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The Rolling Stones
UK edition
Studio album by the Rolling Stones
Released	17 April 1964 (1964-04-17)
Recorded	3 January – 25 February 1964
Studio	Regent Sound, London
Genre	Blues rock British R&B
Length	33:24
Label	Decca
Producer	Eric Easton Andrew Loog Oldham
The Rolling Stones UK chronology
The Rolling Stones (EP) (1964) The Rolling Stones (1964) Five by Five (EP) (1964)
The Rolling Stones US chronology
England's Newest Hit Makers (1964) 12 X 5 (1964)
Singles from England's Newest Hit Makers
"Not Fade Away" Released: 6 March 1964 "Tell Me" Released: 12 June 1964

The Rolling Stones is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released by Decca Records in the UK on 17 April 1964. The American edition of the LP, with a slightly different track list, came out on London Records on 29 May 1964, subtitled England's Newest Hit Makers, which later became its official title.

Recording

Recorded at Regent Sound Studios in London over the course of five days in January and February 1964, The Rolling Stones was produced by then-managers Andrew Loog Oldham and Eric Easton. The album was originally released by Decca Records in the UK, while the US version appeared on the London Records label.

The majority of the tracks reflect the band's love for R&B. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (whose professional name until 1978 omitted the "s" in his surname) were fledgling songwriters during early 1964, contributing only one original composition to the album: "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)". Two songs are credited to "Nanker Phelge" – a pseudonym the band used for group compositions from 1963 to 1965. Phil Spector and Gene Pitney both contributed to the recording sessions, and are referred to as "Uncle Phil and Uncle Gene" in the subtitle of the Phelge instrumental "Now I've Got a Witness".

Release

First pressings of the album, with matrix numbers ending in 1A, 2A, 1B, and 2B, have a 2:52 version of "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)", which was pressed from the wrong master tape. Subsequent pressings include the 4:06 version. Early labels and covers also have misprints with the fourth track on side 1 listed as "Mona", which was later changed to "I Need You Baby", the subtitle of "Now I've Got a Witness" written "Like Uncle Gene and Uncle Phil", the word 'If' omitted from "You Can Make It If You Try", and 'Dozier' spelt 'Bozier'. "Route 66" is listed as "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" on some versions of the album, and some later versions of the album have "I Need You Baby" listed as "Mona (I Need You Baby)" and the subtitles of "Now I've Got a Witness" and "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)" removed entirely.

The album cover photo was taken by Nicholas Wright. The cover bears no title or identifying information other than the photo and the Decca logo – an "unheard of" design concept originated by manager Andrew Oldham.

Upon its release, The Rolling Stones became one of 1964's biggest sellers in the UK, staying at No. 1 for twelve weeks.

The original British version of the album was released on compact disc in 1984, but became out-of-print on CD for many years afterwards. In November 2010, it was made available as part of a limited edition vinyl box set titled The Rolling Stones 1964–1969, and by itself digitally at the same time. The original title was also reinstated as part of The Rolling Stones in Mono CD box set, released on 30 September 2016. The album was only released in mono in both the UK and US; no true stereo mix was ever made.

The US version of the album, originally self-titled but later officially called England's Newest Hit Makers, was the band's debut US album and was released by London Records on 29 May 1964, a month and a half after the British version. The track "Not Fade Away" (the A-side of the band's third UK single) replaced "I Need You Baby", and the titles of the tracks "Now I've Got a Witness (Like Uncle Phil and Uncle Gene)" and "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)" were shortened to "Now I've Got a Witness" and "Tell Me" on most versions of the American release. Upon its release, The Rolling Stones reached No. 11 in the US, going gold in the process. To date, this is the Rolling Stones' only American studio album that has failed to place in the top five on the Billboard album charts. In August 2002, the album, by now officially called England's Newest Hit Makers, was reissued as a new remastered CD and SACD Digipak by ABKCO.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Entertainment Weekly	C+
The Great Rock Discography	8/10
MusicHound Rock
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Tom Hull	UK: A− US: A

The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2010). Sean Egan of BBC Music wrote of the record in 2012: "It's a testament to the group's brilliance that the result was still the best album to emerge from the early 1960s British blues boom … the ensemble lovingly deliver some of their favourite shots of rhythm 'n' blues." It was voted number 418 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.

Legacy

For his 1972 single "The Jean Genie", David Bowie aimed to replicate the sound of The Rolling Stones. He said: "I didn't get that near to it, but it had a feel that I wanted – that '60s thing."

Track listing

UK edition

US edition

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon, except where noted:

The Rolling Stones

• Mick Jagger – vocals, handclaps, tambourine; harmonica ("Honest I Do", "Little by Little" and "I'm a King Bee"), maracas ("Not Fade Away", "Mona")
• Keith Richards – backing vocals, lead and rhythm (6- and 12-string) guitars
• Brian Jones – backing vocals, rhythm guitar; lead guitar ("I'm a King Bee"); slide guitar ("Walking the Dog"); harmonica ("Not Fade Away", "I Just Want to Make Love to You" and "Now I've Got a Witness"); tambourine ("Tell Me" and "Can I Get a Witness"); whistling ("Walking the Dog")
• Bill Wyman – backing vocals, bass, handclaps
• Charlie Watts – drums, handclaps
• Unidentified musician (played by the Rolling Stones) – tambourine ("Mona" and "Little by Little")

Additional musicians

• Gene Pitney – piano ("Little by Little")
• Phil Spector – percussion, maracas ("Little by Little")
• Ian Stewart – organ ("Now I've Got a Witness" and "You Can Make It If You Try"); piano ("Tell Me" and "Can I Get a Witness")

Production and additional personnel

• Andrew Loog Oldham – producer
• Bill Farley – engineer
• Nicholas Wright – photography

Charts

Certifications

References

1. "Rolling Stones singles".
2. "1964 timeline".
3. Wyman, Bill (2002). Rolling With the Stones. DK Publishing. p. 111. ISBN 0-7894-9998-3.
4. Oldham, Andrew Loog (2000). Stoned. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 327. ISBN 0-312-27094-1.
5. McPherson, Ian. "The Rolling Stones' Complete Discography Part I: 1963–1965". Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
6. "The Rolling Stones – Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
7. Walsh, Christopher (24 August 2002). "Super audio CDs: The Rolling Stones Remastered". Billboard. p. 27.
8. Richie Unterberger (30 May 1964). "The Rolling Stones (England's Newest Hit Makers) – The Rolling Stones | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
9. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
10. Browne, David (20 September 2002). "Satisfaction?". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
11. Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). New York: Canongate. p. 1294. OL 18807297M.
12. Graff, Gary, ed. (1996). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink. p. 574. OL 8145585M.
13. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th rev. ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 695. OL 21112308M.
14. Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: The Rolling Stones". tomhull.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
15. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
16. Egan, Sean (2012). "Review of The Rolling Stones – The Rolling Stones". BBC Music. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
17. Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 155. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
18. Reynolds, Simon (2016). "Hard to Be Real: David Bowie and Friends Conquer the World". Shock and Awe: Glam Rock and Its Legacy. London: Faber & Faber. p. 308. ISBN 978-0-571-30171-3.
19. Margotin & Guesdon 2016, pp. 29–42, 50–51.
20. Babiuk & Prevost 2013, p. 100.
21. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
22. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
23. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Rolling Stones – The Rolling Stones" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
24. "The Rolling Stones | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
25. "The Rolling Stones Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
26. "Lista prodaje 18. tjedan 2024" (in Croatian). HDU. 22 April 2024. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
27. "Official IFPI Charts – Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Εβδομάδα: 22/2024" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
28. "Canadian album certifications – The Rolling Stones – The Rolling Stones". Music Canada.
29. "American album certifications – The Rolling Stones – The Rolling Stones". Recording Industry Association of America.

Sources

• Babiuk, Andy; Prevost, Greg (2013). Rolling Stones Gear: All the Stones' Instruments from Stage to Studio. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-61713-092-2.
• Margotin, Philippe; Guesdon, Jean-Michel (2016). The Rolling Stones All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. New York City: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. ISBN 978-0-316-31774-0.

External links

• The Rolling Stones at Discogs (list of releases)

• 1964 debut albums
• ABKCO Records albums
• Albums produced by Andrew Loog Oldham
• Decca Records albums
• London Records albums
• The Rolling Stones albums
• 1960s covers albums