GRRR!

The Rolling Stones | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 13, 2012)
• Original Release Date: 2012
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: ABKCO/Interscope
• ASIN: B009NOVCTM
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (207 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #527 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

50 tracks on 3 CDs including two brand-new tracks
12 page booklet

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

200 of 211 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Time is on their side (in six different editions) November 13, 2012

By Thomas E. Davis TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

Another decade has passed in the career of the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band, and they're celebrating the 50th anniversary of their founding in 1962. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Company are pushing 70, but the group has decided to go out with a bang. They're staging five live arena shows on both sides of the Atlantic and putting out a new, feature-length, autobiographical documentary called "Crossfire Hurricane" with archival footage from the 60s and 70s narrated by the band. They've reconstructed and restored the first-ever Rolling Stones documentary, "Charlie Is My Darling," filmed in Ireland in 1965, and published a 352-page "photographic biography" entitled "The Rolling Stones 50." Finally, they're offering six (count 'em, six!) chronological greatest hits albums: a budget two-CD, a standard three-CD, a deluxe three-CD, a deluxe Blu-Ray, a deluxe vinyl five-LP, and a super deluxe five-CD/one-EP collection. Each set offers the same two new studio recordings -- good ones, dammit! If you have money to burn and don't mind making some of the richest men in the world just a bit richer, there's almost no limit to what you can spend on the Stones' music and memorabilia this year.

The best-of compilations are expertly remastered, albeit selectively edited for length, so while newer listeners probably won't notice anything amiss, nostalgic fans might. The first two discs of the standard version (33 out of 50 tracks) cover the Stones' early career, revisiting most of the required hits from the 60s to the mid-70s. Starting with their very first single, a 1963 cover of Chuck Berry's "Come On," the band includes music from their singles and studio albums up to "Black and Blue" in 1976.... The third disc contains 17 recordings from the 1978 album "Some Girls" (though not the title track) to their final studio album in 2005, "A Bigger Bang," plus the aforementioned new songs, "Doom and Gloom" and "One More Shot," both of which harken back to the rough classic sound of the Stones. A 12-page booklet is enclosed.

How does the three-CD set compare to "Forty Licks," the two-disc, 40-track, 40th-anniversary collection? It's far better. Of the four new tunes on that non-chronological 2002 album, only "Don't Stop" is recycled; 33 of the 36 remaining cuts are included on "GRRR!" (absent are "Mother's Little Helper," "Shattered," and "You Got Me Rocking"). These 33 are supplemented with a couple of mid-60s covers, Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" and Howlin' Wolf's "Little Red Rooster," and enough important songs from the Glimmer Twins to make a more satisfying package: "Time Is on My Side," "Heart of Stone," "As Tears Go By," "Rocks Off," "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)," "Respectable," "Waiting on a Friend," "Harlem Shuffle," "Streets of Love," and others. As wonderful as the music is, though, it's not perfect; several relatively weak choices ("We Love You," "She Was Hot," "Highwire") take the place of terrific songs like "Let It Bleed," "Can't You Hear Me Knocking," and "Dead Flowers," which are nowhere to be found.

If you'd like this set with five postcards commemorating various tours and a 36-page hardcover book instead of the 12-page booklet, buy the Deluxe Edition; if you'd prefer it in a different format, a five-LP and an imported Blu-Ray version are available. And if money's no object, there's the huge Super Deluxe Edition: a 12-by-17-inch box containing four CDs with 80 hits and album cuts and covers, a five-track CD of the Stones' very first unreleased demos, a four-track vinyl EP of an unreleased BBC Radio session, a 96-page hardcover book with photos of various ephemera, a reproduction of an early poster from the Ricky Tick Club (an influential R&B venue on the outskirts of London), in addition to the 36-page book and the five postcards. The 89 super deluxe cuts encompass covers of the Beatles' "I Wanna Be Your Man," O.V. Wright's "That's How Strong My Love Is," and Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" as well as more hits and favorite performances not included on the three-disc set: "I'm Free," "Play with Fire," "Mother's Little Helper," "Lady Jane," "Honky Tonk Women," "Midnight Rambler," "You Got the Silver," "Bitch," "Dance Little Sister," "Shattered," "Far Away Eyes," "She's So Cold," "Rough Justice," "Rain Fall Down," etc.

Compilations will never take the place of individual albums from the Rolling Stones' peak years, and they'll never please longtime fans like me who have no need for obvious radio fodder and want the rare stuff and the live stuff instead. There aren't a lot of surprises in these boxes, and the editing and inevitable omissions also reduce their value (where are "Live with Me" and "Star Star" and "Hang Fire" and a dozen more?), so I'm giving them only four stars. The two-CD set earns just three stars as it's even skimpier, dropping 10 songs from the three-CD set: "Time Is on My Side," "Heart of Stone," "Under My Thumb," "We Love You," "She's a Rainbow," "Highwire," "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)," "She Was Hot," "Streets of Love," and "Rocks Off." But if you're in the market for greatest hits, something to remind you of the Stones' awesome talent and staying power over the years, then these boxes are the best you're going to do for now -- though of course you could assemble your own list of fave mp3s and burn a set of CDs for yourself.

Since Amazon has not listed the tracks of the super deluxe set, I will. I've indicated the 14 edited tracks.

CD 1
1. Come On
2. I Wanna Be Your Man
3. Not Fade Away
4. That's How Strong My Love Is
5. It's All Over Now
6. Little Red Rooster
7. The Last Time
8. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
9. Heart Of Stone
10. Get Off Of My Cloud
11. She Said Yeah
12. I'm Free
13. Play With Fire
14. Time Is On My Side
15. 19th Nervous Breakdown
16. Paint It, Black
17. Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow?
18. She's A Rainbow (edited)
19. Under My Thumb
20. Out Of Time
21. As Tears Go By

CD 2
1. Let's Spend The Night Together
2. Mother's Little Helper
3. We Love You
4. Dandelion
5. Lady Jane
6. Flight 505
7. 2,000 Light Years From Home
8. Ruby Tuesday
9. Jumpin' Jack Flash
10. Sympathy For The Devil
11. Child Of The Moon (remake)
12. Salt Of The Earth
13. Honky Tonk Women
14. Midnight Rambler
15. Gimme Shelter
16. You Got The Silver
17. You Can't Always Get What You Want (edited)
18. Street Fighting Man
19. Wild Horses

CD 3
1. Brown Sugar
2. Bitch
3. Tumbling Dice
4. Rocks Off
5. Happy
6. Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
7. Angie
8. It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (edited)
9. Dance Little Sister
10. Fool To Cry (edited)
11. Respectable
12. Miss You (edited)
13. Shattered
14. Far Away Eyes
15. Beast Of Burden (edited)
16. Emotional Rescue (edited)
17. Dance (Part 1)
18. She's So Cold
19. Waiting On A Friend
20. Neighbours

CD 4
1. Start Me Up
2. Undercover Of The Night (edited)
3. She Was Hot
4. The Harlem Shuffle
5. Mixed Emotions (edited)
6. Highwire (edited)
7. Almost Hear You Sigh
8. You Got Me Rocking
9. Love Is Strong
10. I Go Wild
11. Like A Rolling Stone
12. Anybody Seen My Baby? (edited)
13. Saint Of Me (edited)
14. Don't Stop (edited)
15. Rough Justice
16. Rain Fall Down (edited)
17. Streets Of Love
18. Plundered My Soul
19. Doom And Gloom
20. One More Shot

Bonus CD (1963 IBC demos)
1. Diddley Daddy
2. Road Runner
3. Bright Lights Big City
4. Honey What's Wrong
5. I Want To Be Loved 

7" Vinyl EP (1964 BBC session)
1. Route 66
2. Cops And Robbers
3. You Better Move On 
4. Mona Read more ›

56 of 63 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The definitive Stones retrospective...though some may take issue with edited tracks November 13, 2012

By Jack Tripper TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

[This review is of the standard three disc (50 tracks) edition]

Fifty years after forming, the Rolling Stones release 'GRRR!,' a career retrospective that, imo, is far superior to their 40th anniversary release, 'Forty Licks,' though it's debatable whether it's really essential for owners of that set, even with the two new tracks and slightly better sound. Like that previous collection, it serves as both a great introduction to the band for newcomers, and as a nice compilation of their most essential tracks for the casual fan. But, even more so than that last set, it also serves as a remarkable historical document for the more serious fan, showing the evolution of one of rock's most important bands.

The key advantage that this collection holds over 'Forty Licks'--besides the fact that it's ten tracks longer--is that the track sequencing is in chronological order (though the Summer of Love-era "She's a Rainbow" is placed with the early 70's tracks for some reason), and shows just how far the band had come in just a few short years, from a charismatic R&B covers act with an attitude to one of the biggest and most influential bands in the world. There are 24 tracks from the 60's, twelve from the 70's, seven from the 80's, three from the 90's, and four from the 21st century--two being brand new--providing a pretty comprehensive overview of their career.

The sound quality on 'GRRR!' is stellar, with none of the clipping (distortion, basically) common to a lot of modern day reissues of older material, as it appears this collection uses the same versions as were on the excellently remastered albums released over the past decade or so (though edited in some cases)*.... The songs do seem slightly louder than on their remastered studio album counterparts and 'Forty Licks,' but the dynamic range is not affected as far as I can tell. The quiet parts are still quiet, and the loud parts are still loud, thankfully.

The two new tracks, "Doom and Gloom" and "One More Shot," didn't do much for me initially, but the patented Stonesy sleazy swagger of both tracks is beginning to grow on me, as some of the band's best material have had to do in my case over the years (including almost all of 'Exile,' an undeniable masterpiece...not that I'm comparing). Within seconds of playing each song, there's no mistaking just who's performing them.

The one major negative about this set is that, like 'Forty Licks,' many of the tracks here are in edited form. I would have preferred to pay a few extra bucks for an extra disc if it meant getting the full versions, but considering this is a collection of their hits, which are usually presented in edited form on the radio anyway, this shouldn't be a huge deal to the casual fan, who are probably the main target of this release.

Even though hardcore fans will own most of these songs already, it's still awesome to hear--with pristine sound--the progression of this inimitable band over the years, so I definitely recommend 'GRRR!' for both them and for those who just want the band's essential tracks in one place. It's amazing to think that the Stones are still going strong after 50 years, with no signs of letup in sight. To me, they are the perfect "anytime" band. Morning, noon, night, rain, snow, whether you're happy or sad, it's the perfect time for some Stones.

Though they will probably always be known as the second greatest band of rock's golden age, no band defined--and still define--rock and roll like the Stones. They exude--ARE--rock and roll. And there's no better evidence than this collection.

(*Edit--Someone in the comments section brought to my attention that the more recent remasters, such as 'Some Girls' and 'Sticky Fingers,' do contain clipping. I've compared many of the mid-late 60's tracks here with their 2002 remastered counterparts, and they appear the same to me, with no clipping. I'm not hearing any clipping on the 'Some Girls' and 'Sticky Fingers' tracks here either.) Read more ›

48 of 55 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars A VERY EXPENSIVE MISTAKE.....OH THOSE IRRITATING EDITED SONGS!!!MICK, KEITH YA COULD HAVE DONE BETTER WITH PRODUCT AND PRICE... November 29, 2012

By Psychedelic Good Trip

Format:Audio CD

I was going to buy the super delux version, instead bought the deluxe 3 cd set of GRRR, this is what I've found out...Love the music, packaging really cool, remastering is amazing...the BBC tracks are cool and nostalgic, they would have been a nice edition to the regular delux 3 cd set I bought. Personally as far as the sound of this new release, my 2009 remaster reissues are just fine in the sound department. Possibly I might get the super deluxe edition when it goes way down in price, only reason because I'm a stones completist, as I really don't need it. Things that should have been done with this insanely priced box set: 1.should have had 100 songs, BBC tracks remain seperate on one cd, a few more BBC tracks would have been nice. I'll guess will have to wait for the next over priced gem to get those other BBC releases. Anyway here is # 2.NO SONG EDITS!!!!!! leave them as the songs were meant to be!!!! Being an audiophile nothing irritates me more than edited tracks!!3.The book should have had notes on each song, recording and release dates, of course all the tracks would be in chronological order. 4. Each cd should be used close to its 80 minute limit, not 55-70 minutes of music on each cd like on Grrr. Another slap in the hardcore stones fans face. The stones did this because they want new fans to have to buy all their albums, trust me Mick and Keith even if you used the four suggestions above on this Grrr box set, trust me and believe me (SCOUTS HONOR) the newbies would'nt be getting all of your catolouge output and most likely would buy most of your cds, mp3s, vinyl, etc. TRUST ME, brother Mick your cash registers would not stop cha--chinging!! I could wax on about this over priced gem of brilliance, Yada yada yada yada.... but I will spare the masses of torture.... I like many Stones fans have invested thousands into this band, it would have been nice to give us fans a super deluxe box set with the four suggestions I've stated above. If your a newbie than by all means get the cheaper 3 cd deluxe set of GRRR. I wish amazon would list how sales are doing for this insanley priced, wrongly done, insult to the long time fans, box set. Hey... I have all my Stones cds to listen to... I'm glad these guys are still touring. I still feel A Bigger Bang might be the best stones album since Exile on Main Street or Goat's Head Soup (Reis)...just my opinion.. TRUST ME I REALLY LOVE THE STONES.. this box set just irritates me with all its careless short offerings as well as it should most hardcore stones fans.. anyway long live the Stones... Read more ›