This week marks the 60th anniversary of one of The Rolling Stones’ most important early works ‘Out of Our Heads’. First released in the US on 30 July 1965 and later in the UK on 24 September of the same year and confirmed the band’s global arrival.
At the time, the Stones were still carrying the weight of comparison to The Beatles, who had already set new standards for British rock and pop. While the early Stones records leaned heavily on American R&B and blues influences, Out of Our Heads delivered a hybrid of reverence for their heroes and a bold step toward their own identity.
The release story is a little complicated. In the 1960s it was common for UK and US record labels to tailor albums differently for each market. The US version of Out of Our Heads, issued by London Records in July 1965, was the band’s fourth American album. The UK version, released two months later on Decca, was their third. Both carried different track listings and different covers, meaning fans who imported both editions weren’t just buying duplicates.
What set the US edition apart was the inclusion of a song that changed everything for The Rolling Stones: “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” That single didn’t just top the Billboard Hot 100 – it became a worldwide number one, cementing the Jagger/Richards writing partnership as more than a side project. It was now clear the Stones could produce hits that stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the American greats they’d been covering.
Still, Out of Our Heads was no pure originals album. Like its predecessors, it leaned heavily on covers of American rhythm and blues, soul, and early rock and roll tracks. The Stones weren’t simply copying, though; they were reimagining. Marvin Gaye’s “Hitch Hike,” Solomon Burke’s “Cry to Me,” and Sam Cooke’s “Good Times” were all given a jagged, guitar-driven energy that translated the soul classics into something more dangerous, more urgent and distinctly “Stones.”
The UK edition opened with “She Said Yeah,” a breakneck proto-punk blast that pointed to a harder rock future. Meanwhile, their cover of “That’s How Strong My Love Is” showed a tenderness and depth not often associated with the group in their early bad-boy days. Critics at the time noted the balance: sincere tributes to soul balladry alongside swaggering originals.
While the covers honoured their influences, the originals proved the Stones had something new to say. “The Last Time” was their first UK single to be credited solely to Jagger and Richards, signalling the shift to self-reliance. “Play With Fire,” with its eerie minimalism and help from Phil Spector on guitar, hinted at the darker, more experimental turns the Stones would later take. And of course, “Satisfaction” exploded across radio with its fuzz-drenched riff, quickly becoming one of the defining rock songs of the 20th century.
In the US, Out of Our Heads became the Stones’ first number-one album, riding the wave of “Satisfaction” and eventually going platinum. In the UK, it stalled at number two, held back only by The Beatles’ Help!. That chart rivalry between the two bands, played up endlessly in the press, became part of rock’s foundational mythology.
Looking back, many critics argue the UK edition flows better as a complete album, while the US version functions as more of a hit-driven package. Both, however, showcase the Stones at a tipping point – still half-anchored in the blues clubs of London, but rapidly emerging as an original creative force capable of changing the shape of popular music.
Out of Our Heads would be the last Stones UK release built so heavily on rhythm and blues covers. Their next album, Aftermath (1966), was entirely written by Jagger and Richards, marking a permanent shift. But it was Out of Our Heads that provided the bridge. It was the album that proved they could honour their roots while pushing into their own territory.
Out of Our Heads – Track Listings
UK Edition (Decca, 24 September 1965)
Side One
She Said Yeah
Mercy, Mercy
Hitch Hike
That’s How Strong My Love Is
Good Times
Gotta Get Away
Side Two
Talkin’ ‘Bout You
Cry to Me
Oh, Baby (We Got a Good Thing Going)
Heart of Stone
The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man
I’m Free
US Edition (London Records, 30 July 1965)
Side One
Mercy, Mercy
Hitch Hike
The Last Time
That’s How Strong My Love Is
Good Times
I’m All Right
Side Two
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
Cry to Me
The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man
Play With Fire
The Spider and the Fly
One More Try
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