Past and Present Volume One & Volume Two [12 CDR] Righteous Rodent Records 2005
Disc One: Late 1961- June 1963 BONUS TRACKS: “The Dartford Tapes”: The earliest known recordings of Little Boy Blue And The Blue Boys with Mick, Keith, Dick Taylor & friends in late 1961. These were not recorded as demos, rather they are simply recordings of rehearsals. The original reel-to-reel tapes were auctioned by Southeby’s in 1995 and were bought by Mick Jagger for £50,000 ($90,825).” Beautiful Delilah, Down The road Apiece, I Ain’t Got You, Little Queenie, La Bamba/ Around and Around (excerpts). The Stones’ first demo, recorded at Curly Clayton Sound Studio, London, October 27th, 1962: You Can’t Judge A Book By The Cover (excerpt), Demos recorded at IBC Studios, London with engineer Glyn Johns on March 11th, 1963: Diddley Daddy, Bright Lights – Big City, Honey What’s Wrong, I Want To Be Loved, Note: Stu plays piano on all tracks, The song “Roadrunner” has been omitted from these tracks since it is played in it’s entirety in the body of the show. The B-Side of the “Come On” single, released June 7th, recorded Friday May 10th, 1963: I Want To Be Loved
Disc Two: July 1963 – June 1964 BONUS TRACKS: The A and B sides of the shelved “second single”, recorded July 16th, 1963 at Decca Studios in West Hampstead, London: Poison Ivy, Fortune Teller, The B-Side to “I Wanna Be Your Man”, released November 1st, recorded October 7th, 1963 at De Lane Lea Studios in London: Stoned, The Stones’ demo version of their song that Gene Pitney later released, demo recorded at Regent Sound in London, November 1963: That Girl Belongs To Yesterday, Rare unreleased out-take version: Not Fade Away, Two outtakes from the sessions for the debut album, recorded the same day as “Now I’ve Got A Witness” and “Tell Me”: And Mr. Spector And Mr. Pitney Came Too, Andrew’s Blues, Rare unreleased live stereo recordings made by the BBC at the Camden Theatre in London on March 19th, 1964. With this stereo recording, one channel was broadcast on the radio and the other on the television. By sitting in between your radio and television you could experience true stereo, probably for the first time: Route 66, Cops and Robbers, You Better Move On, Mona
Disc Three: June 1964 – June 1965 BONUS TRACKS: unreleased tracks from the Chicago Chess Sessions, June 10th and 11th, 1964: Meet Me In The Bottom Stewed And Keefed Tell Me Baby, How Many Times The Joe Loss Show July 17th, 1964: It’s All Over Now If You Need Me Confessin’ The Blues Carol Mona Live on the UK tour, March 1965…unedited & alternate recordings for the “Got Live” EP: Down The Road Apiece Route 66 I’m Moving On I’m Alright
Disc Four: June 1965 – April 1966 BONUS TRACKS: Live BBC recording for the show “Yeh Yeh”, recorded August 20th, broadcast August 30th, 1965: Mercy Mercy Oh Baby (We Got A Good Thing Goin’) The Spider And The Fly Satisfaction Live BBC recording for the show “Saturday Club”, recorded August 20th, broadcast September 18th, 1965: Interview with Mick Cry To Me Fanny Mae “Out Of Our Heads” outtake: I’ve Been Loving You Too Long The UK B-Side to the “Get Off My Cloud” single, released October 22nd, recorded September 5th, 1965 at RCA Studios, Los Angeles: The Singer Not The Song Backing track without vocals: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction The U.S. B-Side to “19th Nervous Breakdown”, released February 12th 1966, recorded early December 1965 at RCA Studios, Los Angeles: Sad Day
Disc Five: May 1966 – August 1967 BONUS TRACKS: Unreleased Aftermath out-take, recorded September 6th 1965, at RCA Studios in Los Angeles: Looking Tired Italian single from May 1966 featuring Mick singing in Italian to the tune of “As Tears Go By” with a different backing track to the regular version: Con Le Mie Lacrime “Between The Buttons” outtake, recorded at RCA Studios in Los Angeles, March 1966: If You Let Me UK B-Side to the “Paint It Black” single, released May 13th, 1966, recorded March 1966 at RCA Studios in Los Angeles: Long Long While Unreleased vocal-less backing track, recorded at RCA Studios in Los Angeles, August 1966: Yesterday’s Papers B-Side to the “Have You Seen Your Mother Baby…” single, released September 23rd, recorded early August 1966 at RCA Studios in Los Angeles: Who’s Driving Your Plane Unreleased outtake, recorded at Olympic Sound Studios in London, November 1966: Get Yourself Together Original UK single mono mixes: Have You Seen Your Mother Baby, Standing In The Shadow? et’s Spend The Night Together Ruby Tuesday
Disc Six: August 1967 – June 1969 BONUS TRACKS: Early working version of “Street Fighting Man”, recorded at Olympic Sound Studios in March 1968: Did Everybody Pay Their Dues? Original mono mix of a “Satanic Majesties” outtake which was later the b-side to Jumping Jack Flash, released May 24th, 1968: Child Of The Moon Two outtakes from the “Satanic Majesties” sessions: Untitled (Unfinished song, unreleased) Gold Painted Nails (Unfinished song, unreleased) Assorted outtakes from the “Beggars Banquet” sessions, recorded at Olympic Sound Studios in London, May – June 1968: Family Highway Chile (unreleased) A Country Boy (unreleased instrumental) owntown Lucie (rough mix of a track that later showed up on “Metamorphosis’ Hamburger To Go (AKA Stuck Out Alone)
Disc Seven: June 1969 – September 1970 BONUS TRACKS: Assorted outtakes and non-album tracks, recorded at lympic Sound Studios, April-July 1970: Jiving Sister Fanny ‘m Going Down I Don’t Know Leather Jacket (Mick Taylor instrumental) Assorted outtakes and non-album tracks, recorded at Olympic Sound Studios, May and October 1970: Dancing In The Light Aladdin Story Potted Shrimp Traveling Man
Disc Eight: January 1971 – May 1972 BONUS TRACKS: Sticky Fingers out-takes: Brown Sugar (early version with a different vocal, mono mix) Good Time Woman (an early version of Tumblin’ Dice) Wild Horses (a beautiful alternate take of this classic with gram Parsons on pedal steel guitar!) Let It Rock (recorded live at Leeds University on March 13th, 1971. This track was included on the Spanish “Sticky Fingers” LP in place of “Sister Morphine”) Exile On Main St. out-take: Shine A Light (an early mix with different lead vocals) Recordings from the rehearsals for the US tour, at the Rialto Theatre in Montreux, Switzerland in March 1972: hake Your Hips Tumbling Dice ith Stu
Disc Nine: May 1972 – November 1974 BONUS TRACKS: Goat’s Head Soup outtakes, recorded at Dynamic Sound Studios, Kingston, Jamaica in late 1972: Criss-Cross Man (unreleased) Through The Lonely Nights (this was only ever released as the B-Side to “It’s Only Rock N’ Roll” on July 26th, 1974) Live at the Perth Cricket Ground in Perth, Australia, February 24th, 1973: Rocks Off Happy All Down The Line Rip This Joint It’s Only Rock N’ Roll outtakes, recorded at Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany in November 1974: Drift Away (The Stones covering this Mentor Williams classic made famous in 1973 by Dobie Gray) Living Is A Harder Love
Disc Ten: December 1974 – June 1978 BONUS TRACKS: Out-takes from the “Black and Blue” Sessions at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany in March and April 1975: Never Stop (the genesis of “Start Me Up” in it’s original slowed-down form) Munich Reggae (a Jagger/Richards instrumental) Live at the Inglewood Forum in Los Angeles on July 13th, 1975: If You Can’t Rock Me Get Off My Cloud Jumpin’ Jack Flash Live at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis Tennessee on June 29th, 1978: Let It Rock Sweet Little Sixteen Hound Dog
Disc Eleven: June 1978 – August 1981 BONUS TRACKS: Out-takes from the “Emotional Rescue” sessions of songs that actually showed up on “Tattoo You”, recorded at The Pathe Marconi studios in Paris, Summer 1979 Hang Fire (early hard-rocking version with a completely different intro) Black Limousine (first version) Neighbors (early mix) Assorted “Tattoo You” outtakes: Start Me Up (rough mix with early lead vocals from 1979) Little T&A (early version with Keith on vocals, Bahamas, 1979) Tops (actually a leftover from 1973’s “Goat’s Head Soup” sessions with Mick Taylor on guitar) Heaven (rough mix from Paris, November 1980) Waiting On A Friend (the original December 1972 version recorded in Kingston, Jamaica)
Disc Twelve: August 1981 – October 1982 BONUS TRACKS: Live at the Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia on Keith’s 38th birthday, December 18th, 1981…the last stop on the legendary 1981 U.S. tour: Time Is On My Side Neighbors Black Limousine She’s So Cold Hang Fire Honky Tonk Women Satisfaction
“23 years after it was produced, “The Rolling Stones – Past and Present” remains the best and most comprehensive audio documentary ever produced on the greatest rock n’ roll band in the world.
This was a 12-part Canadian production which was made in 1982 and distributed to affiliate radio stations in North America as a 12 LP set, each LP containing 48 minutes of content, allowing for 12 hour-long shows with commercials.
The series moves chronologically from the inception of the group in 1961 right up until the time the series was produced in 1982. It features interviews with the band members, most of the key players in their stratospheric rise to fame, and several prominent observers of their career…journalists, club bookers, fellow musicians and many others.
On this 12 CD edition, the remaining half hour of space left on each CD has been filled up with the most important outtakes, unreleased tracks and live recordings from the specific period of time dealt with on each CD. With close to 80 minutes of radio show and rarities on each disc, this phenomenal set runs 16 hours in length.
The 12 disc set comes in two volumes of six discs each, and each volume has a beautiful fold-out sleeve of colour pictures and extensive sleeve notes.”
This massive 12 CDR collection moves chronologically from 1961 until 1982 featuring insightful interviews, studio and live tracks, unreleased material and session outtakes to close out each disc. The total set clocks in at 16 hours in length with each of the two volumes containing six discs each. The colorful inserts and fold-out sleeves contain tasteful pictures and extensive liner notes which I recommend to follow and track the continuity of this detailed radio show.
The sound quality of this radio show is superb. The gain on just about all of the included music is enhanced to provide tremendous reproduction and fidelity. I did find, though, that I would have to turn down the volume between the musical passages as the spoken word(s) came in with such clarity and loudness as to match the gain of the music. There is no distortion whatsoever in any part of this 16 hour program.
Righteous Rodent Records released Beatles – “The Beeb’s Lost Beatles Tapes” Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 as an 8 CDR set in 2008 which is also reviewed at Collectors Music Reviews. The beauty of “The Rolling Stones – Past and Present” is that it flows chronologically affording the listener detailed and intuitive artifacts in context. One only needs to look at the liner notes to pick a particular time period of interest and the rest falls into place. What I find particularly enjoyable is the transition between the narrative and the music. The music becomes even more appealing and appetizing with the backround information and interviews.
There is a comprehensive amount of bonus tracks and live material to round out this production. One not need be concerned about the amount of musical content on each of the 12 discs as the music is the focus and most of the 16 hours contain music that is balanced. There are no uneven cuts between the tracks and the material flows smoothly throughout. This release comes recommended as the “most comprehensive audio documentary ever produced” to date on The Rolling Stones!
