I have to totally disagree with Mathis. The Stones are not followers at all. Who did they copy Satisfaction from? I think all the bands/performers of the early 60s were somewhat influenced by each other as they were all about the same age going through the same issues.

The Stones really don't compare well to the Beatles/Beach Boys/Dylan in that they were playing different music then they were. The Beatles & Beach Boys were definately more pop orientated, and Dylan was folk/protest anthems. The Stones were more R&B flavored, which never has sold as well as pop. Early Beatles songs like She Loves You & I Want to Hold Your hand are pure pop, compared with King Bee or I lust Want to Make Love to You, R&B. The Beatles songs will sell more, but the Stones songs are deeper, more mature.

As for Aftermath, it is somewhat eclectric. It is a very English sounding LP, and has a somewhat diverse song list. I always looked at this LP as the Stones changing to more of a pop band, from the R&B blues band. A very much underappreciated LP MLH was like nothing else at the time, and the "put down" songs like Out of Time, Stupid Girl etc. were very much ahead of its time. Aftermath is truly a classic LP that should be enjoyed.

Interestingly enough I did not like AFTERMATH too much, I can't help it.
Interestingly enough I always preferd BETWEEN THE BUTTONS (British version) over AFTERMATH.

Although there are some good songs on AFTERMATH the entire album never had much appeal for me. I don't know why, it just is.

Coda to my last post: Over the years I learned that it makes a difference if you rate some songs on an album or the album as a whole. I like many albums (for example BEGGARS BANQUET or BETWEEN THE BUTTONS) as sort of a 'concept' and not so much because of the individual songs. Therefore I can speak of a strong album although I edoubt if I liked a specific song outside of the context.

saturn57, Satisfaction has a motown beat and feel... so not entirely original.

I agree that all 60s musicians were influenced by each other. I think 'musical fashion' plays a part though...... When I say fashion, I mean, what was considered (by the critics, the fans, the musicians) to be *the* music to be producing at any particaular time. This was also constantly changing as popular music was trying to find its identity.

The Stones were as influential as much as they were themselves influenced. They copied their R&B heroes, but they also (during 1968 onwards) helped to bring R&B back to the fore again.

I would say that R&B did sell reasonably well in the 60s though, more so than now. This is because in the 60s, mainstream popular music and R&B were much closer to each other than they are now.

(Let's not confuse 60s R&B with modern "R&B" by the way, ie Whitney Houston etc!)

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I have to totally disagree with Mathis. The Stones are not followers at all. Who did they copy Satisfaction from?

The guitar riff has a very Motown horn section sound to it (Martha and the Vendellas come to mind), and of course the line "I Can't Get no Satisfaction" was lifted from a Chuck Berry song.

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The Stones really don't compare well to the Beatles/Beach Boys/Dylan in that they were playing different music then they were. The Beatles & Beach Boys were definately more pop orientated, and Dylan was folk/protest anthems. The Stones were more R&B flavored, which never has sold as well as pop.

I agree, and in my opinion this is the reason why the Stones are more followers of fashion than making it. The Stones have always been in essence a blues based rock band, and this style is limiting. They never went out of their way like Dylan did, or like the Beatles did. The Stones have always been the same: makers of very good, and sometimes excellent, rock albums. Nothing more, nothing less. Of course, live they were the greatest band in the world.

Mathijs

No doubt that Aftermath has it's very own merits. And songs like "Under my Thumb" or "Paint It Black were as strong and new (at least partially) as anything by the Beatles or Dylan. But even then it seems clear to me why it's not considered as weighty (or "epic" as Mathijs calls it) as it's competitors.

The thing is that many of it's songs seem a little bit...underdeveloped, like for example "What To Do" or "Flight 505". They aren't "rootsy" anymore and they aren't clever pop songs still, nor are they epic tracks like the prime examples from Dylan's Blonde On Blonde. The result seems to be that many people put Aftermath in the "lightwheight" category - charming but not "mature" enough.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-07-16 11:45 by Greenblues.

Just to add a couple of things regarding Pet Sounds/Brian Wislon which has been disuseed.

Brian Wilson is no doubt a genious but He didn't write Pet Sounds COMPLETLEY on his own, he had the help of Tony Asher. I guess he mainly helped with the lyrics though. Also, remember that Pet Sounds did have one cover on it, sloop John B.

I do agree that the stones remain more of a cover band than other artists but Brian Wilson is not without his influneces like boogie and doo-wop. And One can't help but hear Phil Spector in a lot of his songs.


I dont think the Stones more or less great than Brian Wislon/Beach Boys. They just have different stregths and musical styles. Pet sounds overall I think is a better album than Aftermath but It is on par with Beggars Banquet or Let It Bleed.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2008-07-17 18:34 by ryanpow.

I was around nine when Aftermath came out. My older brother had some records, including Aftermath. I was listening to the Monkees and the Beatles.

That album came out at a moment in my childhood when a passion for music took hold forever. And during the next few years, my passion for this new band, The Rolling Stones, overtook the mild enthusiasm my brother had.

In a time before warhorses -- no JJF or HTW or Brown Sugar or Start Me Up -- kid brother eventually stole and wore out that copy of Aftermath...



Not underrated or overrated .... just great.

Aftermath is a unique album. A consistent pop sound with the genius of Brian Jones that transpires in every song. Superb lyrics here and there. In the same vein as Pet Sounds. Unique also in the sense that it announces Let It Bleed in many ways. Would Gimme Shelter have ever existed without I'm Free or Goin'Home.
Unique also by the fact that it instantly comes up as a "group"album, which is not always the kind for Stones LPs. Could be of some interest for this band to rerecord today. Unique also for the chaotic sound of Flight 505 or High and Dry.

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phd
Unique also by the fact that it instantly comes up as a "group"album, which is not always the kind for Stones LPs.

yes, I think it's the high point for the Stones as a group, whereas the albums immediately following were confused by internal problems, then from the 70s on it became more typical for the group to work in a more fragmented way, sometimes with random personnel (such as "IORR"). Some Girls is something of a return to the group concept, but in terms of writing is dominated by mick for the first 8 or so songs.

Here is an incredible and knowledgable essay recently written and posted at beggarsbanquet at Yahoo groups.
Please read and enjoy!




The AWESOME TRIO ~ The Rolling Stones 1966-67

-Paul Kopilak



Part 1: “Aftermath”

Miriam Webster defines “Aftermath” in three possible descriptions.

Etymology: 4after + mathematics (mowing, crop)

Date: 1523

1: a second growth crop <called also “rowen” >

2: consequence, result <stricken with guilt as an aftermath of the accident>

3: the period following usually a ruinous event <in the aftermath of the war>

To the ardent fan of the Rolling Stones, “Aftermath” represents something entirely different. To the Rolling Stones fan, particularly the ones around in the 1960’s, “Aftermath” is a major landmark in the history of this band.

Whether or not it’s your personal favorite as it is mine, this particular album was a groundbreaker on two fronts. First, this was the very earliest album of songs completely composed by the song writing team of Mick Jagger/Keith Richards. The band had composed several tracks on earlier albums including their signature song, “[I Can’t Get No] Satisfaction” but for the most part, many of the earlier albums and e.p.’s were assemblies of r’n’b and blues cover tunes. Paying homage to the likes of heroes such as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and rockers like Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry, the Stones were happy just covering their favorite songs, obscure and otherwise.

It was the insight of their knowledgeable producer, one Andrew Loog Oldham, who had the foresight to realize that stardom and success was dependant on succeeding as songwriters much as their rivals, the Beatles had done. Indeed, one of their first singles was the Beatles’ “I Wanna Be Your Man”, a Lennon/McCartney composition. Legend has it that Andrew locked both Mick and Keith in a kitchen and told them he wouldn’t let them out until they composed a usable song. Reportedly, the result was their second U.S. single, “Tell Me”. It wasn’t until 1966, when the Rolling Stones released “Aftermath” on both sides of the Atlantic, that an entire collection of songs would be entirely composed by Jagger and Richards. Were that the only thing to set “Aftermath” apart, it would alone have earned its mark in the band’s history. It was not.

When listening to the album, choosing the American issue or the British release, two things immediately become evident. The Rolling Stones are accomplished multi-instrument musicians and the music itself throughout the album would illustrate not one but all of the directions the Stones would explore in future years. Brian Jones outstanding performances on dulcimer and sitar would premiere later psychedelic themes featured on “Their Satanic Majesties Request”. The acoustic country blues with Mick’s able harp work on “High & Dry” would give hints of some of the themes presented in ‘68’s “Beggar’s Banquet”. The style of the songs covered everything from the current rock music of the day to blues, r’n’b and country music. None of the other Rolling Stones albums before had so completely covered so many genres that The Stones would later explore. This was the first and possibly the only album to cover such a broad spectrum of various music styles until the release of “Beggar’s Banquet” which would not come out for another two years.

Aside from self-penned songs, “Aftermath” shared a totally different track list on both sides of the pond. In the U.S. issue, as would follow suit with earlier releases, the current hit single “Paint It Black”/”Lady Jane” would be included in the line-up. However, in the U.K., while “Paint It Black” was omitted from the album, their newer single “Mother’s Little Helper” was not. Additionally, sporting fourteen tracks as opposed to the U.S. version with only eleven numbers, the Piccadilly set got to enjoy this release on April 15th of 1966. It would not see a U.S. market until July 1st of that year.

“Aftermath” was actually born out of sessions originally begun during the winter months of 1965. Having just finished a successful tour, the band entered RCA Studios from December 3rd through the 8th and recorded…Mother’s Little Helper, Doncha Bother Me, Think, 19th Nervous Breakdown, Sad Day, Sitting On A Fence, Going Home, Take It Or Leave It, Lookin’ Tired, Ride On, Baby and Aftermath.

Clearly enough to assemble an album, the Rolling Stones approached their label with the following tracks lined up for a forthcoming album which they had intended as their next release…

Side 1: “19th Nervous Breakdown” / “Sad Day” / “Take It Or Leave It” / “Think”

/ “Mother’s Little Helper”

Side 2: “Goin’ Home” / “Sitting On A Fence” / “Doncha Bother Me”

/ “Ride On, Baby” / “Lookin’ Tired”



Unfortunately, the title for the release did little to endear them to their perspective employers. Decca / London Records were, by no means, thrilled with using the title… “Could YOU Walk On Water”. Blasphemy aside, the Rolling Stones were already the subject of every scandal imaginable from sex to drugs and violence with several of Brian’s lady friends accusing the guitarist of getting too physical.

The Stones held fast to their decision. Having sported several successful singles for the label, they were flexing their muscles hoping the label would finally give in to them. By March, 1966 - the label had yet to soften its response and the Stones returned to RCA Studios on March 6th through 9th to record the remaining material from which the final “Aftermath” album would emerge…

“Lady Jane” / “Paint It Black” / “Flight 505” / “High & Dry” / “It’s Not Easy”

/ “I Am Waiting” / “Long, Long While” / “Out Of Time” [short version]

/ “Out Of Time” [long version] / “Stupid Girl” / “Under My Thumb”

/”What To Do” / “Tracks Of My Tears” [Smokey Robinson cover]*



*Unreleased even on bootleg recordings, this title remains unheard by the fans.



The finalized track line-up was…

Side 1:

1. Paint It Black [U.S.] - With a sort of flamenco feel to the melody but played on sitar, this was one of those songs that left folks standing there with their jaw on the floor as they heard this for the 1st time. Sure the Beatles [specifically George] had already introduced us to this bizarre Indian instrument called the sitar but the songs the Beatles recorded had that Indian flavor to them. In this case we were hearing a bona fide rock number featuring an exotic instrument with a classic Spanish feel to it accompanied by a drumming frenzy from Charlie with the energy of a runaway locomotive! Nothing like this had ever been done before or since! Keith's guitar was the perfect compliment and in instrumental or vocal take as on the album, this one was a landmark composition.

1. Mother’s Little Helper [U.K.] - Was released as a single in both the U.S. and Europe but would not make it onto an album in the U.S. until the compilation, "Flowers" came out in July of 1967.

2. Stupid Girl [U.S. & U.K.] was featured as the b-side to "Paint It Black" in the U.S. The U.K. version had "Long, Long While" on its b-side. Oddly enough, one N.Y. radio station mistakenly played this track in the spring of 1967 introducing it as a sample of the then unreleased, "Flowers" album. This snafu sent me on a frantic search for the rest of the decade in pursuit of this recording. No one I spoke with in the U.S. had any idea of what it was as I attempted to hum, sing or describe it to them. It wasn't until 1969 when I started collecting European vinyl singles that I realized where the song came from.

3. Lady Jane [U.S. & U.K.] was also the b-side in both countries of the hit single, "Mother's Little Helper". This was the third among what would be several very "English" flavored acoustic ballads which the Rolling Stones would become noted for.

4. Under My Thumb [U.S. & U.K.] - While a favorite of Stones fans and the band as well, judging from its multiple appearances on stage, this won no applause from the feminists in its harsh "master / servant" themed lyrics. While a standard guitar drenched rocker featured on many "Greatest Hits" collections, this was not released as a single in either the U.S. or the U.K.

5. Doncha Bother Me [U.S. & U.K.] - The "king bee" tells his date she's a pain in the ass and to take a hike! This has that same stinger twang guitar as on "I'm A King Bee" but much more aggressive, accompanied by a rhythm you can ride on furnished by Charlie's fine drumming and Bill's thumping bass.

6. Think [U.S.] - An interesting up-tempo rocker with a loose r'n'b feel to it, this has always been one of my favorites but featured on both the U.S. and U.K. version, it's not one of the more unique or hit numbers. For that reason, it's always a refreshing experience when I revisit this album as I seem to forget as time passes just how much I enjoy this number. Not to say it couldn't have been a hit. There's been more than one Stones fan who's remarked to me this is their favorite track on the album so who knows? It may have climbed the charts were it only given a chance.

6. Goin’ Home [U.K.] - Though placed at different points in the track listing on the U.K. [finishing side 1] and the U.S. ending the album this is regardless the pinnacle of the album and stands the test of time in relevance and composition. It's THE NUMBER to exemplify the amazing songwriting skill of the Jagger/Richards team in the sixties but would give any composition in any era a run for its money. In many ways, it's several songs in one. At one point it's a playful bluesy ballad, in another, a growling r'n'b alike a fiery James Brown number. In still other passages, one could almost hear a pre-cursor to the rap genre and at other passages, just plain old rock'n'roll. Breaking boundaries of all sorts in its day, it progresses through the various styles along better than eleven minutes in running time. This is something that was unthinkable on a rock album up to this point so in many ways, this track broke ground and led the way for a vast amount of experimentation and jams that would follow in the ensuing years.











Side 2:

1. Flight 505 [U.S. & U.K.] - The flighty piano opening this track is reminiscent of the old ragtime music but the bouncy rhythm kicking in gives it a rock and blues feel. A memorable lyric with the protagonist finds himself, enjoying a drink and regretting his leaving home with a sense of adventure only to find him on board a flight which was doomed to an inevitable crash.

2. High & Dry [U.S. & U.K.] - Another clever little blues ditty sure to anger the feminists of the day as the harmonica drenched lyrics tell the tale of a lover who chasing a woman solely for her money has found she's abandoned him but is at the same time filled with relief that he wasn't in love…"Next time I'll make sure that the girl will be much poorer!"

3. It’s Not Easy [U.S.] - A driving hard rocking number with plenty of guitar, a raucous piano and pulsing drum beat, the lyrics center around the difficulties of maintaining a successful and satisfying relationship while at the same time keeping oneself, happy.

3. Out Of Time [Long Version] [U.K.] - To date there are three very different versions of this number with this one being the longest. About two minutes longer than both the other versions, this track was only available on the U.K. "Aftermath" and unavailable stateside except as an import.

4. I Am Waiting [U.S.] - Though much shorter in length, this is another strange experiment similar in nature to "Goin' Home" in that two distinct timings are used in this number. Starting out in a haunting almost call out ballad, repeating…"I am wait-ing, I am wait-ing, Oh, Yeah. Oh, Yeah" followed by a responsive rocking tempo, i.e. "See the coming years, desolation fears. Oh, yes you will find out. Like a winter storm, fears will pierce your bones. You'll find out…" then returning back to the call out…

"I am wait-ing". The unusual timing scheme and haunting music, almost a rock ballad, lends itself to having been used in several film settings.

4. It’s Not Easy [U.K.]

5. Going Home [U.S.]

5. I Am Waiting [U.K.]

6. Take It Or Leave It [U.K.] - Using an organ in an r'n'b tempo, this lament has the lover telling his woman she needs to stop taking direction from her friends if she expects the relationship to last. With an almost ballad like feel to it, one could mistake it for a love song until the lyrics set in and then it's plainly typical Rolling Stones doing what they do best!

7. Think [U.K.]

8. What To Do [U.K.] - A short little rocking number which would remain only available on the U.K. release until "More Hot Rocks" was issued several years later in the U.S. Only the savvy stateside collector got to hear it before then, providing they could find that obscure record shop that could import foreign vinyl.











Part 2: "Between The Buttons" -

…Between The Buttons, Between The Pages

From r'n'b squires to respectable stages…

Learning much apparently both from the success and flexing their creative muscle in "Aftermath", the Rolling Stones continued from August 3rd to the 11th of 1966 with writing and experimenting with new ideas again in RCA Studios in Hollywood. "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadows?" / "Who's Driving Your Plane?" / "Connection" / "Miss Amanda Jones" / "Who's Been Sleeping Here?" / "All Sold Out" / "Back Street Girl" / "Let's Spend The Night Together" / "Please Go Home" / "Cool, Calm, Collected" and "Something Happened To Me Yesterday" were all done during these sessions.

Moving the recording sessions to Olympic Studios in London from November 9th to December 13th, the band would record the remainder of the tracks which would be used for "Between The Buttons" and a few which would grace the "Flowers" compilation album which would later follow it. The tracks laid down during these dates were as follows…"Ruby Tuesday" / "If You Let Me" / "Let's Spend The Night Together" / "She Smiled Sweetly" / "My Obsession" / "Yesterday's Papers" / "Complicated" / "Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Sad" / "Dandelion" and several takes of the numbers they'd worked on at RCA. The finishing touches for "Between The Buttons" were put down at Olympic Studios on January 3rd through 6th of 1967. The single, "Ruby Tuesday"/ "Let's Spend The Night Together" was released a few days later on January 13th and "Between The Buttons" made it's debut in the U.K. on January 20th, once again with a different line-up than what would grace the U.S. release on February 10th, 1967. This time both albums would feature the exact number of songs and those would be the same compositions with the main difference being that "Back Street Girl" and "Please Go Home", a ballad and hard edged rocker, would be replaced with the current single tracks - "Ruby Tuesday" / "Let's Spend The Night Together"…

Side 1:

1. "Yesterday's Papers" [U.K.] - Every so often, especially during the London/Decca period, the Stones would do a number that just showcased Charlie Watts' amazing talents to the point one realizes immediately why many call him one of the finest drummers in the world. The speed and timing are so quick and tight, many describe it as a "snap". "Get Off My Cloud" was one such song. "Yesterday's Papers" would also fit into that group. In fact, when trying to conjure this song in one's memory, It's Charlie's perfectly timed beats that immediately come to mind.

1. "Let's Spend The Night Together" [U.S.] - was for 1967 not just risqué but downright audio porn by many standards. Having long been favorites [in terms of ratings anyhow on the Ed Sullivan show, he was absolutely adamant they would not do this song without changing the lyrics. Being very un-Stones like, they consented. While some fans and Mick himself thought they should have gone on and done the tartly lyrics anyway, the incident has given them just about as much if not more press and exposure right up to this day! This was actually intended by the group and Oldham to be the hit side of the record and it was in Europe. DJ's in the U.S. were not playing it so it ended up as the B-Side of "Ruby Tuesday" in the States and "Ruby Tuesday", the intended B-Side ended up a huge hit making it a double hit single, something not often seen by many artists.

2. "My Obsession" [U.K.] - A guitar-driven ditty that was good enough it could have been a single and the bouncing rock beat was current enough in it's day that it may have actually been a hit. Definitely not a bad album track in any event.

2. "Yesterday's Papers [U.S.] - Going through women as quickly as most folk go through newspapers, this was a most fitting anthem for the Stones and left no doubt it was Jagger, the lyricist at his best. Some outstanding keyboards on this one as well.

3. "Back Street Girl" [U.K.] - Used in place of "Ruby Tuesday" on the European release, like the aforementioned tune, this was a ballad with a recorder as the main instrument adeptly played by Brian Jones. Revolutionary in rock at the time as the standard instruments for rock were guitar, keyboards and drums. The Stones went out on a limb with "Aftermath" utilizing sitar and dulcimer to yield fantastic results so they were up for another challenge in the follow up release. This one tells the tale of a protagonist basically telling his mistress to stay in her place, no doubt another fitting lyrical set to match the Stones lifestyles.

3. "Ruby Tuesday" [U.S.] - Rocketing up the charts as the inevitable a-side of the current single, this ballad joined "Let's Spend The Night Together" on the U.S. issue of "Between The Buttons". Unlike "Back Street Girl", the lyrics here were about an elusive girl who refuses to commit or be tied down. So impressed with this song, two fans of the group, students at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville decided to name the restaurant they pooled their money to open after this song. It would later grow to a major chain with restaurants opening all over the country today.

4. "Connection" [U.K.]

4. "Connection" [U.S.] - Disputably called the first Jagger / Richards duet, it hardly sticks. Keith shares vocals on all the choruses but doesn't sing a single verse. It most likely is his composition however as he's done it with the Winos and sings it exclusively in performances during the recent "Bigger Bang Tour". There are allusions to drugs in the lyrics and it has the typical Keith riffs driving this rocker which lends further evidence to this being his song despite the Jagger/Richards credits on the track.

5. "She Smiled Sweetly" [U.K.]

5. "She Smiled Sweetly" [U.S.] - One of their finest early ballads, this beautiful love song would not make a stage appearance till their club date at the Roseland in N.Y.C. during the LICKS Tour. Drenched in beautiful acoustic guitars, accompanied with a mellow back beat from Charlie, Mick is playing the crooner here and does a damn noble job of it!

6. "Cool, Calm, Collected" [U.K.]

5. "Cool, Calm, Collected" [U.S.] - More Sitar and guitars accompany what could easily be called a "filler" track as the music itself seems to wander aimlessly, changing back and forth through musical schemes that just don't seem to belong together but it is the Stones and as on some of the other numbers, they are experimenting. Some of those experiments work well and some…















Side 2:

1. "All Sold Out" [U.K.]

1. "All Sold Out" [U.S.] - Between 1966 and 1969, I think there were numerous songs that could have been massive hits were they released as singles. Alas they were not. Some like "I'm Going Down" from the "Let It Bleed" sessions would sit in a vault completely ignored until some fitting compilation would rescue them from obscurity. Still others, "Under My Thumb" and this one would be out only as album tracks, despite the fact that many of these tracks were superior to many of the singles that were selected for the charts. This rocker of a lover spurned has all the makings of a true rock and roll song from the explosive drums to the blazing electric guitars. No doubt this was one of the songs you would keep bringing the needle back to the beginning for replays!

2. "Please Go Home" [U.K.] Used on the European version in place of "Let's Spend The Night Together", like it's counterpart, it was a similarly structured rocker, heavy on fuzzy electric guitars, a strong drum and bass supported by pleading vocals emoted perfectly by Mick.

2. "My Obsession" [U.S.]

3. "Who's Been Sleeping Here?" [U.K.]

3. "Who's Been Sleeping Here?" - Another brilliant ballad where the lover is confronting his lady with demands to her confession as to who she's been cheating with. Again the sexual innuendo so frowned on in the day helped to further establish the band's "Bad Boys" reputation as opposed to the more tame Beatles at the time warbling of the marvels on "Penny Lane".

4. "Complicated" [U.K.]

4. "Complicated [U.S.] - More frustrations on the ambiguities of women and like many of the tracks on these albums, Charlie is clearly the leader as the drums are the driver here with a pulsing beat that stays in your head long after the song is over.

5. "Miss Amanda Jones" [U.K.]

5. "Miss Amanda Jones" [U.S.] - An up-tempo though hardly danceable number, both Mick and Keith have said the "Miss Amanda Jones" they are writing about in this number is no more than a parody of Mr. Brian Jones who's drug fueled paranoia and fear of losing the band's leadership was making him ever increasingly difficult to get along with.

6. "Something Happened To Me Yesterday" [U.K.]

6. "Something Happened To Me Yesterday" [U.S.] - Another one of those songs with countless tales surmising the drug references and satire on British society types, I doubt even the Stones recall what these strange lyrics mean or what they intended by them at the time they were written though the allusions to LSD which the Stones were experimenting with at the time.















Flowers



Side 1:

1. "Ruby Tuesday"

2. "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadows?" - Recorded at RCA studios during the "Aftermath"/"Between The Buttons" sessions, it's hard to imagine how such a great and energetic hit single escaped placement on either of these albums and would not see the stereo release or l.p. placement until this compilation arrived. Equally puzzling was the omission of it's incredible b-side, the bluesy harp drenched, "Who's Driving Your Plane" not to appear on any album until "More Hot Rocks" was released and to this day unavailable in stereo, a format, which I have little doubt they recorded it in.

3. "Let's Spend The Night Together"

4. "Lady Jane"

5. "Out Of Time" [short version] - Oddly enough, this is the more commonly known version in the States as the longer original on "Aftermath" would not see a U.S. issue until the release of "Aftermath - The UK Edition" on SACD re-masters, though it was readily available on order from distributors as an import title.

6. "My Girl"- No it's not David Ruffin and no, it's not the Temptations but it is a damn good cover in my opinion from the snapping fingers to Bill Perkins thumping bass, Mick is giving it his soulful best. Could have lived without the string section which was actually, an add-on for this album [the original recording from Chess studios had no strings! We have yet to hear the untouched original!] Still, the boys do a convincing cover here just the same.



Side 2:

1. "Back Street Girl"

2. "Please Go Home"

3. "Mother's Little Helper"

4. "Take It Or Leave It"

5. "Ride On, Baby"- My personal favorite track on the album, this was another song that's absence from the charts left me baffled. This was a classic Stones rocker in every sense of the word! Snarling suggestive lyrics, twin guitar assault and rhythmic keyboards accompanied by rolling drums! There's even what sounds like a marimba on here, possibly the result of further experimentation by Brian. Could have been and should have been a #1 hit!





Finishing up Side 2 is yet another leftover from the shelved beginnings that was

"Could YOU Walk On Water" Such powerful and gifted talent to start in such a humble start. The Rolling Stones laid out some incredible tracks in RCA studios and if the vaults ever are opened, there is a golden opportunity to put out a box set featuring the entire session. We know from the release of the recent bootleg "Time Trips Vol. 5" that there are substantial outtakes in existence. Toss in a full color book with rare and unpublished photos from Gered Mankowitz and we could be looking at the stuff that music history is made from!

But alas, the Rolling Stones and ABKCO are at this point…



6. "Sitting On A Fence" - Another ballad complete with acoustic guitar, light, steady drums and again some sitar, presumably plaid by Mr. Jones. If ever a song was written that was down on marriage, this would be the main contender…

"All of my friends at school grew up and settled down
And they mortgaged off their lives.
One thing's not said too much but I think it's true.
They just get married 'cause there's nothing else to do, so
I'm just sittin' on a fence.
You can say I've got no sense.
Trying to make up my mind
It really is too horrifying
So I'm sittin on a fence."

Mick and Keith have always been gifted with a natural sense of satire, especially on the ballads they've written. One expects a ballad to be romantic or praising the joys of love but listen to the Rolling Stones ballads and with few exceptions particularly on the earlier material and your confronted with anything from a broken heart to a Don Juan down on love to an ode to a whore! Oh, the lyrics fit the times in their subtlety but the messages are clear, none the less.

It's amazing that in spite of these tracks spanning across three l.p.'s, they could be lined up, jumbled up and played one after the other and you would be hard pressed to think they aren't all part of the same album. They would have made a great multi disc set but as is, the three awesome masterpieces by "the greatest rock'n'roll band in the world stand in livid testimony as to why that moniker so aptly fits! There are other landmarks in the history of rock'n'roll but "Aftermath" and the related two albums that followed have no peers.

I don't think Aftermath is underrated at all. It may not get mentioned as much as the Big 4, but that may be a function of the IORRer's age.

In other words, I was 5 when Aftermath came out, but 17 when Some Girls came out. Some on here weren't even born until Dirty Work and may find the early stuff later in their Stones-loving careers.

Being such an incredible singles band, the Stones' early albums did have a tendency to be somewhat overlooked and, as a consequence, largely underrated, and while Out Of Our Heads and Aftermath were classics of their time, they were never ever going to be treated anything like as seriously as the stuff that Dylan or the Beatles were putting out.

The same could be said for the Beach Boys; another great singles act who had to suffer the indignity of having their brilliant Pet Sounds album overshadowed by the hasty release of a greatest hits compilation by their image-conscious record company.

However, whereas critical acclaim (and sales) for Pet Sounds has gained considerable momentum over the years, elevating it to its current magnum opus status, the Stones' Aftermath, by comparison, has been almost forgotten.

Which is a pity.

As the first Stones album to be written entirely by themselves, and as such, one that reflected upon the type of society that they were becoming such an integral part of, it allowed Mick and Keith to exercise a tough, chauvinistic attitude towards women, where girls were treated, at best, as little more than potential sexual partners. However, if Under My Thumb, High and Dry, Stupid Girl, Doncha Bother Me, and Out Of Time seem like the ultimate anti-dote to all those dreadful, dewy-eyed love-ballads of the early sixties, another song, Take It Or Leave It, goes that bit further in the "use 'em and abuse 'em" stakes by very cleverly establishing and re-inforcing the male upper-hand in a rocky relationship.

Even the semi-romantic Lady Jane says little or nothing about love, while I Am Waiting and the epic (in terms of time) Goin' Home are more concerned with lust, both in their lyrical content and in their clever, tense arrangements.

Elsewhere, there are songs about bored housewives resorting to pill-popping (Mother's Little Helper), as well as another song about being bored (What To Do), both of which smack of the Stones’ ability to take social observation in a slightly different direction from that of the Kinks’ Ray Davies.

The arrangements are quiet and understated, providing a magnificent backdrop upon which Brian was let loose on a range of creative instrumentation, providing a clear sign that the Stones didn’t have to come at you with all guns blazing; there were other, more subtle ways of hammering home their authority.

…and hammer home their authority, they did.

With all the comparisons made between Aftermath and Buttons I just wish Buttons had been recorded at RCA with the dynamics of Aftermath.

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neptune
Mick and Keith have talked endlessly and with much affection about albums like Beggars Banquet, Sticky Fingers, Exile, and LIB, but hardly anything about Aftermath. Too bad . . .

If you read this interview, Mick Jagger speaks very fondly about Aftermath, "That was a big landmark record for me"

[www.iorr.org]

it's striking how similar the tracks from 2 different sessions sound for Aftermath. Yeah, it's the same studio and same engineer (Dave Hassinger), but 3 months apart--yet the instruments sound as if the album were done in continuous take!

I hadn't realized BTB was done partly at RCA, too. The guy's essay was otherwise kind of verbose, but I appreciate that info.

I guess it's true that the reason later eras like '78-81 get more discussion here is because of the demographics of the posters here. It's a bit of a shame (not a huge one), since the 60s are to me clearly the Stones' best decade. I mean, that may also be part of the reason I like Dirty Work--it was the first album to come out I was old enough to buy--but I don't talk about that album all the time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-07-18 00:41 by cc.

I forgot that too,cc. That part of BTB was done at RCA. Ther still seems to be so much more "presence" to Aftermath. I wonder what it is that affects the sound(to me anyway)?

At the time, me and my friends thought "Aftermath" was fabulous.
And we still do.

Any true Stones fans needs to listen to thoeir early sixties albums that were VITAL to the changing culture

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stonesrule
At the time, me and my friends thought "Aftermath" was fabulous.
And we still do.

Any true Stones fans needs to listen to thoeir early sixties albums that were VITAL to the changing culture

yep....as a Historian I'll second that.

the shoot 'em dead, brainbell jangler!

Originally titled, "Can You Walk On Water", this album has a confidence and swagger about it that can only come from a band who were beginning to realise just how good they were.

Lyrically, its as cocksure and confident as they ever were on record, while musically, it began an exploration of unchartered waters, not least through Brian's dulcimer, marimba and sitar contributions, and without mentioning a totally different style of mouth harp from that which he'd originally started out with.

A transition stage certainly, and as such, an interlude between first wave classic Stones and the more modern blueprint of Beggars and Let It Bleed, from which their enduring sound has since evolved.

A classic in every sense of the word, and without doubt, criminally underrated.

For me Aftermath is one of the best albums ever recorded. It's one brilliant album with it's own style and flair. Very 60s, very british, very Rolling Stones at its best.

Masterpiece!

Masterpiece!.....Yep!!! UK version...



ROCKMAN

Another Aftermath thread without anyone mentioning that Out of time is one of
the Stones' greatest achievements ever !? For someone who grew up with the
original long version of the song it is. Chris Farlowe's cover version (produced by Mick) was a no. 1 in the UK, the only Stones cover to top
the charts as far as I can remember.

Immediate celebrate the success of Farlowe's single Out Of Time October 1966



ROCKMAN

Aftermath is easily the greatest Stones album with Brian Jones and is a great reflection of both pre-psychedelic era swinging London and feelings of ennui created by endless US tours in 1965. The record is the Stones' most misogynistic - Stupid Girl, Under My Thumb, Out of Time, Doncha Bother Me - and set the prototype for countless numbers of snotty US garage bands from the Chocolate Watch Band to The Standells.
I believe it suffers being overlooked by some people because of the great quartet that followed it a few years later starting with Beggars Banquet. I don't think the album is underrated to any true Stones fans. Perhaps the damage was done by it being followed by the relatively weak releases Between The Buttons and Satanic Majesties before the Stones truly found their feet as both a great touring and albums band.
Another point is that the Stones have never played many of the songs from that album live. Some were aired on a Ready Steady Go Stones special in 66 but gems like Flight 505, Mothers Little Helper, I Am Waiting, Doncha Bother Me and Stupid Girl have never got the live treatment they deserve.

Mathijs wrote:

The Stones absorb before they create while the truly great create without absorbing.


Bollocks, I couldn't disagree more. Nothing comes from nothing. The truly influential are always the most influenced.

Fookin' Hell jjflash73 - that must be the longest post on this site ever. Thanks for the info.

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Rockman
Masterpiece!...UK version...

AMERICAN VERSION!
Or do we have to invade YOUR country too???

I think it is OVER-rated.

It was very important at the time but there are a lot of silly, light-weight songs on it. Think. What to Do. Doncha Bother Me. Even Stupid Girl

Here you have what was until then the Greatest R&B band in the world (and soon to be the GR&RBand inthe W) playing neat little pop songs.

A necessary step in their development as songwriters.

(btw i'm talking about the UK release. PIB for me is a is a single, not an album track)

I think Satanics is the one criminally under-rated. Many 'weak' songs and very experimental - but that's the one without which they would have not moved on to Beggar and Bleed.

But yes, in a quaint and controlled way, the process started with Aftermath.

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Four Stone Walls
I think it is OVER-rated.

It was very important at the time but there are a lot of silly, light-weight songs on it. Think. What to Do. Doncha Bother Me. Even Stupid Girl

I'll give you "Stupid Girl" and "Think" but not the other 2. "Doncha Bother Me" is one of the best songs on the album, along with "It's Not Easy," "Flight 505," and of course "I Am Waiting." "What To Do" is an odd closer, but a great, "Satisfaction"-y vocal & a nice piano take.