The Rolling Stones Album: “Rarities 1971-2003”

The Stones, like many artists, are not the ones who should be in charge of excavating the archives (delegating to a passionate and obsessive individual or team, like the Dead have done, is the way to go). Problems begin with "Miss You" - the LP take is 4:50, the unedited version (originally on 12-inch) is 8:36. Either the casette or 8-track version of "Some Girls" had a completely different (5:45) version, which has never been reissued. So what do we have here? an edit (7:33) of the 8:36 version. (The Stones, or likely Mick Jagger, has an annoying habit of editing tracks for live albums and compilations). And so it goes. I'm glad to have many of these songs and versions in album form (1991's similar "Collectables" was not nearly as well mastered), but there are inexplicable re-runs from "Sucking In the Seventies" and too many good tracks from the Ron Wood era are simply MIA:

1 the complete 'Miss You' or the alternate cassette version.

2 'Think I'm Going Mad' (4:20) a soulful 1984 b-side

3 'Undercover' (6:22) killer long version, from the 1983 12-inch

4 'Feel On Baby Dub' (6:27) Wyman's bass rattles the windows on this hallucinatory, deep dub mix, the b-side of the "Undercover" 12-inch (1983)

5 'The Storm' (2:49) 1994 b-side and a marvelous blues

6 'So Young' (3:24) 1994 b-side, one of Jagger's raunchiest, and most hilarious lyrics - think of Andre Williams' "Jail Bait"

7 'I'm Going To Drive (3:45) another fine 1994 b-side

8 'Jump On Top Of Me' (4:29) from the 1995 "Ready To Wear" soundtrack

9 'I Go Wild (Scott Litt Mix)' (4:37) a very strong alternate mix (not a dance remix) of the 'Voodoo Lounge' track, longer and with more upfront guitars

10 'All Down The Line' (4:25) great Ron Wood slide on this terrific 1995 single (and Stripped outtake)

11 'Gimmie Shelter' (6:50) a beautiful, unhurried version, from a 1996 single, (and another Stripped O.T.)

12 'Black Limousine' (3:35) 1995 single, Stripped OT

13 'Honest I Do' from the 1998 "Hope Floats" soundtrack

Well, there's a baker's dozen, each excellent in any context, and I'm not even getting into seperating the wheat from the chaff as far as the countless 'remixes', the pretty-good-but-inessential live "Flashpoint" b-sides, etc. I'm glad this exists, collecting the 1971 'Let It Rock' (worthy of "Ya-Ya's"), energetic "Stripped"-era takes of 'Live With Me' and 'Tumbling Dice', not to mention the lovely 1998 single (and "Bridges To Babylon" outtake) 'Any Way You Look At It' (with both Mick and Keith on lead vocals)- the collection feels random, quickly thrown together, but flows remarkably well. A 2-cd Rarities would have been far more enticing, and the Stones STILL would not have had to touch anything truly unreleased (and very few major artists have as much high quality unreleased material as the Stones). So, while I like it, it is also a missed opportunity.

Why oh why does this band treat its true fans with contempt?

As a true fan I would have paid a lot more for a genuine collection of rarities. How in God's name is "Mannish Boy" (from "Love You Live") a rarity? Or "Wild Horses" (from "Stripped")?

For those fans who have sought out CD singles and supposedly rare CDS like the Collectors Only CD (released with the Box Set of CDs) this release is nothing short of a disgrace.

As this release follows so soon after the CD version of "Sucking In The Seventies" I am staggered to find "If I Was A Dancer" on this new CD.

To be a genuine attempt at supplying rarities the Stones need to release a box set as per the recent box sets of 1960's singles.

To be sure there has not been a previous release of "Let It Rock" or "Through The Lonely Nights" on CD but how is a live recording of "Live With Me" so special when it was on the CD single of "Wild Horses" and a live version appeared on "No Security".

Where is "Think I'm Going Mad"? Mind you it is a pretty weak song and as Jagger says in the CD notes the Stones archives includes "a lot of mediocre things."

I for one cannot imagine the average music buyer picking this up and thinking "Wow". If on the other hand this was a 4 CD boxed collection of B-sides, live tracks and studio out takes and covers, any true RS fan would shell out the asking price and salivate like a Pavlov dog.

For anyone coming to the Stones anew avoid this.

I wish this CD had been titled "Rarities Vol. 1" - Whoever is in control of picking, and suggesting packages to put out for the Stones, needs a reality check. Don't get me wrong, I'm a Stones Fanatic, and I had to get this CD, but I already have all but the live songs, caught on side B 45's or Cd singles. For the fanatic we've got to have it. I am very disappointed better stuff was not issued..... Their Vaults runnith-over with unreleased, live, and alt. takes....... Enough to make a 50 CD box set. While this is better than nothing, it also makes you wonder why they don't go the Dylan route, with his Bootleg series of Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4, (he is up to 7), or even like The Who, release your studio album, with an extra two to four tracks that are alt. live and so on. The Stones and PR people blew it on this one. Instead of people getting excited, waiting for the next Vaulted Vol.. It will be a let down. This will sell to the fanatics like me, but to the ones that have their hits and studio album or two, and like them ok, this disc will leave a bad taste in their mouth. It's about making money and music, and while this CD will do that, I'd fire whoever came up with this. If they had gone the Dylan or The Who route, a LOT more money would be made, and more music put out, and more Happy Stones. Five stars because it is the Stones. However, Two stars because they blew the chance. Also the CD cover could have, and should have had a picture of Bill Wyman....... He's not Judas, he just wanted to retire (1962-1993). I would have even pictured Mick Taylor (1969-1974) since it goes back to 71. Get Pi_sed at me for my review, but I stick by my guns on this one. Could have, and should have been bigger and better, or at least the first in a series. Read some of the other reviews.

This was no where near the quality of selection ardent Stones fans were hoping for.

The term 'rarities' should not be thrown around as easily as it often is. Though indeed most of these tracks are not terribly easy to find, collectors will find that there is nothing to celebrate in having to shell out $14-18 for a collection of tunes of which most Stones fans are strongly familiar with. In fact, this only has a sprinkle of selections that had not previously been released on CD, and most are available on currently-pressed titles.

Though as happy as I am that the single-version of 'SFM' was finally released [Singles 1968-1971], it begs the question: will we ever get the likes of *Sway* or *All Down The Line* as they were heard in their original 45rpm form? ... the never officially-released *Claudine*? ... the true rarity *Exile On Main Street Blues*? -- all of which were recorded within this 1971+ period.

I'm sorry, extended mixes of well-known tracks which were once buried in CD or 12" single pressings (and which few played more than once anyhow) do not constitute true 'rarities' -- or at least ones that people care enough about to purchase over and again in different packaging.

As a long-term, heavily-addicted Stones fan, I admit that I consider EVERY Stones release a net addition to the Good, the True and the Just -- well, at least to the world of pop music. Even "Their Satanic Majesties Request", which the Stones themselves hated so much they nearly broke up over it, stands toe to toe in my book with anything put out by, say, Tom Petty. (Petty fans vote "no" now.) Now you know your current reviewer.

"Rarities" has in my view two problems: first, as a compilation of tunes recorded over 30+ years, you can't really expect the music to cohere into a whole that is something larger than the individual songs. The album has no consistent flow. The disco version of "Mixed Emotions" jars you pretty hard and commercial after the excellent live version of "I Just Wanna Make Love to You", for eg. Second, as others have noted, the Stones put a few already-accessible tracks on the album. (In explanation, Mick says in the liner notes that he could get entertained with a lot of unpublished stuff that might really be mediocre. So a lot of what's in the vault just isn't going to get released.)

On the plus side, however, we have a whole new Stones album -- an intrinsically good thing for the universe, yes? And there are a few particular gems:

-"Through the Lonely Nights" sounds like it was recorded during a "Goat's Head Soup" session, right between "Coming Down Again" and "Can You Hear the Music". It's got some sweet harmony vocals sung by Mick and Keith, a signature Stones ingredient of that period. Hearing it again is a kick.

-"Tumbling Dice" begins on piano, with everybody singing along in what sounds like somebody's basement. Midway through it switches to a full-blown live performance with the crowd roaring. It highlights the gospelly core of the anthemic tune, and the overall effect is terrific.

"Thru and Thru" captures Keith in recent concert, where his edge is so far out there you can't see it. This track lets you focus on the music rather than the spectacle of the living legend in motion.