ABKCO US Schallplatten & CDs

Review: If any other band decided to open what's essentially Greatest Hits Vol.2 with a track like 'Paint It Black' you'd probably worry the album was destined for a sharp decline, and wonder how such a powerhouse piece of music didn't wind up on Greatest Hits Vol I. Not so with The Rolling Stones, a band that had already put out more than enough incredible tunes to fill five volumes by the time this collection came along (1969). Representing the first seven years of the seminal English rock group, after the first juggernaut spirals off into semi-psychedelic mania we're treated to several more reminders of exactly why these guys were so good during their early days. 'Ruby Tuesdays', 'Dandelion' and 'Let's Spend the Night Together' reveal stunning pop sensibilities, while fare such as 'Honkey Tonk Woman', 'Jumpin' Jack Flash', and 'Street Fighting Man' celebrating the predominantly Black-made blues they looked to for so much inspiration.

Review: The Rolling Stones put out plenty of albums full mostly of cover versions other favourite blues, soul and rhythm & blues tunes and this one, Out Of Our Heads, is one of them from 1986. It was a number two album in the UK charts but marked the band's first ever Billboard 200 number one (maybe because at the time only the American version contained their biggest ever tune, '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction'). Here the mono version gets reissued and contains songs made over a six month period including the top ten hit 'The Last Time.' Though these are covers, they are newly done in a guitar-based, thoroughly contemporary (at the time) style.