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Stoneage
To me the first real Stones album is Beggar's Banquet. I don't care much about the albums made before that (or after Tattoo You). Maybe it's an age thing, I don't know. In those days singles were the main thing and they made some great singles before 1968: Satisfaction, Play With Fire, Get Off My Cloud, Paint It Black, Ruby Tuesday, Let's Spend The Night Together. On the albums however they sound like a mix of a blues epigon band and a pop band. Their first consummate LP was BB. But that's just my opinion...

Well, that makes some sense to the degree that singles were really more important than albums before 1967 or so.

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Stoneage
To me the first real Stones album is Beggar's Banquet. I don't care much about the albums made before that (or after Tattoo You). Maybe it's an age thing, I don't know. In those days singles were the main thing and they made some great singles before 1968: Satisfaction, Play With Fire, Get Off My Cloud, Paint It Black, Ruby Tuesday, Let's Spend The Night Together. On the albums however they sound like a mix of a blues epigon band and a pop band. Their first consummate LP was BB. But that's just my opinion...

I agree! The earlier albums certainly contained gems, but they were evolving as they went. By the time of BB, they had found themselves (JJF was the PROOF!) and released a cohesive album that shows the Stones having pretty much evolved into the Stones many of us have loved ever since. Each of the Big Four albums has a sound and vibe unique unto themselves. They were all about making albums that needed to be listened to as a whole rather han just collections of songs. By Exile they had truly become an entity unto themselves. Also, just my opinion...

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stonesdan60

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Stoneage
To me the first real Stones album is Beggar's Banquet. I don't care much about the albums made before that (or after Tattoo You). Maybe it's an age thing, I don't know. In those days singles were the main thing and they made some great singles before 1968: Satisfaction, Play With Fire, Get Off My Cloud, Paint It Black, Ruby Tuesday, Let's Spend The Night Together. On the albums however they sound like a mix of a blues epigon band and a pop band. Their first consummate LP was BB. But that's just my opinion...

I agree! The earlier albums certainly contained gems, but they were evolving as they went. By the time of BB, they had found themselves (JJF was the PROOF!) and released a cohesive album that shows the Stones having pretty much evolved into the Stones many of us have loved ever since. Each of the Big Four albums has a sound and vibe unique unto themselves. They were all about making albums that needed to be listened to as a whole rather han just collections of songs. By Exile they had truly become an entity unto themselves. Also, just my opinion...

Glad to hear that someone thinks alike! BB is the first modern era Stones album. If they had put all their pre-68 hit-singles on one album it would have made an excellent pop album though.

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Stoneage
To me the first real Stones album is Beggar's Banquet. I don't care much about the albums made before that (or after Tattoo You). Maybe it's an age thing, I don't know. In those days singles were the main thing and they made some great singles before 1968: Satisfaction, Play With Fire, Get Off My Cloud, Paint It Black, Ruby Tuesday, Let's Spend The Night Together. On the albums however they sound like a mix of a blues epigon band and a pop band. Their first consummate LP was BB. But that's just my opinion...

I share your opinion. I have the UK version on CD, US on cassette (never botherd getting it on CD). There is some AMAZING stuff on Aftermath, but some so-so stuff too, and some of it sounds too dated like their first few records for my tastes.

[thepowergoats.com]

The great thing about the early albums IMHO is the experimental sides in both song writing and the arrangements. Mick and Keith tried so many different styles and were very good at it. Brian was a musical swiss army knife with that always added something interesting soundwise that made the songs stand out from the rest of the competition. Although Beggars is my favorite album by the Stones I don't care much for what came after it. There are good songs of course! They found a formula that worked and stayed with it and that is understandable. But I miss their experimental side too much to really bother.

Probably my second favorite Stones album behind Sticky. People always talk about the big four but to me Aftermath is either on the same level or extremely close to the other four.

"Lyin' awake in a cold, cold sweat. Am I overdrawn, am I going in debt?
It gets worse, the older that you get. No escape from the state of confusion I'm in.

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71Tele

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Stoneage
To me the first real Stones album is Beggar's Banquet. I don't care much about the albums made before that (or after Tattoo You). Maybe it's an age thing, I don't know. In those days singles were the main thing and they made some great singles before 1968: Satisfaction, Play With Fire, Get Off My Cloud, Paint It Black, Ruby Tuesday, Let's Spend The Night Together. On the albums however they sound like a mix of a blues epigon band and a pop band. Their first consummate LP was BB. But that's just my opinion...

Well, that makes some sense to the degree that singles were really more important than albums before 1967 or so.

Probably an age thing. I disagree with this. What really established the Stones as mega stars was their first album, The Rolling Stones no.1, which spent 12 weeks at the no. 1 position in the UK. Before that their only success had been the rather lame I wanna be your man (no. 10) and the improved Not fade away (no.3). Hence the Stones were primarily an LP band, right from day one.

UK version - Def one of the finest. ever.

It's a great album: it's influence on Britpop is amazing. It also influenced Elvis Costello on This Year's Model.

However, it did cause the Stones to wonder down the blind alleys that were Between The Buttons and Satanic Majesties.

Great album - UK version all the way!! Great stuff. Going Home is even starting to grow on me!

Love Aftermath. In my top five (studio albums). So many cool songs.

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loog droog
So we can agree to disagree.

I say the U.S. version is tighter and better sequenced.

For me, an Aftermath without Out Of Time would be like a BB without Sympathy or a LIB without Gimme Shelter.

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tonterapi
The great thing about the early albums IMHO is the experimental sides in both song writing and the arrangements. Mick and Keith tried so many different styles and were very good at it. Brian was a musical swiss army knife with that always added something interesting soundwise that made the songs stand out from the rest of the competition. Although Beggars is my favorite album by the Stones I don't care much for what came after it. There are good songs of course! They found a formula that worked and stayed with it and that is understandable. But I miss their experimental side too much to really bother.

This is an important point, and I think the 'maturity' they achieved in BEGGARS BANQUET - or one could say: found their own voice - had some costs and one of them certainly was that of losing the experimentalism in music, including song structrures as well as instruments and different sounds. That sort of mark of adventurous, idealistic young mind is a value of its own. AFTERMATH is the landmark of that, and its fresh, natural experimentalism is simply capturing. They had finally totally freed themselves from that 'blues box' they born with it, and were ready to do anything. They sound like their mind is totally free - there is no constraints, formulas, or habits of action in their mind at all. They would never be so 'fresh' and positively 'naive' again. Having that spirit. Surely, would make better albums and songs, perfect the musical styles and all, but not capturing that feel again.

In a way I can understand why some people find AFTERMATH the last great Rolling Stones albums - with BETWEEN THE BUTTONS and THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES their experimentalism wasn't so free-going and so naturally going on as in AFTERMATH, and with BEGGARS BANQUET they start a whole new game in perfecting (American) styles, and with its 'back to roots' nature.

- Doxa



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2012-04-27 09:53 by Doxa.

Considering the single/album debate here, for me - who only can think of AFTERMATH in its UK setting - the smash single "Paint It Black"/"Long Long While" organically belongs to the same concept. Can't think them separatively, but to listened next to ech other. It makes the album more unique and an artistic statement of its own when not including the 'obvious' radio hit single. Can't actually think there single hits, but more as constisting of some extreme profilic album cuts, such as "Under My Thumb", and "Mother's Little Helper". Even the fact that they end up weighting quantity over quality (thinking especially the B-side) sounds like a statement and makes the album more profilic.

But of course, the people used to US version see the whole thing differently In a way the US package is more compact (and probably easier to listen these days), but to my ears it lacks some special charm the album has. Of course, the same could be say of BETWEEN THE BUTTONS as well. But don't see me claiming here which is 'right' version. There is none.

- Doxa



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2012-04-27 10:14 by Doxa.

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Doxa
But don't see me claiming here which is 'right' version. There is none.

- Doxa

I would rather say both...

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Thommie

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Doxa
But don't see me claiming here which is 'right' version. There is none.

- Doxa

I would rather say both...

- Doxa

I like both versions of he album, too ..one of the classics.

Great album,both US and UK versions,but I prefer the US mono version. Brian Jones fan's favorite Stones album I would think.

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tomcasagranda
It's a great album: it's influence on Britpop is amazing. It also influenced Elvis Costello on This Year's Model.

However, it did cause the Stones to wonder down the blind alleys that were Between The Buttons and Satanic Majesties.

Blind alleys = BTButtons. That's nuts! BTButtons is a great great album

Well for my money, Aftermath is the best with BB a close second.
I like all the LP's up to Aftermath.
Could have done with Sat MR and glad they came back with BB

Brian provides just the right touch to make them extraordinary songs.
I grew up with the US version so that works for me.
66 was also the first time I saw them live.

Most of what came after BB I could do without with a few exceptions.

Marv Peck

Y'all remember that rubber legged boy

Aftermath rules!

To me the album (UK version) has always been way more important than some of the other 1966 albums that critics always and mechanically drops as "classics". For example, I consider Beach Boys Pet Sound (which is obligatory for critics to refer to in Top 10 settings) as lame compare to Aftermath. But music journalists are group animals, and years ago they agreed on "Pet Sounds as one of the greatest album ever (and Aftermath as a lackluster album). If you want to consider yourself hip you must stick to that opinion.

Each time I listen to Aftermath I am thinking that heroin and various addictions have destroyed a part of their genious (maybe they could have made a better music without it).

But when I listen to Sticky Fingers, I think that their addiction were not so strong after all. Sometimes I think that their relationship with drugs was very exaggerated by medias and themselves.

But Aftermath is one of my favourites (on my top 5, with sticky fingers).

Afermath--stil my no. 1 Stones Record.