Customer Reviews

December's Children

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"December's Children" is a record deserving closer attention from fans and critics alike. Superior efforts from each member of the band are highlighted in every song, from Charlie Watts' crashing beat in "Get Off My Cloud" to Jagger's persuading vocals for "The Singer not the Song." While the last 6 tracks probably attract the most mainstream attention, it is the beginning tracks that will keep the consummate Stones fans coming back for another listen. "December's Children" signifies the pinnacle of Keith Richards and Brian Jones' musical comradery and their talents as razor-edged and gritty performers have never been showcased better.

This album is often overlooked by fans of the early Stones, caught as it is between Out Of Our Heads (which contained "Satisfaction" and was their first hit LP in the U.S.) and Aftermath (which usually gets the lions' share of critical acclaim for Stones albums of this period). But I actually much prefer this to either of those albums; the songs, individually and as a whole, are stronger here and the band simply sounds more "together." Toss in a great cover photo and Andrew Loog Oldham's hilariously pretentious back-cover poetry and you've got a perfect time capsule of the band in its mid-60's breakout period.

As great as the music itself is, however, you can't avoid the fact that the current CD version, like all of the Stones' '60s catalog, just plain bites. Terrible sound quality (even allowing for the age of the recordings), bare-bones packaging...when is Abkco going to reissue these titles, with decent remastering, improved CD booklets, and bonus tracks? Oh well, at least the original albums are available on CD rather than just a couple of greatest-hits collections.

A collection of everybody's B-sides and definitely one A-side at the times when A-side was the bright sunny good Dr Jekyll's side and B-side was somewhat shadowy nocturnal Mr Hyde's side. The shadowy nature of this ellpee is also conveyed by the choice of the photos and low-key liner notes by Andrew Loog Oldham (rhymed, to be sure). Tired and exhausted, uninspired and knocked off in what was left of a recording session, these efforts all borrow their light from a major star called "Get Off Of My Cloud", like cold planets circling round their white hot sun.
A quicksilver rendition of "She Said Yeah" opens this little solar system of songs, the version Sir Paul McCartney surely had in mind when he said "yeah" to the song some 34 years later ("Run Devil Run"). The Stones didn't play it, they attacked it, like they attacked earlier Lennon/McCartney's "I Wanna Be Your Man".
It takes as many as four songs to balance the breathtaking pace with which the record starts. If Chuck Berry really said the Stones' "Carol" ("Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out") is best-ever version of his song, then the same could be said 'bout this classic rocker of his (Funny how the opening note resembles the notorious feedback in the Fab Four A-side "I Feel Fine").
Alexander's "You Better Move On" is an exceptional track. There's nothing one can compare it to and this might be one of the reasons the song made it on the Big Hits Volume 2 "Through the Past, Darkly", UK version.
The haunting choruses of "You Better Move On" give way to all the more haunting harmonica hovering around "Look What You've Done". The subtlety and certain elegance of this blues gives one an eerie feeling of an echo of the song itself, like if recorded long after the band had left the premises.
But before we leave for the Rolling Stones' concert, there's the Jagger/Richards unmistakable blend of raw voices harmonizing in the self-penned "Singer, Not The Song". One can almost feel they sing it with their backs to prying microphones. One do not dare intrude on this private moment of the Glimmer-Twins-to-be. The draft of the "Portrait of The Singer As A Young Song". Still very young and fresh and honest in all its campfire charm. They know already that they "must be right".
The sheer energy of live "Route 66" pulsating, throbbing rhythm instantly overwhelms you. Once the band's put in motion, you can't stop them, you only wonder how they are going to stop themselves. And, indeed, they usually didn't stop, they were stopped after a couple of such numbers.
The thing which is most appealing to me in "Get Off Of My Cloud" is this almost romantic repeated guitar phrase flying on top of the otherwise straightforward excellent rocker, adding to it an altogether new dimension. A lot of the most remarkable Stones' songs have that ambiguity.
"I'm Free" is so unpretentious that even a missed beat halfway through the song doesn't matter. It has also an air of Beatlesque formula songwriting. The song's rather upbeat mood is questioned in Hyde Park when, adorned by intertwined excellent ringing guitar work by Richards and Taylor, it sounds pretty ominous.
Andrew Loog Oldham in one of his many moments of revelation turned "As Time Goes By" ("Casablanca", thank you) into "As Tears Go By" and eventually made it a perfect Stones' B-side in the UK. And that's pretty much all he could do to make more existential what for Marianne Faithfull dubbed as "the Europop you might hear on a French jukebox".
The shortage of studio time is nowhere more evident than in the next song and even the title agrees: "Gotta Get Away". No solo (why bother?), no middle eight (ain't got a clue), no nuffink. Just a quick run through three verses and three refrains and whoever played the tambourine was surprised at having been left alone playing after everybody had gone.
"Well, now that she is gone" (and not only she, I'm afraid) continues the singer on the theme of abandonment, "you won't feel bad for long". You won't because since the studio time is definitely over and you won't be able to eavesdrop on any more of the December's children's studio Back-sides, you are treated to yet another live, excellent, steamy Chattanooga Choo Choo of a song while the band "keeps on moving on".
What we witness here is the unique moment in time when the band (and everybody) pupates in search of its own voice, adopts and impatiently abandons airs, knowing that the period of metamorphosis has only just begun.

Junto con "Out of our Heads", y "Now" es lo mejor de la primera parte de los stones. Buen ejemplo de ello, "She said yeah", "Get of My cloud" y "Gotta Get Away". Contiene dos versiones en vivo: "Route 66" muy buena, mejora mucho la versión original y "I'm moving on" (que buena forma de cerrar el disco!!). Obligatorio para los amantes de la mejor banda del mundo!!

"DECEMBER'S CHILDREN is a good progress report, showing where the Stones came from and where they had arrived at, musically. It works well as a summation of their early work, but to refer to it as a "masterpiece" is a bit over the top. It isn't even a whole "piece". Instead, it is a collection of odds and ends recorded at various times and thrown together by the company to keep the momentum going in the marketplace while the band was busy with other matters. The difference in the quality of the sound from track to track is an illustration of their varied origins. Some are clearly a good bit older than others. Nor are Keith and Mick discovering their songwriting talents at this point. "Satisfaction", generally regarded as one of the best rock songs ever recorded, was written by Jagger and Richards and appeared on the band's previous album. Honing their skills? No doubt. Just discovering their talents? Hardly.

As with all of the Stones prior releases, this one includes a nice mix of Jagger/Richards compositions, covers, and the obligatory hit single ("Get Off My Cloud" in this case). AFTERMATH, their next release, changes that format, and the band relies almost exclusively on Jagger/Richards songs from then on. Here, the Stones show their mastery of their blues and R&B roots, as well as their growing ability to expand their horizons and develop their own unique sound. You won't hear anything like the marimbas and sitars that are soon to come, but songs like "As Tears Go By" and "Blue Turns To Grey" go beyond the basic style and arrangement heard on tunes like "Gotta Get Away" and "Look What You Done".

This is a very good album, especially when you consider that it is essentially a compilation of odds and ends. Leftovers, in some cases. It stands very well on its own merits, and is a tribute to the overall quality of the Stones early work. No Stones fan will want to be without it. Just don't expect it to scale the heights reached in subsequent outings.

Catching the Stones at the crossroads of pop success and being true to their blues roots. The second side is the hot side, from "Route 66' (a rocking live take) to the live "I'm Moving On" (yes, the Hank Snow song). Probably their best hodgepodge (I.E. not hits collection) until TATTOO YOU.

"When Blue Turns to Gray"-worth the price of the record.
Also, "The Singer, not the Song".
Add to you R&B collection

Not really the best Stones record, compared to many other records that followed this one. Perhaps, a bit too quirky, overall. The Stones are probably at their best, when they play pure Rock and Roll music.

This album earmarks the end of the beginning of the band. It's a band in transition from a cover band (of the R&B, RR, and Blues classics) to a band creating its own sound and songs. The band thanks its manager at the time for pushing them upward.
As others noted, Keith and Brian weave together well on this album. Jagger's voice gains volume as his lyrics reveal his passion. As a young boy I listened to this one over and over, and still listen to it today. The lyrics reflect Jagger's reading (at the time Marianne Faithful had him reading poetry), and a sophistication he lost over the years. The bass and drums, the machine of the band, are solid. Nobody rocks as steady as Charlie. Ian's piano licks churning the sound on. I prefer Ian's sound to the clinking sound their keyboard player produces these days. In many ways, because of Brian, because of Jagger's hard work to develop better lyrics, I prefer the band at this stage to the one we hear today.

I tended to stay away from the earlier Stones albums and focusing more on their classic 68-71 run, but I picked this one up and it ranks right up there with the best. And the irony of it is, this is one of those record company thrown together albums that were so prevalent in the 60s. Go figure! Nevertheless, its a great mix of covers, live tracks, and original Jaggers-Richards tunes ("The Singer Not The Song" is a classic).