The Rolling Stones (EP)

Released
January 17, 1964

Bye Bye Johnny

(Chuck Berry)

I appreciate The Rolling Stones covering Chuck Berry songs that big bands haven’t already covered before. No Roll Over Beethoven. No Johnny B. Goode. That being said, this cover is pretty good and, also, pretty raw. The Stones have, so far, done really well with Chuck Berry tracks.

4/5

Money

(Berry Gordy and Jamie Bradford)

The Stones version of Money turns the R&B classic into something more like raw Rock and Roll. I am a  disappointed they got rid of the piano; that was the main part of the song. They will have fantastic piano pieces in their first album, however. Not an excuse though. It’s less of a cover and more of a reworking into the Rock N’ Blues sound of The Rolling Stones. I guess for what they’ve tried to do with it it’s alright, but it’s a song that shouldn’t be tampered with much.

3/5

You Better Move On

(Arthur Alexander)

I was not expecting anything like this early on in their career. And I like it. I like it a lot. I guess I better try to explain. It sounds very similar to the original, which makes it sound fantastic. The electric guitar bits sound great, and Jagger can work this song to perfection.  Harmonies are also fantastic. This song gets the first great score.

5/5

Poison Ivy

(Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller)

Leiber and Stoller make great compositions for bands with varying Rock sounds, and The Stones are no exception. While nothing particularly special about this, it has been covered well.

4.5/5

16.5 / 20

Fantastic EP. So far the best thing to come out of the Rolling Stones so far (Doesn't say much since I've only gone through the first two singles and this, but still). Great music.