The very first Rolling Stones album ‘The Rolling Stones’ was released 60 years ago in the UK, on 17 April 1964.
This was the album released in Australia and the UK. The USA edition had a different tracklisting, which at the time in the USA was common. They did the same thing to The Beatles.
There were only three originals on the album. ‘Little by Little’ and ‘Now I’ve Got A Witness’ were credited to Nanker Phelge, Phil Spector and ‘Tell Me (You’re Coming Back)’ was the very first song credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
Nanker Phelge was a pseudonym the Stones used when they modified someone elses songs, usually a blues song. It would include Jagger and Richards, Brian Jones and Charlie Watts and producer Andrew Loog Oldham and occasionally keyboard player Ian Stewart. Therefore everyone shared in the royalties. Nanker Phelge was retired in 1965.
‘The Rolling Stones’ was mainly Blues, Rock and Roll and Rhythm & Blues covers with the Stones displaying their influences from American music of the 50s and early 60s. The songs were written by Willie Dixon (I Just Want To Make Love To You), Bo Diddley (Mona), Bobby Troup (Route 66), Rufus Thomas (Walking The Dog), Jimmy Reed (Honest I Do) and Holland Dozier Holland (Can I Get A Witness). The Stones did not have an album of all original material under 1966’s ‘Aftermath’.
The Rolling Stones tracklisting:
Side A
1. Route 66
2. I Just Want To Make Love To You
3. Honest I Do
4. Mona (I Need You Baby)
5. Now I’ve Got A Witness
6. Little By Little
Side B
1. I’m A King Bee
2. Carol
3. Tell Me
4. Can I Get A Witness
5. You Can Make It If You Try
6. Walking The Dog
The US version retitled ‘England’s Newest Hitmakers’ was released on 29 May 1964. It included a cover of Buddy Holly’s ‘Not Fade Away’ as its opening song and ‘Mona’ was removed from the American edition.
‘The Rolling Stones’ came 13 months after the first Beatles album ‘Please Please Me’ surfaced in March 1963.
The second American album titled ‘12×5’ was released in November 1964. The second UK album, titled ‘The Rolling Stones No 2’, was released 15 January 1965.
America managed to stretch out to a third album in March 1965 titled ‘The Rolling Stones Now’ and then a fourth US and third UK album, both titled ‘Out of Our Heads’ were released in July 1965 (USA) and September 1965 (UK).
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