England's Newest Hitmakers [Original recording remastered, Original recording reissued]

The Rolling Stones | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 3, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 1964
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered, Original recording reissued
• Label: Abkco
• ASIN: B00006AW2P
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,578 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #43 in Music > World Music > Europe > British Isles
  • #51 in Music > Classic Rock > Supergroups
  • #63 in Music > Classic Rock > British Invasion

Editorial Reviews

The first full-length Rolling Stones album is a raw document of their early sound, which at this point was still Early British Tinny, even on this pristine re-issue. However, the band's growing confidence throughout the course of THE ROLLING STONES is almost palpable.

Their take on Willie Dixon's "I Just Want to Make Love to You" is steeped in Chicago blues filtered through a West London sensibility, while the insistent harp on their hit cover of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" is an early example of the band's technique of using blues riffs as pop hooks. "Tell Me" is a fairly embryonic attempt at Tin Pan Alley songwriting (they're far more at home with the raw R&B of "Little By Little") and it's obvious that at this early stage the band was most comfortable performing R&B covers, such as Rufus Thomas's classic "Walking the Dog," and particularly Chuck Berry's "Carol," which remained a staple of the band's live shows for some years.

Rolling Stones Photos

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

101 of 110 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Start Me Up September 19, 2002

By Richard R. Carlton

Format:Audio CD

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 some confusion as they have released some of the early albums in both US and UK versions.

This is the later May 29, 1964 - U.S. London Records vinyl version of The Rolling Stones, often listed as England's Newest Hitmakers. The UK version has not been released on CD. Here is how you know the difference:

April 17, 1964 - U.K. Decca Records vinyl version
.....includes Mona (I Need You Baby), does not include Not Fade Away
.....Tell Me version 1 (long 4:08 version without fade out but with guitar break)
May 29, 1964 - U.S. London Records vinyl version
.....includes Not Fade Away , does not include Mona (I Need You Baby)
.....Tell Me version 1 (short 2:59 version with fade out but without guitar break)

You will find Mona (I Need You Baby) on the CD release of The Rolling Stones, Now!

The album was originally released in the UK without any title....the Band wanted people to ask for "the Rolling Stones album", but the U.S. record company execs added "England's Newest Hitmakers" to the cover. Some of the Amazon reviews of this album sound like the reviewer is hearing the Stones for the 1st time. Come On!.... this one features no less than *5* signature songs! The best version of Carol done until the Stones themselves topped it with the live versions in the 80s, the classic Route 66 (which they still do), Mick's 1st signature song in Buddy Holly's Not Fade Away, Willie Dixon's I Just Want To Make Love To You (years before Mick would make headlines mouthing the much less controversial Let's Spend The Night Together on the Ed Sullivan Show), and the 1st Jagger/Richards composition Tell Me (which is still hard to get out of your head). And this doesn't even get into the 2 Motown groove pieces Can I Get A Witness and Walking the Dog. Now, try to think of another band that came anywhere near this on their 1st release....not many....perhaps the Beatles, but jeesh, at least the Stones didn't do any Broadway hits!

This is the remastered super audio CDs (SACD) of the Stones ABCKO catalog (which includes all the early Decca/London material. ABCKO acquired the Stones' catalog after Allen Klein became their manager in 1965. 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.

The tracks were recorded in 1964 as follows:
Jan 3, 1964 at Regent Sound, London
.....Carol
.....Route 66
.....Walking the Dog
.....You Can Make It If You Try
Jan 10, 1964 at Regent Sound, London
.....I Just Want To Make Love To You
.....I'm A King Bee
.....Honest I Do
Jan 28, Feb 3-4, 1964 at Regent Sound, London
These were the famous sessions with Phil Spector, Gene Pitney, & Graham Nash that also produced the profane "Andrew's Blues" and the drunken "Spector & Pitney Came Too" that were never released.
.....Little By Little
.....Can I Get A Witness
.....Now I've Got A Witness
.....Tell Me
.....Not Fade Away

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.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Stones way back when November 17, 2002

By Martin Lemos

Format:Audio CD

The Rolling Stones way back when started off as a R&B, Blues band that interpreted the songs of their idols. On this album, we get to see the influences first hand, and I can only wish that they still made songs like this. There are some good songs here that only casual Stones fans wont know, but they are missing some great music. I think that the listener should give these following songs a real listen to: NOT FADE AWAY, ROUTE 66, I JUST WANT TO MAKE LOVE TO YOU, HONEST I DO, CAN I GET A WITNESS, LITTLE BY LITTLE, I'M A KING BEE. These songs are great and fun to listen to. With the bonus of being remastered, I think compared to the earlier CD, you can hear a difference. I highly recommend this CD for every STONES fan, and this isnt a bad place for some casual fans to start.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Passage of years has done nothing to dim this star.... April 26, 2007

By collegemoney

Format:Audio CD

As time passed by, my sense that this and "Out of Our Heads" were their finest efforts never really left me. Not to say that enormous chunks of wonderful stuff didn't follow, of course, unlike many bands who peaked on their early releases and never challenged again. I just loved the raw passion in the way they covered material like "Not Fade Away" "Hitch Hike" and "Walking the Dog," and made it their own. To me, these well chosen covers were much more appealing than some of the later "middle of the LP" songs from their own writing. And, as for "Tell Me," it just doesn't get much better than that!