The Rolling Stones Mark 60 Years Of December's Children With A Look Back At A Formative Era

The Rolling Stones reach a significant milestone as December’s Children (And Everybody’s) turns sixty in December 2025. The album arrived at a moment when the band was shifting from R&B disciples to songwriters with a distinct identity. It followed the American edition of Out Of Our Heads, and it landed just months before Aftermath started a new phase for the group. The release served as a bridge between the group’s early reliance on covers and the growing confidence of the Jagger and Richards songwriting partnership.

December’s Children felt different because it was not built as a conventional project. The album drew from various sessions across London, Chicago, Los Angeles, and British stages, and it acted as a snapshot of what the band had become by late 1965. Songs pulled from UK releases, EPs, and singles were introduced to the US market, which had developed a separate release path for the group. Bill Wyman recalled Mick Jagger once calling the album a collection rather than a unified work, and the structure of the LP reflected that view.

The approach made sense for the US label in a period when demand for new Stones releases was intense. The group had delivered multiple hits by late 1965, and the American label wanted to maintain momentum with regular product. This strategy shaped several early US albums, and December’s Children stands as one of the most interesting examples.

The bulk of the album came from the RCA sessions in Hollywood on 5 and 6 September 1965. These sessions delivered some of the strongest material from the Out Of Our Heads period. Other tracks came from earlier points in the band’s development. You Better Move On dated back to August 1963 at Decca Studios in London. Look What You’ve Done came from a 1964 session at Chess Records in Chicago, which had a major impact on the band’s approach. Two live cuts, Route 66 and I’m Moving On, were captured in March 1965 during UK performances. As Tears Go By was recorded at IBC Studios in London on 26 October 1965 and showed the band moving into orchestral territory.

The mix of sources reflected the band’s fast evolution across a short period. Brian Jones contributed harmonica, slide guitar, organ, and acoustic textures, while Keith Richards balanced electric and acoustic roles. Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman supplied the rhythmic weight, and Ian Stewart added piano across much of the album.

The album presented one of the last points where covers played a dominant role in a Stones release. The band interpreted Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Arthur Alexander, Bobby Troup, and Hank Snow. These influences shaped the group’s early identity, yet the seeds of the Jagger and Richards songwriting era were visible. Songs like The Singer Not The Song, Gotta Get Away, and Blue Turns To Grey hinted at a developing creative voice that would fully mature on Aftermath in 1966.

Get Off Of My Cloud led the campaign, and the single became the group’s second US chart-topper. The album climbed to No. 4 in the US and later achieved gold certification. The songs positioned the band for a shift toward self-written albums that began soon after. The cover image by Gered Mankowitz, previously used for the UK Out Of Our Heads, gave the release a visual continuity that reflected the transitional nature of the period.

The 2002 ABKCO reissue brought renewed attention to the album and offered listeners improved sound quality. Look What You’ve Done remained the only track in true stereo. The album continues to stand as a record of a group on the edge of transformation. It captured the final mix of covers and originals before the Stones stepped into a new era defined almost entirely by their own writing.

Sixty years later, the album remains a valuable study in the evolution of one of the most significant rock groups of the twentieth century. It shows how the Stones refined their craft, built confidence as writers, and prepared for a period that would bring many of the classics now central to their legacy.

Tracklisting: DECEMBER’S CHILDREN (AND EVERYBODY’S)

Side One
1. She Said Yeah
2. Talkin’ About You
3. You Better Move On
4. Look What You’ve Done
5. The Singer Not The Song
6. Route 66