Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Aftermath (USA version) Roundup

Aftermath (USA version) Roundup

Side 1
1. "Paint It, Black" – 3:45
2. "Stupid Girl" – 2:55
3. "Lady Jane" – 3:09 (Seriously, I mean it: what the fuck?)
4. "Under My Thumb" – 3:41
5. "Doncha Bother Me" – 2:41
6. "Think" – 3:09

Side 2
1. "Flight 505" – 3:27
2. "High And Dry" – 3:08
3. "It's Not Easy" – 2:56
4. "I Am Waiting" – 3:11
5. "Goin' Home" – 11:13


Wikipedia:

Aftermath is the fourth UK and sixth US studio album by The Rolling Stones and was released in 1966. The album proved to be a major artistic breakthrough for The Rolling Stones in that it was the first full-length release by the band to exclusively feature Mick Jagger/Keith Richards compositions. Aftermath was also the first Rolling Stones album to be recorded entirely in the United States, where it was recorded at the legendary RCA Studios in Hollywood, California at 6363 Sunset Boulevard, and was also the first album the band released in stereo.

The album is also notable for its musical experimentation, with Brian Jones playing a variety of instruments which feature prominently in each track, including the sitar on "Paint It, Black", and the dulcimer on "Lady Jane" and "I Am Waiting", the marimbas on "Under My Thumb", harmonica on "Hight And Dry" and "Goin' Home" as well as guitar and keyboards. To this day the Aftermath album remains a big fan favorite from the Brian Jones era.

Once again, two editions of the album were released. The first release of Aftermath appeared in April of 1966 as a fourteen-track long-player, and is considered by many to be the definitive version. Issued between the non-LP single releases of "19th Nervous Breakdown" and "Paint It, Black", Aftermath proved a big smash, spending eight weeks atop the UK charts.

In the US however, fourteen tracks were considered too many. With a substituted cover art, the American edition of Aftermath, released that June, features a subtly re-shuffled running order that eliminates "Out Of Time", "Take It Or Leave It" and "What To Do" (all later released in the US), while replacing "Mother's Little Helper" with current #1 hit "Paint It, Black". Despite compromising producer Andrew Loog Oldham's and The Rolling Stones' intentions for the album, the revamped Aftermath shot to #2 in the US, eventually going platinum. In 2002, the US edition of Aftermath was ranked number 108 on the List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Aftermath was important in establishing Jagger and Richards as respected songwriters in the same vein as Lennon-McCartney and Bob Dylan and also redefined The Rolling Stones from being R&B enthusiasts to a progressive and artistically-inventive group.

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