What Rolling Stones ABKCO cd's should I get?

Hey everyone-
I haven't bought a CD in weeks so I think I'm going to splurge, go to Circuit City and get some ABKCO CD's. I already have the London Singles Collection so what other CD's would be good to buy? I'm not going to get all of them so I would just like a handful of titles.
Probably to start:
Beggars Banquet
Let It Bleed

What else?

Thanks for yor help.

 

I agree that LET IT BLEED and BEGGAR'S BANQUET should be next on your list. Those acoustic blues songs -- "Dear Doctor," "Love In Vain," etc. -- sound amazing on the new remastering.

After that, I'd say get the UK version of BETWEEN THE BUTTONS next, followed by the US version of AFTERMATH. (I think those particular sequencings flow better.) After those two, you have to decide how much duplication you're willing to pay for.

12 X 5 is the next one on my list, as that's received a lot of praise as a very good sounding stereo recording.

Keep in mind that the Virgin remasters were also done by Bob Ludwig, so don't cheat yourself out of EXILE ON MAIN STREET, STICKY FINGERS, or FLASHPOINT.

 

Hi there Bartels76,

There is an excellent FAQ on the subject prepared by Luke and David. You can find it in the archives here....

IMHO - I'd go for "Beggars Banquet" as my No1 choice, followed by "Let it Bleed"...so you're on the right track.

Also, do try and seek out the original London "Aftermath" CD - I have been turned onto this excellent version thanks to Luke and David. it is so much better than the SACD which has a narrowed stereo effect and some NR.

Happy hunting!

 

I'm all set with the Virgin remasters. I've had most of them of years.
Which version of Between The Buttons should I get? US or UK?

 

I grew up on the U.S. version, however the U.K. version is what to get. I believe this is what the Stones indented the LP should be. Also the two songs on the U.S. version (that's not on the U.K. version) "Ruby Tuesday" & "Let's Spend the Night Together" are on plenty of hits compilations.

 

I will give another ditto to the UK version of BTB as the one to get after Beggars and Bleed. I know this particular lp has never sounded better on digital - and it beats my original US London vinyl as well (no experience with the UK vinyl). On top of that - the music is a refreshing blend of "garage rock" and early psychedelia (before the excesses set in). I became quite obsessed with this album over the fall.

I always wondered why Ruby and Let's Spend the Night..... weren't included. Given the fact that the album is 12 songs instead of the standard 14 for UK releases, and given the fact that even with the inclusion of those 2 songs, it would still clock in shorter than the UK Aftermath. A lot of people wonder why Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields were left off of Pepper, even though their inclusion would have been a little too long for a standard lp. Ruby and Night would have fit without too many problems pressing the vinyl.

 

That's a tough one. I've really grown to love all their music. I have a preference for the UK versions, though, so I usually listen to those.

Assuming you're not a completist, I'd avoid Metamorphosis and Flowers. The former is mainly a compilation of outtakes and rejects, and there are some interesting ones, but besides some issues with the sound (see FAQ), these aren't my favorite Stones outtakes/alternates. Almost all of Flowers you can get elsewhere, leaving two tracks, one of which is a bad cover of the Temptations hit "My Girl." The other, "Ride On Baby," isn't bad, but it's not enough to justify buying the whole disc.

If you really want stereo, I'd recommend some more compilations, but if you have no aversion to the mono mixes (which are great, just not as 'hi-fi' as the stereo mixes, if you can call them hi-fi), the Singles Collection should be just fine. Besides, the Big Hits collections are skimpy in their US configurations. More Hot Rocks has some non-US track and oddities, some of which are really good, like "I Can't Be Satisfied." But, it's a two-disc set, and if you're on a budget and are happy with the Singles Collection, I'm not sure if I can recommend it.

The best albums are "Let It Bleed," "Beggars Banquet," and "Aftermath." All of these are great and essential. The ABKCO SACD of "Beggars" is easily the best digital version out there, but there are some mixed opinions about "Let It Bleed." Most here seem to prefer it, but they seem to have done something to the sound, something that's 'softened' it a bit, like some reverb or something. I can sense it when I pop it in after hearing the London CD, and it's definitely noticeable when you start doing the A/B comparison. Anyway, it's one of the best albums ever, so you should get in some format. "Aftermath" on the SACD isn't the best. Much better than the old ABKCO CD, but the London CD is better, a more honest sound without the denoising, a few digital artifacts, and narrowing. Plus, it feels a bit more livelier.

Another great album is Between the Buttons, which some people don't seem to like, but a lot of people think it's a classic. I really love it, and I'd go with the UK version. If you aren't getting Flowers and you've got the Singles Collection, the UK version is the way to go. Better configuration than the US version.

 

Get Yer Ya-Ya's out. (Mastered to play LOUD)


Joe Lee

 

I bought:
GET YOUR YA-TA'S OUT
AFTERMATH US
B/W THE BUTTONS- UK
BEGGARS &
LET IT BLEED.

Thanks everyone! They sound great so far!

 

England's Newest Hit Makers

I've really been enjoying England's Newest Hit Makers.You'll see they're still learning the ropes on some songs and others how polished they were right off the bat.Still better than most of the stuff out there now.

 

BTW just to let you know you can find most of them ion the Used bin already, at least around here.... I bought Beggers, Let it Bleed , Ya Ya's, Singles & Hot Rocks, all new within a month of release but have since picked up 12x5, Aftermath US, Out of Our Heads US & UK, Got Live, Satanic Majesties, More HR, & Metomorphosis all used at either Cocoanuts or CD Wherehouse in the last few months for around $8-9. Unfortunatly I've also seen ALL the ones I've bought new used also.