Customer Reviews

Hot Rocks (1964-1971)

5 star:		(80)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I give the CD five stars for content (difficult to argue with that rating, this is a classic that the part-time Stones fan can't do without)... Five stars to Amazon for quick shipping and a pleasant experience with customer service on the phone... But zero stars to Amazon for misrepresenting what they are selling.

Apparently prior reviewers didn't have this problem, but when I received my "Hybrid SACD" of Hot Rocks (March '06), I furrowed my brow in concern when I noticed that the SACD logo appeared nowhere on the packaging (it does say "DSD Remastered" on the spine of the jewel box). After tearing open the package, I found that the SACD logo appeared nowhere on the disc or in the booklet. After being inserted in my SACD compatible player, I was unable to access the SACD layer.

That's because this ISN'T the SACD hybrid version that they're advertising it to be. This is the same standard CD you can buy at your local record store, Best Buy or Wal*Mart. Speaking of BB, I took this CD to my local outlet and popped the disc(s) into one of their Sony SACD players on the shelf, just to make sure it wasn't just MY unit that wouldn't play it correctly... The unit in the store did something that my player didn't, which perfectly illustrates the problem, it actually said on the player's LED display "NOT HYBRID DISC".

Well, I guess THAT clears it up.

Figuring that it was an honest mistake, I called Amazon and pointed out that I'd been shipped the wrong disc. Kudos to the fellow at Amazon's customer service center, he apologized and promptly sent me a replacement by overnight mail (no charge), and sent a label to affix to the package to return the CD I was erroneously sent. Only problem is...

The "replacement" CD is identical to the one I was sent the first time.

Giving up on Amazon after two tries, I have subsequently purchased a lightly-used proper hybrid SACD of Hot Rocks on eBay, and the disc(s) sound great. FWIW, the hybrid SACD issue of Hot Rocks appears to have only been issued in cardboard fold-out packaging (if online pics are to be believed), so if you order this CD and get it in a jewel box without any mention of it being a hybrid SACD, you've got the "regular" version of the CD.

The UPC code of the SACD issue is 0-18771-96672-2. The "regular" CD has the same number save for the last one, which is -1. The first and last numbers are very small in comparison to the middle ten, so at first glance the CD's appear to have the same UPC code... But that little '1' or '2' at the end makes all the difference.

I assume that this is an honest mistake on Amazon's part, but potential buyers who are searching for the SACD version of Hot Rocks have been warned. I believe that the "standard" layer on the SACD disc is identical in content and quality to the non-SACD version, so if you don't have an SACD-compatible player, none of this will be of any consequence to you.

If I was looking to point a casual fan toward a Rolling Stones retrospective, I'd completely pass on Forty Licks and tell them to go for Hot Rocks, without question.

Everybody knows that 1964-1971 were the golden years for the Stones, and this compilation, which deftly selected the hits from that era, is damn good stuff. All the landmark material is accounted for--Get Off Of My Cloud, Paint It Black, Let's Spend The Night Together, Gimme Shelter, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Street Fighting Man, Sympathy For The Devil, a live cut of Midnight Rambler, and of course, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction. Although this will not satisfy diehard fans and I wish a few other songs were included (Stray Cat Blues, the Ya-Ya version of Carol, Sister Morphine, She's A Rainbow, 2000 Man) everything here is grade-A gritty blues rock. The second disc could very well stand alone, it's that good.

As far as the SACD remasters are concerned, they are a massive improvement over the original remasters in every conceivable way. And don't believe the naysayers who claim the new versions are not compatible with PCs--they are.

If you have this and Exile On Main Street, you're set as a casual fan. Completists will want the individual albums, but Hot Rocks does a damn good job of capturing the Stones at their finest before old age and drug abuse set in. Recommended.

Whenever an album is newly remastered, a reviewer has to take in both the customers who are buying the album for the first time, and those who are buying their third or fourth copy.

I'll start with the former.

This is one of those few, special, greatest hits sets that is, in every way, perfect! Most best of's always leave off important tracks and have moments of worthless filler. Others are made obsolete by better, more complete sets. Not Hot Rocks. Merely because it covers only the best, most famous, and most influential songs of the 7 years when the Stones were at their peak, mountains above the rest of rock and roll. (except the Beatles, Dylan, and Hendrix). Sure Not Fade Away, The Last Time, and 2000 Light Years (among others) were fine, but how can you say they aren't dwarfed by the looming presence of every song on this album? (Which includes Time is on my Side, Satisfaction, Paint it Black, Let's Spend the Night Together, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Sympathy for the Devil, and Brown sugar)

In conclusion this is a perfect sampler of everything that was great and magical about the Rolling Stones, and remains great and magical today. Words can not describe the greatness of the songs in this album, so I can only say this, I can only say that you are not a rock and roll fan until you are Stones fan. So for everybody who wishes to sink their teeth into the glory days of the Rolling Stones, Hot Rocks is the place to begin. (Note: While you're at it, get Exile on Main Street and Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out as well.)

Now for those who already who need a reason to buy this again.

Most everyone who collects music knows how badly one can be screwed out of well-earned money by remasters. (i.e the Ozzy Osbourne "remasters" released this year) Not this time around. You will never Rolling Stones recordings that sound so fresh and clear. New musical bits are brought to the surface for the first time in years. (Most notably on Honky Tonk Woman where horns and new guitar licks can be heard for the first time) And all those classic old songs now sound sharper and more distinct than ever. You can hear those wonderful guitar riffs, drums, and bass licks (oh those wonderful Bill Wyman bass licks) like never before. (i.e. Brian Jones' sitar on Paint it Black is at last brought to the front of the mix, and you can actually hear two different guitars on Midnight Rambler). It gets even better for those that have bought SACD players, for on the SACD layer it sounds even more incredible. It almost sounds as if you are sitting there in the studio watching the Stones make the master takes. And for those that think this isn't worth buying, because all these songs are on other discs, think about this; you won't be hearing the original Brown Sugar and Wild Horses sounding so good for a while.

So in conclusion anybody who is anybody owes it to themselves to buy the new version of Hot Rocks. New fans get a sampler of some of the greatest music ever made, and the older fans get the best sounding glory-day Stones you'll ever hear. The Rolling Stones Remasters is one of the best (if not the best) of its kind. It is definetely worth checking out. And Hot Rocks ain't a bad place to start. Get it today!

I owned this excellent package in vinyl the very first day it came out (wow!) 30 years ago. The music is, with no question, an exceptional bunch of songs in one place: no dispute there and therefore recommended as essential. I do disagree with ABCKO about their research for the best masters for this proyect: the lack of stereo Masters in Satisfaction, Mother's Little Helper, Off of my cloud is dissapointing. I do have these in my analog Hot Rocks CD I obtained while stationed in Germany in 1989. With less resolution, but in stereo, they do sound great.
Aside from my misgivings for being a definitive project with full utilization of stereo with the SACD format, I would still recommend it.

Hot Rocks 1964-1971 is an awesome two CD Stones compilation set that has so many of their best hits. This also makes a great introduction to the band, too, just as other people have said. The sound quality is excellent and the artwork is really nicely done.

The first CD starts with "Time Is On My Side;" this classic Stones tune really rocks well and they deliver this with lots of positive energy! The percussion is great; and The Stones sing and play this to perfection! "Heart Of Stone" has a great beat; and Mick Jagger sings this passionately--with all his heart and soul. He sings of a woman he knows and it all works very well. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is easily one of their best hits ever--and one of the best rock songs ever written, too. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" explores the frustration a man can feel when he doesn't have a girlfriend; and that's something many guys can relate to. The song rocks well anyway; and I could never tire of hearing The Rolling Stones doing "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." Excellent!

"Get Off Of My Cloud" is another classic by the Stones; this song has a great beat and they handle complicated tempo and key changes like the pros they were and still remain! Mick sings great and "Get Off Of My Cloud" is a major highlight of this two CD set; the lyrics are very creative, too. "Mother's Little Helper" uses some pretty awesome electric guitar; and listen for The Rolling Stones to do their very best on "Paint It Black." "Paint It Black" has one of the best arrangements The Stones ever wrote and sang; and the music is also very well done. "Under My Thumb" is yet another classic tune by this incredible band; they ace this easily and I always like to hear this song.

The first CD ends strong with The Rolling Stones doing "Let's Spend the Night Together." "Let's Spend the Night Together" celebrates the happiness of attraction between a man and a woman and that's terrific.

The second CD continues the hits. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" has a pretty cool flavor to it; those electric guitars work well and Mick Jagger sings this very well. "Sympathy For The Devil" was always one of my very favorite Stones tunes; "Sympathy For The Devil" keeps the new listener guessing at who the song is about until the song is well along and that draws in the listener really well. There's also the poignant "You Can't Always Get What You Want" with its sublime female chorus; this song about life makes its point well and that's the strength of this song in addition to the music. "Brown Sugar" rocks so hard that I love hearing this--even if it's over and over again! "Brown Sugar" is easily one of their best songs ever and the topic is interesting, to say the least...

The second CD ends with "Wild Horses;" "Wild Horses" is a passionate love song that always tugs at my heartstrings when I hear it. It moves me a lot and it's a total masterpiece. Good for them!

Overall, The Rolling Stones turned out a "greatest hits" set so strong it DID take on a life of its own. Even all these years later, this album sells quite well and newcomers are always buying it. This two CD set proves that The Rolling Stones were-and are--one of the best rock and roll bands of all time. It will be a long, long time before we see another band this good again.

This is the version of Hot Rocks 1964-1971 that was originally released in the U.S. on Jan 11, 1972 but was withheld from the UK until 1990 due to a lawsuit. The album includes different versions of Brown Sugar and Wild Horses that had not been previously released. By mistake, the UK release contained the only true stereo versions of Satisfaction, Heart Of Stone, Paint It, Black, and Get Off Of My Cloud until the 40 Licks CD was released in 2002.

This US version covered their American hits from 1964-1971. The song are on the album in the order they were released in the U.S. Those that were only released as album cuts are noted.
9-25-64 Time Is On My Side (version 2) (also on Big Hits (High Tide & Green Grass))
12-18-64 Heart Of Stone (also on Big Hits (High Tide & Green Grass))
3-12-65 Play With Fire (B side of The Last Time) (also on Big Hits (High Tide & Green Grass))
6-4-65 (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (also on Big Hits (High Tide & Green Grass))
12-17-65 As Tears Go By (also on Big Hits (High Tide & Green Grass))
9-24-65 Get Off Of My Cloud (also on Big Hits (High Tide & Green Grass))
5-6-66 Paint It, Black (also on Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2))
7-1-66 Mother's Little Helper (also on Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2))
2-11-66 19th Nervous Breakdown (also on Big Hits (High Tide & Green Grass))
7-1-66 Under My Thumb (not a single, from album Aftermath)
1-13-67 Ruby Tuesday (also on Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2))
1-13-67 Let's Spend The Night Together (B side of Ruby Tuesday) (also on Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2))
5-31-68 Jumpin' Jack Flash (also on Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2))
8-30-68 Street Fighting Man (also on Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2))
12-6-68 Sympathy For The Devil (not a single, from album Beggar's Banquet)
7-3-69 Honky Tonk Woman (also on Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2))
12-5-69 Gimme Shelter (not a single, from album Let It Bleed)
12-5-69 Midnight Rambler (not a single, from album Let It Bleed)
12-5-69 You Can't Always Get What You Want (not a single, from album Let It Bleed)
5-7-71 Brown Sugar (1st release of version 2)(song not on a previous compilation album)
6-11-71 Wild Horses (1st release of version 2)(song not on a previous compilation album)

Here is a list of the songs that were previously issued on the first 2 compilation albums, but were not included on Hot Rocks 64-71:
3-6-64 Not Fade Away (on Big Hits (High Tide & Green Grass))
6-12-64 Tell Me (version 2) (on Big Hits (High Tide & Green Grass))
7-24-64 It's All Over Now (on Big Hits (High Tide & Green Grass))
7-24-64 Good Times, Bad Times (B side of It's All Over Now) (on Big Hits (High Tide & Green Grass))
3-12-65 The Last Time (on Big Hits (High Tide & Green Grass))
9-23-66 Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow? (on Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2))
8-18-67 Dandelion (on Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2))
12-22-67 She's A Rainbow (on Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2))
12-22-67 2000 Light Years From Home (B side of She's A Rainbow) (on Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2))

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.

I'm not an expert on the sixties era Rolling Stones
but I was very familiar with the Hot Rocks collections,
both this edition and the More Hot Rocks collection. I was
very impressed with the mastering job on this to say the least.
The '86 CD edition fell flat in a number of ways, this corrects the muddy and flat sound. This is probably over kill, but here's a number of thoughts on the tracks. Even if you don't own a SACD player, you hear a huge difference on a conventional CD player.

Time Is On My Side - This sort of represents the R n B side of this band. Great stereo mix of this track with a lot of clarity.
Huge difference over the mono version from the '86 CD print.

Heart Of Stone - Another stereo mix, the lead guitar alone is so much clearer. the lyric just shows how edgey with tounges in cheek this band was back then.

Play With Fire - Same mono mix as before but with better clarity,
check out the mix on that keyboard track!

Satisfaction - Of course their all time classic, great and welcomed stereo mix with the acoustic guitar filling the sound and clear.

As Tears Go By - A favorite, yet one of the reasons why people complained about why the Stones were imitating the Beatles too much during the early sixties. Even if it's a bit of a take off
on 'Yesterday', still a great song. Same mono mix.

Get Off Of My Cloud - Great tune, seems imitavtive of what The Kinks were doing around that time. Much better mono mix of this.
great lead guitar fill!

Mother's Little Helper - The Mono Mix of this, not that fake stereo mix from the '86 CD. Another classic.

19th Nervous Breakdown - Probably my all time favorite of their
sixties era, the bass line is so much clearer on this mix, fantastic!

Paint It Black - Of course another classic of that time, this stereo mix is just wonderful.

Under My Thumb - This songs is one of the reasons why anyone could never accuse the Stones of being politically correct. J/K Not much of a difference between this mix and the 86' edition, still a major improvement though.

Ruby Tuesday - Great ballad, brings back memories, again simply
reinforces why this remaster is such an improvement.

Let's Spend The Night Together - You can hear the left channel guitar so much better on this edition

The stereo mixes on the following tracks are just an major improvement, Jumpin' Jack Flash - Street fighting Man - Sympathy
For The Devil.

Honky Tonk Women - Welcome edition of the stereo mix of this, the horns don't feel as cluttered as they did in the 86' edition
which had the mono mix of this great song.

Again, different, yet not different are the remaining tracks -
Gimmie Shelter - Midnight Rambler (live) - You Can't Always Get
What You Want - Brown Sugar - Wild Horses

Everything has so much more presence and clarity, my only complaint is that I wish they had included lyrics with this
remaster. Oh Well, You Can't Always Get What You Want, indeed.

Like that other 60s Titan, The Beatles, the Stones are hard to nail down with a greatest hits set. But Hot Rocks hits all the highlights, at least for their 1960s work. It is an excellent introduction to the group, I first bought it on vinyl in 1984 at the age of 18 and was hooked on the group from that point forward, as well as a historical overview of just how much they grew musically over a relatively short period of time. The sound is a vast improvement over what came before on CD. In particular Mother's Little Helper and 19th Nervous Breakdown which sounded on previous releases like they were copies of copies. You can hear the sound of the tape stretching on one point during 19th Breakdown. That is all fixed here. This is essential.

Better than "Forty Licks" for the pacing and quality of the album, Hot Rocks is the best collection of the Stones at their peak. Every song is a gem, the tracklist covers all the important songs, and you get what you need. There's enough here to pique a new fan's interest and also serve as a handy set for the older Stones fan that wants the essentials for their car stereo, or whatever. The remastered sound is excellent, for those who care. My only complaint is that a few more songs--the best from "More Hot Rocks", perhaps?--could fit on this set. When I made a tape of my old 80's copy for the car (back before they had CD players in cars), I stuck "She's a Rainbow" on before "Jumping Jack Flash", and it worked quite well.

For more information on the Stones' best albums, check out "Beggars Banquet" and "Let It Bleed", which is where you should start your REAL Stones collection (please see my review of that album, entitled "Stones Classic).

Disc 2 is everything I could hope for, Jumpin' Jack Flash and Honky Tonk Women have never sounded better to these ears. But what happened to the earlier songs? Satisfaction has all of this extra echo that didn't exist before. Listen to the beginning of 19th Nervous Breakdown - the guitar that wangs in at 3 seconds is all but obliterated. That's not remastering - that's fraud! Ruby Tuesday sounds like the volume turned down everytime the chorus comes around. Buy this set for Disc 2 and don't throw out your old vinyl or CD's.