Poll: Vote for the Biggest Omission from The Rolling Stones' Hot Rocks compilation

Monkey Man

 

“The Last Time”, easily because it was a top 10 hit in the US (no. 1 in the UK) and the first single written by Jagger-Richards. That said, I find it hard to fault the inclusion of its B-side, “Play with Fire”, which is brilliant.

The only other contender would be either “Dandelion” or “She’s a Rainbow”, because the psychedelic period isn’t really represented.

“Midnight Rambler” belongs if only because the best live band of all time needs to be represented.

 

No expectations.

 

The Last Time.

Have You Seen Your Mother Baby, Standing In The Shadow? is my favorite of these though.

 

Lady Jane was always my favorite pre B.B song so I voted for that

 

Any other votes or comments on this?

 

IMO "The Last Time" is definitely the more glaring omission from Hot Rocks (yet the B-side made it?), with "She's A Rainbow" coming a close second, unless when compiling the record they were deliberately trying to pretend the Satanic Majesties period never happened

 

My top 3 would be

The Last Time
She's A Rainbow
It's All Over Now

Close between Have You Seen Your Mother Baby, Standing In The Shadow and It's All Over Now for 3rd place.

 

As someone that rarely listens to compilations and does not own Hot Rocks I am shocked to learn The Last Time was not on it.

 

I feel the same way about the inclusion of the live cut of "Midnight Rambler"... Well said...

 

The thing about Hot Rock is, while there are some glaring omissions, it's tough to figure out what you might cut. The non-hits that they included - Play with Fire, Under My Thumb, Sympathy for the Devil, Midnight Rambler (live) and You Can't Always Get What You Want - are all great, essential Stones tracks. Play with Fire would perhaps be the most questionable entry (having been the B-Side of The Last Time), but I can understand the decision. It's a haunting song with fairly sophisticated lyrics for a couple of kids just learning how to write. I remember being a teenager in Hawaii trying to figure out what it meant to own a block in St. John's Wood, or to get your kicks in Stepney and not in Knightsbridge anymore. Brilliant.

 

They included it's b-side Play With Fire instead.

 

You could make the argument that Let's Spend The Night Together is questionable as well. All of the tracks listed below charted higher than Let's Spend The Night Together and Play With Fire in the U.S.

Not Fade Away
Tell Me
It's All Over Now
The Last Time
Lady Jane
Have You Seen Your Mother Baby, Standing In The Shadow?
We Love You
Dandelion
She's A Rainbow

 

The list of songs provided to choose from would have made a great third disc. I'm the lone (so far) vote for TELL ME as that was one of the very first singles I ever purchased. I played that thing to death. I didn't get the picture sleeve with it unfortunately, but it did have the old style LONDON label.

 

I actually think Brown Sugar and Wild Horses sound a little out of place but they were part of the agreement with Allen Klein when the Stones changed labels so he wanted to include them.

 

All of the choices ended up on More Hot Rocks except Little Red Rooster and I Wanna Be Your Man which were not released as singles in the U.S. but were released as singles in the U.K. I Wanna Be Your Man peaked at #12 and Little Red Rooster went to #1 in the U.K.

 

Same here

"Play With Fire" probably is the most 'disposable' track- the A-side shoulda gone on instead.

 

One of the problems when compiling a record like this for a band that has a lot of quality material is what to omit. Do you favor tracks that are most likely heard on the radio or tracks that are most likely to be heard at a live show? While they didn't chart as high, you are probably more likely to hear Let's Spend The Night Together or Play With Fire played live by the Stones than something like Have You Seen Your Mother Baby, Standing In The Shadow, Dandelion or Lady Jane for example.

 

The Last Time would have felt right at home next to 19 Nervous Breakdowns

 

None of them. Collections need to be streamlined. Omissions need to be made. That's what makes collections interesting and distinctive.

 

Cut Midnight Rambler and you make room for Not Fade Away, It's All Over Now, The Last Time and maybe even Tell Me or She's a Rainbow. Even if I did not detest Midnight Rambler, a comp by a band with that much great material is not the place for an extended live cut.

 

Picked She's A Rainbow, I wish Sister Morphine would have been on Hot Rocks 65--71.

 

Please keep on voting and commenting. @KinkySmallFace1991 , @reb and @old school what say you?

 

Oh, of course- whatshispickle from ABKCO who assembled Hot Rocks obviously knew to use the most "commercial" tracks. Hot Rocks is one of the better compilations out there IMO as far as being "Sixties Stones For Dummies" (as I was when I first heard it!) but it cries out for a second volume...hence More Hot Rocks, I suppose- though it must be said that other than the rarities included on side four I'm not much of a fan of More Hot Rocks. I've never even owned it, in fact.

I'm thinking that the main reason they included the live "Midnight Rambler" is because they wanted Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! represented in some way- and by the time Hot Rocks was assembled "Rambler" had already gained a reputation as being a showstopper (if not outright centerpiece) at the live shows. And, hell, it's an easy way to fill up nine minutes of playing time in one fell swoop, isn't it?

 

Each and every song of this awesome band is an ommission on whatever it is missing.