"
- The Rolling Stones, Now! (1965) - "Surprise, Surprise"
Side A (15:39)
1. Mercy, Mercy - 2:45
2. Hitch Hike - 2:25
3. The Last Time - 3:41
4. That's How Strong My Love Is - 2:25
5. Good Times - 1:58
6. I'm Alright - 2:25
Side B (17:48)
7. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - 3:43
8. Cry to Me - 3:09
9. The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man - 3:07
10. Play with Fire - 2:13
11. The Spider and the Fly - 3:38
12. One More Try - 1:58
Out of Our Heads was originally released in America in July 1965, while an alternate version was released in the UK in September. Since "Heart of Stone" and "Oh Baby (We Got a Good Thing Goin')" were already given away to The Rolling Stones, Now!, that leaves room for more singles, most notably their iconic "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". "I'm Alright" first appeared on the live extended play Got Live If You Want It!, whereas "One More Try" was exclusive to the US until 1971, when it first appeared on Stone Age. Once again, we have stuck true to the US release.
Original sources
- Out of Our Heads UK (1965) - tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 and 9
- Singles 1963-1965 (2004) - tracks 3 and 10
- Got Live If You Want It! UK (1965) - "I'm Alright"
- Singles 1965-1967 (2004) - tracks 7 and 11
- Stone Age (1971) - "One More Try"
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Side A (14:13)
1. She Said Yeah - 1:34
2. Talkin' About You - 2:31
3. You Better Move On - 2:37
4. Look What You've Done - 2:33
5. The Singer Not the Song - 2:22
6. Route 66 (live) - 2:36
Side B (14:49)
7. Get Off of My Cloud - 2:54
8. I'm Free - 2:24
9. As Tears Go By - 2:45
10. Gotta Get Away - 2:06
11. Blue Turns to Grey - 2:27
12. I'm Moving On - 2:13
December's Children (And Everybody's) is less a studio album and more a compilation of songs recorded by the Stones up until the point of its release in December 1965, with most of the songs being recorded in September. With four songs being dropped compared to the UK edition of Out of Our Heads, they find a new home on this album, which once again follows the track listing of the American album.
Original sources
- Out of Our Heads UK (1965) - tracks 1, 2, 8 and 10
- The Rolling Stones EP (1964) - "You Better Move On"
- Stone Age (1971) - tracks 4 and 11
- Singles 1965-1967 (2004) - tracks 5, 7 and 9
- Got Live If You Want It! UK (1965) - 6 and 12
Side A (15:36)
1. 19th Nervous Breakdown - 3:57
2. Sad Day - 3:02
3. Take It or Leave It - 2:47
4. Think - 3:10
5. Mother's Little Helper - 2:40
Side B (22:21)
6. Goin' Home - 11:35
7. Sittin' on a Fence - 3:03
8. Doncha Bother Me - 2:35
9. Ride On, Baby - 2:52
10. Looking Tired - 2:16
Ah yes, the lost Rolling Stones album that was recorded in December 1965, and planned for a March 1966 release, but because of controversy surrounding the title, that was never to be. Some of the tracks ended up being used for both editions of Aftermath, but here we are utilizing the intended track listing.
Original sources
- Singles 1965-1967 (2004) - tracks 1 and 2
- Aftermath UK (1966) - tracks 3-6 and 8
- Flowers (1967) - tracks 7 and 9
- Track 10 is unreleased
Side A (19:20)
1. Paint It Black - 3:44
2. Stupid Girl - 2:52
3. Lady Jane - 3:06
4. Under My Thumb - 3:20
5. If You Let Me - 3:17
6. Long, Long While - 3:01
Side B (20:18)
7. Flight 505 - 3:25
8. High and Dry - 3:06
9. Out of Time - 5:15
10. It's Not Easy - 2:52
11. I am Waiting - 3:10
12. What to Do - 2:30
Nine tracks are leftover from the official Aftermath; more than enough to work as our backbone for this resequencing! Non-album tracks "Paint It Black" and "Long, Long While" are thrown in to help fill the gaps, as is the outtake "If You Let Me", although whether or not it was actually recorded in March 1966 is a bit questionable, with some saying that it could've been recorded for Between the Buttons. This is pretty much the same track listing as The Reconstructor's from 2021, only I'm keeping the original title this time around.
Original sources
- Singles 1965-1967 (2004) - tracks 1 and 6
- Aftermath UK (1966) - tracks 2-4 and 7-12
- Metamorphosis (1975) - "If You Let Me"
Side A (21:34)
1. Let's Spend the Night Together - 3:38
2. Yesterday's Papers - 2:04
3. Ruby Tuesday - 3:16
4. Back Street Girl - 3:27
5. Connection - 2:08
6. She Smiled Sweetly - 2:44
7. Cool, Calm & Collected - 4:17
Side B (23:44)
8. All Sold Out - 2:17
9. My Obsession - 3:17
10. Please Go Home - 3:17
11. Who's Been Sleeping Here? - 3:55
12. Complicated - 3:15
13. Miss Amanda Jones - 2:48
14. Something Happened to Me Yesterday - 4:55
Our final resequencing for this little exercise; the American edition contains both tracks of the double A-side single "Ruby Tuesday"/"Let's Spend the Night Together", replacing the tracks "Back Street Girl" and "Please Go Home" from the UK edition. This resequencing combines both track listings, giving us a 45-minute showcase of what the Stones worked on towards the end of 1966 while their Liverpudlian rivals took a temporary break from each other.
Original sources
- Singles 1965-1967 (2004) - tracks 1 and 3
- Between the Buttons UK (1967) - tracks 2 and 4-14
And with that, everything from Their Satanic Majesties' Request onward is the same as OTL, with Majesties becoming their ninth album overall. But wait! It's not quite the end of this exercise, for we still have some stray tracks to deal with. Let's gather up all that leftover moss, shall we?
Side A (12:23)
1. Come On - 1:48
2. I Want to Be Loved - 1:52
3. Poison Ivy (Version 1) - 2:34
4. Fortune Teller - 2:17
5. I Wanna Be Your Man - 1:43
6. Stoned - 2:09
Side B (12:18)
7. Bye Bye Johnny - 2:09
8. Money - 2:31
9. Poison Ivy (Version 2) - 2:06
10. I've Been Loving You Too Long - 2:54
11. My Girl - 2:38
Side C (17:00)
12. Con Le Mie Lacrime (As Tears Go By) - 2:48
13. Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow? - 2:34
14. Who's Driving Your Plane? - 3:14
15. We Love You - 4:36
16. Dandelion - 3:48
Side D (17:20)
17. Jumpin' Jack Flash - 3:38
18. Child of the Moon - 3:12
19. Street Fighting Man (US Mono Mix) - 2:41
20. Honky Tonk Women (Single Version) - 3:00
21. You Can't Always Get What You Want (Single Edit) - 4:49
Once again following in the path of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones' Gathered Up Moss, Vol. 1 compiles all of the remaining non-album tracks from 1963 to 1969, with the final three being alternate mixes of "Street Fighting Man", "Honky Tonk Women" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want". They're not essential, for you could just as well stick with the official album versions and have a single disc album instead, with Sides C and D being just shy of 24 minutes combined. The original cover was designed by Auran.
Original sources
- Singles 1963-1965 (2004) - tracks 1, 2 and 5-9
- Saturday Club (1964) - tracks 3 and 4
- Got Live If You Want It! US (1966) - "I've Been Loving You Too Long"
- Flowers (1967) - tracks 11 and 13
- The Rolling Stones in Mono (2016) - "Con Le Mie Lacrime (As Tears Go By)"
- Singles 1965-1967 (2004) - tracks 14-16
- Singles 1968-1971 (2005) - tracks 17-21
As I stated near the top of this post, every song can easily be obtained from The Rolling Stones in Mono 2016 box set, with the exception of "Looking Tired", and although no mono mix of that song has been leaked, it can easily be folded into mono. Most of everything that didn't make the albums can be found on the bonus disc Stray Cats, which is a very reliable source for making Gathered Up Moss, Vol. 1 happen.
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