The Rolling Stones

Year: 1964
Rating: 12                 

Now in 1963, rock music was still on the hangover from 1959. Simply put, it was BORING. The mid 1950s was very groundbreaking time for popular music. Rock 'n' Roll was invented and its name was let out by the likes of Presley, Berry, Perkins and Holly. Speaking of Holly, he died in a plane crash in 1959. The day of his passing is now known as "The Day Music Died", which we all know isn't true but at the time it seemed so. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, rock music lost it's creative and threatening edge, which allowed it to be enjoyed by mom and dad. Now The Beatles seem to get credit for stopping this but they didn't really. Their music at the time and even after was quite tame, even compared to 50s rock. It wasn't until 1964 until a British band with mostly middle-class members gave rock 'n' roll its meaning back.

Now there were many garage bands back in the early 60s but they were to sloppy and unprofessional to be too threatening. The Rolling Stones on the other hand, were fully competent with their instruments. Watts and Wyman, the rythmn section, while straightforward were perfect for the band. And the two guitarists, Richards and Jones were good at both riffing and soloing. Jaggar had a pretty unique voice. Not technically great and very unconvetional, but hey, THAT'S WHAT ROCK N ROLL IS ALL ABOUT!

12 tracks on this baby and it has a whopping 1 original. Ironically enough, it's the tamest song on here. You see, the Stone's manager respected The Beatles because they wrote their own material, so he locked Jaggar and Richards in a bathroom and only let them out after they wrote a song. The result was Tell Me (You're Coming Back), a Beatlesque pop-rock ballad. And it's not bad, and it's hilarious! The boys obviously know that this wasn't their forte so they kind of half assed it. The lyrics are laughable, predictable and cheesy, but hearing them sing it gives me a smile. Simply put, they were drunk when this was recorded. The melody ain't half bad either. I'd take it over anything Hermans Hermits were doing at the time.

The other 11 tracks however are covers, or at least based off of other songs. They seem to be 3 different catergories for these songs. Blues numbers, Rock 'n' Roll, and Motownish pieces.

Brian Jones, the second guitarist, was a blues fanatic so it's not a surprise that there is quite of few blues songs on here. The best of them all is I'm A King Bee. So much primal energy on here. From Jaggar's convincing vocals, to the thromping bass, to the "stinging" guitar licks, to the "buzzing" guitar solo; this song is everying thing that is awsome about blues thrown in a blender without any of the bad. Mona (I Need You Baby) is a Diddley song which is instantly recognizable by the pow-pow-pow-po-powpow drum beat. It's very enjoyable and catchy. Little By Little is a song that was originally some other blues song but the Stones wrote different lyrics. And it's just some more great blues-rock. Honest I Do may be the weakest of them all but that's only because it's slightly unconvincing. But it ain't bad.

The most prominant style however has got to be the pure rock stuff. The title track Route 66 is no less than classic. Oh my how I love that guitar tone, and the little riffs it plays, and that awesome solo! I never heard the original, but there's no way it's beating this. Carol, a Berry cover, is just as good. The solo may be a little lacklustre but the riff saves it. Richards doesn't miss a single note. Very clean and soul-crushing at the same time. The call-and-answer with Jaggar's vocals and Richard's guitar is no short of brilliant. I Just Want To Make Love To You is great as well. This was possibly their most threatening sounding song at the time. Just listen to Jaggar and the guitar. Ouch. Walking The Dog is just amusing. Fun, but nothing breathtaking.

Then comes the Motown covers, and they are easily the worst part of the album. Can I Get A Witness and You Can  Make It If You Try are just totally unconving that it's almost painful to see the boys try. Well at least Witness is catchy but If You Try is just totally forgetable. There's also an instrumental earlier in the album called Now I've Got A Witness. Basically an instrumental of Can I Get A Witness. It's nice and better than Can I, but it's nothing special.

And there you have it, one of the most important rock albums of all time. The only problems is some failed experiments and the slight monotony in the mood. It's not for everyone of course, the blues songs may bore people. But forget about that and just buy the damn album okay! The main reason why this only gets a 12 is that it hasn't stood the test of time too well. But hey, it's still better than say, Please Please Me!

P.S. The American version of this album is called Englands Newest Hitmakers (Horrible Title). It's more or less the same. The only difference is Mona is replaced by Not Fade Away, the Stone's 3rd U.K. single.