Not even a decade into their career, the Stones had already fallen into something of a trend by following a studio album with a live album or compilation. In the case of Hot Rocks, at least, the motivation came not from the band but from their former manager, the always philanthropic Allen Klein.Hot Rocks is two records’ full of great Stones tracks, arranged chronologically and conveniently. All the hits you know and love are here, from singles to album tracks, all the way up to “Brown Sugar” (making its first but far from its last appearance on a Stones compilation) and “Wild Horses”. The Ya-Ya’s version of “Midnight Rambler” mixes it up. Most of the songs had already been on Big Hits or Through The Past, Darkly, and both “Ruby Tuesday” and “Let’s Spend The Night Together” were making their fourth American LP appearance, but again, how can you complain with such a lineup? As solid as Big Hits and Through The Past, Darkly are, the novice can’t go wrong with Hot Rocks, which is why it’s always sold incredibly well. In fact, the only bad thing we can say about it is the back cover photo.
Of course, it opened the floodgates for other cash-in opportunities. In the UK, the Decca label put out a series of strange collections of catalog clippings, none of them very well thought out nor appreciated by the band. Most collected odd singles or US-only tracks, but the most notorious was Gimme Shelter, which was not a soundtrack in any way.
The Stones themselves weren’t above a little plundering. Jamming With Edward! was credited collectively to Nicky Hopkins, Ry Cooder, Mick Jagger, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts, and consisted of six loose jams from the Let It Bleed sessions. While an official release on Rolling Stones Records, it was sold at a budget price in anticipation of the scathing reviews it was sure to get. Truth be told, it’s not all that bad, and would have been a highly sought bootleg had they not put it out. It’s still an excellent showcase for Nicky’s piano, and while “It Hurts Me Too” is correctly credited to Elmore James, you don’t have to listen that closely to hear Mick include a verse from Dylan’s “Pledging My Time”.
The Rolling Stones Hot Rocks (1964-1971) (1971)—5
Nicky Hopkins, Ry Cooder, Mick Jagger, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts Jamming With Edward! (1972)—3
Great review. Thanks Wardo!
ReplyDeleteAs would he do a few years later with The Beatles’ “Red” and “Blue” albums, Allen Klein released a compilation that would define the Stones’ classics for people my age who were moving on from the AM Top 40 radio hits. As with those albums, I must admit, as much as I think the man was a slimeball, he and his minions pretty much got it right. Random thoughts:
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they accidentally included the (UK) album version instead of the (US) single version “Time Is on My Side”. Probably. It’s a happy accident. The song works better with the extended guitar intro rather than rushing into it right after the organ.
“The Last Time” is one of my favorite Stones singles. It should have been on the album instead of ‘Heart of Stone”. It not only was a bigger hit; it’s also a better song. Not that “Heart of Stone” is bad. It just drips bitterness. It sets up the next two years of Jagger’s nastiness!
It was cool that they put the B-side of “The Last Time” on. Although it took me years to figure out what the hell significance Stepney and Knightsbridge had.
A friend of mine had an import version of the CD’s, which include an utterly cool true stereo mix of “Satisfaction”. You can hear the acoustic guitars much more clearly, and a piano that is inaudible on the single.
“Get Off of My Cloud”, despite being a #1 single, isn’t one that’s heard much anymore, not even in concert. I wonder why.
Since it’s included here, I assumed that “Under My Thumb” was a single. I was really surprised to learn that it never was, not even as a B-side.
When I first heard the album, I was really struck how drastically the clarity and sound quality improves on sides 3 and 4. That proves to me that Jimmy Miller was a much better producer than Andrew Oldham, even if he did improve on “Aftermath” and “Between the Buttons”.
Like a lot of people, this was the first version of “Midnight Rambler” that I heard. When I finally heard the studio cut, it seemed tame and constrained by comparison. As a naive teenager, I found it quite disturbing.
Of course, there are a zillion Stones compilations out there. A lot of them do a better job of covering the hits from this period. For consistency, cohesiveness and sheer excellence, however, I don’t think that it’s ever been beat. As a result, the Stones still had to include a least a few of these in the live set until the end of time.
Oh, and I kind of like the back cover, with Charlie looking like he got a part in "Game of Thrones".
ReplyDeleteOne more bit of trivia: first LP pressings contain early mixes of the last two songs, without the album overdubs, caused by Klein jumping the gun. "Wild Horses" sounds more intimate, but "Brown Sugar" is lakcing without all of the parts, especially the sleazy sax solo.
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