Rolling Stones, The Rolling Stones - Aftermath
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Free Music Notes for Aftermath
Free Music Review: One Of Rock's All-Time Greatest
Hit: 4 Stars
Actually, if it wasn't for the stupid, pointless "Going Home", I would've given this bad boy a whole FIVE stars. Be that as it may, this is still a killer album. And might I add that it's the first album with ALL original songs. No covers!We begin with the dreary sitar of Brian Jones to introduce "Paint It Black", a true classic. And it beats the crap out of "Satisfaction" any day of the week. It's essentially a psychedelic song, highlighted by Jagger's plaintive vocals. "Stupid Girl" is a funny little song that has Mick criticizing the female race in a somewhat cynical way. I don't think that "Lady Jane" is quite as beautiful as some people claim it is, but I'll admit that it's a wonderful ballad. "Under My Thumb" is the other radio classic on the album (along with "Paint It Black"), and it's a good song, but most radio hits are usually overrated. "Doncha Bother Me", however, is a fantastic blues tune with some top-notch guitar licks and Jagger's moody vocals. Then you have some arse-kickin' rockers like "Flight 505", "It Ain't Easy" and "I Am Waiting". "High And Dry" is a cool, country-esque tune with a somewhat unusual vocal melody, "Think" is basically your average Stones song, and "Going Home" is totally pointless, like I said in the introduction. It's basically just Jagger rambling on like a fool for about EIGHT MINUTES! What's the deal, Mick?
But don't let that song detract from the overall glory of the album. Finally they stop doing other people's material and let those creative stones start a-rollin'...
Free Music Review: 4 ½* The Stones Emerge
Hit: 5 Stars
This June 1966 album (USA release) was the first with all Stones-written material, and, as an archetypal album, contains the seeds of some of the best and worst moments of the ensuing decades. Mick Jagger is at his most self-assured to date, the varied instruments add texture and interest, and the somewhat underrated rhythm section provides a solid, driving foundation. On the other hand, certain riffs that were later overplayed creep in, a few songs are just average, and the Stones play one of their worst numbers in "High and Dry," marking a romance with country sounds that would produce extremely varied results over the years.The CD opens with four huge hits, "Paint it Black," "Stupid Girl," "Lady Jane," and "Under my Thumb." With the exception of "Stupid Girl" (Jagger sounds somewhat tentative at first over a truly rocking background, then gains strength), these are among the best of their early work--and their early work is generally their best work. "Under My Thumb" is much tighter than "Stupid Girl," the rhythm is years ahead of its time, and Jagger is much more self-assured. "Paint it Black" and "Under My Thumb" benefit immensely from arrangements using sitar and marimba, and both feature superb vocals. The latter song ranks with James Brown's "It's A Man's World" as one of the greatest misogynistic songs of the period. This is perhaps a dubious distinction, but the song is incredibly impressive, and just an amazingly original effort within the R&B/rock genre. Jagger is deceitfully playful in his thickly accented "Lady Jane," and the imaginative use of Wyman on harpsichord enhances the effect. All of these songs show the Stones as a multi-dimensional band, definitely still blues and R&B based, but expanding into new territory.
The other songs are generally good, especially "It's Not Easy," "I Am Waiting" and the 11:35 minute (!) "Going Home," an almost unprecedented song in which Jagger completely nails the struts, panting, lip smacking, gutteral tones, and assorted other vocal sexual tools that became an important part of his persona. His singer-cum-vampire vocal is easily too long, but this cut sweats away and builds to a great crescendo. An overlooked gem. "Flight 505" has nostalgic value, but it lacks focus both in solo and ensemble playing. There are also some too-easy riffs that later became synonymous (in a repetitive way) with later guitar work. "Think, Think" plays it too safe; the Monkees could have done this. As mentioned above, the album also contains the awful, grating, "High and Dry." If you have a programmable CD player, you'll know what to do with this cut.
Personnel and other luminaries include:
Mick Jagger -Guitar, Harmonica, Percussion, Composer, Keyboards, Vocals,
Keith Richards Guitar, Composer, Keyboards, Vocals
Brian Jones - Dulcimer, Guitar, Marimba, Sitar, Bells
Charlie Watts- Percussion, Drums, Marimba, Bells
Bill Wyman-Organ, Synthesizer, Bass, Piano, Guitar (Bass), Harpsichord, Keyboards, Marimba, Vocals, Bells
Ian Stewart-Organ, Piano, Harpsichord, Keyboards
Jack Nitzsche-Organ, Percussion, Piano, Harpsichord, Keyboards, Organ (Hammond)
Andrew Loog Oldham-Producer
I recommend "Flowers" over this CD, but Stones Fans will want to get both. NOTE: The "enhanced" (ABKCO) version of the CD does not play on my computer's (Dell Optiplex) CD drive.
Free Music Review: Easy to appreciate even though it came out 30 before my first listen
Hit: 5 Stars
I will review this album later, im hungry right nowFree Music Review: complaints aside, you still can't give it less
Hit: 5 Stars
Thank God... thank god. I can finally own a good sounding copy of this album, with all the tracks in stereo, at the correct speed, etc... Yes, Allen Klein is still a schuyster, and I can't believe the boys actually did business with him again, but still, I am grateful to be able to replace what was unquestionably the worst-sounding disc in their catalog (the only possible exception being Hot Rocks II) with a fresh new version.
Free Music Review: Classic Early Stones
Hit: 5 Stars
Probably the best Stones recording from the Brian Jones era. Its all Jagger/Richards tunes as there is not a cover in sight. Paint It Black is an awesome tune to lead off the record with fabulous sitar contributions from Brian Jones. Under My Thumb and Lady Jane were aother top flight singles from this collection.However, the lesser known tunes stand pretty tall. Love the fuzz bass on Flight 505 and the harmonies on I Am Waiting. Doncha Bother Me is another cool riff oriented tunes. Charlie Watts stands out a bit on moments of this tune when he crashes the cymbals behind Jagger's strained vocals. I am even getting used to Going Home with the extended guitar, harp, and vocal jamming.
Truly one of their 10 best. Give it a whirl.