13th Feb - The Rolling Stones' The Rolling Stones, Now!

Artist – Album: The Rolling Stones – The Rolling Stones, Now!

Released:  13^th February 1965    

Sounds Like: The beginning of something special

I feel like I’m cheating a little bit including this album on my blog. Technically The Rolling Stones, Now! is just various other The Rolling Stones releases rehashed and repackaged for an eager US audience. But... it was released on this day 48 years ago, and it’s the only album I have for this day, and it is pretty good, so let’s roll with it.

For those of us who only (only!) know The Rolling Stones for their seven hundred gazillion hit singles, this collection of songs comes as something of a shock. Only four of the twelve were penned by Jagger and Richards and, generally speaking, they’re the weakest. It’s quite clear that the band know this though, as they kick off with three delicious R&B and blues rock covers. They turn in a credible version of ‘Everybody Needs Somebody to Love’ and follow it up with great interpretations of ‘Down Home Girl’ and ‘You Can’t Catch Me’.

At this stage in their careers, the sometime dubbed World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band were merely good covers group, able to get a party started with their R&B tendencies but hardly a headline act. The signs were there though. 

A good indicator of their huge potential comes with the closing couplet. Their version of ‘Little Red Rooster’ is a hypnotic reimagining of a blues standard that made the top spot in the UK charts, whilst ‘Surprise Surprise’ is an original composition that isn’t all that original, but it is really enjoyable, like the best that the Stones have done.

Albumaday... rating: 7/10

1.       Everybody Needs Somebody to Love – 3:00

2.       Down Home Girl – 4:13

3.       You Can’t Catch Me – 3:40

4.       Heart of Stone – 2:49

5.       What a Shame – 3:06

6.       Mona (I Need You Baby) – 3:35

7.       Down the Road Apiece – 2:56

8.       Off the Hook – 2:36

9.       Pain in My Heart – 2:12

10.   Oh Baby (We Got a Good Thing Goin’) – 2:06

11.   Little Red Rooster – 3:04

12.   Surprise, Surprise – 2:29

Listen to ‘Serious Serious’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb3jLhA7A9A