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FANS ALBUM REVIEWS
ROLLING STONES NOW!
Eight Reviews - Overall Average Rating - 8.75 Tongues
ROLLING STONES NOW!
By Bob
November 17, 2005
Rating:
Whle the Stones may have advanced in technique over the years, this album captures the raw
energy of a Band that was on fire for that era. Keith Richards was very tuned into the
blues guitar scene, and Brian Jones was able to weave the band together with his vocal,
genius arrangements harmonica and slide guitar.
They were the literal bad boys of Rock and Roll, and still heavily influenced by Alexis
Korner and the Ealing mob of musicians. I wore out my mono LP and now have the cd, and can
still play and hear different things in "You Can't Catch Me". Bill Wyman is a
bass genius.
Oh yes, you can hear the mistakes on the single takes. I treasure them all. Its part of
the rawness of the Stones. While they shocked my dad, and he proclaimed they would
"never last", I knew in my heart this was the most exciting and real music I had
ever heard, and still this remains one of my favorite albums. It took the well
characterized older blues tunes, put insane energy in them, and even made the Beatles pay
attention.
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ROLLING STONES, NOW!
By Clayton
June 29, 2003
Rating:
I too am a true believer that this LP is pure Chicago style R&B. If your into
listening to pure R&B at it's best....this is a must buy album! I bought it new in
1965 (the mono release) and in 30+ years, it's still as fresh as the day I first heard it.
"Down Home Girl" sums up this classic LP as it's driving force....listening to
this song is like a music machine....all the band is picking their thing, yet it all
jell's. Brian's influence is woven throughout all tracks. Buy the CD, plop it in the
player, dim the lights, turn up the volume....and groove. Chicago style, Now!
ROLLING STONES, NOW!
By GB
September 16, 2002
Rating:
This is another great Stones album. The focus of this album is on blues and rock n roll
numbers. There isn't anything hear that sounds overtly pop. Perhaps one of the more
interesting songs here is HEART OF STONE. This is one of the two Richards-Jagger
compositions. You can hear the Mick Jagger of the future, the brooding, narcissistic,
jealous, lover stomping on women's souls, seeking triumph. In short, a Don Juan of our
time. Maybe THE Don Juan of our times.
As for the rock numbers, I'm amazed at how much the early 60s Stones sound just like the
80s Stones who would play such songs as BLACK LIMOUSINE. It's a rough and tumble garage
band sound. Another perk to this album is hearing Brian's slide guitar on LITTLE RED
ROOSTER.
This is a great and listenable collection of songs which any Stones fan would love.
ROLLING STONES, NOW!
By the chipper
May 8, 2002
Rating:
The best of the early Stones albums, this features tremendous versions of Willie Dixon's
"Little Red Rooster", Solomon Burke's "Everybody Needs Somebody To
Love", Bo Diddley's "Mona", Otis Redding's "Pain In My Heart",
Chuck Berry's "You Can't Catch Me" and, especially, Berry's arrangement of the
old '40's Weatern Swing tune "Down The Road Apiece". Also included are
worthwhile covers of Jerry Leiber's "Down Home Girl" and the happy-go-lucky
"Oh Baby (We Got A Good Thing Goin')", written by one Barbara Lynn Ozen. The
boys also show some promise with their original material: the ballad "Heart Of
Stone", which would be the first Jagger-Richards tune to crack the U.S. top 20, the
pop-friendly "Off The Hook", the convincing Chicago blues number "What A
Shame", and the album's beat-heavy closer "Surprise, Surprise". A triumph
for all the Stones: Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman show why they were the '60's most
respected rhythmn section, Keith Richards lays claim to being spiritual successor to Chuck
Berry, Mick Jagger's vocals are much more assured than on the first two albums, and Brian
Jones is at his peak on harp and guitar- there's much more to his legend than blonde hair,
illegitimate children and swimming pools. Snag this CD and see what all the excitement was
about.
ROLLING STONES, NOW!
By Alex Short
November 15, 2000
Rating:
This is a bit of a mix match album, containing songs from the English albums The
Rolling Stones No 2 and Out of Our Heads. The album kicks off with an
extended version of 'Everybody needs some body to Love', which for the first three minutes
is great. However soon after this five minute song becomes quite frankly a bore. The album
then goes into great songs such as 'Heart of Stone', and the superb 'Down the road
Apiece'. The guitar on this is so good that once you've listened you have to do the same
again. Other highs on this overall fine album include 'Oh Baby' and the closing track
'Surprise Surprise' with its catchy pop hook, this a great rocker in the usual
Stones mould. 'Off the Hook' an English B side is a typical catchy Jagger/Richards
composition brushed of the usual Stones aggressiveness. 'Little Red Rooster' and 'Down
Home Girl' are in my opinions the two weak songs, as well as in my opinion a disappointing
rendition of the Berry song 'You cant catch me'. Its certainly not up to the standards of
'Around and Around' issued on the previous album 12x5. Overall though, this is an
album worth getting.
ROLLING STONES, NOW!
By Net Pimp
November 4, 2000
Rating:
A fine R & B workout here. They make it even finer than their first. Great covers,
great originals. The 5-minute version of "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love"
starts it, I like this version with funky guitar and bass. They give good treatment to
Leiber and Stoller's "Down Home Girl" where Mick twangs in a Southern accent,
supported with a chiming piano from Stu and the Chuck Berry riffs from Keef are
exsquistent. Same goes for their jiving version of Chuck's "You Can't Catch Me."
They give a classic original single with "Heart of Stone' a riveting tune that seems
to successfully meld pop sensibility and rhythm and blues. Though Mick's tambourine is
wildly out of rhythm, the rest is pure gold. "What a Shame" is okay, another
southern-flavored romp that shows their improving emulation of their American musical
heroes down south. "Down the Road Apiece" is also a fantastic Chuck Berry
imitation. Love to hear the great driving drums and bass work their magic in and out of
Keef's riffs. He picked em out just like the Chuckster could! "Mona (I Need You
Baby)" is a classic cover of the Bo Diddlety tune with treble high on the guitar so
that it overlaps onto the next chord. The beat is hypnotizing and it does justice to the
cheated musician of Bo Diddley. "Off the Hook" is a nasty-styled early pop
original, with a blues basis, but a pop sound that hits home. Again, the Southern-fried
guitar is a fine inclusion from Keith. They do justice on a soul song, Otis Redding's
classic ballad, "Pain in My Heart" where Mick's vocals are more accurate and
wrenching than usual and it sounds nice. Another Redding cover "Oh Baby (We Got a
Good Thing Goin')" is another southern rocker with a boogying piano again by Stu. A
surprise UK no. 1 came with the slide-drenched, bluesy cover of Willie Dixon's
"Little Red Rooster." A bluesy vocal from Mick provides the dramam to wonderful
slide acoustic guitar from none other than Brian. Also, we get a fast-paced mediocre song
to end it, "Surprise, Surprise."
A classic album, spare but awesome for their early days.
ROLLING STONES, NOW!
By Bobby Parker
December 20, 1999
Rating:
This album is excellent even with only two original Stones songs on it. Maybe this is
what's so cool about the album. You get an amalgam of blues, psychedelic and garage-rock.
You get to see the Stones early influences and like a truly great band, they take a cover
song and do it better than the original. The then modern but now vintage sound is just
amazing. Like on Mona there is so much tremolo on the guitar that the chords start to
overlap. Blanketed by the covers is the classic "Heart of Stone" which
inarguably is one of the Stones greatest early classics. It really stands out on the album
and exemplifies the Stones original sound. But getting to hear Mick sing , "I swear
the perfume you wear, smells like turnip greens" on "Down Home Girl" is
worth it all. And in the same song you see truly how ahead of his time Mick was when he
sings "Oh, you're so down, home-girl."
ROLLING STONES, NOW!
By: Bill Koggenhop
February 16, 1999
Rating:
I had the mono copy of this album which I bought in 1967 at the height of my Rolling
Stones mania. The recording sounded great in "glorious" mono (not that fake
stereo they came up with, although that would be interesting to hear again too). Probably
the most killer tune was "Down the Road Apiece", probably the closest to Chuck
Berry that Keith ever got to. I wish I still had this album: I lent my mono
copy to a guitarist who didn't like it and who I never saw again after the band we were in
broke up, in 1972. It was in perfect condition, too.
Keno's mini review, song list, lyrics and more info on ROLLING STONES, NOW!
To listen to some sound clips from
THE ROLLING STONES, NOW! or to buy the CD, click here: Rolling Stones Now!