Hot Rocks or Singles Colection?

Which collection would be the wiser buy concerning the upcoming SACD's, Hot Rocks or Singles Collection? I believe between the two Hot Rocks CD's, there are 46 songs. On the Singles, there are 58, I believe. Money wise, it is cheaper going for the Singles, but>>>>>

Help me out, or I may end buying all of them!

 

The First edition West German (with the red remastered banner in the top left hand corner) London /MFSL Hot Rocks would be my choice.

 

Not exactly easy to find, especially for a decent price. If you going that route, you're probably better off with a Japanese issue.

At any rate, I think the original post was about track listings, not sound. It all depends on what you want, really. Personally, I'd say the Hot Rocks/More Hot Rocks combo would be a bit stronger in the song department than the singles box, but that's just me.

Keep in mind that for the new SACDs, the singles box will probably be mostly mono, while the Hot Rocks CDs will have more stereo cuts.

Of course, if you're like most of us, you'll end up buying them all anyway.

 

Like I've always said, If you can't decide, buy both...less thinking that way...and who wants to think?

Seriously, how big of a fan are you? The "Singles Box" will be all or mostly mono now. The Hot Rocks will have more stereo on it I'm sure. Is that important to you or not? In my opinion the music and all the sets are strong and love all of it, so for me I will buy both sets. I hope this helps you out.

Joe

 

Or, you can do what I did.....I ordered all 22. I am going to be very busy starting the evening of the 20th.

Greg

 

Oh, is that when you start working at your second job (to pay for all those SACDs)?

I'll definitely start with the Singles Collection, for content and sound. I've always preferred the mono mixes of this stuff anyway. Can't "fold in" mono, y'know.

 

Believe or not........I don't think I paid a lot for the discs.....I have spent FAR more money during a vinyl binge........this was really nothing compared to that.

Greg

 

Damn Greg! I wish I could do that!

I'm just going to buy both the Singles Collection, Hot Rocks, and a couple of proper album titles.

 

I agree...this is what I would recommend.....


IF you buy...
1. the singles box (need the singles box anyway to get all those rare b-sides) plus
2. Between the Buttons (UK),
3. Let it Bleed and
4. Get Yer Ya Yas Out
(all four for less than $100 if you pre-order from the usual suspects),

you would then have ALL of High Tide Hits 1, Through the Past Darkly Hits 2, Hot Rocks and more than 2/3 of More Hot Rocks. And guess what.... only ONE song repeated...You can't always get what you want (single and Let it Bleed version).
BC

 

Well, you wouldn't get Under My Thumb, which is one of my favorite Stones songs...

 

Luke,

Which should I purchase for my upcoming taping project--Hot Rocks/More Hot Rocks or the Singles collection?

Thanks!

Bob

 

SH#T!!!! You are right. I missed that one.
....You can't always get what you want.
BC

 

My two cents...

Go for the Singles box. It contains songs that were meant to stand on their own as singles. Hot Rocks is nice, but with many of the album tracks suffering from being yanked out of their proper context, I believe Singles makes a better listen. Plus, you get a pretty concise, fairly chronological overview of the Stones' evolution.

If you're not sure and don't want to spend too much dough up front, Big Hits / High Tide should never be underestimated as a great one-stop blast of the early Stones in action.

So, to answer your question, I'd go with Singles. However, if I were buying the Stones for the first time, seeing that the Stones did make some great albums, I would probably start with Aftermath, which has a good balance between great singles and great album tracks and somewhat marks the moment The Rolling Stones were shifting more between the two different approaches to making music (from singles to albums).

Just MHO, natch!

Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

 

If you don't mind the mono (I don't), go for the Singles Collection. I'm not a huge Stones fan--I only have five or six albums--but I was pleasantly surprised by the very high quality of the B-sides compiled on the Singles set, and they also serve as a nice respite from the stuff that gets overplayed on the radio. And as someone else noted, if you get the urge to buy some more 60s Stones, you'll be able to pick up several great albums (notably Let it Bleed) with little overlap.

 

Ken,

Thanks. Your advise is wise.

Bob

 

As Ken mentioned, it isn't yet clear what mixes will be used where, although it is likely that the singles box will use the mono mixes.

From a strictly personal standpoint, my first Stones album was Hot Rocks, and that's what I grew up with. I can't even count how many tapes I went through with that album, either because they wore out or because I found a better source for a song or two.

If you are strictly going to focus on singles, and don't care about mono/stereo, then the singles box is the way to go. However, if you want to dig a little deeper and want some stereo, Hot Rocks/More Hot Rocks are probably a better choice.

Of course, the easy answer is: buy all of them.

 

Luke,

I will be limited by budget, hence my question. Your points about which mixes that will be used makes sense. I will wait and see. I am sure I will learn a lot about those mixes here!

Bob

 

I decided on the two Hot Rocks but I'll be eager to hear about the Singles reviews here and will probably grab that too.

Question for those who are SACD-less. Aug/SEP looks like a minor rumbling on the hi-rez Richter scale. Will you be prompted to buy a sacd player after reading members saying "the redbook layer is a welcome improvement but the sacd layer offers a far greater experience"?

 

Bob,

Get the Singles Collection. After all, that massive compilation you're planning will need those unique mono mixes for authenticity.

 

Grant,

Thanks for your thoughts! That is kind of what I was thinking as well.

I think my mind is now made up.

Bob

 

Nahh. There's *no* reason to use the mono mixes of Time Is On My Side or It's All Over Now, for example. And I don't really see the differences being that great between the mono and stereo mixes of songs like Heart Of Stone or Paint It Black to warrant the use of the mono mixes.

 

Luke,

Remember the one pervasive theme of my "project". The Golden Age of AM Top 40 Radio. Ultimately, I will make some "at the moment" decisions on Mono v. Stereo but, Mono will prevail, if available.

Bob

 

Perhaps, but you've already decided on stereo for a lot of things. Why stop now?

Besides, those Chess tracks are most likely fold-downs in mono anyway. Doesn't make much sense to use mono in that case, now does it?!