Rolling Stones UK 1&2 (Un)Re-Release Question

This has been nagging at me for a while.

Was it ever explained why The Rolling Stones and The Rolling Stones Number 2 were never remastered and re-released as part of the 2002 Abkco DSD Remastered campaign? The other three British-only albums were reissued. I can sort of understand the first album, as all you need is England's Newest Hit Makers and The Rolling Stones Now! to recreate it. But you could do the same for the UK Out Of Our Heads, using tracks from (I believe) Twelve By Five through December's Children, so I don't know if that's accurate. The other problem is that, even with all of the compilations and rarities collections they reissued in the same series, there are two or three songs from The Rolling Stones Number 2 that are not available, meaning you can't construct the album that way (IIRC, one of them was the extended version of "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" and the other was just a plain album track? It's been a while since I looked into it).

There's also the matter of England's Newest Hit Makers simply reading The Rolling Stones along its spine. At first I thought it was just because of space constraints until I saw Their Satanic Majesties Request. They also seem to have re-written the "official" discography, with the first five American albums and the UK Aftermath (I'm not sure which Between The Buttons they put in that SACD boxset - I think it was the American one but I have not confirmed this).

I'd assume, from being one of them, that Abkco would know that Stones fans are pretty gullible and would have bought the albums regardless (until I discovered that these two were never put into print I was fully intent on buying the UK discography as well). Was it ever explained why these two albums were never made available when the rest of the '60s catalog was redone?

 

Complicated and I don't understand why Out Of Our Heads, Aftermath, and Between the Buttons were issued in both the UK and US formats. Probably to make make more money for Abkco.
On the positive side, all of the UK tracks are available on the DSD reissues. The long "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" and "I Can't Be Satisfied" from The Rolling Stones Number 2 are available on More Hot Rocks.
See here for more info: http://www.lukpac.org/stereostones/stones-cd-faq.txt

 

Dr. Ebbetts did them both as well.

 

England's newest hitmakers merely swapped out mona for not fade away. they were probably afraid that they were going to get accused of gouging the fans

 

It's bewildering, and frustrating - imagine the outcry if The Beatles' catalogue was treated so shoddily!

 

Yep, that sounds exactly how a record company would think - 'gouge the fans; we couldn't possibly!'

 

No it didn't.

A magnificent opening track was preceded by a track that was nothing to do with the LP as released in the UK by a UK band. And the wrong record label. UK Decca please. Who or what is abkco?

Perhaps you people might explain how to produce the UK tracklisting in SACD quality for the first two LPs.

 

Ah. I didn't realize the extended "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" was on More Hot Rocks. Guess when I did my research I was looking a bit too far into it. Also, wasn't there one more song from the second album that isn't on one of the Flowers or Metamorphosis collections? Or maybe that was from Aftermath... Oh well. Thanks for clearing that up anyway.

EDIT: Oh, you posted it already. Sorry, I'm dumb. Thanks.

I still think it's bizarre that a company that... loves money as much as Abkco would leave out two fairly marketable albums in an exhaustive reissue campaign, though.

 

Seemed a weird decision at the time, not least because of the cool no title no band name front covers of the first two UK LPs. And opening with Route 66 is just one of those great rock'n'roll moments.

 

And they also took off Mona, which spoils the flow and removes what might be the best track on an LP full of great tracks......

 

I would have gladly bought them both, no questions asked.

 

It's very frustrating indeed.
Those two records are essential for Rolling Stones fans, especially those who grew up with them.

 

I'm not usually one to spring for entire complete collections, especially one of this magnitude, but had those two albums been released, I would have bought both catalogs without a moment's hesitation. I find it very strange that those two weren't put out, and it's thirteen years too late now. No official statement was ever made about this?

 

I didn't grow up with them, but found RS 1 to be fantastic. Great tracks and great flow.

 

The first UK Rolling Stones LP was reissued on a West German CD, Decca 820 047-2, with these tracks:
(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66
I Just Want to Make Love to You
Honest I Do
(Mona) I Need You Baby
Now I've Got a Witness (Like Uncle Phil and Uncle Gene)
Little By Little
I'm a King Bee
Carol
Tell Me (You're Coming Back)
Can I Get a Witness
You Can Make It If You Try
Walking the Dog

Just thought I'd mention it

 

I've heard on this forum that that CD is really badly mastered- anyone got it?

 

In what way?

 

I have it and I think it's fine.
I think the MFSL people did it for ABKCO even though there's no credit for them on my copy.

No.2 was also issued on Cd in Japan around that time.
Sadly, that one has annoying intro fades on certain songs which ruins the whole experience.

 

I remember finding a brand new vinyl copy of No. 2 in a record shop in London in the 90s for about £20, but I've no idea where it came from or what it sounded like. Possibly Japanese, although it didn't have an obi.

Am I right in thinking that if I have all the UK albums plus the London Years comp I have pretty much everything?

 

You have the majority, but there's a fair amount of USA LP tracks and the 2 UK EP's missing from your collection.

 

Never heard that it's badly mastered here. it's just the recording itself dirty, gritty and raw.

 

There has never been any independent confirmation of this, but it seems to me rather obvious as to why The Rolling Stones No. 2 was never remastered by ABKCO during their 2002 campaign: because it's their most highly regarded pre-Aftermath UK album. Would you rather allow obsessives to buy ONE CD to have a full version of it? Nah, you'd prefer they spend money on FOUR separate CDs: 12 X 5 ("Grown Up Wrong," "Under The Boardwalk," "Susie Q"), The Rolling Stones, Now! ("Down Home Girl," "You Can't Catch Me," "What A Shame," "Down The Road Apiece," "Off The Hook," "Pain In My Heart"), Hot Rocks/1964-1971 ("Time Is On My Side"), and More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies) ("I Can't Be Satisfied," "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love").

That, incidentally, explains why they at least made sure to include the No. 2 "long version" of "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" as a bonus track on the re-release of More Hot Rocks -- it was accidentally used for the original 1986 ABKCO Now! CD, but the remaster reverted to the (historically accurate) demo version.

As for The Rolling Stones (the debut LP), ABKCO's failure to reissue that one is more excusable given that the only difference between the UK and US versions was the swapping of "Not Fade Away" and "Mona (I Need You Baby)."

 

Incidentally, I have no idea what a "bad mastering" of The Rolling Stones (the debut) would even sound like. The LP was recorded in mono, in a tiny demo studio with egg-crates lining the walls. The Stones have never been known for their audiophile recordings, but that debut album takes the cake for bog-simple audio sound. The fact that it manages to be a pretty solid LP despite its tragicomic sonic deficiencies is a testament to how good the Stones were even at this early date.

 

They are both on iTunes in remastered format if that means anything to you.

 

Well, the first two UK albums are finally re-released now.
Glad that I have original Decca pressings of these albums though.^^