The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones – Sympathy For The Devil: Remix (2003)
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 38:11 minutes | Scans included | 2,54 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | 38:07 mins | Scans included | 828 MB
Features 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 multichannel surround sound

As a means of promoting a DVD reissue of Jean-Luc Godard’s 1970 film Sympathy for the Devil (which depicts the 1968 recording session that produced the Rolling Stones’ song), ABCKO Records has released this seven-track CD single, running over 38 minutes, which contains remixes of “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Neptunes, Fatboy Slim, and Full Phatt (each presented in a “Radio Remix” and a “Full Length Remix”), plus the original Stones track. Since the song has a distinctive percussion part played by Stones drummer Charlie Watts and conga player Rocky Dijon, it’s interesting that all the remixers begin by eliminating that part. But then, that’s in the nature of the “remix” business, which tends to involve newly recorded rhythm tracks. the Neptunes retain Mick Jagger’s vocal and Keith Richards’ guitar solos, their new underlying track at first having an Indian flavor complete with sitar licks. Halfway through, a backing of acoustic guitar and string-like sounds replaces the Indian track. Fatboy Slim likes Nicky Hopkins’ piano part and keeps it along with the vocal, laying in a characteristic stop-and-start electronica percussion part. Full Phatt is also fond of the original piano, and his percussion track has a more bass-heavy feel. Of course, when the original recording comes on at the end, it wipes the floor with the remixers.

(more…)

The Rolling Stones – Singles Collection: The London Years (1989) [ABKCO Remaster 2002]
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 185:18 minutes | Scans included | 7,48 GB
or FLAC 2.0 (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 2,69 GB

The three-disc box set Singles Collection: The London Years contains every single the Rolling Stones released during the ’60s, including both the A- and B-sides. It is the first Stones compilation that tries to be comprehensive and logical — for all their attributes, the two Hot Rocks sets and the two Big Hits collections didn’t present the singles in chronological order. In essence, the previous compilations were excellent samplers, where Singles Collection tells most of the story (certain albums, like Aftermath, Beggars Banquet, and Let It Bleed, fill in the gaps left by the singles). the Rolling Stones made genuine albums — even their early R&B/blues albums were impeccably paced — but their singles had a power all their own, which is quite clearly illustrated by the Singles Collection. By presenting the singles in chronological order, the set takes on a relentless, exhilarating pace with each hit and neglected B-side piling on top of each other, adding a new dimension to the group; it has a power it wouldn’t have had if it tried to sample from the albums. Although it cheats near the end, adding singles from the Metamorphosis outtakes collection and two singles from Sticky Fingers, this captures the essence of the ’60s Stones as well as any compilation could. Casual fans might want to stick with the Hot Rocks sets, since they just have the hits, but for those that want a little bit more, the Singles Collection is absolutely essential.

(more…)

The Rolling Stones – Dirty Work (1986) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2011 # UIGY-9074]
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 39:48 minutes | Scans included | 1,61 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 820 MB

Uses the 2011 DSD master based on UK original analog tape. Reissue features the high-fidelity SHM-SACD format (fully compatible with standard SACD player, but it does not play on standard CD players). DSD Transferred by Mick McKenna & Richard Whittaker.

Reuniting after three years and one solo album from Mick Jagger, the Rolling Stones attempted to settle their differences and craft a comeback with Dirty Work, but the tensions remained too great for the group. Designed as a return to their rock & roll roots after several years of vague dance experiments, Dirty Work is hampered by uneven songs and undistinguished performances, as well as a slick, lightly synthesized production that instantly dates the album to the mid-’80s. Jagger often sounds like he’s saving his best work for his solo records, but a handful of songs have a spry, vigorous attack — “One Hit (To the Body)” is a classic, and “Winning Ugly” and “Had It With You” have a similar aggression. Still, most of Dirty Work sounds as forced as the cover of Bob & Earl’s uptown soul obscurity “Harlem Shuffle,” leaving the album as one of the group’s most undistinguished efforts.

(more…)

The Rolling Stones – Undercover (1983) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2012 # UIGY-9084]
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 44:21 minutes | Scans included | 1,79 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 963 MB

Uses the 2011 DSD master based on UK original analog tape. Reissue features the high-fidelity SHM-SACD format (fully compatible with standard SACD player, but it does not play on standard CD players). DSD Transferred by Mick McKenna & Richard Whittaker.

As the Rolling Stones’ most ambitious album since Some Girls, Undercover is a weird, wild mix of hard rock, new wave pop, reggae, dub, and soul. Even with all the careening musical eclecticism, what distinguishes Undercover is its bleak, nihilistic attitude — it’s teeming with sickness, with violence, kinky sex, and loathing dripping from almost every song. “Undercover of the Night” slams with echoing guitars and rubbery basslines, as Jagger gives a feverish litany of sex, corruption, and suicide. It set the tone for the rest of the album, whether it’s the runaway nymphomaniac of “She Was Hot” or the ridiculous slasher imagery of “Too Much Blood.” Only Keith’s “Wanna Hold You” offers a reprieve from the carnage, and its relentless bloodletting makes the album a singularly fascinating listen. For some observers, that mixture was nearly too difficult to stomach, but for others, it’s a fascinating record, particularly since much of its nastiness feels as if the Stones, and Jagger and Richards in particular, are running out of patience with each other.

(more…)

The Rolling Stones – Tattoo You (1981) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2011 # UIGY-9073]
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 42:49 minutes | Scans included | 1,73 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 894 MB

Features the 2011 DSD mastering based on the UK master. Reissue features the high-fidelity SHM-SACD format (fully compatible with standard SACD player, but it does not play on standard CD players). DSD Transferred by Mick McKenna & Richard Whittaker.

Like Emotional Rescue before it, Tattoo You was comprised primarily of leftovers, but unlike its predecessor, it never sounds that way. Instead, Tattoo You captures the Stones at their best as a professional stadium-rock band. Divided into a rock & roll side and a ballad side, the album delivers its share of thrills on the tight, dynamic first side. “Start Me Up” became the record’s definitive Stonesy rocker, but the frenzied doo wop of “Hang Fire,” the reggae jam of “Slave,” the sleazy Chuck Berry rockers “Little T&A” and “Neighbours,” and the hard blues of “Black Limousine” are all terrific. The ballad side suffers in comparison, especially since “Heaven” and “No Use in Crying” are faceless. But “Worried About You” and “Tops” are effortless, excellent ballads, and “Waiting on a Friend,” with its Sonny Rollins sax solo, is an absolute masterpiece, with a moving lyric that captures Jagger in a shockingly reflective and affecting state of mind. “Waiting on a Friend” and the vigorous rock & roll of the first side make Tattoo You an essential latter-day Stones album, ranking just a few notches below Some Girls.

(more…)

The Rolling Stones – Emotional Rescue (1980) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2011 # UIGY-9077]
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 41:14 minutes | Scans included | 1,66 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 872 MB

Features the 2011 DSD mastering based on the UK master. Reissue features the high-fidelity SHM-SACD format (fully compatible with standard SACD player, but it does not play on standard CD players). DSD Transferred by Mick McKenna & Richard Whittaker.

Coasting on the success of Some Girls, the Stones offered more of the same on Emotional Rescue. Comprised of leftovers from the previous album’s sessions and hastily written new numbers, Emotional Rescue may consist mainly of filler, but it’s expertly written and performed filler. the Stones toss off throwaways like the reggae-fueled, mail-order bride anthem “Send It to Me” or rockers like “Summer Romance” and “Where the Boys Go” with an authority that makes the record a guilty pleasure, even if it’s clear that only two songs — the icy but sexy disco-rock of “Emotional Rescue” and the revamped Chuck Berry rocker “She’s So Cold” — come close to being classic Stones.

(more…)

The Rolling Stones – Some Girls (1978) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2012 # UIGY-9083]
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 41:01 minutes | Scans included | 1,65 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 889 MB

Uses the 2011 DSD master based on UK original analog tape. Reissue features the high-fidelity SHM-SACD format (fully compatible with standard SACD player, but it does not play on standard CD players). DSD Transferred by Mick McKenna & Richard Whittaker.

During the mid-’70s, the Rolling Stones remained massively popular, but their records suffered from Jagger’s fascination with celebrity and Keith’s worsening drug habit. By 1978, both punk and disco had swept the group off the front pages, and Some Girls was their fiery response to the younger generation. Opening with the disco-blues thump of “Miss You,” Some Girls is a tough, focused, and exciting record, full of more hooks and energy than any Stones record since Exile on Main St. Even though the Stones make disco their own, they never quite take punk on their own ground. Instead, their rockers sound harder and nastier than they have in years. Using “Star Star” as a template, the Stones run through the seedy homosexual imagery of “When the Whip Comes Down,” the bizarre, borderline-misogynistic vitriol of the title track, Keith’s ultimate outlaw anthem, “Before They Make Me Run,” and the decadent closer, “Shattered.” In between, they deconstruct the Temptations’ “(Just My) Imagination,” unleash the devastatingly snide country parody “Far Away Eyes,” and contribute “Beast of Burden,” one of their very best ballads. Some Girls may not have the back-street aggression of their ’60s records, or the majestic, drugged-out murk of their early-’70s work, but its brand of glitzy, decadent hard rock still makes it a definitive Stones album.

(more…)

The Rolling Stones – Black And Blue (1976) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2011 # UIGY-9079]
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 41:30 minutes | Scans included | 1,67 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 817 MB

Uses the 2011 DSD master based on UK original analog tape. Reissue features the high-fidelity SHM-SACD format (fully compatible with standard SACD player, but it does not play on standard CD players). DSD Transferred by Mick McKenna & Richard Whittaker.

The Rolling Stones recorded Black and Blue while auditioning Mick Taylor’s replacement, so it’s unfair to criticize it, really, for being longer on grooves and jams than songs, especially since that’s what’s good about it. Yes, the two songs that are undeniable highlights are “Memory Motel” and “Fool to Cry,” the album’s two ballads and, therefore, the two that had to be written and arranged, not knocked out in the studio; they’re also the ones that don’t quite make as much sense, though they still work in the context of the record. No, this is all about groove and sound, as the Stones work Ron Wood into their fabric. And the remarkable thing is, apart from “Hand of Fate” and “Crazy Mama,” there’s little straight-ahead rock & roll here. They play with reggae extensively, funk and disco less so, making both sound like integral parts of the Stones’ lifeblood. Apart from the ballads, there might not be many memorable tunes, but there are times that you listen to the Stones just to hear them play, and this is one of them.

(more…)

The Rolling Stones – Metamorphosis (1975) [ABKCO Remaster 2002]
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 47:36 minutes | Scans included | 1,93 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 1 GB

Metamorphosis is the third compilation album of The Rolling Stones music released by former manager Allen Klein’s ABKCO Records (who usurped control of the band’s Decca/London material in 1970) after the band’s departure from Decca and Klein. Released in 1975, Metamorphosis centers on outtakes and alternate versions of well-known songs recorded from 1964 to 1970.

(more…)