I'm listening to this album right now for the first time in quite a while. I honestly can't believe how good and solid it really is. There really isn't a bad number and though it's nearly all cover versions, each is done with real conviction. In an era when albums played second fiddle to singles, the Stones showed they were true masters. I'm actually listening to the UK version, which with Route 66 as the opener, I consider to be a little stronger.

What's everyone else’s opinion on their debut long player and how do you rate it? I'd rank it up there near the top. Okay, it's not up there with the big 4, but boy it's one of their best. Despite finding most of their pre-Beggars Banquet albums enjoyable, I've always thought of the 60's Stones as primarily a fantastic singles band and little more. If that’s your current viewpoint, this could be the release to make you think again.

one of the best rock'n'roll debuts ever......mostly covers....but no complaints here.....their youthful rawness and adrenalin is stamped all over this lp...though their songwriting talents hadn't bloomed yet, their raw, energetic sound was there from the get-go

i love it... i play it alot.
They're early output makes a fantastic listen, even now

Love it too. It has a unity of sound and mood that does make it a real album, as well as Out of Our Heads (UK version) and N°2 (unfortunately left out of the remasterings).

It's also striking how much they improved and how fast since the demos "Roadrunner, Diddley Daddy, I want to be loved etc.", especially Jagger who suddenly found his growl.

This is in my opinion one of their strongest albums they ever made. Pure straight R&B done kind of live in a small studio with eggboxes all over the walls. Just amaizing elpee. And I also like the UK version better that the US. Still I do not understand why Mr Klein did not put out the UK vesrion on SACD as well.

Jan Richards

[www.stonesondecca.com]

They released the UK versions of Out Of Our Heads, Aftermath and Between The Buttons. Maybe with the first two, it was because there was significant diffrences with the United States versions, but there is only a couple of songs which are different between the two versions of Between The Buttons, so why not release their UK debut as well? They did once, as I have the 1984 CD release of it. I do get the impression that as Abcko is an American company, they still view their versions as the original and as The Rolling Stones No 2 wasn’t even released in the States at the time, maybe that’s why it's been overlooked.

Comparing this to later albums is unfair, there had been nothing like it in England when it came out. The English cover had no name or anything on it, which was unique. We had little access to blues, even white versions, so it was a revelation to hear Chuck Berry, Rufus Thomas, etc. sort of stuff.

What they did with a 2-track still stands up even by today's standards ( to give him his due Geoerge Martin was doing equally amazing things with the Beatles).

They were good imitators, but check out their arrangement of Route 66, a far cry from Nat's original version & Keith's blistering solo on that cheap Harmony guitar...

I'd been hooked since I first saw them do Not Fade Away on Ready Steady Go, but that first album is the reason I'm talking to you folks now & it still has a soft spot in my heart, Brian's original concept of the bluesy Stones, as opposed to the Pop Stones, & then later, the Rock-n-Roll Stones.

Anything pre-Beggars its heavy BJ influence. Haven't listen to ENHM in a while. Very good stuff esp considering that was 40+ yrs ago.

I believe the stones version of Route 66 was inspired by Chuck Berrys cover of it. To hear his version check out the recent compilation Blues. It also has version of Confessin the Blues, another version that inspired the stones.
As for the album itself, a great album, albeit short. I wish they would give us a better version, like a deluxe version that includes all outtakes and such so as to get a true feel of the stones in 1964.

Original version of Confessin' The Blues by Walter Brown with Jay Mc Shann Orchestra - Dallas Texas-30 April 1941

[s39.yousendit.com]



ROCKMAN

Now I didn't know that Chuck had done Route 66, Anyone got it?

yeah, how did those cats get so *good* so impossibly young?! it's like they fell to earth just made to do this.
and chargin out of the gate with energy like that, what else could they do but never never never stop?
you can hear the whole freakin avalanche to come in those early albums - signs & wonders, signs & wonders ... and this planet *still* don't know what hit it.


- 1964, by John Hopkins

I would love to see them play an arena or club show featuring the cuts from ENHM.

One thing that struck me while listening to the record last night is how much it sticks out from their other early LP's. It really does stand-alone. What you're hearing on England’s Newest Hitmakers is what you'd get at an early live show of theirs. After that record, they quite swiftly moved away from the blues and started exploring things like soul. The Rolling Stones No 2 (released 8 months later) is very different. The blues is STILL there, but already the boys were changing direction. Another comparison to emphasise the albums individuality is with their early 45's and their first EP. There’s nothing bluesy about Come On or I Want To Be Loved. The Stones always made out they were a blues band back then, but to hear their debut for the first time must have been quite something.

It's my favourite album alongside Out Of Our Heads.

I don't see it as quite so different from the other early albums, all of which I hold in high esteem, except for 1) that it was all recorded at the same sessions 2) it's not recorded as well, pretty crappy in fact.

It's maybe more bluesy than the next couple of records but there's also soul/r&b ("Can I Get a Witness," "Now I've Got a Witness") and Merseybeat/folk rock ("Tell Me"). Not to mention rock & roll ("Route 66," "Carol"). Not sure where I'd rank it, but it's got a lot of adolescent energy and must be one of the best first albums of all time.