In April 1964, the Stones released their debut record in the UK, it would appear in a slightly different form in the US six weeks later. Recorded at the tiny Regent Sound studio in London, these would be their last recordings (aside from a few stray tracks) made in England until 1966's Between The Buttons. It's an amazing debut, and again is comprised almost entirely of covers. On the day of it's release in the UK, it sold 100,000 copies, and by early May had knocked With The Beatles off the top spot of the charts.
It opens with Bobby Troup's "Route 66," originally a hit for Nat King Cole, which they undoubtedly learned from Chuck Berry. Keith transposes Johnny Johnson's piano riff to the guitar, and it is one of their most searing live numbers of the early years. The song selection includes blues numbers they had been playing around London in the clubs, as well as their take on current US Soul and R&B hits. There's a version of Gene Allison's "You Can Make if you Try, which they probably learned from the Solomon Burke version, the b-side to "If You Need Me" which they would lay to wax months later at Chess Studios in Chicago. The single from the LP in the US, "Tell Me" was the first recorded Jagger-Richards composition, and went to #24 on the US Billboard charts. Keith plays a 12 string acoustic and sings harmony into the same microphone. It's also their first great pop record.
(to be continued)
Download:
"Route 66" mp3
by Chuck Berry, 1961.
available on New Juke Box Hits
"I Just Want To Make Love To You" mp3
by Muddy Waters, 1954.
available on His Best 1947-55
The boys get "roasted" by Dino:
"Honest I Do" mp3
by Jimmy Reed, 1957.
available on Best of the Vee-Jay Years
"Mona" mp3
by Bo Diddley, 1957.
available on I'm A Man: The Singles As & Bs 1955-59
"Now I've Got A Witness" mp3
by The Rolling Stones, 1964.
available on England's Newest Hitmakers
"I'm A King Bee" mp3
by Slim Harpo, 1957.
available on The Excello Singles Anthology
The Rolling Stones on the Mike Douglas Show:
Soundman out to lunch, but stay tuned for interview at the end.
"Carol" mp3
by Chuck Berry, 1958.
available on The Great 28
"Tell Me" mp3
by The Rolling Stones, 1964.
available on England's Newest Hitmakers
"Can I Get A Witness" mp3
by Marvin Gaye, 1963.
available on Gold
"You Can Make It If You Try" mp3
by Gene Allison, 1958.
available on You Can Make It If You Try
"You Can Make It If You Try" mp3
by Solomon Burke, 1963.
available on If You Need Me
"Walking The Dog" mp3
by Rufus Thomas, 1963.
available on Walking the Dog
part 1 : here
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Thanks again for more Stones.. The house the Stones were living in when they wrote 'Tell Me' is just around the corner from my mum's place. (33 Mapesbury Road, see ALO's Stoned p245) Wish I could afford to buy the place..it'd be quite cool!
ReplyDeleteI'm definitively a beatle fan, but thank you for the Stones - surely nearly always a great band till mid seventies, and a great band only at times since then
ReplyDelete/ wolf
Thanks for posting this stuff! I had never seen the Dean Martin clip, which I wrote about when I researched and interviewed locals for a story about a part of the Stones' first USA tour, when they played Danceland at Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota, in June of 1964. You may find this interesting to read:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lakeminnetonka.com/13historydanceland2.html
-Beachcomber
come back Ted.
ReplyDeleteI'll be back shortly.
ReplyDeleteya hoo.
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff. You never let me down. This is the oldest blog in my bookmarks. Ted, your blog is top-notch. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteChris