"The Rolling Stones" and "England's Newest Hitmakers" by THE ROLLING STONES – April 1964 UK Debut Album on Decca Records in Mono Only, May 1964 US Debut LP as "England's Newest Hitmakers" on London Records in Mono and Stereo with Different Tracks and Artwork – Both Versions Available Inside "The Rolling Stones In Mono" (September 2016 UK ABKCO Records 15CD Breeze Block Box Set With New Remasters and Mini Repro LP Artwork) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

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"...Play With Fire..."

 

Oh lawdy mama yes. I pre-ordered this sucker the day it was announced and I've been giddy like Donald Trump at a Deluxe Toupee Convention ever since.

 

On arrival and being a Rolling Stones reissue - In Mono is typically a mixed bag of the fabulous vs. the downright sloppy and lazy (presentation glitches) – especially at this price and in 2016. But overall it's been worth the wait.

 

There were crossovers between the UK and American variants, but at last we also get the official digital debut of the first two British LPs in Mono on CD - "Rolling Stones No.1" and "No. 2". Let's get to the factoids...

 

UK and USA released Friday, 30 September 2016 – "The Rolling Stones In Mono" by THE ROLLING STONES on ABKCO Records 018771834526 (Barcode 018771834526) is a Remastered 15CD Box Set with a 48-Page booklet containing all of the UK and USA albums released between 1964 and 1969 on Decca, London and ABKCO Records (MONO only).

 

The UK and US Debut Album plays out as follows:

 

Disc 1 "The Rolling Stones" (32:51 minutes, 12 Tracks, UK Mono LP):

1. Route 66

2. I Just Want To Make Love To You

3. Honest I Do

4. Mona

5. Now I've Got A Witness (Like Uncle Phil And Uncle Gene)

6. Little By Little

7. I'm A King Bee [Side 2]

8. Carol

9. Tell Me (You're Coming Back)

10. Can I Get A Witness

11. You Can Make It If You Try

12. Walking The Dog

Tracks 1 to 12 are their debut album "The Rolling Stones" – released 17 April 1964 in the UK on Decca LK 4605 (Mono only) – first time on CD.

 

 

Their US debut album was called "England's Newest Hitmakers" (as shown above) – released 3 May 1964 on London LL 3373 (Mono) and London PS 375 (Stereo). The Bo Diddley cover of "Mona" from the British LP was dropped in favour of "Not Fade Away" - a Buddy Holly cover version (see Track 10, Disc 15). The other tracks remained the same and to sequence that US album from these discs use the following [10/15 = Track 10, Disc 15, 5/1 = Track 5, Disc 1 etc]:

 

1. Not Fade Away [10/15]

2. Route 66 [1/1]

3. I Just Want To Make Love To You [2/1]

4. Honest I Do [3/1]

5. Now I've Got A Witness... [5/1]

6. Little By Little [6/1]

7. I'm A King Bee [7/1] [Side 2]

8. Carol [8/1]

9. Tell Me (You're Coming Back) [9/1]

10. Can I Get A Witness [10/1]

11. You Can Make It If You Try [11/1]

12. Walking The Dog [12/1]

 

The Side 1 opener of the US debut album "England's Newest Hitmakers" is a cover version of the Buddy Holly classic "Not Fade Away" and can be found on Disc 15 (Track 10). This 24-straggler-tracks CD compilation has been dubbed "Stray Cats" and runs to 70:17 minutes (24 Tracks). "Not Fade Away was also a 21 February 1964 UK 7" 45-single on Decca F 11845 (A-side).

 

 

DAVID FRICKE does the expert and affectionately written liner notes (Pages 1 to 43) that are accompanied by beautifully rendered black and white and colour period photos of the band from the TERRY O’NEILL Archive. But that's small beer to the really big deal news – the superb new Mono Audio. Mastered by BOB LUDWIG at Gateway Mastering - a team of three handled the transfers – STEVE ROSENTHAL and TED YOUNG did Sound Restoration while TERI LANDI did Analogue-to-Digital Transfers and Tape Research. GUS SKINAS is the DSD consultant while SEAN MAGEE and ALEX WHARTON did the Lacquer Cutting for the Vinyl Version at Abbey Road Studios. First generation tapes were used and as David Fricke enthuses on Page 3 of the excellent liner notes - the whole shebang is 'newly remastered with unprecedented fidelity and revelatory detail'. And I'd agree with that.

 

ABKCO Records 018771834526 is impressive and at times beautifully tactile. The credits page is pasted onto the back of the box so its not one of those annoying sheets that falls away the second you undo the shrink-wrap. Each oversized glossy full-colour hard card sleeve is held in a resealable 300 grams plastic and the glossy CDs themselves protected on the inside by an anti-static Japanese plastic so the surface of the disc remains un-scuffed by the card repro. But even though they look the part - practically speaking - re-sealable plastics are a frigging nightmare to actually use. Anyone who knows what those Japanese versions are like will cringe - they look gorgeous but tear so easily and the sealable flap sticks to the sleeve on exit and entry. 

 

Fortunately as these are all glossy hard-card sleeves that won't matter too much. Also instead of those brittle Japanese issues - ABKCO have smartly used a durable plastic on their resealable wraps. It's a little thing to note for sure - but if you actually want to play these and not rip strips off of your repro artwork every time you open them - it's a smart move. I like the flip-over lid, the covers in their plastics fit snugly within the box and the booklet looks the part too. The rear sleeves are paste-on for the first few albums and "No. 1" even comes with the 'Mona' track credit of the first British pressing (later issues have "I Need You Baby").

 

Fans will know that the first two British albums "Rolling Stones No. 1" and "No. 2" were originally released in Mono in the UK for a limited time (later in other territories) and have been officially AWOL on CD forever - a fact that seems amazing in 2016. So it's very cool to see their release here at last. Debut gems - the sly harmonica R&B of Slim Harpo's "I'm A King Bee" and cool stuff like "Route 66" and "I Just Want To Make Love to You" nailed their love of American Blues, Rhythm and Blues and Rock and Roll to the mast from the get go. Other great tracks include the boys donning a cap to Bo Diddley by doing his "Mona" and of course Chuck Berry and Motown are in there with "Carol" and "Can I Get A Witness". Even as you play the 1963 singles that start Disc 15 – the "Stray Cats" compilation – you can hear their edge early on. Great stuff...

 

As ever with Rolling Stones Deluxe Edition reissues, there's a compromise for long-suffering fans. But it would be churlish and penny-pinching to call this reissue anything other than a triumph.

 

I'm going to be opening the re-sealable plastics contained within this gorgeous thing for years to come. "England's Newest Hitmakers" and how - and I like that a lot...