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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Aftermath

The Rolling Stones

1966

Aftermath
Album Summary

Aftermath is a studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. The group recorded the album at RCA Studios in California in December 1965 and March 1966, during breaks between their international tours. It was released in the United Kingdom on 15 April 1966 by Decca Records and in the United States on 2 July by London Records. It is the band's fourth British and sixth American studio album, and closely follows a series of international hit singles that helped bring the Stones newfound wealth and fame rivalling that of their contemporaries the Beatles. Aftermath is considered by music scholars to be an artistic breakthrough for the Rolling Stones. It is their first album to consist entirely of original compositions, all of which were credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Brian Jones emerged as a key contributor and experimented with instruments not usually associated with popular music, including the sitar, Appalachian dulcimer, Japanese koto and marimbas, as well as guitar and harmonica. Along with Jones' instrumental textures, the Stones incorporated a wider range of chords and stylistic elements beyond their Chicago blues and R&B influences, such as pop, folk, country, psychedelia, Baroque and Middle Eastern music. Influenced by intense love affairs and a demanding touring itinerary, Jagger and Richards wrote the album around psychodramatic themes of love, sex, desire, power and dominance, hate, obsession, modern society and rock stardom. Women feature as prominent characters in their often dark, sarcastic, casually offensive lyrics. The album's release was briefly delayed by controversy over the original packaging idea and title – Could You Walk on the Water? – due to the London label's fear of offending Christians in the US with its allusion to Jesus walking on water. In response to the lack of creative control, and without another idea for the title, the Stones bitterly settled on Aftermath, and two different photos of the band were used for the cover to each edition of the album. The UK release featured a run-time of more than 52 minutes, the longest for a popular music LP up to that point. The American edition was issued with a shorter track listing, substituting the single "Paint It Black" in place of four of the British version's songs, in keeping with the industry preference for shorter LPs in the US market at the time. Aftermath was an immediate commercial success in both the UK and the US, topping the British albums chart for eight consecutive weeks and eventually achieving platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. An inaugural release of the album era and a rival to the contemporaneous impact of the Beatles' Rubber Soul (1965), it reflected the youth culture and values of 1960s Swinging London and the burgeoning counterculture while attracting thousands of new fans to the Rolling Stones. The album was also highly successful with critics, although some listeners were offended by the derisive attitudes towards female characters in certain songs. Its subversive music solidified the band's rebellious rock image while pioneering the darker psychological and social content that glam rock and British punk rock would explore in the 1970s. Aftermath has since been considered the most important of the Stones' early, formative music and their first classic album, frequently ranking on professional lists of the greatest albums.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.46

Votes

7225
Genres
Rock

Reviews

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Thu May 13 2021
2

The sheer brilliance of Paint it Black brought this up to a 3, and the deeply rapey energy of Under My Thumb pushed it right back down.

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Fri Jan 15 2021
5

Not a fan of the beatles but fine

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Tue Feb 15 2022
3

i mean it’s the rolling stones so of course they’re influential but not their best work. the songs were just incredibly repetitive to a very obnoxious point. nothing much to say other than that.

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Tue Oct 05 2021
5

I would love to suck on the vinegar tits of Mick Jagger. All that leathery goodness. Ooooh mama. Pour a bottle of Head and Shoulders shampoo on my thighs and slap me silly. Yee haw!

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Fri Oct 22 2021
2

Shame that some of the more exciting instrumentals from the Stones have to be paired with their most alarmingly misogynistic lyrics

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Tue Dec 15 2020
4

Between the feeling that this is the best Stones album I've listened to so far and my recent turnaround on Steely Dan, I've a suspicion that I'm simply getting back into a rock mood. But a couple songs into the B side (of the UK release, Paint It Black is a great song but not worth shortening the tracklist for marketing [I listened to it after finishing the UK version]) I was nodding my head to Out of Time. This one doesn't blend in the same way I complained Beggars did, and seems more interesting than Sticky Fingers in every category.

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Wed Oct 13 2021
3

The beginning of the Stones really sounding like the Stones. Recording is still a little rough, although Brian Jones' use of whatever instruments were around lifts the sound into something fresher than most of their contemporaries. Going home is waaaaay too long, just a noodly blues jam. It shows the beginning of their dynamic playing style and playing off each other, but I'm not sure we needed 11 minutes of a under baked idea. I think I prefer either their earlier less polished and more bluesy records, or their later material where they are more confident in their own thing. And the misogyny is staggering. Women are either berated and belittled, subjugated, or raised onto pedestals (setting them up for failure?) I'm really not sure I could listen to this frequently.

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Wed Mar 10 2021
5

Love this album. Hadn’t listened to it in awhile.

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Wed Sep 15 2021
5

The beginning of something special

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Thu Sep 16 2021
5

Amazing that this album came out around the time of Rubber Soul. It shows a similar experimental style and has such breadth while staying distinctly Stones. Jagger and Richards wrote all these songs (no covers) and this album shows how good they were.

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Fri May 12 2023
4

The algorithm has brought this not longer after ‘Let it Bleed’ and ‘Bring it all back home’, and has me thinking about what makes a record dated, like this one, and near-contemporaries, like the other two, not. It’s the difference between being planted into a past moment by a work, where it feels live, and looking back at that moment - it’s the distance. Forgive me; this doesn’t explain why I think ‘Aftermath’ is a relic, whereas ‘Let it bleed’ is resurrection on tape (sorry Ian Brown). Might be a materialist matter: this record contains novelty techniques that few would use now: stereo flourishes that do little other than call attention to themselves, dulcimer faux-baroque, recorded-in-an-oil-drum echoes, and unrelenting misogyny. The fuzz-bass on ‘Under My Thumb’ is brilliant, though! Still a great album. And once I start concentrating on Watts’ drumming, it’s happy trance time!

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Mon May 23 2022
3

it's the stones - what more can i say? vocals go from playful to calming, incredibly solid guitar played in interesting ways. lots of awesome harmonica! great song structures and writing in general. very warm sounds, obviously a sense of nostalgia stemming from how timeless and iconic this band's sound is. "lady jane" is beautiful and i love the harpsichord. "under my thumb" has a great lead melody and a driving rhythm that immediately causes foot-tapping. "out of time" is great. the vocals are great and the harmonies make me smile. cute bell sound and great bassline. fun rolling drums and off-beat guitar, a really nice song. really consistent and easy to listen to - to the point where some songs blur together, although perhaps with repeated listens they might start to stand apart. first impressions led to no immediate stand-out songs.

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Thu Jan 21 2021
5

really good album. It aged very well!

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Sun Jun 27 2021
5

Best Stones' record and one of best rock albums of all time. Just perfect, from start to finish

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Mon Jan 25 2021
5

Can't go wrong with the stones!

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Sat Feb 27 2021
5

The classic Brian Jones era Stones release. Gorgeous mid 60’s classic

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Tue Jun 01 2021
5

Pure Stones. Breakthrough album. THank you.

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Mon Oct 04 2021
5

love several songs on it, it's not boring, pretty good album

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Tue Oct 05 2021
5

Paint It Black and Under My Thumb you say? Yes, of course I am giving it a 5. Bet Charlie Watt hated it though, absolutely hated the Stone that fella, absolutely loved the jazz.

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Tue Nov 09 2021
5

So good! Great early Stones!

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Fri Dec 31 2021
5

Great listen, happy this one came appeared.

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Tue Jan 25 2022
5

I really liked the album. Chill but upbeat music, cool music!

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Fri Apr 22 2022
5

Its probably top6 Stones albumes 4 m3

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Sun Apr 24 2022
5

Love it…60’s music at it’s finest, and it only gets better

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Mon May 09 2022
5

6th May 2022 Listened while working in the front room before going camping for the weekend with sav and sally in tonbridge. Classic, blues roots on their shoulders with Jagger yelping and squealing at his best.

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Tue May 17 2022
5

This is where the Stones really start to step it up and creatively branch out in the recording studio. Undoubtedly inspired by The Beatles "Rubber Soul" doing the very same thing the year before. I mean, The Stones started recording this album 3 days after "Rubber Soul" was released. I don't think that was a coincidence. They were in a sort of musical "space race" with The Beatles at the time. Beatles comparisons aside, this is a great album, and where they really start to come into their own as songwriters. They certainly have a distinctly darker perspective - which can sometimes come across as overbearing and sometimes as refreshing, depending on my mood. Although "Mother's Little Helper" was one of the first Stones songs I really fell in love with, I think I prefer the US version for its inclusion of "Paint It, Black." What a way to open an album.

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Tue Aug 09 2022
5

Innovative, an instant classic with so many signature and hummable hooks. The opening track with it's eastern influence is arresting to the ear.

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Fri Aug 19 2022
5

Never listened. Some meh songs in there but love the sound. You can def see the jazz and blues "influence" they borrowed from here.

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Tue Sep 13 2022
5

Never listened to the Stones much, but this was great! Old school rock and roll

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Wed Sep 21 2022
5

Fantastic album, so many good tracks, catchy lyrics, great melodies

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Tue Sep 27 2022
5

excellent sound, great masterpiece.

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Sat Oct 08 2022
5

Good stones album some of my favorite stones songs

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Mon Oct 10 2022
5

The Stones have always been the bad boys against the Beatles loveable mop-tops image. I'm finding i'm steering more to the dark side now......... This album is full-force and full of powerful hits, sneering lyrics, cold dark imagery. All these years later it can still evoke anger and controversy. The album begins with the newer progressive works and then finishes with the older style blue/pop numbers they were known for. This was a turning point.

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Thu Oct 13 2022
5

Aftermath shows a much more mature Rolling Stones who have found their sound and are moving beyond their roots as a straight blues band. The songwriting is better, the playing is tighter, the music is more exploratory, and the album is incredibly cohesive. Even their long jams are better structured and more interesting.

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Sat Oct 22 2022
5

Great, the ending song "Going Home" made me give five star.

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Fri Nov 11 2022
5

Such a killer record. Always worth coming back to this one.

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Fri Dec 16 2022
5

Uit de tijd dat het nog een stel jonge gasten met een boel branie waren. Het klinkt na meer dan 50 jaar nog altijd fris. Het heeft stijl, het rockt, het is creatief, het komt aan. Goed gedaan van de heren.

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Tue Jan 03 2023
5

"Aftermath" is the fourth British and sixth US studio album by The Rolling Stones. It was recorded in California and with their previous success allowed The Stones more recording time. It is also considered their artistic breakthrough with all original compositions credited to Jagger and Richards. Many think artistically influenced by what The Beatles were doing. Lots of background on this album. The music itself goes outside of their previous Chicago Blues and R&B styles into pop, folk, country, pyschedelic, baroque and Middle Eastern especially with Brian Jones' use of the sitar, dulcimer, Japanese koto and marimbas. Lyrically, Jones and Richard explore themes of love, sex, desire, power, dominance, hate obsession and modern society. Some of the lyrics, even at that time, were viewed as misogynistic. One of the reasons was the women with whom Jagger, Richards and Jones were involved with and included love triangles, bad relationships and drugs. There were two different versions of the album released; due the US market, the US version is shorter. It also contains the song "Paint It Black" which the UK version does not. This album was also a big commercial success both in the UK and US. Since the randomizer showed the UK album cover, I listened to that version. The album begins with "Mother's Little Helper" about a housewive's dependence on drugs to get her through the day. Needless to say not the last drug song The Stones would write. That Eastern guitar riff. Rolling bass. "Stupid Girl" is about a bad relationship Jagger had and some put in the misogynistic category. The organ and electric piano are prominent. The third song "Lady Jane" continues the change of styles with this one more baroque pop. Jones' dulicer and Richards' acoustic guitar at the forefront. Hey, a romantic courtship..something positive. And then we come to one of the more challenging drinking game-songs around in "Under My Thumb." One must take a drink of their cocktail of choice every time Under My Thumb is said, which is 14 times. No, I didn't do it today....yet. Great groove. Jones' marimbas. Jagger still seeking revenge from a bad relationship. The first two songs on the second side, "Flight 505" and "High and Dry" return The Stones to more of the blues form. Poor Mick as he continues his women misery in "Out of Time." Brian Jones also continues his brilliance with the use of marimbas and a vibraphone. Maybe my favorite song on the album. I don't know exactly what Jagger is singing about but "I Am Waiting" is another great example of The Stones going into different styles: folk, baroque pop of sorts. I don't remember hearing "I Think." I must have. It is probably their most simple and straight-forward rock-pop song on the album. Great song and actually charted in the UK. I once owned (the US version) this on cassette, long gone now. I need to own this again. I know I didn't appreciate it at the time but the change of styles and especially Brian Jones are both fantastic. A must listen.

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Tue Feb 07 2023
5

For me great combination of their bluesy-music they started with and the later style as in Beggars' Banquet.

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Mon Feb 20 2023
5

first truely great stones record

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Fri Mar 17 2023
5

"Going Home" made me love the album. I can hear how the musicians feel the pleasure of playing the song. It's interesting to read about the history of the Aftermath. I didn't know that there were such big differences between UK and US markets.

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Tue Apr 04 2023
5

Love most of the Stones music and this album has some greats for sure! The production of this recording has some fun stereo imaging emphasizing instrumental separation! Cool stuff!

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Sat Apr 29 2023
5

A 5 for the UK version ("Mother's Little Helper" & "Out of Time") & a 5 for the US version ("Paint It Black.").

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Mon May 15 2023
5

Can listen at any time. All great. All.

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Mon Feb 08 2021
4

1966. Key Songs: Under My Thumb, Paint It Black

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Tue Apr 27 2021
4

Not my favorite stones, but man did it set a tone

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Wed Jan 13 2021
4

2nd guy in looks like Mark Hamill Paint It, Black: hey i know this one, good start. added to my old music and borderlands playlist

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Mon Feb 01 2021
4

Pretty goods. Very versatile sound. They feel genre-fluid within just this album

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Wed Jan 20 2021
4

Thought "Mother's Little Helper" might be feminist-adjacent, then "Stupid Girl" came on and dismissed the notion. And Under My Thumb. Jfc. The rest of the album was good though. I love British rockers and the Rolling Stones are fun.

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Fri Jan 29 2021
4

Going home's a bit long isn't it? Stormer, but every now and again I thought of Jagger and felt a bit sick.

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Fri Jan 22 2021
4

Classic 60s/70s rock, nice bunch of well-known Stones' songs. Overall good.

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Sat Mar 20 2021
4

Some real stinkers on this one lads. 3.75

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Mon Jan 25 2021
4

Not really many notes. They sound like the beatles, and i thought it was strange that the UK release had 4 more songs and took off Paint it black, which was the biggest hit they've ever had.

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Fri Jan 15 2021
4

Very enjoyable. Always liked Paint it black but never listened to the rest of the album. I should listen to more Rolling Stones.

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Wed Jan 13 2021
4

I’m a Stones fan, but admittedly have not listened to this album in its entirety. Under My Thumb has always been a favorite of mine, it other stand out tracks include Mother’s Little Helper, Doncha Bother Me, and Out of Time. Not their strongest album, but still an entertaining listen and I love how the instruments are panned to either the left or right in these older recordings.

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Wed Jan 13 2021
4

It’s really good music. Well made. Just a little slow overall for my liking. It’s music I’d listen to again though if I were in the right mood.

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Tue Feb 16 2021
4

Necesitaría que Paco Navarrete me ayude a entender algunas cosas pero es sin duda un gran disco. 4.01 apenas pero vale. La que menos entiendo es la de 11 minutos que seguramente fue todo un gesto de valentía de los vatos pero ... No sé

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Mon Mar 29 2021
4

Fun stuff. Cool perspective.

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Fri Apr 30 2021
4

Was just reading on Wikipedia that A) this came out right around the same time as the Beatles’ Revolver and B) the UK track listing is crazy different from the US. No “Paint it Black” in the UK! What’s up with that?? Anyway, “Under My Thumb” and “I am Waiting” are songs I still enjoy on the 8,000th listen so they had to be doing something right on this thang. But that last track… why is it the last track of all these albums is a let down?

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Tue Feb 16 2021
4

Time unas de más de 5 pero no todas

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Fri Jun 11 2021
4

Good album, but there are probably 10 better Stones albums than this one.

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Fri Jan 15 2021
4

sounded familiar, enjoyed it more than i thought!

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Mon Apr 12 2021
4

elles ne sont pas toutes bonnes mais on sentait qu'il y avait de l'avenir

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Fri Jan 15 2021
4

US version — Solid. Obviously Paint It Black and Under my Thumb as standouts, personally I enjoyed “Think”.

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Wed Apr 28 2021
4

Quite good and some songs are very original

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Tue Jul 13 2021
4

Excelente disco de una de las mejores bandas. Rítmico, con voz, enérgico.

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Thu Jun 10 2021
4

Az dziwne, ze dopiero teraz turlajace kamienie sie pojawily na listowiu, a z tego co pamietam to byla pierwsza kamieniowa plyta jaka maialem okazje przesluchac w calosci zapoznajac sie z kamieniowa dyskografia i chociaz jest to jeden z najbardziej popowych krazkow jakie skrecili, to jednak byl to przelom w dziejach karierowych bandy, a co ciekawe po tym wygraniu publiki popowym rokiem lub rokowym popowaniem na modle bitelsowa po trochu, postanowali jednac odejsc od tego brzmienia w strone odwazniejszych eksperymentow, ale przechodzac do samej plyty, hamerykanska wersja ktorej tym razem sluchalem to 42 minuty przy 11 trakach, ktore troche gina wsrod pozniejszej dyskografi stonesow, bo zazwyczaj kojarzy sie dwa traki z tej plyty, otwierajacy paint it, black, czyli dosc niezbyt popowy material traktujacy o grzebaniu ukochanej, wiec juz sama tematyka lirczna niezbyt popowa, ale jeszcze mniej popowe brzmienie ma sam kawalek poprzez swoje zmiany tempa na melodii, ktora jest robiona na sitarze i prawdopodobnie czyms organowym, wlasnie dlatego stonesy sa klasa sama w sobie, ze nawet na swoim najbardziej popowym mateirale potrafia przemycic taka egzotyke, kolejnym mainstreamowym hajlajtem jest oczywiscie under my thumb, kawalek pisany przez jagera, ktory ponoc opowiada historie z zycia wziete mikowe, gdzie byl pod kniuckiem lub jak po polacku sie mowi pod pantoflem, czyli zycie w tyksycznym zwiazkowaniu, razem z stupid grilem tworza bardzo antyfeministyczny, albo raczej po prostu seksistowski vibe, ktory stonesy utrzymywaly przez cala kariere, ciekawego gema mozna sie takze doszukac na saym koncu plyty, ponad 10 minutowego bluesowego jama, czyli going home, jeden z pierwszych tak dlugich trakow na rokowej plycie, chyba ze dylan zrobil cos dluzszego szybciej, ale raczej nie przed 66, z ciekawostek, to wlasnie z tej plyty neil young pozyczyl sobie traka do swojego broowoed tuna z tonights the night, chodzi o utwor lady jane, ktory na tej spotifjajowej wersji jest wyjatkowo grany w mono, szkoda ze calej plyty tak nagranej nie mozna dostac, pozostaje soulseekowanie, jesli temu albumowi dam cztery gwiazdoje, to na nastepnych kamieniarzach poleca chyba same piatki, ale jednak mam do tego materialu zbyt duzy sentyment i wspomnien, zeby nizej go ocenic

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Wed Feb 17 2021
4

nice music, no outstanders for good or bad but the last song is too long. good album overall

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Fri Apr 23 2021
4

Liked this much better than Exile, an enjoyable creative rock album

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Sat Feb 27 2021
4

I’m a fan of the Rolling Stones, so it surprised me that I wasn’t familiar with this album title. Always good to learn something new! I think that “Paint it Black” is maybe the quintessential early period Stones song - adding “Under my Thumb” and “Lady Jane” solidify this as more than a one song wonder LP. The rest is good. Jangly 60s era guitars can be a bit grating at times, but Brian Jones makes it all OK. I think this is a solid 3.5. So that makes it a 4.

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Wed Jan 27 2021
4

It’s mad good. Very catchy riffs

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Mon Feb 01 2021
4

Mother's little helper was a great start to the album. Lotta Jagger's grunts. I love the sound of the time period, but not my favorite

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Tue May 04 2021
4

US and UK versions are wildly different. I am confusion. Either way, I would definitely have been #teamStones. Great album. Out of Time is a forgotten gem.

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Sun Mar 14 2021
4

I was listening to this with my kids, 12 & 15, and they were making fun of it for sounding like “cowboy music”. I don’t understand.

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Mon Feb 22 2021
4

Wasn't sure which version I was supposed to listen to, the U.S. or U.K. listened to both and actually like the U.S. better. One thing I noticed is every band at the time really loved the sitar and the Stones were no different it makes its presence known on this album!

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Mon Jul 12 2021
4

Great album. Lots of Stones classics

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Mon Apr 05 2021
4

Sempre achei difícil relacionar Stones com Beatles, contudo esse álbum aproxima as duas bandas para mim. Algumas músicas poderiam facilmente ser dos Beatles com pequenos ajustes, como a primeira do álbum (Mother's Little Helper) e Flight 505.

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Sun Jun 06 2021
4

I like how ethereal parts of this album sound and how it seems like they’re doing whatever they want and stretching themselves

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Mon Jun 14 2021
4

I was surprised how much of this album sounds like early rock and roll. "Out of Time" is a good example of the older sound. "Goin' Home" gives a taste of the Stones' experimentation with the blues that I believe was part of the origin of the band. The more well known singles ("Mother's Little Helper", and "Under My Thumb") contrast with the rest of the album, having a more advanced sound of Rock and Roll that I most often think of when it comes to the Rolling Stones. This album is at the edge of being "okay", but I think I would listen to it again.

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