3 Things I Learned Listening to Early Rolling Stones 

Hi Justin, I love the early Stones. When I got into the Stones very heavily during the Sticky Fingers period, I wanted to learn about the back catalogue and simply bought as many records as I could afford. I was lucky that I was able to find some Decca imports. The vinyl and sound quality was so much better than the London versions generally available in North America. This was expecially true of "Aftermath" and "Between the Buttons". Regarding CD's, the Abkco reissues from 2002 were definitely better than the original 1986 releases. For me, audio quality was never a drawback, but I understand your viewpoint, especially the stuff from 1963. It got better after that, and the Stones did move around quite a bit in terms of recording studios, starting in 1964, from Decca to Chess, to RCA, and back again, etc.. Listening to the earliest albums, we can see how raw the Stones were, how bluesy they were, totally opposite of pop. In fact, as you listen to the early Stones, it becomes clear that they could not do pop even if they wanted to, Their natural sound was too edgy and just not geared for pop. This is what made them unique. Nobody in those days sounded like this. The essence of the Rolling Stones began back then, and there's a clear identity, a thread, that started then and carries on to the present. I've devoted much time sorting through this period and it just deepened my love for this band and put a stamp on how original and unique they were. Thanks for getting into this, really worth exploring.

I just love that we have so many "periods" of the Stones. To have a band that has been around for 60 years is extraordinary. You have to appreciate the different stages they've gone through, with each having its own success. The span of their catalogue is a very, very rare gift.

Very interesting sharing 👍 on the First Era of Rolling Stones 💥 Wonderful Songs 🎼 Love 💗 Touching remember of BRIAN JONES 😪💔 Grat Multinstrumental Musician UNFORGETTABLE 🌌✨ RIP GRANDE BRIAN and Great UNFORGETTABLE CHARLIE WATTS 😪💔🥁 RIP in Heaven 🌌 Thanks to Hang Fire ✌️👍👌

Very insightful observations, Justin. I think it’s a sensational era. I love their whole career plus the solo stuff. But this period produced a stream of classic singles, two of the big 4 albums, and one of my absolute favorite albums ; Aftermath ( UK )! Looking forward to celebrating their debut album, and IORR later in the year !

Justin, great video. I'm with you on this. The Brian Jones era IS my favorite era of Stones music. It hit me like a ton of bricks in 1979 when I first realized these songs I had heard on the radio for years were the Stones. Much of it had to do with the instruments Brian played, so I became a huge Brian Jones fan. The instruments he played and his choice of instruments made him one of the greatest color men in Rock history. From their early blues covers to early Jagger/Richards songs, Brian played a huge roll in their sound. Thanks for pointing it out on video.

Yes indeed...........thanks for the wonderful, brilliant exposees. Jones and Wyman were both TRULY phenomenal!

As a nerdy 😅 fan i rescently read the book Sympathy for the devil, a book about Brian Jones. It make me listen again to the 60 music and really found so many gems! Thumbs up for your vid about this era!

Early Stones fantastic

Hey Justin. I first started listening to the Stones in when I was 12 years old, way back in the sixties. I was mesmerised by “It’s All Over Now”, the rhythmic punch of Jagger’s phrasing and those guitars! It’s hard to express how dangerous and totally thrilling they were back then, and they sounded great on the little record player I had. I think it coloured the way I have listened to music ever since, and I still listen on a console record player. Just suits my lifestyle in so many ways. Some of my favourite Stones tracks are from those early days, as well as from the most recent 4 or 5 albums. I love it all, as there is beauty in all of it for ears open enough to listen. Let’s hope the constant ringing in my ears doesn’t get any worse though!! 😂😂 Love your work, Justin, and your perspectives!!!

The Brian Jones years and my cousin seven years older than me is what introduced me to the Stones. When I was six or seven I ran around singing Blow away Dandelion and spreading dandelion seeds around our back yard 😂 I recently found my old vinyls in my storage unit. I thought I had thrown them out. I have two Stones albums that are 55 years old and still play. 😄🎉🎊❤️

I love the focus on the contributions of Brian and even accompanying bass, Bill Wyman. The lasting legacy may indeed be the undeniably brilliant partnership of Keith and Mick... but the Loki energy of Brian contributed to their success and kicked them into a new realm.

I recently purchased The London Years singles collection. Great stuff.

I’m stoked for the early years content coming. Been waiting for this and can’t wait to see what you’ve got coming. Thanks Justin!

I’m surprised that so many people don’t like or listen to the Brian Jones era. Until recently, Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed were the latest albums I listened to in terms of the stones chronology. I’ve listened to enjoyed the odd Mick Taylor era song such as Tumbling Dice and Shake Your Hips, but for me Brian’s years were the stones at their commercial best. Set the ground running for decades to come. Nothing against Mick Taylor and Ronnie Wood, but I’ve grown up listening to the 60s Stones so I’m naturally favoured towards Brian❤

Bill's work on 19th Nervous Breakdown is is wild! Really brought the instrument to the forefront!

Nice commentary on the early Rolling Stones. Ironically, I just listened to Out Of Our Heads last night. What fun music that is!👍🏼😎

Their 60's are the best!❤

When I was a kid in the mid 70's I went thru a stage where i was only listening to Out Of Our Heads and Decembers Children. I went thru that stage again in the late 80's. I just love those two albums. She Said Yeah, which was punk before the term was coined, is one of my all time favorite songs

Hey Justin-Thanks for looking into this, but let’s face it these are the “Real Stones” raw, rough, & ready down to the rough recordings. Yes Wyman sounded great! He was a great bass player that gave so many of those songs a real solid bass & “thump” as you called it! Jones was an odd genius that added a lot to their recordings. How about the piano on “Let’s spend the Night Together “ an essential on that fabulous song!!! The Sitar on Paint it Black! Just the right touch. Indeed a tragic genius🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 RIP Brian & Charlie these are the real Stones🎹🎸🎹🎸🎹🎸🎸🎸

Ooh yes!!!

Very good choice of examples here. For anyone more interested in musical magic and creative substance than in hifi production, the 60s are still the golden age (of any band, really). Until the late 80s, it was common ground that almost all of the Stones´essential recordings were made before the 70s.

Bill's best contribution in my opinion is "Now I've got a witness". Also, the low sound quality can't reduce great musicianship. In fact it makes them sound like the early blues records they grew up on!

I like the mono versions from that period best. Especially the stuff they recorded at Chess in Chicago. Been a fan since I was 6. (1967) when my older siblings were playing them on their record players. Lol cheers from Montreal

Every now & again, I listen to the first half dozen LP's. Having "grown up" with the Stone's, seeing them play in a Cinema. They wern't the best during that period. Pretty Thing's, Animal's, Faces, Them etc. Personally I thing guy's like yourself OVER INDULGE in LISTENING to this & that and forget to JUST LISTEN TO THE MUSIC.... It was great, NEW, and invigorating.... PS. I'm sooooooo glad I was a teenager in the UK at this time.....

Well, now you're talking... these are MY Rolling Stones... the true one (the one I grew up with!)

Their publicist was their producer. None of them had a clue about production, and most of it was going to be heard mono through itty-bitty radio speakers. So they didn't much care, more of a punk approach to it. The Quarryboys were blessed with George Martin and his access to a professional studio with engineers in lab coats, sipping tea.

Some fans prefer the early Stones to the middle and later Stones. Most of their hits came from the 60s era. I have always appreciated all phases but there is something special from that early years.

Best yrs 63/73

Nice dive Justin. Agree on the recording quality, even if it adds some dirt and grit to the sound. I think this era can be divided in two subperiods (or three if you count Beggars Banquet). The first three albums = R&B group, the next three from Aftermath = pop/psychedelic group. This latter period is underrated, prob due to them being outsold considerably by the likes of the Beatles and the Kinks. But they prove that they could be this type of group as well. Buttons is one of Frank Zappa’s favourite albums apparently.

2:02 - A great way of putting it! 👍

I was just listening to the Stones' take of Susie Q, and man is it good. Everything is there that would later blossom: Charlie and Bill laying down the rhythm, Mick with his distinct vocals, and Keith and Brian weaving the guitars. It's way better than the CCR take and I think even better than the original. Check it out.

The Jones era is awesome but so is the Taylor era and the Wood era. I love all the Stones albums and I always have. For me it's all just the Stones. My favorite Jones era album i must say is Between The Buttons. I love that album so much. She Smiled Sweetly is just beautiful and My obsession it's great as well.

The Brian Jones era is split into 3 eras in my mind because you have the early years which where focused on blues covers led by Brian being a blues purist while the Glimmer Twins were developing as songwriters which transitions to the pop/psychedelic era which is the peak Brian era which is Aftermath-Their Satanic Majesty's Request which is known for besides the pop with baroque pop and psychedelic direction.Its also is known for Brian being involved granted probably not happy with the no direction but still happy because he can be a muilti -instrumentalist that can experiment with new sounds from his new instruments he brought in.So finally have the back to basics era which put the Stones back to their blues roots with incorporated country and r&b which probably made Brian happy but he already was losing control of the band and he was spiraling with drugs and losing Anita so Brian made his last contributions on Beggars and Let it Bleed but he made his last great contribution on No Expectations. Brian made the 60's Stones stand out in someway with his impact and influence as a blues purist and as a muilti-instrumentalist

GREAT errata corrige 🤗

I hear what you're saying about recording fidelity but it's always kinda suited The Stones IMO. Some of that stuff sounds like it could've been on Nuggets or something, it's so raw/shitty/amazing. And then on the other hand we have the Chess recordings which just sound like spongey, silky perfection I was recently on a trip where my car only had a CD player (one of those 6 disk changers that were so cutting edge in the early 2000's) and loaded up London Years too. It's such an interesting listen. Some great liner notes too (best consumed not while driving). Thank you for the videos :)

It's funny to hear moaning about the recording quality of much of the early Rolling Stones material, because it's true! The group knew it at the time, and took the opportunities to record in America, where the technology had progressed much further than in Britain at that time. If today's youngsters avoid early stuff because of it that's maybe unfortunate, but still natural.

I good album to take a crash course on the Brian Jones era is High Tide Green Grass.

Great Content 💯♥️

The song Stoned is of very good production quality. So are all the BBC recordings. Cops and robbers, 1st gangstarap song ever, is one of my favourites.

One of my first records was Hot Rocks. I adore the early singles. But when I dipped into actually buying the records I was not really into most of the covers. I think my favorite early record is Now. My favorite all original early record while BJ was still alive is Between the Buttons and that record starts the run until the release of Dirty Work which I find untouchable. Pretty sure Last Time was played by Keith? At least on the live TV performances, it was him. I was never impressed by Brian's guitar playing live. Seems like he was always just playing barre chords and posing. Obviously, in the studio, BJ had some spectacular guitar moments. But really only slide or exotic instruments. The Singles Collection is enough for me these days although I do enjoy streaming the early Mono Box sometimes. Some of their early original singles are among their finest work. My favorite is "We Love You". My dream concert opener song is that. During the early years, it was all about singles. The LP experience just wasn't there yet. But once that period took off the Stones were there in spades. Oh and don't forget how important Jack Nitzsche was to the early records. If you're not 100 % familiar with his contributions a little research is fascinating.

With the sound quali, thats biased. As a kid I only liked early and live Stones for the opposite reason. It was wild.

Wanna know why the anti Jones argument so many classic era Stones fans say is full of it? (The whole Brian had no talent what so ever for song writing being their primary tag line). As you just acknowledged, Brian created and contributed countless melodies, riffs, hooks and arrangement to many of the Stones songs. Just because his name didn’t appear as songwriter, it doesn’t mean that he didn’t help create the song. Brian was an artist, meaning he was more interested in creating something rather then maximizing the fiscal benefits of what he helped created. The triangle of mick, Keith and Andrew worked to ensure that all songs (regardless of anyone else’s contribution -Jones, Wyman, Taylor) got credited to Jagger Richards. While that was happening, Brian was living the life of said artist. But nobody is going to tell me otherwise that creating such riffs and so on is not part of the song writing. A song is built on more then lyrics, it is built on the musical contributions as well underneath, and Brian did so to a significant and valued extent. The fact that they were able to leverage this from Brian while he was alive and sadly since he’s past is on their conscience in my view. So t get me wrong, I love mick and Keith and value their contribution, but things are not one way or the other. I can admire them and still think how they managed this with Brian (not only denying him song writing credit where it’s due, but worse, bad mouthing him for decades after the guy died that he had no talent for songwriting. He clearly had creative talent to generate ideas musically that were completely original. That is songwriting. Maybe he never brought a completed song to the band, but guess what, neither has mick or Keith. Their whole process is to take a lick or a groove and then massage it over and over adding feel and layers until it becomes a song. And I admire them for it, but to then use a measure against Brian that you don’t even use against yourself really is shabby. Be better mick and Keith, Brian is as much an important part of the bands legacy as you. Embrace him rather then destroying him

I went the reverse in the mid 70s and walked away from the Ron Wood years and on. The Aftermath to half way through of Exiles was easily their peak period with Beggars Banquet and Let it Bleed along with Aftermath their 3 finest albums. Jones was amazingly talented, formed the group and felt he was the leader but fell in the trap of the 27 rock star. These days I'm beginning to believe Mick Taylor was probably their best guitarist. Anyone, on this?

these white boys could sure play soul classics well and sometimes could even improve on the original. Extremely rare thing

Actually, I stopped listening to the Stones after Brian Jones. Like the Beatles they were best around 1965-66