Customer Reviews

December's Children (And Everybody's)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

With the release of the remastered super audio CDs (SACD) of the Stones ABCKO catalog (which includes all the early Decca/London material), there is now mass confusion about the Out Of Our Heads releases, which includes the December's Children release. Allow me to clarify for you:

There are 3 Out Of Our Heads Releases (all were released with lower case titles):
July 30, 1965 - U.S. London Records vinyl out of our heads
(the heads cover with Keith at center)
September 24, 1965 - U.K. Decca Records vinyl out of our heads
(the hallway cover with Brain at front)
December 3, 1965 - U.S. London Records vinyl december's children (and everybody's)
(the hallway cover with Brain at front)

This new remastered SACD is the December 3, 1965 U.S. London Records vinyl december's children (and everybody's) release.

Note: ABCKO acquired the Stones' catalog when Allen Klein became their manager in the 70s. The resulting legal battles produced releases that the Stones opposed (they took out full page adds asking fans not to buy them), including the controversial Metamorphosis releases (which are now available on CD for the 1st time ever). But the sad fact is that the Stones lost control of their great early material. With these remastered SACD releases, we at last have some idea of what they really sounded like in the studio. I guess if we had these 40 years ago they would have ended up Greatest Rock And Roll Band in the Universe instead of just our tiny little World.

You must buy all 3 releases to get all the tracks, although if you bought the 2 U.S. releases + the earlier U.S. release The Rolling Stones, Now! you would get everything that is included on the U.K. Out Of Our Heads release.

Here is a listing of which tracks are on which release:
U.S. Out Of Our Heads tracks
.....The Last Time
.....I'm All Right
.....Satisfaction
.....Play With Fire
.....The Spider And The Fly
.....One More Try
U.S. Out Of Our Heads & U.K. Out Of Our Heads tracks
.....Mercy Mercy
.....Hitch Hike
.....That's How Strong My Love Is
.....Good Times
.....Cry To Me
.....The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man
U.K. Out Of Our Heads tracks
.....Oh, Baby (we got a good thing going)
.....Heart Of Stone
U.K. Out Of Our Heads & U.S. December's Children tracks
.....She Said Yeah
.....Gotta Get Away
.....Talkin' `Bout You
U.S. December's Children tracks
.....I'm Free
.....You Better Move On
.....Look What You've Done
.....The Singer Not The Song
.....Route 66
.....Get Off Of My Cloud
.....As Tears Go By
.....Blue Turns To Grey
.....I'm Moving On

U.S. London Records vinyl December's Children (And Everybody's) (the hallway cover with Brain at front) was released December 3, 1965. It used the U.K. Out Of Our Heads cover. This is an odd one for the Stones, released only in the U.S. on Dec 3, 1965 (their 3rd album release that year). It was a compilation of 2 hit singles (Get Off Of My Cloud released 7-24-65 and As Tears Go By released 12-17-65) along with other tracks that had not been released in
the States.

This was the last album where the record execs had total control. After this one, the Stones got into the studio enough and produced new tracks so that they were able to exert at least some influence on their releases from here on out. Keith has been quoted in several sources as saying
their fans in the UK would not have accepted an album like this. He was later proven right when the UK market failed to pick up on the many greatest hits releases by Klein and Decca after the Stones formed their own label in the 1970s.

The album does mark the advent of Jagger and Richards as ballad writers with I'm Free, As Tears Go By, Blue Turns To Grey, and The Singer Not The Song. They also did Gotta Get Away and Get Off Of My Cloud. The rest of the album includes the premature rocker She Said Yeah,
Chuck Berry's Talkin' 'Bout You, and Look What You've Done from the Chess Studio sessions in Chicago when Muddy himself was present. I'm Movin' On is a live track from their live UK EP and You Better Move On and Route 66 were from the earlier UK EP "The Rolling Stones."

Now a bit about the hits: Get Off Of My Cloud was the follow up to Satisfaction and was their 2nd #1 single in the States. As Tears Go By was first done as a demo on March 11 or 12, 1964 but was finally finished on Oct 26, 1965 and was also released by Mick's girlfriend at the time,
Marianne Faithful.

The tracks were recorded from 1963-5 as follows:
Nov 14, 1963 at De Lane Lea Studios in Kingsway, London
.....You Better Move On (originally released on the UK EP The Rolling Stones)
June 10-11, 1964 at Chess Studios in Chicago
.....Look What You've Done
Live in the UK on March 5 (Regal Theatre in Edmonton), March 6 (Empire in Liverpool), 7 (Palace in Manchester), or 16 (Granada in Greenford)
.....I'm Moving On
.....Route 66
Sep 6-7, 1965 at RCA Studios in Hollywood
.....I'm Free
.....Get Off Of My Cloud
.....The Singer Not The Song
.....She Said Yeah
.....Gotta Get Away
.....Blue Turns To Grey
Oct 26, 1965 at IBC Portland Place Studios, London
.....As Tears Go By

Also of interest, the UK Out Of Our Heads used the same artwork as the US release of December's Children.

This information comes from "It's Only Rock And Roll: The Ultimate Guide To The Rolling Stones" by Karnbach and Bernson and from my own
collection.

From the screaming hysteria of the live tracks to the occasionally off key vocal 'harmonies' to the Byrds' California 'folk-rock' influence, "December's Children's" is as haywire and vital as the Stones' lives and experiences must have felt in the fall of 1965. This is the Stones' fifth (U.S.) and last 'early' album, and it kicks off with one of the group's fastest, wildest rockers ever, the minute-and-a-half 'She Said Yeah,' whose metallic grunge sets the tone of things to come and whose spirit would be reigned in a bit and harnessed for '19th Nervous Breakdown' in early '66. The loping, bottom-heavy take on Chuck Berry's classic 'Talkin' About You' is up next, with its slashing Keith Richards guitar, followed by a true stereo recording of Muddy Waters' 'Look What You Done,' from the great 1964 Chess sessions, and it is definitive early Stones Chicago blues (special credit goes out to Ian Stewart's piano). 'The Singer Not The Song' is the first of six Jagger/Richards originals, and with Byrdsian guitars, utterly unsentimental warmth and lyricism, and statement of purpose, it marks a true step forward and yet another highlight of what at first feels like an awfully bedraggled album but with time and familiarity proves to contain many defining and superlative moments. Such as the rush and roar of what follows: the live 'Route 66,' closing out side one on the old London label vinyl. As "December's Children" was patched together, a mix of new material and earlier tracks, we are also treated to a soulful and affecting take on Arthur Alexander's 'You Better Move On', which dates back to 1963 making it the earliest recording to be included...The second half of the set opens with Charlie Watts' unforgettable intro to 'Get Off Of My Cloud,' a terrific followup to 'Satisfaction,' from Jagger's similarly-themed if more surreal lyric to Keith and Brian's dual guitar attack (one of their last, for Brian would soon lose interest in the instrument, coloring next year's "Aftermath" with a whole array of imaginative sonic effects). "I'm Free" is another classic original, as loose as most of the tracks herein but with some understated organ(and J.W. Alexander, of Sam Cooke fame, adding percussion); it would be revisited on the 1969 comeback tour as well as 1995's superb "Stripped". 'As Tears Go By' is the fine ballad originally written for Marianne Faithfull, though I'm not sure Mike Leander's strings really fit in the context of this otherwise noirish soundscape, perfectly captured in the title 'Blue Turns To Grey,' one of J/R's most subtle lyrics to date. Add another solid-if-minor original ('Gotta Get Away,' which was likely as rushed as its title) and we come to the apocalyptic closer, Hank Snow's 'I'm Moving On,' undoubtedly one of the Stones' most driving and powerful live recordings - Wyman's bass is thunderous, Brian adds characteristically ghostly slide guitar, Mick's bluesy, train-like harmonica, and Keith's vocal refrain ("yes I'm movin...") near the end cap a brilliant performance that sort-of presages "Aftermath's" eleven-minute 'Going Home.' This is likely the earliest example of the Stones' immersion in country, though the performance itself is molten lava.
The brevity and slapdashness of "December's Children" can't hide its vitality, right down to a fractured sense of dislocation (the Stones had been touring constantly for close to three years) - if you're looking for audiophile sound or perfect pitch forget it, but anybody else should get to know the frustration and isolation, the blues, greys, and proto-garage rock energy of "December's Children." And as with the rest of the band's 1963-70 catalog, Abkco's remaster will be revelatory even if, like me, you've known the album for decades.

This is, more or less, just a collection of Rolling Stones songs that hadn't been on an album before. As such, it doesn't have the cohesiveness of some of their other albums. But regardless of that, there is a lot of great material here. The album starts off with great cover versions of songs by Larry Williams, Chuck Berry, Arthur Alexander and Muddy Waters. The album also includes six oustanding Jagger/Richards originals, most of which had been released as singles (both a-sides and b-sides). The only thing that keeps me from giving this album 5 stars are the poorly recorded live versions of "Route 66" and "I'm Moving On". While the performances themselves are fine, it's hard to hear them about all the audience screaming, and they don't really belong here among the studio recordings. But there is still a lot of great material here, which will make the album a "must have" for Stones fans. Oh, I should also mention that, although the CD is labeled as "stereo", "Look What You've Done" is the only song here that is actually in stereo. The rest of the CD is in mono.

I bought this because it is listed as an SACD.
What I was sent is a DSD disc. It does not register as an SACD on my player. It sounds miserable.
What gives, has the SACD been replaced by this other format?
It's one of my favorite Stones albums. I am not pleased.

The fifth album by the Stones is a great follow-up to their smash hit album Out Of Our Heads. With the not so successful first three albums, their fourth, Out Of Our Heads, sent them sky rocketing because of Satisfaction. December's Children and Everybody's has some good tunes in it with a couple of their big hits such as As Tears Go By and Get Off My Cloud. This is an excellent album to keep the Stones rolling which they have proven over the decades.

I fell in love with the Stones' music listening to this LP at about 12 years of age. Brian's presence, his pose, and his panche added so much to this group before Mick and Keith took it to another level. But it's not Mick and Keith's fault Brian burned out. I love the ballads and the covers, Charlie's drums, Stu's piano, Bill's bass, Keith and Brian playing off each other, and of course, Mick's harp and heartfelt vocals. The songs reflect a young ansgst the Stones outgrew. The live recordings propel the collection forward. That I still listen to this LP 40 years later shows how strong my love is. 40 years! That's how strong my love is, 40 years later, still cruising on Route 66.

The first thing that strikes me as I look at the cover is how young the Stones looked back in the mid-1960s! It's amazing how well they have maintained their level of performance even as their faces now show their age. The second thing is that the center of this work is "Get Off of My Cloud." It was playing so widely that, in the middle of my first year living in a dorm at Bradley University, all sorts of variations on the song took place. I remember one of my floor mates, for example, telling someone "Hey, hey, you, you, Get out of my room." And everyone chuckled, knowing that Jim was riffing from this song.

This CD/album has no thematic coherence. It is a set of songs, most recorded in the studio plus a bit of live music, some covers, and some original Stones' tunes. Still, it's nice to revisit the raw energy and raw playing of the young Rolling Stones.

The CD starts off with a cover of Chuck Berry's "Talkin' about You." They do a good job here, and display a strong blues flavor to their playing and to Mick Jagger's singing. A nice start to this CD.

The Stones began their career as a group focusing on the blues. One of the most important bluesmen of that (or any other) time was, of course, Muddy Waters. "Look What You're Done" shows the Stones up to playing a song by one of the masters of the genre.

And then, "Route 66," a live version. Sound quality muddies what I hear when I listen; the sometimes shouting by the audience drowns things out. But I can tell that the Stones are playing energetically and Jagger's singing is fine.

And, of course, "Get Off of My Cloud," one of their great songs. One characteristic is a whole series of interesting lines with some cool wording. One illustration: "In flies a guy all dressed up just like a Union Jack." The song begins with a great riff; the drumming chugs right along.

Another classic, "I'm Free." A pair of lines speak to me.

"I'm free to do what I want any old time. . .
I'm free to sing my song though it gets out of time."

The latter line reminds one that sometimes in their early works, the playing gets a little ragged. But that somehow worked, showing off their energy and even some spontaneity.

There are some other interesting works, too, although I have never much enjoyed "As Tears Go By."

Anyhow, not a cohesive album, but I don't really care. There are some top-notch early Rolling Stones' moments throughout this CD, with lots of raw energy.

I don't know about you, but I feel December's Children is without a doubt the album where the Stones magic was born. Starting here, the Rolling Stones became an unstoppable rock and roll monster that has remained that way for over 40 years. These were one of the most important rock bands in history, and the songwriting really turned it up a notch on this album with really interesting and melodic songs such as "The Singer Not the Song" and "As Tears Go By". Just listen to the album and you'll agree that something special was happening, and continued that way for quite a while.

She Said Yeah, You Better Move On,Look What You've Done, Blue Turns to Grey and I'm Free are great songs.
I couldn't write a review that would do this CD justrice..Just recommend it.

Most of the people really underrates this Stones album,for me December's Children is one of the great albums of their 1964-65 Rn'B years along with the debut album and The Rolling Stones Now!. In fact,this one is less bluesy than the debut and The Rolling Stones Now! but it's really more successful than Out of our heads and 12*5 ,even if they're fine albums. With this album songwriting of Jagger/Richards starts to evolve and it creates a basis for their masterpiece, Aftermath(1966). Album starts with the short and fast rocker She Said Yeah. The loud and fast rhythm guitar of Brian Jones and crazy guitar solo of Keith Richards makes it a proto-hard rock song. Talkin'About You is another Chuck Berry cover from the boys which is really successful with Richards' terrific Chuck Berry guitar licks. You Better Move on is another cover on the album which is acoustic and it's mostly similar to British beat sound. Look What You've Done is a Muddy Waters cover and one of my favorites on the album. Jagger's dirty blues vocals, Jones' harmonica and Richards' riffing creates a cool blues song. The Singer Not the Song, Blue Turns To Grey and Gotta Get Away are somehow far from the Stones' blues roots and they're closer to British beat sound or to The Beatles but they're still wonderful songs and they show the evolution of the songwriting within the band and creates an idea that the classic Jagger/Richards songwriting takes its clue in the upcoming album,Aftermath. Get off of My Cloud is the second rock classic that the Stones made in 1965 after Satisfaction and it's the most well-known song of the album. Charlie's thunderous drumming and the dual guitars between Richards and Jones makes it really groovy. As Tears Go By is an attempt by the Stones to create their own "Yesterday". It starts with an acoustic guitar like The Beatles' Yesterday and the strings join after the second verse(it's really strange for a die hard blues band in '65!!). Well, it's not successful as the Fab Four's classic song but it still shows the songwriting becomes more mature and also shows that the Stones can also play and write great songs beside the blues. I'm Free is the third classic in the album. This song was played in the memorable Hyde Park concert in 1969 after Brian Jones death and it was in the setlist of the band's famous North American Tour of 1969. It is a great Jagger/Richards composition and sometimes it reminds me a kind of electric folk-rock, especially with its guitar solo, that The Byrds did in 1965. There are also two live tracks that are recorded during the British tour. Route 66, is also on the debut album. In the beginning, as Jagger screams "let me hear you say yeah!!", Keith starts to play that fantastic riff and the crowd goes totally insane. Second live track, I'm Moving On starts with the fast rhythm section of Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts. Wyman's heavy bass lines makes it a proto-hard rock song just like She Said Yeah. Slide guitar playing of Brian Jones proves that he is one of the great slide players of the genre. However, these two live tracks sounds really poor because of the live recording technology of that time but you can still hear a great rock n' roll band playing. And if you listen closely, you can notice that the band quickly passes to the riff of I'm Alright(which you can hear in Out Our Heads) after they finished I'm Moving On.