Additional personnel: Ian Stewart (piano, organ, marimba); Jack Nitzsche (piano, organ, percussion).

Engineers: David Hassinger, Ron Malo, Glyn Johns.

Recorded in Hollywood, California, Chicago, Illinois & London, England. Includes liner notes by Andrew Loog Oldham.

This is a Hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both Super Audio and regular CD players.

The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, harmonica); Keith Richards (vocals, guitar); Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica, piano, organ); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums, percussion).

Additional personnel: Ian Stewart (piano, organ, marimba); Jack Nitzsche (piano, organ, percussion).

Engineers: David Hassinger, Ron Malo, Glyn Johns.

Recorded in Hollywood, California, Chicago, Illinois & London, England. Includes liner notes by Andrew Loog Oldham.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

The Rolling Stones: Keith Richards, Brian Jones (guitars); Mick Jagger (harmonica); Bill Wyman (bass guitar); Charlie Watts (drums).

Additional personnel: Ian Stewart, Jack Nitzsche (harpsichord); Phil Spector (unknown instrument).

In 1965, the Stones finally proved themselves capable of writing classic rock singles that mined their R&B/blues roots, but updated them into a more guitar-based, thoroughly contemporary context. The first enduring Jagger-Richards classics are here -- "The Last Time," its menacing, folky B-side "Play With Fire," and the riff-driven "Satisfaction," which made them superstars in the States and defined their sound and rebellious attitude better than any other single song. On the rest of the album, they largely opted for mid-'60s soul covers, Marvin Gaye's "Hitch Hike," Otis Redding's "Cry to Me," and Sam Cooke's "Good Times" being particular standouts. "I'm All Right" (based on a Bo Diddley sound) showed their 1965 sound at its rawest, and there are a couple of fun, though derivative, bluesy originals in "The Spider and the Fly" and "The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man." ~ Richie Unterberger

Early Stones recordings don't get much better than this. Firmly established as celebrities, the band began to use the pandemonium it inspired as an artistic source. Nowhere is the band's initial reaction to fame and music business drama more apparent than in the humorous, mocking "The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man," in which the Stones effectively skewer the sleazier side of the record industry. Naturally, this will always be known as the album that features the original version of "Satisfaction," which would remain the band's signature tune throughout its career, but that's really just the tip of the iceberg.

Equally effective as a Jagger-Richards distillation of rock and R&B is "The Last Time," a tune easily the equal of Bobby Womack's "It's All Over Now," which the Stones handily covered on 12 X 5. Standing out from the crowd is the harpsichord-driven, English folk-inspired "Play With Fire," a menacing minor key song full of subtly expressed psychological violence. This tune, a marked change of pace for the band, hinted at the stylistic variety they would later explore.

Early Stones recordings don't get much better than this. Firmly established as celebrities, the band began to use the pandemonium they inspired as an artistic source. Nowhere is their initial reaction to fame and music business drama more apparent than in the humorous, mocking "The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man," in which the Stones effectively skewer the sleazier side of the record industry. Naturally, this will always be known as the album that features the original version of "Satisfaction," which would remain the band's signature tune throughout their career, but that's really just the tip of the iceberg.

Equally effective as a Jagger-Richards distillation of rock and R&B is "The Last Time," a tune easily the equal of Bobby Womack's "It's All Over Now," which the Stones handily covered on 12 X 5. Standing out from the crowd is the harpsichord-driven, English folk-inspired "Play With Fire," a menacing minor key song full of subtly expressed psychological violence. This tune, a marked change of pace for the band, hinted at the stylistic variety they would later explore.