*Review* Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) [US]

Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) [US]

Released
March 28, 1966

Here’s where things start to get interesting. A compilation album: now how would I even start to review this? I won’t do this song by song, but instead talk about it as a whole because that, in my mind, works a lot better. And if you don’t like that, hunt for the songs: I’ve reviewed every song on here before.

One thing I’ll just say is that I have the 2006 remastered version, so I have stereo mixes of (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Time Is on My Side, It's All Over Now, and Heart of Stone. At any other time that would be fantastic, but I’m supposed to pretend I’m a little Stones fan from the 60’s and there was no stereo mixes. Oh well.

Also I find it funny the US got this first.

·         (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction – 10 / 10

·         The Last Time – 8.5 / 10

·         As Tears Go By – 10 / 10

·         Time is On My Side – 8 / 10

·         It’s All Over Now – 7.8 / 10

·         Tell Me – 8 / 10

·         19^th Nervous Breakdown – 10 / 10

·         Heart of Stone – 8.5 / 10

·         Get Off of My Cloud – 9 / 10

·         Not Fade Away – 7 / 10

·         Good Times, Bad Times – 7.8 / 10

·         Play with Fire – 8 / 10

Three out of the twelve songs are covers, and one song was by Jagger / Richards and Andrew Oldham. That backs up my feelings on the Stones own songs vs. the Stones covers. They seemed to ignore EPs, because You Better Move On isn’t here and that disappoints me, because Good Times, Bad Times made it. Not to say it’s a bad song, but it’s not as good as quite a few songs that were glossed over. If You Need Me would’ve been a good song, and Route 66 if they were trying to include older pieces as well. Other than that, you have the standard songs you’d expect; Satisfaction, As Tears Go By, Time is On My Side, songs we still know today that haven’t been pushed to obscurity by the bigger songs.

The album contains the majority of what is needed on a Stones Greatest Hits album at this time, and while it’s definitely missing some songs that would’ve made it better, it’s still a great album.

102.6 / 120

I think that brings this to be the highest rated 12-song album from the Stones, but we’re not going to count it. But we’ll keep it in mind in case things get ugly, which I don’t expect it to do.

*Review* December’s Children (And Everybody’s)

December’s Children (And Everybody’s)

Released
December 4, 1965

Before we start this one, I’m going to complain about the usage of the album art. It’s the same as the previous UK album Out of Our Heads. I have tons more complaints for this album, but let’s deal with them when they arise.

She Said “Yeah”

(Sonny Bono and Roddy Jackson)

Listen, I have no problem with using the UK tracks, but it’s really annoying that they had to do this in the first place. If everyone got the same album, we wouldn’t need to be reviewing the same songs without it being either a new single or a compilation album. A nice rocking sound from the UK Out of Our Heads.

9/10

Talkin’ About You

(Chuck Berry)

Didn’t like this cover in Out of Our Heads, still don’t really like it. It’s alright.

6/10

You Better Move On

(Arthur Alexander)

Jesus, are we actually reusing UK songs from 1964, technically recording in 1963? For an album almost reaching 1966? Who are we here? You know Stones, you are really lucky I really like this song. Really lucky. Like really, if you’re going to split up the albums to have different songs, why give the other country the songs later on? You’re ruining valuable song space.

9/10 (It used to be 10/10, and it still is, but because it’s on this album that’s what you get)

Look What You’ve Done

(McKinley Morganfield)

The Stones return to their blues rock, and it’s not bad. At this point Jagger is really confident in his voice, either that or new recording equipment makes this sound better than it should. But still, nothing special, and it’s very weird to have this sandwiched into the Stones’ rock age.

7.5/10

The Singer, Not The Song

(Jagger / Richards)

I’m alright with the re-using of this song, since it’s fresh and only a b-side in the UK. Plus, this song works even better as part of an album. So it’s a good song, but nothing great, unfortunately. Maybe it’ll grow on me. I don’t know.

7/10

Route 66

What’s up with them and using already-released live songs on official albums? I don’t like it. Especially when you can hardly hear anything anyway, I mean they had to know that the sound quality isn’t the best, and so when you throw it on a studio album it’s just weird. The performance isn’t as good as it should be, either. Not bad, but not great.

7/10

Get Off of My Cloud

(Jagger / Richards)

(Copied from the song’s single review) While not at the same fame as Satisfaction, it’s still very much up there. It was also written has a follow-up to the song. All lot of the follow-ups fail to live up to their predecessors, but I think this song does a fantastic job. Even under pressure, they managed to write a great song and perform it brilliantly as well.

9.5/10

I’m Free

(Jagger / Richards)

I feel like we’re blessed to have both Get off My Cloud and I’m Free in the same album.

(Copied from the Get Off My Cloud single) Really good song that really works well as the album’s closer. It has a nice feeling to it, and that is probably because it’s not a cover. I can’t really pick anything out of this per se, but the instruments seem to flow well together. The guitar solo isn’t anything to note, but it doesn’t have to be, I feel like a complicated solo would ruin this song.

9/10

As Tears Go By

(Jagger, Richards and Andrew Loog Oldham)

Oh my, this is beautiful. Listen to that orchestra. Listen to that sweet, soft guitar. McCartney’s got some explaining to do.

10/10

Gotta Get Away

(Jagger / RichardS)

Nothing especially complex, but it does get the job done. Instruments slide in nicely together.

8/10

Blue Turns to Grey

(Jagger / Richards)

I don’t know what to say about this song. I appreciate the use of a 12-string guitar on both rhythm and lead parts. It’s a nice song, with very good parts about it, but it feels too generic.

6/10

I’m Moving On

(Hank Snow)

There used two live songs on this. No, stop it. And it’s my least favorite performance from the Got Live If You Want It! EP. Gah.

4/10

92/120

Pretty disappointing album. I think people really enjoy this album, but there’s just nothing really to it for me. The B-side was very dominant here, with some of The Stones excellent work for the time like Get Off My Cloud and As Tears Go By. But, I guess, for an American album who didn’t get most of the songs because of UK exclusives, it’s better than nothing. It's almost impossible today to put in perspective that the Americans did not have the leisure of just going out and buying UK albums, so my opinions on songs I've already heard before might be skewed. Just stop using badly mixed live songs for official studio albums please.

*Review* (Single) Get Off of My Cloud / The Singer Not the Song

*This is part of my ongoing, personal project of listening to every Rolling Stones material released, posted onto this blog for everyone to read and for opinions to flourish. The rating doesn't mean much, because I hate ratings, but might as well.*

Get Off of My Cloud / The Singer Not the Song

Get Off of My Cloud

(Jagger / Richards)

If the UK and the US want to have a different music scene then why do you do this to me. Look at the previous single, released a month before this one, for my actual review of this song.

9.5/10

The Singer Not The Song

(Jagger / Richards)

Eh, a good b-side but not really anything too great about it. The intro started well, but it ends up being the same.

7/10

16.5 / 20

So the B-side for this UK version is not as good as the US version. The UK did get a new b-side entirely, however, so congratulations.

*Review* (Single) Get Off of My Cloud / I'm Free

*This is part of my ongoing, personal project of listening to every Rolling Stones material released, posted onto this blog for everyone to read and for opinions to flourish. The rating doesn't mean much, because I hate ratings, but might as well.*

Get Off of My Cloud / I’m Free

Get Off Of My Cloud

(Jagger / Richards)

While not at the same fame as Satisfaction, it’s still very much up there. It was also written has a follow-up to the song. All lot of the follow-ups fail to live up to their predecessors, but I think this song does a fantastic job. Even under pressure, they managed to write a great song and perform it brilliantly as well.

9.5/10

I’m Free

(Jagger / Richards)

This song would work well as an a-side, but putting it on the B-side is still great. As I said previously about this song, the instruments really flow well together.

9/10

18.5/20

This might be their best single so far. The a-side is exactly what I like to come out of The Stones, and the B-side is a nice song that doesn’t try to impress anyone.