Reviews (page 2 of 14)
Not a great Stones record, but it was interesting to listen to. You have horrible tracks like Stupid Girl next to Paint It Black and Under My Thumb. The band sounds young, but they've got this blues/rock train chugging. I need to dive back into the lore here, but the songs are largely forgettable outside the hits.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard this side of the Stones. It’s fun. Especially Stupid Girl, Under My Thumb, and Out of Time. A little inconsistent though and not as rockin’ as you would want from Mick and the boys.
Det är Stones. Inte min kopp te, men inte dåligt. Jag kan uppskatta det i bakgrunden.
😃
Album 334. Aftermath (UK) (https://open.spotify.com/album/1MaP82K4mOoGYW5Ej0eUyM?si=X3SGxz9iREmU30jfO3g3ZQ) (US) (https://open.spotify.com/album/72qrnM4yUNMDDlWiqKc8iY?si=AomYl9IERfiE8KzgdidTsA) — The Rolling Stones (1966) Okay guys dykes ducks frogs girls, that was a hard one to rate. I was hesitating between is it almost perfect or the perfect album. And the main reason why I hesitated — there are two versions of the album. UK version, canonic, 14 songs. US version, cut, 11 songs, but with a new, unremarkable single.. Paint It, Black Fuck them all, 60 years later I don't care about versions, I want all the cookies. And this is a review of all of the tracks, from both versions. In this case the album is perfect Three absolute bangers: Paint It, Black, Under My Thumb, Out Of Time. And a phenomenal amount of other great tracks. I didn't add all of the songs to playlist, but I actually could. Maybe after another spin, idk. Probably the best and most loved Stones album for me. I don't mind buying a vinyl to lick their music off it🤪 Anyway, too much text and we're already Out Of Time, my dudes🐸🐸🐸 5/5 Liked: — Mother's Little Helper — Paint It, Black — Stupid Girl — Under My Thumb — Doncha Bother Me — Flight 505 — Out Of Time — I Am Waiting
Did not realize there is a UK version and a US version, especially when the streaming link is US and the album cover is UK. The US version is hard carried by Paint It Black and Under My Thumb. The UK version is overall worse. The chorused guitar part on Mother’s Little Helper is obnoxious, but I think the song itself is well written. The concept of Stupid Girl is funny but I think the song sucks.
Groovy. A few 5 star songs, but for some reason this album didn’t feel cohesive enough for the album to earn a 5. About 20 years ago I bought a compilation album called Painted Black, and its theme/gimmick was all dozen or so tracks on it were a different cover version of Paint It Black. A fun exercise but at times felt like homework listening to that compilation.
This is the first Stones album that has way less filler than the ones that preceded it. There’s still some skippable tracks but overall it’s a sign of things to come.
Before this project, I had written The Rolling Stones off as a greatest hits band. This project has taught me that’s not the case, and they’ve got some legit great albums. THIS album reminded me why I thought they were a greatest hits band.
Yeah...can take them or leave them, really.
pretty boring tbh
Aftermath by The Rolling Stones isn’t their best album, but there are still some absolute belters on here. The opening run is brilliant. “Paint It Black” is a masterpiece and still sounds incredible today. “Under My Thumb” is such a good song, while I also really enjoyed “Stupid Girl” and “Lady Jane”. When this album is good, it’s The Stones at their best, with great melodies, brilliant guitar and that unmistakable swagger. The problem is that the album peaks very early. After the first four tracks, the quality drops off quite dramatically for me. From “High and Dry” onwards, there’s far too much bluesy material that doesn’t really go anywhere. It’s not terrible, but compared with the opening songs it feels pretty dull. Of the Stones albums I’ve listened to as part of this challenge, this is definitely the weakest. There are some fantastic songs here, but the album as a whole is really held up by its opening section and particularly by the brilliance of “Paint It Black”. Favourite track: “Paint It Black”. What a song. An absolute masterpiece. Least favourite tracks: The second half of the album is pretty weak for me. From “High and Dry” onwards, too much of it is bluesy, dull and doesn’t really go anywhere. Far from The Stones at their best. Album artwork: Cool album cover. Simple, classic Stones.
Good but not great album. In songs like Going Home you can hear what the Stones would soon become. Note that I listened to the UK version of this album. US version is trimmed down and includes Paint It Black which may have pushed this to a 4
Paint it black is a masterpiece. The rest of the album was pretty derivative Stones. Listenable not nothing I haven't heard before. Going home was a nice touch after being away for the last 5 weeks and heading back from Heathrow
- Standard Stones can be fun, even if their whole vibe greatly outweighs any noticeable craft on their part. But the songs very much blend together after awhile, especially their fast-paced rhythm and blues fare. - Best tracks are "Under My Thumb" and, depending on the version, either "Out Of Time" or "Paint It, Black." (Apparently I like xylophone with my Stones?) - "Stupid Girl" is just a mean song. Many of the tracks, even ones I like, are somewhat problematic. This goes past that to just being a problem. - "Lady Jane" can fuck off...Jagger is just so punchable on it. And the 11-minute "Going Home" is apparently to blame for jam tracks everywhere, so boo to that.
Acá la pusieron dificil porque la versión del album UK tiene todos temas distintos a la de US. Qué hago? Un promedio de ambas? Los dos son geniales albumes. Acá ya la banda va sacando su impronta. Sean covers o no sabes que estás escuchando algo que va a ser grande. 7/10
I liked it. Lots of it stock standard Stones from what I generally know of them, but some of this had a Doors vibe to it, giving the album some variety.
Some very good songs, mick jaggers lyrics aren’t always good but he always chooses the right melody it’s edging to a 4
*Aftermath* sees the Stones occasionally adding some atypical (at least for rock 'n' roll) instruments into the mix including koto and marimba. These touches add some color to their sound on this album but the songwriting is not really up to snuff, with the only standout tracks being "Mother's Little Helper" and "Under My Thumb".
Classico senza tempo
The hits are good.
Pretty meh for me, for some reason I got redirected to the UK version which didn't have Paint It Black, so if you're not hearing that track, look for the American release. For me, I couldn't go past 2 stars here.
Mother's Little Helper and Under My Thumb were the only songs that I didn't dislike. 2 stars
The blues-y songs threaten to overwhelm, but there’s enough classics on this album to win me over
Nothing exciting.
Day 406 Good Stuff. Highlights Lady Jane Under my thumb I’m going home
there is 1 or two really strong songs on this album but the rest is so mid that it averages out to 2 stars from me.
Album #164: Aftermath - The Rolling Stones Genre (W): Hard rock, pop rock, blues rock, art rock Singles: Paint It Black / Stupid Girl, Mother’s Little Helper / Lady Jane I have listened to this album once before. Thoughts?: The first side is impressive. Although Paint It Black wasn’t on the album’s UK tracklist, I added it in myself to listen to anyways. Side Two deflated the momentum for me. Decent! Favorite tracks: Mother’s Little Helper, Paint It Black#, Lady Jane, Under My Thumb, Doncha Bother Me, Going Home, Out of Time, Take It Or Leave It
Not a fan of the misogyny and it dragged on for way too long.
Very average compared to what was to come. Fair to say the lyrics on this album have aged poorly, but it’s still the stones and they’re still the zenith of blues rock. Worth a listen if only to see the beginnings of the band that would make Let it Bleed and Exile on Main Street
4.6 solid
This is brilliant, I was expecting more blues in 1966 from them, but its just full of pop with the odd nod to their earlier days in Doncha Bother Me. Lady Jane is timeless, and Under my Thumb is one of my favourite singles of the Stones.
Paint It Black and Under My Thumb are such bangers (despite how weird UMT is when you listen to the lyrics lol) but this album is weak otherwise. Oddly reminiscent of Bob Dylan to me, which I found weird. Putting myself in the 60s, just like with Hendrix, this must have been a remarkable album. But now it's fine. I almost docked a further star for how misogynistic and odd Stupid Girl is.
Aside from the couple of hits, really underwhelming
Paint it Black is an absolute belter to start with, but I'm not sure the rest of the album quite holds up to this being a 5
I can see why Stupid Girl didn't catch on quite as much as Paint It Black
I didn't find this to be super enjoyable for my personal taste. The sounds is very reminiscent of The Beatles at times. But overall, this was okay. Favorite Tracks: Under my Thumb
Black As Night, Black As Coal 1001 Albums Generator 354 (9/21/2026) This is an odd album, right? Paint It Black has been played to death at this point, but what a strange raga-influenced rock song. Lady Jane is a freaky psychedelic, baroque folk song. High And Dry is like an old school country song produced by someone on two tabs of LSD. Going Home is an 11 minute blues jam. There's a lot going on here, but I don't think the core sound is strong enough to make it a great album, even though there are some great songs on it. Kind of the definition of 2.5/5, rounded up to 3. Favs: Paint It, Black Lady Jane Under My Thumb Least Fav: Doncha Bother Me
So sexist I thought it was satire at first
Lewd
Ok
i found this supremely uninteresting.
Well known and good at what they do. Interestingly enough, like the smiths although iconic I’m not a huge fam. Good while washing dishes tho. Just didn’t hook me. Drink: slightly warm glass of watery ice tea while hanging out in some downtown city close to the water but not on it. Rating 7.1/10
7/10
Lyrically some songs REALLY don't hold up well by todays standards. Musically not bad but there are far better entries in the Stones catalogue
This appears to be a band in transition. At this point they are still miles behind the Beatles on songwriting ability but there is a confidence about some of these songs. You know they are going to get better. Listening to the UK version just wishing Paint it Black was on it although to be fair most tracks on this are OK at least.
Nice to have some early Stones to kick off the day, most of my Stones collection is from the '70s. some bangers on here - Mother's Little Helper, Under My Thumb, Out of Time, great album.
Their early years are my favorite. Some in here like Paint it Black are so innovative and classic.
Great
First stones record. Nice. Pretty ambitious for the era. 2.6/5
Good
A meh Stones album IMO. Don't really dig it much.
Well this album is very very old at 60 years, and it sounds it, but laid the foundation for some good stuff
Just boring.
The rolling stones made maybe 10 good songs in 60 years. they aren't good, just old. And BTW all their good songs came after this album
Overrated
the vibes are really off in some of these songs
Yawn is right, it's quite blend. Not terrible, not close to good, it's ok. If it didnt have the mysoginistic lyrics to get me upset this would have been 3, but they take it way down.
I listened to the US version of this, and the presence of Paint it Black dragged it, just about, to a 4. The rest is some decent-to-good blues rock that shows the band still developing but getting towards becoming the leading artist they will be a few years after this. Better to come from them though.
An important album in terms of the Rolling Stones' musical development, this album seems. That being said, most of the songs are decent rather than great, and the 11 minute long blues jam 'Goin' Home' vastly outstays its welcome. It's certainly not a classic in the same league as other landmark albums of 1966 like Pet Sounds or Revolver
NB: as they’re a British band, I’m reviewing the UK version. This is an important album in the Stones’ musical development, their first to contain all original songs, with moves into a wider range of genres and instruments. So I can see why it’s on the list. However, for me it’s quite a way off the heights they’d hit in the late 60s/early 70s, with even the best songs here not really in the same league as their best material. It’s also too long, and in no world did ‘Goin’ Home’ need to be eleven minutes. Strong 3 stars.
I didn't like The Rolling Stones before this, I still don't like them after this one. My dad taught me well.
ok
Liked Out of Time and Think but overall not as good as I wanted it to be
Paint it black is the only song that stands out and will be added to my playlist. The rest are kind of problematic
A great Stones album, with my favorite of their Paint It Black, but the album does have its highs and lows.
Originals. Bluesy rock. I don't get all the hate. Mother’s Little Helper Under My Thumb (Paint It Black)
Only knew one song
...
Dès la deuxième piste on a une vraie chanson de merde Mick jagger semble boring et générique Il y a quand même un Groove déjà caractéristique, j’imagine que pour l’époque c’était super C’est très country en fait Going Home est très bien, il y a un côté Michael Gira ! 6,5/10
Not bad!!! Good songs. 3.5
I wanted to spite vote this a five just because people seem to really underrate the Stones, but I can’t. This album is fine, Paint It Black is a great song, but the rest is just not that good. 6/10.
Not my type of music.
1. "Paint It, Black" 2. "Under My Thumb" 3. "Lady Jane"
2026.09.08.
Some great tracks but overall very dated in that it sounds very hippy dippy 60s. “Going Home” is a tedious filler track. Get rid of that and the whole album improves.
These songs won’t end, this album won’t end, Mick Jagger won’t ever find a pleasant tone... Next to the Beatles the Stones were one of these bands I was interested in engaging with through this project. With the Beatles I found that my appreciation of them grew with every album and I understand their importance and influence more and more. With the Stones though… I just don’t get it? The songs on here are not exciting in the slightest, they are overblown yet underdeveloped. The songs aren’t even easy to tell apart - what is going on here? There are some songs on here that I wouldn’t mind playing on the radio because they are inoffensive (musically - lyrically, other reviews here already pointed out the misogyny). But they are just… there. Thankfully the US Version is a) shorter and has b) Paint It Black on it, the one Stones song I think is actually great. So… good job!
This, the UK version, is a really good /the best version of this LP. The American version has different track listings. I have always hated it when bands did this, for me it was usually The Beatles, The Stones, or Paul McCartney and Wings. Yes, yes, I'm sure other bands have done it as well. regardless I find it a ridiculous and unwanted, if not unnecessary thing to do. the LP itself is really good. One of my faves by the stones.
I like this one a lot, I think the first one that is all stones aboriginals. Paint it black still can give me chills if it hits me at the right time.
I've always had a weird aversion to the Rolling Stones, probably because I am too young to remember them in their prime. That said, dad rock or not, this album was... ok. Peaked too early with Paint it Black but was listenable throughout.
It’s the stones. But not one of their better ones
Another day, another two star review on a Stones album. Increasingly, I'm finding it hard to remember how good their 'best of' CD is, as their 'worst of' box set continues to swell.
high 2 they just dont know how to write songs
Forgot that the Rolling Stones had different UK and US albums (similar to the Beatles). This UK version doesn't have "Paint It Black," but it does have three more songs so kind of a push? Regardless of the version, this is baby Stones and the band would evolve to make excellent work. Top tracks: "Lady Jane," "Under My Thumb," "Mother's Little Helper"
Sir Robert specified the UK release of this album which means no "Paint It Black" which means this is average at best ******************************************************************************* --Mother's Little Helper...decent skiffle groove --Stupid Girl...problematic, to say the least. I prefer Garbage's "Stupid Girl" --Lady Jane...some sitar mixed with weird chivalric shit --Under My Thumb...classic groove. love the marimba --Doncha Bother Me...the Keith slide guitar track --Goin' Home...this is fine but forgettable, let's see what's up ne--oh god there are seven more minutes --Flight 505...whatever --High and Dry...annoying country ditty --Out of Time...smart move to bring back the marimba. I get why people like Mick Jagger, he's just not for me. I'll take Lennon's schoolboy snarl over Mick's ten times out of ten --It's Not Easy...fun 'n' basic rock groove --I Am Waiting...a soulful, repetitive, but timeless ditty --Take It or Leave It...snooze --Think...see "It's Not Easy" --What to Do...man, this decent rock album could really use one true banger to get it to the next level. something like "Paint it Black"
Finns en brittisk release eoch en amerikansk release. Jag fick den brittiska, som saknar paint it black. Den låten hade kanske kunnat höja betyget, annars har jag aldrig riktigt varit ett fan. Under my thumb är en bra låt, men texten är otroligt sunkig. 3/5
This album goes to show that at the time of making Aftermath, The Stones were no where near the level of what are considered their “peers” (I.e. Beatles, Beach Boys, Dylan etc.) I listened to the US version (thankfully) which is a little shorter and has Paint it Black - which to me is the only really great track here. And that’s the thing - when remembering Rolling Stones through the big songs, they’re amazing. But as an album it’s not that good at all. They couldn’t do experimentation and psychedelia very well here, the blues tracks are fine but far from being half as good as what inspired them. And some of these songs are just disgustingly misogynistic, had to skip Stupid Girl and Under my Thumb cause of the icks. Whenever this album tries to achieve something intense it just falls flat, and the closing track made me cringe. 4.5/10
Good album. This is like an appetizer before the main course. After her satanic Majesty‘s request things really started rolling for them. That’s when they started to release masterpieces for like a 20 year run. Crazy.
Utter dog shit. I can't believe this gets mentioned in the same breath as Rubber Soul. Musically it's OK, uses some interesting instrumentation but doesn't really adventure beyond blues/rock n roll. Lyrically... I know to expect the odd bit of casual misogyny and paedophilia in this kind of music. But genuinely abusive misogyny seems to be the main theme here. The only track that has any merit to explain why this album made the list is Paint it Black.
Ja, een Stones album, prima, niet al te avontuurlijk
Ik kwam er na het luisteren pas achter dat op de Amerikaanse editie van deze plaat Paint It Black staat. Jammer voor de Stones heb de originele UK-editie geluisterd, dat echt een onwijs kleurloos zaadalbum is. Overigens gebruikt deze site ook die cover, dus raar dat mensen het over Paint It Black hebben in de reviews.
gutes album von den stones ich habe flashbacks an meine kindheit wo mein vater das viel im auto gehört hatte sehr guetes werk i love it
Great album, I loved early stones, so raw and true - liked them better than The Beatles for years, until I really got them😂
Slightly dull
UK Version.
Typical for the era. Paint it black probably the best known song on this album.
Listened
Obviously the hits are great, but those aside this is a really good album that sounds like it helped to usher in the more edgy, harder sound of rock. There are sounds on here that few other besides the Beatles were experimenting with in 1966. And The Beatles certainly never would have written and released “Stupid Girl” in 1966… or really ever. That’s the difference between the two. The Stones were always just edgier and more raw. Them being a part of the British Invasion, and these early to mid sixties albums really paved the way for some of the American bands and artists to do their thing. This is a really good album.
Need to go back and listen to lyrics
N prestei muita atenção mas bom pra passar o tempo
Опа тролингс
Didn’t mind this one but probably wouldn’t listen again. It definitely shows the stones finding their feet and fine tuning their sound for greater things to come.
A few obvious bangers, good stuff overall. Quite a few songs that complain about women, which is pretty boring.
The Rolling Stones are one of the finest and most influential rock & roll bands of all time. That said, this album is quite a bit repetitive and, if I dare say, boring. A couple of gems here and there, but as an entire album it falls a bit flat, especially knowing their greater works.
4.3/5 - Surprisingly, the first Rolling Stones album I've ever listened to. Pretty good, although I wouldn't call it outstanding.
Listened to UK version. Drags a bit. I enjoyed a handful of the songs but also found myself a little bored throughout.
A solid album - some hits I already loved. I didnt know Lady Jane but its a great song. More like 3.5 stars for me.
Boring 🥱 Lady Jane is cool song. The whole album have an annoying acoustic guitar tone. Mick Jagger is annoying. The first 2 stars album
Amazing album
Perfect encapsulation of late 60’s evolution of music. And still sounds crisp/relevant/enjoyable in 2026.
Quand on se replonge dans Aftermath, le premier dilemme ressemble à un casse-tête de discophile : quelle version choisir ? L'édition britannique de Decca avec ses quatorze morceaux étalés sur cinquante-quatre minutes, ou la mouture américaine de London Records, rabotée à onze pistes mais dopée par un hymne fracassant en ouverture ? Dans le doute, j'ai choisi la méthode directe : m'enfiler les deux versions coup sur coup pour juger sur pièces. Au final et quelle que soit la rive où l'on pose le diamant, le constat reste identique. C'est un 3 sur 5, soit une note mitigée pour un album de transition qui oscille entre fulgurances pop et exercices d'atelier laborieux. Certes c'est le tout premier album à part entière des Stones, celui où le groupe s'émancipe enfin des reprises pour signer l'intégralité des compositions via le tandem Jagger/Richards. Mais soyons lucides deux minutes : on est encore très loin de la puissance et de la noirceur qui feront la grandeur de Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed ou Sticky Fingers, ces trois sommets qui trônent fièrement à 4 sur 5 dans mon panthéon personnel. Pour mesurer la portée exacte de ce disque, il faut comprendre d'où revenaient les Stones à cette époque. Jusqu'alors, leur discographie ressemblait à un joyeux bazar orchestré par un manager opportuniste, Andrew Loog Oldham. Leurs précédents longs formats n'étaient que des compilations bricolées de rhythm and blues américain où s'entrechoquaient des hommages à Muddy Waters, des cavalcades de Chuck Berry, des piratages de soul sudiste et, de temps à autre, un original griffonné sous le pseudonyme collectif de Nanker Phelge. Avec Aftermath, capté aux studios RCA de Los Angeles par l'ingénieur Dave Hassinger, Mick Jagger et Keith Richards prennent enfin les commandes de leur destin créatif. C'est l'heure de l'émancipation totale, le moment où ils s'obligent à composer un disque entier sans béquille extérieure. L'ambition était louable, presque obligatoire après la déflagration Rubber Soul des Beatles quelques mois plus tôt. Mais s'affranchir du répertoire des bluesmen de Chicago ne suffit pas à transformer des jeunes loups londoniens en orfèvres pop infaillibles. L'album capture cette mue spectaculaire, avec toute la fragilité et les inégalités criantes que cela implique. L'examen comparatif des deux versions met parfaitement en lumière les hésitations stratégiques de l'époque et les faiblesses du matériel. L'album britannique, dans sa générosité de cinquante-quatre minutes, souffre d'un sérieux problème de digestion. Quatorze titres, à cette époque du vinyle, c'était une épreuve qui forçait à resserrer les sillons au détriment de la dynamique, tout en intégrant des morceaux de remplissage particulièrement faibles. Le disque démarre fort avec la satire sociale de « Mother's Little Helper », mais il s'embourbe rapidement dans des facilités pop telles que « Take It or Leave It », « Think » ou l'anecdotique « What to Do », qui sonnent comme des faces B d'un groupe cherchant encore sa véritable signature. La version américaine de London Records prend le parti inverse : elle élague à la hache, élimine quatre titres dont « Out of Time » et « Mother's Little Helper », mais frappe un grand coup psychologique en intégrant d'entrée de jeu le monumental « Paint It, Black ». Ce choix éditorial américain modifie radicalement l'impact initial sans pour autant masquer les tares sous-jacentes. En ouvrant sur « Paint It, Black », le pressage US installe d'emblée une tension vénéneuse, une cavalcade existentielle portée par le beat métronomique de Charlie Watts et la basse saturée de Bill Wyman. Ce morceau à lui seul ringardise la moitié de la pop contemporaine et prouve que les Stones peuvent rivaliser avec n'importe qui sur le terrain de la noirceur urbaine. Mais le revers de la médaille est cruel : une fois ce sommet franchi, le reste de la face A américaine accuse une baisse de régime spectaculaire. En amputant l'album de la verve pop d'« Out of Time » — pourtant l'une des compositions les plus réussies de Mick et Keith avec ses chœurs soignés et son marimba bondissant —, le label américain a déséquilibré l'ensemble au profit d'une efficacité commerciale brute. Qu'on privilégie la version UK pour sa complétude ou la version US pour sa concision, on se heurte au même constat : un disque boursouflé d'un côté, tronqué de l'autre, pour un résultat qui ne dépasse jamais le rang de galop d'essai. Si Aftermath parvient malgré tout à surnager, ce n'est d'ailleurs pas au seul crédit des compositions de Jagger et Richards, mais bien à l'inventivité désespérée de Brian Jones. Le guitariste fondateur, de plus en plus marginalisé au sein de sa propre formation et incapable de rivaliser avec le tandem d'écriture officiel, transforme son amertume en pure audace sonore. Délaissant les six cordes traditionnelles qui l'ennuient, il s'empare de tous les instruments atypiques abandonnés dans le studio pour en faire les véritables moteurs esthétiques de l'album. C'est son marimba chaloupé qui donne à « Under My Thumb » cette texture vénéneuse et dansante sans laquelle le titre ne serait qu'un shuffle bluesy ordinaire. C'est son dulcimer des Appalaches qui confère à « Lady Jane » une atmosphère de madrigal médiéval délicatement surannée. C'est encore son sitar qui tire « Paint It, Black » vers la transe orientale, ou ses interventions à l'harmonica qui injectent du relief à des grilles d'accords très basiques. Avec la complicité du pianiste et arrangeur Jack Nitzsche, Brian Jones agit comme un décorateur de génie : il habille des pièces nues avec des tentures somptueuses, camouflant les faiblesses d'écriture sous des trésors de trouvailles sonores. Sur le plan des textes et de l'attitude, Aftermath marque l'avènement officiel du personnage jaggérien : le dandy arrogant, narquois, distant et impitoyable. Mick Jagger y abandonne les postures de jeune premier éploré pour adopter une gouaille fielleuse qui fait voler en éclats la bienséance bourgeoise de l'Angleterre des années soixante. Il s'attaque à l'hypocrisie de la classe moyenne dépendante aux tranquillisants (« Mother's Little Helper ») et théorise un machisme triomphant qui fera couler beaucoup d'encre. Mais avec le recul des décennies, le mépris étalé sur « Stupid Girl » sonne bien plus comme le caprice vexé d'un adolescent bourgeois contrarié que comme une véritable charge corrosive, tandis que la mise au pas revendiquée dans « Under My Thumb » relève davantage d'une provocation potache de cour de lycée que d'une réelle noirceur subversive. Il y a dans l'écriture de Jagger en 1966 une volonté manifeste de choquer le bourgeois, mais cette posture manque encore de la maturité et du venin existentiel qui rendront ses textes ultérieurs véritablement vénéneux. Le moment où l'album dérape de manière presque embarrassante reste l'interminable pensum intitulé « Goin' Home ». Étalé sur plus de onze minutes, le morceau a été vendu par une certaine critique complaisante comme une révolution copernicienne, la première grande improvisation dilatée du rock enregistrée en studio, pionnière des délires psychédéliques à venir. Soyons honnêtes et appelons un chat un chat : « Goin' Home » est surtout un jam bluesy mollasson qui tire à la ligne de façon éhontée. Après deux minutes de blues acoustique tout à fait convenable, le morceau s'égare dans un marasme répétitif où Keith Richards tricote des plans éculés pendant que Mick Jagger improvise des râles et des onomatopées sans grand intérêt, incapable de conclure. Ce n'est pas une audace avant-gardiste, c'est simplement le son d'un groupe en panne d'idées qui laisse tourner la bande magnétique pour meubler la face d'un vinyle. Placé en plein milieu de parcours, ce morceau fait l'effet d'un violent coup de frein qui plombe l'élan de l'album et illustre cruellement l'incapacité des Stones de 1966 à structurer un format long sur la durée. Le gouffre esthétique devient vertigineux dès lors qu'on compare Aftermath aux sommets absolus que le groupe atteindra quelques années plus tard, à commencer par cette fameuse tétralogie dorée où s'illustrent Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed et Sticky Fingers. Lorsque les Stones reviennent aux affaires en 1968 avec Beggars Banquet, ils ne cherchent plus à singer la pop contemporaine ni à cacher leur jeu sous des enluminures exotiques : ils ont enfin absorbé le blues rural et la country pour en faire une matière première organique, sauvage et dangereuse. Sur « Sympathy for the Devil » ou « Street Fighting Man », la menace n'est plus une pose de garnement, elle est le pouls réel d'une époque qui vacille dans les émeutes et les gaz lacrymogènes. L'année suivante, Let It Bleed enfonce le clou avec une brutalité crépusculaire incomparable : « Gimme Shelter » et « Midnight Rambler » plongent l'auditeur dans une angoisse viscérale où chaque note transpire la peur et le stupre, sans l'ombre d'un remplissage. Et que dire de Sticky Fingers en 1971 ? L'arrivée de Mick Taylor apporte un lyrisme incendiaire qui enterre définitivement les tâtonnements d'Aftermath, offrant un écrin royal à des chefs-d'œuvre de désespoir et de débauche comme « Wild Horses », « Can't You Hear Me Knocking » ou « Sister Morphine ». Voilà les véritables piliers du panthéon stonnien, des disques taillés dans le marbre brut qui justifient amplement leur note de 4 sur 5. À côté de ces géants indestructibles, Aftermath fait donc figure de brouillon attachant mais encombré de scories. C'est l'album où les Rolling Stones apprennent le métier de créateurs à plein temps, expérimentent des formules en direct et découvrent leurs propres limites avant de trouver la recette magique qui les propulsera au sommet. Tout n'est pas à jeter, loin s'en faut : le brio orchestral de Brian Jones, l'efficacité insolente de quelques singles imparables et l'émergence d'un ton résolument moderne justifient qu'on s'y penche avec curiosité. Mais vouloir faire passer cet ensemble disparate pour un monument intouchable relève d'une réécriture nostalgique de l'histoire. Aftermath est et reste un disque en demi-teinte, tiraillé entre ses ambitions pop et son ancrage blues, qui mérite très exactement son 3 sur 5. Une étape charnière et indispensable pour les historiens du rock, mais une expérience d'écoute inégale qui rappelle que même les plus grands ont dû essuyer les plâtres avant de régner sur le monde.
Paint it Black is dope The rest The rest was not good
Did this get picked on the strength of Paint It Black? Paint It Black is great. Stupid Girl is terrible. The rest is fine.
This album is kinda like pumpkin pie for me—I enjoyed the first bite and get why people might like it, but I was sick of it by the end.
I wonder if he is going home in "going home". Haven't heard it enough times...
Paint it black is an all timer, the rest are not noteworthy. Rolling stones is just kinda like that, like maybe 10 songs worth listening to
A few great songs, but the rest seem like filler. 3/5
Some great classic songs but still has the old early 60's sound for the rest of it.
Starts off with a real bang in Paint it Black; arguably the single most influential Stones song. Also has the hit Under My Thumb and Doncha Bother Me which feels like a look behind the curtain of what’s to come. Like this record because they’re not only starting to break out of their Brit Pop era but overall these have more bite to them than the kinks.
On one hand, this has some very innovative songs that still sound great. On the other, there a bunch of filler that is no better than fine. Thereb isn't enough of the great stuff to give this a five, desire the fact that the great songs here are truly great
I don't like the Stones, and this album just reaffirmed my opinion. There are some fun moments, but they're overshadowed by the excessively misogynist lyrics, even for a 60s record. I can still appreciate how that's their first album full of original songs and how their music related to the moment, The Beatles, and all that. Still, this music just doesn't connect with me.
I really enjoyed this one, it's a solid rock album! It contains the classic "Paint It, Black" so you can't really go wrong!
Niet vervelend niet leuk
It totally deserves another listen I was NOT paying attention but I liked Mothers Little Helper and paint it black
I SEE A RED DOOR One year in california I made my cousins act in a movie where they were all singers and bert was mick jagger and at the beginning of the movie I made him sing paint it black and dance around and stomp and it was really good and then he ended up being a bad person because he wanted to separate tarry harvilow from his sister mandy and I made my cousins sing barry manilow songs and it was often
this album played in my home a lot growing up. This is the first time ive ever like actually payed attention to it and I really liked it
Good good good stuff. Love mick jaggers voice and damn that girl must be stupid
There’s a few songs here that helped them clearly find their lane but early stones is not my favorite era.
Under My Thumb is my only real favorite from this one. Not the strongest Stones album for me
Lackluster aside from paint it black. Still very blues forward
I guess this is the album where you hear the band going from the jingly jangly 60's fun songs to something more serious and experimental, but I also think there's plenty of 60's slop in here too. I did like the interesting instrumentation in Mother's Little Helper (and Paint it Black in the US version) and a few other places where something besides a guitar, bass, and drums were employed. Like everyone else I though Going Home was terrible and too long. And also like everyone else noticed, I noticed that the lyrics were horrendously dated and can't really hide behind the "this is a character's viewpoint" excuse. I didn't like this, though I guess it's kind of important as a rock album in the sense that it was a big enough deal to influence more bands to be edgier and heavier with their songs.
You probably should listen to this before you die. A sign of what was coming from the stones. Not the best album but I think they did alright form here.
When they hit, they're brilliant. When it misses, oof. 11 minute rambling blues jam is not what I'm talking about. Wildly uneven with moments of brilliance.
Meh
Heard before?:❌️/✔️(not entirely) Will listen again?:❓️ 2.5
A few notable songs from their catalogue, but mostly kind of forgettable. Unlike some of their better work, this album seems to be stuck in the 60's. 3/5 Might listen again
Plinky, plonky, clinky, clonky rock n roll.
6/10 Album meh. No es malo pero tampoco tiene algo que me llame demasiado, queda ahi en el medio. Cumple para estar de fondo pero no se si mucho mas
Yet another great Stones album.
Great on the first day of college classes, a vibe to walk around with listening to
Legendary album with an amazing set of songs, it set up the future of the band and shot them to stardom. Paint It, Black is one of the most famous songs of all time, and it starts the album with such power. Following there's a rock and roll vibe and music to dance to. It's so catchy and great.
Uk edition
Foundational Stones album, first of only their own songs and show a varied sound. They still have that R&B background but they added some funk and thanks to Brian Jones a more world music sound with the unique instrumentation. Has a few big hits like Under My Thumb, Paint It Black, Mother's Little Helper and a few cool deep cuts. Some of the songs are too long and could have cut a couple tracks to reduce the total run time. Not my favorite Stones album but nice to hear them building their sound. Would have been 5 stars if they cut the fluff, put both Paint It Black and Mother's Little Helper on one version, and cut the total run time to around 40 minutes.
“Paint it, Black” is their best song by far. “Mother’s Little Helper” is kinda good. The record drops off a cliff from there lyrically and stylistically.
I find the production on the early tracks to be distractingly muddy in places. By the time we get to Lady Jane, it's suddenly clear that the Rolling Stones would earn a place among the rock pantheon. Good songwriting and solid playing all combine with Jagger's voice to boost the whole package. Along with the soft and reflective "I am Waiting" and "Lady Jane", we get the rougher edges on display in songs like "Under My Thumb" (nearly 9 minutes long!) and "Doncha Bother Me". This is the Stones walking the line between playing it straight and trying to push themselves just a bit out of their own comfort zone. It may not be risky or daring but it is a ton of fun. Listening to the album start to finish highlights the band's flexibility. Despite being labeled as a straighforward rock band, the Stones had a breadth (country, blues, jazz) that few bands could match in the mid-60s and even now.
Good listening, no standout tracks
Quite a good album but not every song was a hit
I really know nothing about the context in which this was made or the band’s history at this point, but this early album shows that they still needed to perfect their craft. The songs aren’t very memorable, but the sound is there and the overall performance musically and vocally is well done.
Singles are good, plenty of middle of the road blues elsewhere, hard to fathom the big reputation. Rubber Soul was released the same year and clears this by a fucking distance. Will probably never listen to this record again in full. 4/10
So so
First time I can honestly say I get the hype about the Stones. Not like “gonna get the target T-shirt” good but fair enough. Playlist add: “Paint It Black” - old habits die hard
In my opinion far from their best, didn't find much that grabbed me here
Good lord they were horny early on. Like. Uncomfortably horny.
Good.
Paint it black best song. Others. Yawn
Pretty grooovy!
Familiar with most of the songs. Will definitely play this album again.
6 / 10
I'm no fan of classic rock but "Out of Time" did manage to get stuck in my head.
I did not like it. 2/10
Extremely boneless and boring. Had no reason to be on the list.
I was excited when this album came up and then I found out there are two versions? I had no idea. -1 for no painted black, but its still one of my favorite stones albums.
los hits aunque no son super hits son buenazos, uno que otro buen deep cut, es chido oir lo ecléctica que se va haciendo su paleta sonora, facil sería de menos un cuatro si no fuera por el blues de once (11!) minutos, es lo que más recordaba de escuchas anteriores y no como algo bueno (y ojo que el pedo no es la duración, o bueno sí pero no sería si estuviera chida la rola base o el jam extendido pero nel)
Patchy in places but enough bangers to easily make up for it
Solid throughout
I find it hard to believe that there would be extensive clean up required in the aftermath of this album
The exact moment five derivative English blues obsessives realized that mimicking Chess Records catalog tracks would no longer sustain their careers. Paint it Black remains an all time classic (why is it only on the US version), there are the slices of deep misogyny on here that are pretty bleak. All in all not their best album, in fact a pretty boring and monotonous one, but a stepping stone to world dominance that would continue 50 years later.
Heard before; 3.5; Fun, hard rocking blues songs. I like the fuzzed out bass and keyboards mixed in. At the same time, this is a reocord that makes me go back and forth on the Rolling Stones. While the music is certainly very good, it's hard to understand why this music endures when other music doesn't. I suppose there's something to be said for the consistency of this album, as most of the tracks are solid. Favorite Track: Paint It Black
Complete shit.
Partially known. A couple of great songs and the rest I hadn't heard and don't need to again.
Paint It Black is genuinely great. Stereo mixing is very of its time, a little hard to listen to. Under my thumb kind of sucks and is gross and the rest of the album is pretty bad. Pretty shocked how much the rest of this album is just completely dwarfed by Paint It Black. I might not like the Rolling Stones, 0/2 so far.
Never a big fan of the Stones. They were just always... there. Not until later on during the Tattoo You tour in 80's did I actually pay more attention. Whether you dislike them or not, have to give credit to their longevity and talent. Having said that... first time listening to "Aftermath", and like most hit albums for me, I like some of the other songs that I did not hear 100s of times already.
Paint It Black is a fantastic song. Not really into the rest of it. I think I actually prefer their debut album of covers. 2.5
Watching the band evolve with their first album of originals? Part blues, rock n roll and pop. 'Under my thumb' in particular shows the huge promise here.
not my favorite stones by any means. but it is solid. “under my thumb” is great. other personal highlights are “mother’s little helper” and “i am waiting”. the u.s. version with “paint it black” is cool too. certainly gives this album another single.
Yet another "essential" brittish rock album. Pretty mid
Every Rolling Stones album and song sound the same. I like that "Mothers Little Helper" shows as added to my "Florida 2017" playlist when my mom, dad, and I went around adding songs to a playlist. that is a nice memory.
Boring at best. 2 good songs.
Eu acho que nunca tinha escutado a discografia dos Stones e eles são muito pica????
5th Rolling Stones album for me here, and it's getting a bit tedious. Can these paragons of dad rock really be worth that much of my time?... Well, for once, I'd say yes. This may be the version of the Stones I like best, with a sound closer to The Beatles and the original British Invasion rather than the American blues-rock they later tried to emulate. It's also simpler and more to the point, whereas their later albums sometimes feel bloated. There are some pleasant songs and a couple of true hits here (I have a soft spot for "Mother's Little Helper" and "Out of Time"), but also a vague feeling of repetitiveness and a lack of depth that ultimately left me only half-satisfied. Kind of all right, but not something I'd listen to very often. Let's say a strong 3*. 6/10
I roll my eyes at yet another Stones album, but I can tolerate Aftermath. With a few exceptions, it moves away from their blues roots and towards something a bit more rock-oriented. Going Home is one of those exceptions… and it’s pretty unbearable. Still, I have to admit this goes down much easier and feels more solid than most of their other albums. Aside of the most famous songs, somme tracks like It’s not easy and I am waiting are actually pretty good.
Overall Rating - 3.91/5 (7.82/10). Classic Stones. Very good album from start to finish. Definitely the two singles are the best tracks, though.
Interesting proto-Stones album, lots of different sounds from the early 60s/50s, hadn't really hit their stride yet but there are a few really good songs on here
I don't think there's a bad or mediocre RS record. 4/5
In my rating of Sticky Fingers, I complained that every Rolling Stones album has 1 or 2 good songs and the rest were filler. But man, the filler is so much more filler-y here and Under My Thumb (the good song) is a step down from Wild Horses.
i liked the first 2 songs the best
4/10 this album was a one hit wonder
Totally fine. I've always felt neutral about the Stones but this was nice.
3 stars only because of Paint It Black, one of the best songs ever
Dull and overlong and grating. I listened to the UK version, which is the version in the book, and it lacks "Paint It, Black", which would otherwise be the standout track from this album for me. Rating: 2
I wish I could say those lyrics have aged like milk, alas I'm typing this in the age of the 🤮manosphere🤮 Please read this, dear stranger: https://dn790007.ca.archive.org/0/items/LundyWhyDoesHeDoThat/Lundy_Why-does-he-do-that.pdf
Wasn’t my favourite of theirs but still good.
The misogyny hasn't aged well.
The first Stones album composed entirely of original Jagger/Richards songs — no covers, which was a statement in 1966 and marks the moment they stopped being a blues covers band and started becoming themselves. Brian Jones is still fully present, his multi-instrumental contributions giving the record a textural variety that later Stones records wouldn't have — sitar on "Paint It Black," dulcimer on "Lady Jane," whatever the moment required. The peaks justify the four completely. "Paint It Black" is one of the great singles of the decade, the sitar giving it an Eastern darkness that nobody else was attempting in mainstream rock in 1966. "Under My Thumb" and "Lady Jane" cover completely different emotional territory and both work, which is the mark of songwriters finding their range rather than just their formula. The honest limitation is that the album tracks around those peaks range from solid to vanilla — some of it the product of a band still figuring out original material after years of covers, some of it probably fresh in 1966 and since imitated into familiarity. The gap between the highs and the filler is more audible here than on the records that came after, which is the sound of a band becoming something rather than having fully arrived. A four that the hits earn and the back half qualifies. The arrival was coming — this is the record just before it.
In theory this is my favourite period for the Stones with them writing their early tunes and Brian Jones mostly engaged and innovative, but it is still only half a decent album to me and the lyrics are so odious. But that marimba part on Under My Thumb.
this album is so interesting!!, I loved Lady Jane so much, it fits my vibe perfectly hehe. I think this album is perfect for discovering new music and listening to "old music", really good album(„• ֊ •„)
Not my favourite Stones record. Paint it black is an electric kick-off, but it's pretty mediocre from there. I don't think this album needed an 11 minute closing track either.
It has its moments of interest instrumentation and music, but the lyrics are abysmal throughout and it’s way too long for its own good. I thought I liked the stones but I’m realizing I don’t think they get good until the 70s
I listened to the US version. Pretty cool stuff. Paint It Black rips...the rest, you can see where they're headed but they're just not there yet. Just give me the Mick Taylor era, really. If I'm going to listen to the Stones, that's what I want to hear. I guess the historical significance here is that this is the first album where there are no covers and they wrote all the stuff themselves. Awesome. But I'd rather listen to Goat's Head Soup (which isn't on the generator). So that's what I'm gonna do now.
Glimpses of what I love about the Stones, but I think a lot of their other albums make a lot more sense on a list like this.
it ok. really hate the song stupid girl
paint it black 5 stars everything else like 2-3
Wasn’t their best
oh yes
I hate them I hate them I hate them
Rating: 4.8/5 Short Review: Confident, inventive, and packed with unforgettable riffs. Favorite Track: “Under My Thumb.” The marimba hook is instantly recognizable, and the groove remains one of the band’s finest.
2 significant Rolling Stones songs, but the Rolling Stones aren't really an album kind of band. They're more of a singles kind of band to me. So I love the big songs but overall the album is just alright to me.
Maybe the best Rolling Stones album other than Sticky Fingers. Mother's Little Helper still sounds sonically very ahead of its time to me and is underrated.
Favourite Songs: Mother's Little Helper Going Home
Great album of the Stones in their prime 60s mode. Lots of really good songs and the vocals and guitar playing are outstanding.
This just gives me a really icky misogynistic feeling and while it the day it may be a cool album, I don’t feel it has aged well. The Stones have been letting me down so far.
Hits are great … but the lesser known songs are even better. FLIGHT 505 stands out.
Im not a huge stones fan but my mama is so I listened and it’s a great album!
Opening with Paint It Black is certainly a bold statement - it's an absolute banger of a track too. As seems to often be the case with the 'Stones by my estimation, it's an album that's one-third awesome rock staples and two-thirds pointless filler. You have tracks like Under My Thumb or Paint It Black that capture you instantly and then pretty forgettable songs like... I dunno, I forgot them already. Fav tracks: Paint It Black, Under My Thumb
Yeah, this score is carried by Paint It, Black tbh
Paint it Black is only on US version
Classic, I like; wild world, father and son is beautiful and tea for the tillerman
siempre buenos
I mean, I like Paint It Black, but the misogynistic lyrics throughout the rest of the album make it a difficult listen. Favourite track: Paint It Black
Imagine how much music the world would miss out on if men could handle rejection securely. Misogyny dressed a a fun time album- that wise it’s fucking boring.
4 1/2 - couldn’t give it 5 - great album but not up there with beggars banquet, sticky fingers, exile
A classic rock album through and through. Some of the most well known and iconic Stones songs.
A very boring album with song that have not aged well
I didn't love them during this period
#394 Starts with an all-timer of a track and ends well with Going Home, it’s not their best work overall but probably essential listening for the Stones, if nothing else. Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ✅ Listen before you die? ✅ Fave track(s): Paint it Black Rating: 7/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Could anyone know what the Stones’ future records would sound like after listening to this? The music on Aftermath is excellent popular rock and roll of the sixties, especially the hits which were different depending on which side of the Atlantic you bought it on. Still, it is only a hint at what would come in the seventies. I struggle with the rating because even though it is great, I know there are many Stones albums that are more influential, impactful, and important. 4.5 stars
Stones. Good!
Decent album, “Paint it Black” is the amazing, standout song. 4/5
How do you make a song as good as Paint It Black, and then lump it with a collection of completely forgettable songs?
Listened to the UK version so I didn't even get to hear Paint It Black....fine music but lyrics aged like milk
I was pleasantly surprised. I thought this was going to be hot garbo, but it’s good. Very good for ‘66.
Drugi najbolji Stones album dosad, zanima me hoće li kasnije biti još konkurencije. Nisam njihov veliki ljubitelj ali činjenice su da je Paint it Black pjesmetina i da kad ih poredim s ostalom popularnom muzikom iz ovog perioda zvuče nekoliko svjetlosnih godina ispred (osim Kinksa i donekle Whoa). Slušala sam britansku čini mi se.
Correcto, Paint it Black es un clásico y por eso le subo un punto
A very down the middle album
I’m starting to get why old heads always praise the Rolling Stones
The first real Stones album with some great tracks like ‘Paint It Black’, but lacks the consistency of their later records and contemporaries like the Beatles and Kinks.
7/10
Very boring album compared to later stuff not really my thing paint it black good but yeah 2
Remarkable mainly for the first songwriting attempts of the Glimmer Twins. You can hear what they were reaching for but sounds quite naive in the pop vein of the time. Great to hear Brian Jones’ musical accompaniments playing everything bar the kitchen sink. 3
Historically important, but the lyrics didn't do much for me, the songwriting wasn't consistently engaging, and the long jam at the end completely lost me. I found two songs I'll throw on a giant playlist, but I'll likely never play the album again 2 stars
Not bad not my favorite but clear why they were ahead of peers at the time
Fine, bland considering what the stones did at their peak.
iskreno, dosta dobro, svidjelo mi se dosta, daleko najbolji album od stounsa koji sam dosad preslušao. shvatio sam da sam sve dosadanje malo precjenjivao... možda se vratim i popravim ocjene jer ni jedan ovom ne može prismrdjet
actually liking this more than i thought i would. stupid girl pmo tho. also under my thumb is pmo but i do like how it sounds. going home was awful.
Pretty solid with Paint It, Black and Under My Thumb. The rest was more or less standard sounding Stones. 4*
this is not very good, quite basic rock. I'm sure it was great for its time but every dog has his day and this dogs day has gone and went. none of these songs particularly interest me as they all feel quite bland and emotionless i hated this.
I really haven't listened to anything by the Stones that hasn't been played on the radio. This was pretty good. Obviously I already knew the big hits on this one, and the rest were enjoyable.
This is not the Stones era I like. Meh.
classique, fondateur … 3-/5
I don't know if the l this is supposed to be the UK version or the US version. Either way, The Rolling Stones seem to make timeless music. I would've never guessed it was made in the 60s listening to it first time. It was great. Really interesting, groovy music.
2,9 Highlights: Mother's Little Helper, Out Of Time
I couldn't believe after 7 or 8 minutes of Goin' Home that they still hadn't found their way there yet.
I can't believe there's only one more Stones album after this one (appears to be "Sticky Fingers"), although I definitely lost track at number 4 or 5 in this collection. This album definitely has the hallmarks of early Stones--thin sound, somewhat shrill aspect to Jagger's singing, less bluesy sound, etc.--but what a great move, at least in the US edition, to open up with the classic "Paint it black". Perhaps not so genius, though, to follow that with the truly asinine and extremely dated "Stupid girl" followed by the Zeppelin-esque ballad "Lady Jane". Thankfully, there are other classics on the album, especially "Under my thumb" and (UK only) "Mother's little helper", plus the semi-classic "Goin' home", to make up for the fairly weak and unsettlingly misogynistic filler songs throughout (apparently prompted by a lot of offstage drama involving fame, egos and puerile competition amongst the band). I guess it's good that Brian Jones was more involved on this album than its predecessor, but I've never been much of a fan of the sitar/dulcimer/psychedelica flourishes he brought along as well. Interesting, too, to read that concerns about the band's (or at least Jagger's) misogyny and cruelty towards women appears to have been largely an American concern, with the Brits seeing and accepting this as part of the 60s London "modern life" aesthetic, or (less plausibly) that this was a sophisticated social critique of sexual inequality. Overall, this strangely flawed album is a bit tough to rate, as it has some great Stones songs on it, completely offset by equally atrocious ones (and all of them written by the Stones), and it's all so far removed from 2026 that I have a hard time evaluating whether this was truly ground-breaking in 1966.
Ah, yes, the asshole album where the boys will be boys and the girls will be stupid. Don't care how many dulcimers Brian Jones brings to the table, it's not worth it. Still, Paint It Black and Under My Thumb are pretty awesome.
It’s the Rolling Stones…. So giving it a 3/5, not my cup of tea but still a good listen.
B+
Extremely misogynistic lyrics and shitty vocals. 2/5 at best.
This has some gems, especially Out of Time.
The classic Rolling Stones album with two all-time classic songs and then they just left the recorder running until they filled a record. Stupid Girl is kinda amazing - they keep saying "look at this stupid girl" and you're waiting for them to subvert it or be like why do I like her so much and instead they just say "she's the worst thing in this world". Absolute purity of message I respect it.
There's really nothing going for this album
Top quality rhythms,
meh. old.
Probably overly critical but I didn't enjoy this listen.
Hard rock, pop rock, blues rock, art rock.
A bunch of posh whiners trying to sound black
Has a pretty good selection of songs and I thought it was pretty enjoyable. 7/10
Listened previously. Expectations: High - Verdict: Great - Mother's Little Helper is one of the finest moments in the Stones' illustrious career. A masterpiece of early rock. Stupid Girl is also excellent. Under My Thumb is another masterpiece, it's just fantastic. By their lofty standards, Going Home is a pretty sedate blues jam but the next run is great. Fantastic album.
Another easy 5 stars and candidate for #2 album by The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band - the 3rd I've had of those to this point. I think I would put this behind the other 2, so the ranking goes as follows so far (all of these are after Exile, the clear #1, but I haven't had it yet): 2. Let it Bleed 3. Sticky Fingers 4. Aftermath There are some others that I suspect are on the list that will likely break into this (Some Girls immediately comes to mind), but so far this is what I have.
Own it, but haven't really listened before. Some great songs on here, some dreck too. Going home is such a downer, kills the album. Picks up on the 2nd side. Does not need to be 50 mins, could have cut 15-20 mins. 3 Heard before? Yes Owned: Yes, 94/353 (26%) Will I get: Already have
This is, I think, peak Stones in many ways. It's not actually as good as, for instance, Let It Bleed, in terms of songs, but in terms of representing them at their best - fun, cool and not yet horribly Americanised. The first half in particular is an absolute belter, although the album as a whole never quite recovers from the 11 minute long track in the middle. A side note on the lyrical content - it truly is unpleasant in retrospect, which is disappointing, because once you start noticing how much Jagger looks down on women it's hard to stop it. It's the same on a handful of Lennon-written Beatles songs (Run for Your Life and so on), and is to their discredit. It's a particular shame that the most egregious example of it is Under My Thumb, which is otherwise an absolutely stellar track.
Not one of their bests but a solid 3 stars
In the Beatles vs the Stones debate, I’m firmly in the Beatles camp, but I do have admiration for the stones, particularly their longevity. The songs here aren’t as familiar to me, but I appreciate the sound. I have wondered in the past how the stones would have sounded if they had a great producer in the studio like the Beatles did. Because I feel like they have good ideas but don’t develop and flesh them out as well as George Martin did with the Beatles. Which is kind of how I feel about this album — good ideas not entirely realized. I am also puzzled to see Paint it Black as part of others’ reviews… that song was not on the album on Apple Music…
This is my first Stones album and I was looking forward to my first exposure to one of the most famous, revered, and influential bands of all time. There aren’t that many times anyone gets to experience that. Unfortunately, I was hardly moved as a whole by this record. I’m assuming there’s better to come with The Stones, as this was the first albun made up of all their own material. Maybe there is something I’m not getting but I thought that, while innovative for the time, certainly, I didn’t fall in love with the tracks here much more than what we’ve heard in the late 60’s. They are well-performed and have some catchy and high-energy moments, but the inconsistency is an issue and nothing blew me away. On top of this, there is some serious misogyny going on and while it’s the 60’s, it certainly doesn’t make me want to listen to it now any more. I might be being a little generous in the end, but there are plenty of solid songs that sound alright for the mid 60’s and some lyrics that aren’t hard to listen to are actually good and interesting. Not exactly taken with this project though. I’m curious what, if any, Stones album will capture me and show me why they’re so loved. 1 listen Favorite Tracks: Mother’s Little Helper
Expectation: -> One of the most famous bands of all-time. I like a few of their songs but wouldn't call myself a fan. Nothing but respect for the Stones. After listening: -> Listened to and rated the non-UK version, which had Paint It, Black. I felt that song was head and shoulders above the rest. This is good, not great. The UK version just doesn't impress me much, sorry Stones fans. Track ranking: Jane Thumb Waiting Easy Mother Bother Think Take It 505 Home Time What High Girl
60s music that isn't terrible
Note: Listened to both the US and UK versions. This is not peak Stones, but there are glimpses of Peak Stones here. The most-remembered songs are all-time greats ("Mother's Little Helper" "Under My Thumb" "Paint It Black"). The majority of tracks are quite serviceable Stones songs. But a few, especially "Stupid Girl" take a little air out of the balloon, and not just for the casual misogyny. They're just unremarkable songs from a band that, in the 60s and 70s, could reasonably be expected to be remarkable all the time.
The album does not have their biggest hits and is one of the Rolling Stones' earlier works. I know many of the big songs and "Paint It Black" is great, but I've had a hard time fully enjoying the Stones. For some reason, it has never clicked. Some of the lyrics from this era also may not have aged well, and Jagger has had some allegations that affect the listening experience a bit.
Two great tunes on this album but some of the others just felt... lifeless?
Klarer ikke å engasjere verken på den ene eller andre måten. Sorry!
One of the best albums by the Stones in the 60s---although unlike so many people, I love Satanic Majesties Request. How they were able to record "Goin' Home" at 11 minutes---broke barriers even though I find it boring. "Lady Jane," "Mother's Little Helper," "Under My Thumb" are the standouts for me.
Would love to listen to this with the windows down, tracing the Welsh coast in my dinghy, cigarette in mouth and speakers turned to the max. I should probably learn how to drive
MIDDD and besides the first song, don’t really appreciate the couple songs that have outdated views on women and they were boring too so
So the American version has Paint It Black, the first really great Rolling Stones song. The UK version opens with Mother's Little Helper, which is an interesting track, but not as effective as Paint It Black. The rest is just kinda messy. Lady Jane feels like a mediocre costume drama. Under My Thumb is musically great Stones, but lyrically dreadful Stones. The rest of it wanders stylistically and indulgently, and it's just... not great, sometimes boring. It's historically interesting as a prologue to the great albums that started 1968, but it's not an album I would tell anyone they really should listen to. 2.5/3, rounding up for the sake of Paint it Black as if it's the American version.
I don’t get the hate people are heaping on the Rolling Stones for this album. It is a product of its time, dated as that may be. This music is 60 years old- older than most of the people even reviewing it, and the philosophy of applying whatever moral standards you have from today to music and art of the far flung past is an extremely flawed idea that is just going to lock you out of being able to enjoy things. This is virtue signaling at its finest, and projecting your moral superiority over music old enough to get a senior citizen discount makes you look like a moron. Nobody is going to fuck you because you think Mick Jagger is a tool for singing about stupid girls. If I were to look into the personal lives of every artist I ever listed to, and added or removed their music from my library based on their moral fiber, I would probably not listen to very much music at all. Assessing your enjoyment of music through a lens of “was this person a good person?” is a fool’s errand and serves only to drive you insane. That said, the music is really good. It has the eternal hits Paint It Black and Under My Thumb on it, which instantly catapulted it to classic status, even back in 1966, but there’s a wide variety of music on here that honestly, the Stones didn’t really go back to much after this album. This one is important because it’s the first time the Stones did an album entirely of their own compositions. Their first 3 albums were mostly just blues covers, which was a thing bands did at that time- lots and lots of covers. This is the demarcation point where the Stones became themselves and ascended the other run of the mill, milquetoast, blues-rock Beatles influenced bands of the era. The Beatles had set the pattern with the matching outfits and mod/bowl haircuts, and everyone else was following. It was still going to take a few albums/years for them to come out from under the long shadow cast by John, Paul, George, and Ringo, but we’ll probably get there on another album. Lady Jane is a really interesting one- which is like a medieval twangy, greensleeves esque ballad with a very knightly/war of the roses theme lyrically. Doncha Bother Me is a jangly, bouncy tune that sounds more akin to what they’d be doing later, and the rest of it is a mix of Beatles sounds, and other 60s era pop music. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I could take it or leave it…
Fantastic album with hints of the hot streak coming in the upcoming years.
I really like the Rolling Stones but the misogyny is rough...
I listened to both UK/US versions, and honestly the US one was better, trimmed some fat. Under My Thumb is on both tho so net negative either way. Overall it wasn't bad, but a good amount was just eh. The standouts were good tho, I will admit that. Highlights-Mother's Little Helper(UK), Paint it Black(USA), Stupid Girl(guilty pleasure), Lady Jane, Doncha Bother Me, Think, Goin' Home.
I don't really get the Stones. They're fine, but nothing to get excited about.
This is clearly the moment the Rolling Stones were ready to become the bad boys compared to the Beatles. They were releasing an album with no covers, pushing their sound forward, and hinting at the counterculture shift that was about to take over the 60s. Too bad the album itself just isn’t that great. First off, there’s the obvious issue: the misogyny. Jagger spends way too much of this album talking down to women, and it gets gross fast. “Under My Thumb” is the obvious offender, but “Think” is pretty rough too, and it definitely doesn’t stop there. Musically, I hear a lot of genres being tossed around, and there are some interesting sounds here and there, but not much really stands out. Of course, “Paint It Black” is the major exception and easily the highlight of the album. Too bad the rest couldn’t match that level. I get what the Stones were trying to do here. They wanted to sound edgier, rougher, and more dangerous than their peers. But for me, Aftermath mostly feels like an important stepping stone rather than a great album on its own.
Album #139, The Rolling Stones, Aftermath ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Arguably the beginning of the Stones’ ascent into the stratosphere of pure quality. It’s a very odd album. A very unusual one. For the most part it’s acoustic folk with a rock and blues edge, a bit like Buddy Holly in places, but there are all sorts of other elements going on. Strange chord progressions, unusual sounds from odd instruments… it really feels like Brian Jones and his nuttier, more Canterbury-inspired influences are all over this record. And it’s a better album for it. Another great element is Mick Jagger. I think this is one of his best albums vocal wise. He just sounds fantastic. There’s loads of variety and passion throughout. Weirdly, I’ve always felt he’s properly rated as a frontman but slightly underrated as a singer. His voice is so distinctive, and I think he sounds brilliant here, especially on songs like Think and Out of Time. He even adopts a completely different style on Lady Jane, and it really works. But, it’s also hard to ignore some of the lyrics. I’ve questioned the misogyny of a lot of hip-hop albums on this list, so it would be a bit hypocritical not to mention it here as well. However you want to look at it, this can be quite a nasty album towards women. I know there’s artistic licence involved, satire and a lot of it is tongue in cheek, but it still comes across as pretty obnoxious, petty and adolescent at times. I don’t think those lyrics have aged particularly well. The Stones always seem to get a bit more of a pass for this kind of stuff because the songs themselves are often just so good. Brown Sugar is probably the best example of that. It’s a ten-out-of-ten song with lyrics that are, at the very least, highly questionable. All that being said, I do think it’s a mixed bag of a record. The Stones went on to make some extraordinary albums after this, and I don’t think this quite reaches those heights. It just doesn’t have enough consistently great songs. For me, it ranges from five-star songs down to songs that are almost two stars. The highlights are Under My Thumb. An absolute cracker, with questionable lyrics. Then, one of my all-time favourite Stones songs, Out of Time, which has an absolutely brilliant chorus and isn’t afraid to just keep throwing it at you. There’s Think and then there’s I Am Waiting, one of their strangest little folk songs and a great example of just how weird this album can get. But the rest of it is much more uneven and forgettable. I was reading that Goin’ Home was one of the first extended improvised jams by a pop group, and if that’s true, fair fucking play to them. That’s a genuinely impressive thing to have done. I also read that it became the longest pop song ever released at the time, overtaking Dylan’s Desolation Row. The problem is, it feels like an exercise in writing the longest pop song ever rather than writing the best one. It’s not even particularly meandering. It just kind of plods along. It’s not especially sexy, even though I think it’s trying to be, and I just find it a really boring song. It’s slap bang in the middle of the album as well, and it takes up a huge chunk of what is already quite a long record. Long improvised jams went on to be much more interesting with the likes of Cream and Jimi Hendrix. Then you’ve got songs like Take It or Leave It, which I could literally take or leave. It’s an odd song and fits on the record, but it’s not particularly good either. Overall though, this feels like Brian Jones’ last really great contribution to a Stones album, and he does a great job with it. A light four for me.
Aftermath has been a bit of an ambivalent, difficult one for me to peg. “Paint It Black,” normally track 1, is probably my all-time favourite Stones song; but “Stupid Girl,” track 2, is probably my all-time LEAST favourite Stones song, and then the rest are a bunch of mediocrities and mediocrities-plus (I’m somewhat fond of “Lady Jane” and “Under My Thumb,” the latter as flagrant camp.) I tried to trade in my copy of this album recently for a few bucks credit toward I think Doechii or something and they wouldn’t take it—maybe they feel the same about “Stupid Girl” as I do. Anyway, rating-wise Apple Music on me: Their version of this album doesn’t even have “Paint It Black” on there (replaced by “Mother’s Little Helper,” another one of those somewhat-faves), so I can read it based on those preponderant mediocrities plus the sinister “Stupid Girl.”
I know and love the later Stones albums after this one, but I’ll be honest and say I’ve never listened to this. I knew the singles obviously, but the rest was new to me. It was a bit disappointing. Quite repetitive and the songs just aren’t all that strong. Add in the frankly terribly misogynistic and dated lyrics and it makes for a pretty average experience. Released between Rubber Soul and Revolver, quite how anyone at this point thought they were at the level of the Liverpudlian lads is beyond me.
I love Paint it Black, maybe my fav Stones song, but otherwise meh.
These are good smokey, smarmy Stones songs. But goddamn are they misogynistic. I learned Under My Thumb way back when I was heartbroken, and because I was young and foolish, I probably vibed with the notion of blaming other people for being upset. But I can’t imagine covering it today without making some changes.
love the stones. great classic rock
The top review is baffling. Dude, even Stones fans hate Mick Jagger. You're not impressing anyone. With that said, I do like that they included this album as it's seldom discussed compared to their later 60s, post-Brian Jones albums. Jones, as problematic as an individual as he was, really had a keen ear for incorporating instruments such as the sitar, the marimba, the koto, the dulcimer, and more to add really wild textures to their blues/roots sound. Can't really stand a lot of the sexist lyrics in the songs, but as someone that's read up on this band time and again, a lot of this was done to provoke. Still outdated, though. However, "Out of Time" and "Mother's Little Helper" are timeless classics of the 60s, both in content and in sound. Overall, the album shows this band coming together in a more mature, cohesive way, and I'm saying this as a non-Stones fan. Unrelated to the album: I feel that a lot of people are using this website to simply trash bands that they feel are unworthy of inclusion. This is a list of POPULAR MUSIC. This is not a RYM dumping ground. I don't listen regularly to most albums on the list, but I'm here for my personal education and to learn about important historical, cultural, and commercial trends in Anglocentric pop music. Too specific? Then this project is not for you! Sorry, just felt the need to rant, I'm just constantly surprised by the reviews on this site.
Lots of classics
A lot of these classic rock records can be hit and miss. not a lot of substance or similarity blending these tracks together. the highs are high and the lows are zzz..
Didn't like this album. I like a few songs of theirs, but none where on this album. The lyrics of this album were so repetitive. Not for me