Keno's ROLLING STONES Web Site

ENGLAND'S NEWEST HIT MAKERS

Released - 1964, on London/Decca Records (now ABKCO Records). Produced by Andrew Loog Oldham.

Personnel:

Mick Jagger - Lead Vocals; Harmonica.
Brian Jones - Lead, Rhythm & Slide Guitars; Harmonica; Percussion; Vocal Harmony and Backing Vocals.
Keith Richards - Lead and Rhythm Guitars; Backing Vocal.
Bill Wyman - Bass; Backing Vocals.
Charlie Watts - Drums.

Additional Personnel - Ian Stewart, Gene Pitney, Phil Spector.

(Click on song for lyrics and song personnel)

 

SONG

1998 RATING

2005 RATING

2018 RATING*
 
NOT FADE AWAY

  7.5

  8.0

  9.0
ROUTE 66

  9.0

10.0

10.0
I JUST WANT TO MAKE LOVE TO YOU   7.0

  8.5

   8.8
HONEST I DO   6.5   7.4    7.4
NOW I GOT A WITNESS   6.8   7.2    8.0
LITTLE BY LITTLE   6.4   7.4    7.5
I'M A KING BEE   7.0   7.6    8.2
CAROL    9.0   9.0 10.0
TELL ME 10.0 10.0 10.0
CAN I GET A WITNESS   7.5   7.9    8.1
YOU CAN MAKE IT IF YOU TRY   5.5   5.9    5.9
WALKING THE DOG

  7.3

  8.1    8.2
Ave. Rating

7.46

8.08 8.42

REVIEW

The Stones American debut is a solid piece of work for anytime frame, not to mention that this was the early sixties and rock music was still being defined. With this album the Stones showed everyone that they would join the ranks as new trendsetters. Sure most of the material here is cover tunes, since they were still mainly a covers band at this point, but it was the way the band covered these songs that made them stand out. Just listen to "Route 66",  it rocks and makes you wanna take that trip!

This album is more the Mick Jagger & Brian Jones show than anything else. Mick shows us he can vocally handle any type of song. Brian shows us that besides guitar he could play a mean harmonica on tunes like "Note Fade Away", "Honest I Do",  and also on "I Just Want To Make Love To You" (a great blues number turned into a solid rocker by the Boys), plus his harmony vocals on "Walking The Dog" show us that he could sing some good backup too, even though he would sing less and less on future albums.

Also on this album listen to the earliest of Keith Richards and Brian Jones' guitar weaving, which Keith still does so well today with Ronnie Wood. Keith's best guitar riff  is on "Carol", and it is hot!

The best song on this one: the Jagger/Richards penned "Tell Me". You could just tell with this number that even more greatness was still to come in the songwriting partnership of the Glimmer Twins.

- Keno, 1998

*Old Ratings vs. New Ratings

The oldest ratings that you see here were from back in 1998 when I first rated the album for this site. Since time does change one's point of view, I decided to listen to and rate the album again, doing so in late 2005. In February, 2018, 20 years after the first ratings were made, I rated all of the songs for a third time. Also note that I did not look at the old ratings from 1998 until after I placed my new ratings here in both 2005 and 2018.

To listen to some sound clips from ENGLAND'S NEWEST HIT MAKERS or to buy the CD click on: England's Newest Hit Makers (CD)  or in import vinyl and or digital: England's Newest Hit Makers (Dsd) [Vinyl]


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