Listening to this Album as I clean house.
Great sounds from the original six..God bless Brian an Stu.
Swing on Bill.
Anybody else love this record?

Coming Down Again

~*YEAH!*~
i mean listen to that handful of skinny English cats - that freakin glorious *roll*

In terms of the US 'early albums' (through December's Children), I always found "Now!" the richest. Lacking the peaks of "12 x 5" or "Heads", its less frnetic, more assured than the debut, and the original songs display the evolving J/R worldview. Coupled with classic covers of Howlin Wolf, Bo Diddley, Alvin Robinson, Solomon Burke, etc its the band's truly authentic tour de force (via Chuck's airborne aeromobile) through the music they loved. Yet unlike so many of their contemporaries, they never imitate - where Wolf is feral, Jagger is feline. Astonishing - Mick & Keith were still only 21, Charlie & Brian 23.

The BEST of the early albums! "Down The Road" is just a saturday night fishfry house party joy. And "Down Home Girl" is funkadelic, " You Cant Catch Me" is the first time the students are teaching the master!

The Abkco 2002 reissue is the BALLS.

Coming Down Again

Four words: Down The Road Apiece.

four more: You Can't Catch Me

half the album is Best In Show ... when in doubt, put on Now!

The Rolling Stones, NOW! is like an early version of Exile.

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with sssoul
four more: You Can't Catch Me

half the album is Best In Show ... when in doubt, put on Now!

I can add 1 more to that even: Mona

when i first heard Mona - at age 9 - i immediately understood that that's how the burning bush sounded to Moses.
that shimmering organic raunch - i'm still sure that's exactly how that burning bush must've sounded.
"hey Moses - ohh Moses - i tell you Moses what i'm gonna do ... "
signs & wonders, baby - signs & wonders :E

"The Rolling Stones NOW" my very FIRST album, I bougth it as a 4 year old, living in Brooklyn, NY at that time. And in 1989 it was time for a holiday, and back to Brooklyn for the first time since 1966.
It was time to by the album on CD ! And I thought it would be fun to buy it in the same shop, but "Lynn's" on 5th Ave 72 nd st. was gone, but we found another shop on 78 th st. (I think it was) were I bougth the CD.

So I pretty proud of living in Norway, having "The Rolling Stones, NOW" on Vinyl and CD, and both are bougth in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY, USA.

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with sssoul
when i first heard Mona - at age 9 - i immediately understood that that's how the burning bush sounded to Moses.
that shimmering organic raunch - i'm still sure that's exactly how that burning bush must've sounded.
"hey Moses - ohh Moses - i tell you Moses what i'm gonna do ... "
signs & wonders, baby - signs & wonders :E

Good one! I need to say that I can not think anything about the album because I've learned to listen the old stuff through the British versions. For example, it is strange for me to think "Mona" in any other context than in its original appearance in their first album. Anyway, I think it is the greatest reading of Bo Diddley number by any artist. And it has been reserved very well: I think it still sounds brilliant (and, in fact, better than many of their songs they did in better studios and with the help of better engineers): the strong guitar work by Brian, and Mick's great and strong vocals ices the cake. I think it sounds very mature for 20 year old kids who are basically just trying to 'copy' a Chess original. I don't buy that; they already 'knew' more.

- Doxa

>> For example, it is strange for me to think "Mona" in any other context
than in its original appearance in their first album. <<

strangely enough i feel almost the same way - i grew up with the US versions,
but somehow the UK version of the debut album is tattooed on my psyche as well.
it's more than fine with me that that shimmering organic revelation is on Now too, though!

>> they already 'knew' more <<

yep! signs & wonders, i tell you - signs & wonders :E



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-08-06 13:21 by with sssoul.

While NOW! is great, I think Rolling Stones #2 is better, as it includes I Can't Be Satisfied....that song is KILLER.

JR

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stone-relics
While NOW! is great, I think Rolling Stones #2 is better, as it includes I Can't Be Satisfied....that song is KILLER.

JR

Well actually, I do think Now! is the stronger LP, but as a Brit, I would love to see No 2 get a release. It's quite tragic that it got overlooked for the remasters.

Never got that album over here in England but looking down the track listings - Dowm Home Girl. Man, that fries my onions. Keith's clipped guitar on that is sublime. And the line "And everytime you move like that I gotta go to Sunday mass". Jesus, you can feel the Southern heat. One of the early peaks for me. And don't even start me talking about You Can't Catch Me. Cocky English boys cruisin' down to the southern states in an airmobile and stealin' licks, chops and anything else they can get their hands on.

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Big Al

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stone-relics
While NOW! is great, I think Rolling Stones #2 is better, as it includes I Can't Be Satisfied....that song is KILLER.

JR

Well actually, I do think Now! is the stronger LP, but as a Brit, I would love to see No 2 get a release. It's quite tragic that it got overlooked for the remasters.

No, way. I would hate to hear that digitally. Only way is a 1-A / 1-A UK original MONO lp.

JR

Yeah, I found a MONO us version for $1 at a junk store!

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Silver Dagger
[...] Cocky English boys cruisin' down to the southern states in an airmobile and stealin' licks, chops and anything else they can get their hands on.

:-D

Another Thing, NOW! is not the way the Stones intended that record to be. It was manufactured from multiple Lps and singles. I much prefer the original UK LP releases, as thats the way they were intended to be heard. Granted, you had to buy the singles, in order to get all the songs, but thats ok, as I always bought the singles, too. I always liked that fact, that in the UK, in the early days, you got all new songs, as they never overlaped with the singles.

JR

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stone-relics
Another Thing, NOW! is not the way the Stones intended that record to be. It was manufactured from multiple Lps and singles. I much prefer the original UK LP releases, as thats the way they were intended to be heard. Granted, you had to buy the singles, in order to get all the songs, but thats ok, as I always bought the singles, too. I always liked that fact, that in the UK, in the early days, you got all new songs, as they never overlaped with the singles.

JR

That seems to be the case, but the british albums are as market driven as the US albums imo, in that the expectations and the way of doing things in each country influenced the releases. To say one is more authentic is a bit misleading imo.

Also, it appears that in the early days Andrew kind of compiled albums from the recording sessions rather than the band telling him what they wanted to put out, although they obviously had their input.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2008-08-06 16:14 by His Majesty.

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His Majesty

Quote
stone-relics
Another Thing, NOW! is not the way the Stones intended that record to be. It was manufactured from multiple Lps and singles. I much prefer the original UK LP releases, as thats the way they were intended to be heard. Granted, you had to buy the singles, in order to get all the songs, but thats ok, as I always bought the singles, too. I always liked that fact, that in the UK, in the early days, you got all new songs, as they never overlaped with the singles.

JR

That seems to be the case, but the british albums are as market driven as the US albums imo, in that the expectations and the way of doing things in each country influenced the releases. To say one is more authentic is a bit misleading imo.

Also, it appears that in the early days Andrew kind of compiled albums from the recording sessions rather than the band telling him what they wanted to put out, although they obviously had their input.

Yes, I agree, true about market driven, but I still like the UK formula better than the US one. And often times, the UK versions of songs are different to the US, especially in the case of Everybody Needs Somebody to Love. UK longer, different take. There is an even different take on the US Bell Sound Acetate.

JR

Quote
His Majesty

Quote
stone-relics
Another Thing, NOW! is not the way the Stones intended that record to be. It was manufactured from multiple Lps and singles. I much prefer the original UK LP releases, as thats the way they were intended to be heard. Granted, you had to buy the singles, in order to get all the songs, but thats ok, as I always bought the singles, too. I always liked that fact, that in the UK, in the early days, you got all new songs, as they never overlaped with the singles.

JR

That seems to be the case, but the british albums are as market driven as the US albums imo, in that the expectations and the way of doing things in each country influenced the releases. To say one is more authentic is a bit misleading imo.

Also, it appears that in the early days Andrew kind of compiled albums from the recording sessions rather than the band telling him what they wanted to put out, although they obviously had their input.

That is true. I also learned to think that the British ones are more authentic ones, but that is way too simple way to see the case. The albums were done to satisfy different kind of needs in different markets (and compiled, like said, by ALO; for example, the guys were surprised to see the demo of "Tell Me" to be found on their first UK album). Anyway, what perhaps makes the British albums more special is the thing that also the guys themselves seem to think their early albums more in terms of UK versions. For example, in that 1995 Rolling Stone Interview "Jagger Remembers", Jagger says about their early albums that they didn't put singles on them. That's the UK policy as we know. So perhaps there is something slightly more authentic in some sense of the word in the UK ones.

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-08-06 16:41 by Doxa.

I do prefer the UK - no single formula too, but it doesn't always make for better albums, Aftermath ending on such a weak song like What to Do for example. I refuse to believe the band chose that one!

The first UK album is perfect though, the thought of listening to that minus Mona and with the inclusion of not fade away freaks me out!

The Rolling Stones NOW! just flows well,or course it was only years later that I heard Mona on a vinyl reissue of the first British LP.

Coming Down Again

I just love this album. Besides the songs mentioned above, what about Little Red Rooster? With its slide guitar & suggestive lyrics, orthe self-penned Heart Of Stone. This lp showed a maturing band. To me this was the end of the 1st era of the Stones as they were changing from a more R&B band to a more pop/rock band. Definately one of the overlooked gems in the catalogue.