Stones LP Flowers: Unusual compilation that really works

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Stu02, Nov 17, 2018.

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  1. owsley

    owsley Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston
    Whatever. If you buy Aftermath you get both songs
     
  2. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    The Japanese 'Unique' Original rear cover is great also!
     
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  3. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
     
  4. The Big Guy

    The Big Guy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Torrance, CA.
    Flowers is the first rock album I ever owned. Got it for Christmas in 1967. For that alone it will always be special to me.
    Back then I had no clue that it was a compilation album. For me it was just an album full of great songs.
     
    Rickchick, kronning, 905 and 5 others like this.
  5. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    And it still is largely that 50 years later!
     
    The MEZ, The Big Guy and Stu02 like this.
  6. BruceEder

    BruceEder Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York, NY
    I didn't care for FLOWERS when I first encountered it -- what was great was great, what was good was good, but there was too much repetition from their two most recent US albums, and I also always felt that the cover art should have looked a lot better than it did (the colors always seemed muted to me). Speaking of the cover, curiously enough, I only noticed about a year or so ago, near as I could tell, that it was the first Rolling Stones album issued in America that doesn't mention the band's name ANYWHERE on the cover, front or back (except on the spine, presumably) -- even Between the Buttons had the group name in relatively minute printing buried in the artwork on the front.

    Anyway, over the decades, however, it has grown on me, to the point where I listen to it about as often as any of the group's formal albums (i.e. Aftermath, Buttons, Satanic etc.). It would have made a lot more sense to me at the time if only "Let's Spend The Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday" hadn't been on the US Between The Buttons just five months earlier -- "Lady Jane" was a pretty enough album track from the prior year to bear repeating; of course, there wouldn't have been any need to include "Please Go Home" or "Backstreet Girl" if Between the Buttons had been issued in its UK form here, but that would have left room for "Sad Day" and "Who's Driving Your Plane." In fact, that's an interesting question to ponder -- in a reality in which Between the Buttons was issued in its UK form here, what would the song line-up of FLOWERS have looked like?
     
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  7. Stu02

    Stu02 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Canada
    I think what you said about Ruby and Lets spend the night was a common reaction myself included. But I think that has made the record a late bloomer or relatively neglected gem. If thise two songs had Not been included ironically it might have been a bigger album or at the very least it would have become a fan favorite (cult fave ? Rediscovered?) earlier
     
  8. mbrownp1

    mbrownp1 Forum Resident

    I love the album. But it may mean more to us Americans, as this stuff was not on other albums readily available to us. For me it has always fit into my Stones collection like an album rather than a comp.
     
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  9. Somerset Scholar

    Somerset Scholar Ace of Spades

    Location:
    Bath
    I listened to it sometime in the late 80's as a teenager. Got the CD from my library. No internet then. Just thought it was a psychedelic Stones album. Great! Loved it. Still do. A kind of similar deal to the Magical Mystery Tour LP.
    Flowers is a 4.5/5 album for me.
     
  10. oxegen

    oxegen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    A Christmas present for me as well that same year.
     
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  11. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    A present for me on US Virgin Vinyl in 1987. I knew it was a slight Mish mash though all the books I had read seemed put it down. Creem did not love it and a 1995 UK album guide said it "Had no identify at all!"
    That all said I love it and have for at least 20 years. My vinyl copies are:
    UK Mono & Stereo Exports
    US Mono, Stereo & a Reissue
    AUS Mono & Stereo
    BEL Stereo Unique Flower Artwork
    GER Reissue
    & the 2002 SACD/CD
    Plus an original 67' US Songbook!
    So iam innocent as I'll never be de flowered.
     
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  12. olsen

    olsen Senior Member

    Location:
    los angeles
    Was the US Between The Buttons all that bug of a seller? It’s possible repeating Ruby and Night gave Flowers a kick of hits that Buttons hasn’t fully capitalized on. Maybe smart marketing (USA!) I’d love to know the sales numbers of these two albums.
     
  13. SaltyDawg

    SaltyDawg Well-Known Member

    I bought Flowers at a used record store in 1992. Tempe, Arizona. I needed a "classic" psychedelic record for the evening's entertainment. Played it and laughed and laughed and laughed. "My Girl" especially had me rolling! Eventually a good CD version of Flowers came out (2002) and I believe this album sounds best on random play. The sequencing of the original album was just horrible.
     
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  14. John Fell

    John Fell Forum Survivor

    Location:
    Undisclosed
    I think both Between The Buttons and Flowers are certified as Gold. I am not sure of actual sales numbers.
     
  15. mooseman

    mooseman Forum Resident

    I love Side two of Flowers, I have a US mono version.
     
  16. Celebrated Summer

    Celebrated Summer Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Totally agree. "Who's Driving Your Plane" and "Sad Day" are fantastic songs and should have found a place on LP other than No Stone Unturned, which didn't even come out till 1973. Major disservice to fans to hide away these first-rate tunes (and performances) as B-sides.
     
    BruceEder, John Fell and Guy E like this.
  17. 9la

    9la Forum Resident

    Buttons reached #2 (in Billboard) in the US, the same as Aftermath and Satanic Majesties. Flowers hit #3. Repeating their most recent single was just a sales effort, with no intervening singles released.
     
    olsen likes this.
  18. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    I believe circa 1977-78 there to be Dutch coloured vinyl of; High Tide, Buttons, Satanic, BB, PAST DARKLY, BLEED, ya ya’s, b&b , some Girls
     
    forthlin likes this.
  19. idleracer

    idleracer Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    :kilroy: It should've been the Stones' equivalent of "Yesterday And Today." Unfortunately, the inclusion of three songs that had already appeared on other American albums wound up making it the equivalent of Magic Bus The Who On Tour. :disgust:
     
  20. alchemy

    alchemy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sterling, VA
    Same with me. I got mine in 1967. Never ever thought it was a compilation.

    Back then we had little idea of how large or scant an artists career production was. Records, as they were called back 50 years ago, were bought at drugstores, grocery stores (what was a super market back then?), furniture stores etc. As a kid I didn't recall full service record stores. Th nice thing about an Atlantic Records release, was the inner sleeve that housed the record. It was full of info of records, that for me were hard to find,

    The nice thing about a record back then over a 45rpm single. Was value for your buck. If a single or two was on the record, it would ultimately be cheaper to buy the LP for the songs. Plus you had the thrill of discovering other songs on the record.
     
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  21. weirdoc

    weirdoc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Berlin
    not exactly the shot they used for the cover(s), but very close to it...
    [​IMG]
     
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  22. John Fell

    John Fell Forum Survivor

    Location:
    Undisclosed
    Even with the repeated songs, I think Flowers is more cohesive than December's Children.
     
    forthlin likes this.
  23. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    I think you may be onto something!
     
  24. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    That is in fact the shot used for the cover. Just not rotated and with much more shadow detail.

    Here's a wider crop with contrast more like what's on the cover:

    [​IMG]
     
  25. Stu02

    Stu02 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Canada
    Keith has the perfect ‘never a dull moment expression ‘
     
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