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Big Al

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treaclefingers

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Doxa

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Big Al

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DandelionPowderman
The Rolling Stones beat Some Girls chart-wise?

Not globally, of course. Some Girls is their biggest-seller overall, and it certainly is in the U.S.A. I think, however, that Rolling Stones No.2 could be their biggest-selling in the U.K. it did spend an incredible 10 weeks at #1 in early 1965.

Their debut spend even 12 weeks at #1 in UK . It is also their best selling studio album in their home country (NO 2 being second - they really peaked in popularity there then, so it's downhill ever since.. ). SOME GIRLS sold only about half of its sales there, reaching #2 at best. Interestingly, decades later, when the album market was already suffering terribly, BLUE & LONESOME managed to sell almost the same amount of copies as the big album era hit album SOME GIRLS in UK. The British love the Stones playing the blues! Cool!

- Doxa

That is trez interesting. I had no idea albums like LIB, Sticky, Exile, Some Girls, Tattoo You couldn't outsell their debut album in the UK.

It is interesting, considering that the single and EP formats were the most popular amongst the Stones’ European demographic in the 60’s. LP’s were very expensive. I’ve read elsewhere, they in terms of sheer fandom, 1965 was their peak in the U.K. yes, for five-minutes, they really were bigger than the Beatles! Regarding Some Girls: I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: it was a U.S. phenomenon. I was surprised by its unwavering popularity amongst so many of the American posters on these message boards, as I genuinely didn’t see it as being one of their ‘BIG’ releases. Perhaps not globally, but Americans surely gobbled it up. It was a popular album in the U.K. (#2) and Miss You charted in the same position, but there’s definitely not the same kind of nostalgia for it across the pond amongst that age-group who’d have purchased it in 1978.

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treaclefingers


Well and look at 1965, Satisfaction/Out of OUr Heads. I realize that song wasn't on the UK version of the album, but it's stunning that after that "pinnacle of 45 success", OOOH didn't outsell the debut album. That had to be a higher peak for them than the debut album, as you even said in 1965 for 5 minutes they were more popular now that Jesus er, the Beatles.

I'd like to see the actual sales numbers now in the UK and see just how close the album sales were against one another.

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DandelionPowderman
I can't find certified units sold for their debut album, but somewhere in the back of my head I have the number 300.000 - is that correct?

Goats Head Soup sold 100.000, and was among the best-selling albums in the UK round the "golden era", methinks.

Very interesting indeed, that their two first album sold so well in the UK!

Blue And Lonesome was more of a marketing trick, wasn't it – when they pushed out those cheap "deluxe-releases" for practically nothing round Christmas?

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Big Al

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DandelionPowderman
I can't find certified units sold for their debut album, but somewhere in the back of my head I have the number 300.000 - is that correct?

Goats Head Soup sold 100.000, and was among the best-selling albums in the UK round the "golden era", methinks.

Very interesting indeed, that their two first album sold so well in the UK!

Blue And Lonesome was more of a marketing trick, wasn't it – when they pushed out those cheap "deluxe-releases" for practically nothing round Christmas?

300,000 seems low for an album that spent 12 weeks at #1, but it could be correct. LP's were not the huge-seller in the U.K. at the time: the 45rpm was. Gold Head Soup seems low, too. I know we are a relatively small island, but Queens Greatest Hits has shifted over 6 million copies!

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Doxa
Here is some corrections to what I said above (memory makes tricks). I will give more detailed account later. Now quickly UK best selling albums (no compilations included), based on 2016 statistics:

1. EXILE 875 000 (clearly their best-selling catalog album)
2. THE ROLLING STONES 860 000
3. STICKY FINGERS 800 000
4. LET IT BLEED 700 000
5. THE ROLLING STONES NO 2 680 000

It needs to point out that the Big Four albums are steady sellers, and especially EXILE's new edition helped a lot of its sales. By contrast, the numbers for their early albums are pretty authentic, based on very much on their heyday. I mean, from where one could even purchase NO 2 these days!

Some others:

SOME GIRLS 425 000

More later!

- Doxa

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DandelionPowderman

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Doxa
Here is some corrections to what I said above (memory makes tricks). I will give more detailed account later. Now quickly UK best selling albums (no compilations included), based on 2016 statistics:

1. EXILE 875 000 (clearly their best-selling catalog album)
2. THE ROLLING STONES 860 000
3. STICKY FINGERS 800 000
4. LET IT BLEED 700 000
5. THE ROLLING STONES NO 2 680 000

It needs to point out that the Big Four albums are steady sellers, and especially EXILE's new edition helped a lot of its sales. By contrast, the numbers for their early albums are pretty authentic, based on very much on their heyday. I mean, from where one could even purchase NO 2 these days!

Some others:

SOME GIRLS 425 000

More later!

- Doxa

For quite some time they used to count double albums as two units, didn't they? Do you know if they've "cleaned up" the statistics for Exile?

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treaclefingers

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Big Al

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treaclefingers

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Doxa

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Big Al

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DandelionPowderman
The Rolling Stones beat Some Girls chart-wise?

Not globally, of course. Some Girls is their biggest-seller overall, and it certainly is in the U.S.A. I think, however, that Rolling Stones No.2 could be their biggest-selling in the U.K. it did spend an incredible 10 weeks at #1 in early 1965.

Their debut spend even 12 weeks at #1 in UK . It is also their best selling studio album in their home country (NO 2 being second - they really peaked in popularity there then, so it's downhill ever since.. ). SOME GIRLS sold only about half of its sales there, reaching #2 at best. Interestingly, decades later, when the album market was already suffering terribly, BLUE & LONESOME managed to sell almost the same amount of copies as the big album era hit album SOME GIRLS in UK. The British love the Stones playing the blues! Cool!

- Doxa

That is trez interesting. I had no idea albums like LIB, Sticky, Exile, Some Girls, Tattoo You couldn't outsell their debut album in the UK.

It is interesting, considering that the single and EP formats were the most popular amongst the Stones’ European demographic in the 60’s. LP’s were very expensive. I’ve read elsewhere, they in terms of sheer fandom, 1965 was their peak in the U.K. yes, for five-minutes, they really were bigger than the Beatles! Regarding Some Girls: I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: it was a U.S. phenomenon. I was surprised by its unwavering popularity amongst so many of the American posters on these message boards, as I genuinely didn’t see it as being one of their ‘BIG’ releases. Perhaps not globally, but Americans surely gobbled it up. It was a popular album in the U.K. (#2) and Miss You charted in the same position, but there’s definitely not the same kind of nostalgia for it across the pond amongst that age-group who’d have purchased it in 1978.

Well and look at 1965, Satisfaction/Out of OUr Heads. I realize that song wasn't on the UK version of the album, but it's stunning that after that "pinnacle of 45 success", OOOH didn't outsell the debut album. That had to be a higher peak for them than the debut album, as you even said in 1965 for 5 minutes they were more popular now that Jesus er, the Beatles.

I'd like to see the actual sales numbers now in the UK and see just how close the album sales were against one another.

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Doxa


One particular British oddity is that "The Last Time" sold more than "Satisfaction" (both number ones, of course) with which the Stones truely made a breakthrough in USA and in many other places on earth. Also OUT OF OUR HEADS only made #2 and its sales were disappointing compared to two previous albums (nowadays 350 000). In USA its equavalent was their first number one. In UK the peak of popularity had already seen...

- Doxa

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ribbelchips
Born in 1979, I started to discover the Stones backcatalogue in the late eighties via the first wave of London CD's. The booklet that came with the CDs contained an overview of all available albums in the series and for many years I thought that their second album was titled '12x5' and 'no2' was a bootleg or a compilation album . I own all of the SACD's and it's a pity they didn't re-release no 2 until the Stones In Mono boxset...

I agree with posters above that Under the Boardwalk and Susie Q are pretty weak versions of both songs. The CCR version of Susie Q is only 3 years younger but sounds SO much better and mature. On the other hand, The Stones also sounded a lot better during Beggar's Banquet of course...

Super coincidentally, I bought a pretty good 1965 mono UK copy of 'no 2' two weeks ago. The first time I actually have this album!

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UrbanSteel

Japan did have a CD release of The Rolling Stones No. 2 in 1987

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Irix

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UrbanSteel

Japan did have a CD release of The Rolling Stones No. 2 in 1987

No.2 as Mono SHM-CD in 2020 as well - [iorr.org] .

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UrbanSteel

You can find that info here [iorr.org]

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treaclefingers


Great finds! One thing I got from the first link was Ambulance ride, $25.

IN 1964!

Good lord I think you could have bought a small car for that price in 1964,

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His Majesty

Fascinating stats re their debut LP.

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His Majesty
Fascinating stats re their debut LP. A lovely wee album so it is.

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Big Al

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His Majesty
Fascinating stats re their debut LP. A lovely wee album so it is.

Oh, it's fantastic. I love the cover-shot, too. No words necessary.

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ironbelly

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georgie48
As a European, I do have the vinyl (red label) of No 2 and when I was visiting Hong Kong in the mid 80s I purchased the poor quality ABKCO CD version. Luckily ABKCO much later released a SACD version, which sounds great. I frequently enjoy listening to those 1964/1965 albums (incl. Now and 12x5). They were the basis for me to become a timeless Rolling Stones fan. My favorite of No 2 is Down The Road Apiece. A great swinger.

I am a bit puzzled.
What do you mean by 'poor quality ABKCO CD version'? ABKCO never issued No.2 on CD by ABKCO. It was issued on London in Japan three times, though, P33L-25015 (1987), P25L-25033 (1989) and POCD-1913 (1995). But those were Japanese only products. I would not call it poor.
What do you mean by 'ABKCO much later released a SACD version'? There was no SACD for No.2 as a physical media. Although it was released in mono as Hi-Res download.
[www.hdtracks.com]
Also, for very short period No.2 in mono was available in form of DSD for purchase in the USA. But there was no physical product.