Singles Collection: The London Years (CD - 1989)

The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, harmonica, percussion); Keith Richards (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Bill Wyman (vocals, bass); Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica, organ, marimba, sitar, dulcimer, recorder, bells, saxophone, harpsichord, Mellotron, background vocals); Mick Taylor, Ron Wood (guitar); Charlie Watts (drums, percussion).

Additional personnel includes: Joe Moretti (guitar); Ian Stewart (piano, organ); Reg Guest (piano); Nicky Hopkins, Jack Nitzsche (keyboards); Eric Ford (bass); Jimmy Miller (drums); Rocky Dijon (percussion); The London Bach Choir, Madelaine Bell, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Nanette Newman (background vocals); Gene Pitney, Phil Spector, Steve Marriott, Doris Troy, Al Kooper, Ry Cooder, Andy White.

Producers: Andrew Oldham, Eric Easton, The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Miller, Jack Nitzsche.

Engineers include: Roger Savage, Ron Malo, Dave Hassinger.

This box set is a compilation of all the Rolling Stones' singles from 1963 to 1971, including A-sides, B-sides and alternate B-sides from the U.S. and the U.K. releases. These 58 songs on 3 discs have been digitally remastered with most tracks in mono to reflect the sound of the original 45s. It includes a 78-page, 12" x 12" book with lyrics, detailed track annotations by Bruce Eder and essays by Anthony De Curtis and Andrew Oldham.

The three-disc box set Singles Collection: The London Years contains every single the Rolling Stones released during the '60s, including both the A- and B-sides. It is the first Stones compilation that tries to be comprehensive and logical -- for all their attributes, the two Hot Rocks sets and the two Big Hits collections didn't present the singles in chronological order. In essence, the previous compilations were excellent samplers, where Singles Collection tells most of the story (certain albums, like Aftermath, Beggars Banquet, and Let It Bleed, fill in the gaps left by the singles). The Rolling Stones made genuine albums -- even their early R&B/blues albums were impeccably paced -- but their singles had a power all their own, which is quite clearly illustrated by the Singles Collection. By presenting the singles in chronological order, the set takes on a relentless, exhilarating pace with each hit and neglected B-side piling on top of each other, adding a new dimension to the group; it has a power it wouldn't have had if it tried to sample from the albums. Although it cheats near the end, adding singles from the Metamorphosis outtakes collection and two singles from Sticky Fingers, this captures the essence of the '60s Stones as well as any compilation could. Casual fans might want to stick with the Hot Rocks sets, since they just have the hits, but for those that want a little bit more, the Singles Collection is absolutely essential.

[The Rolling Stones' London/ABKCO catalog was reissued in August of 2002, packaged in digipacks with restored album artwork, remastered, and released as hybrid discs that contain both CD and Super Audio CD layers. The remastering -- performed with Direct Stream Digital (DSD) encoding -- is a drastic improvement, leaping out of the speaker yet still sounding like the original albums. This is noticeable on the standard CD layer but is considerably more pronounced on the SACD layer, which is shockingly realistic in its detail and presence yet is still faithful to the original mixes; Keith Richards' revved-up acoustic guitar on "Street Fighting Man" still sends the machine into overdrive, for instance. It just sounds like he's in the room with you. Even if you've never considered yourself an audiophile, have never heard the differences between standard and gold-plated CDs, you will hear the difference with SACD, even on a cheap stereo system without a high-end amplifier or speakers. And you won't just hear the difference, you'll be an instant convert and wish, hope, and pray that other artists whose catalog hasn't been reissued since the early days of CD -- Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, especially the Beatles -- are given the same treatment in the very near future. SACD and DSD are that good.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

THE SINGLES COLLECTION: THE LONDON YEARS comes as advertised--the box includes every American and British A-side and B-side the Rolling Stones released between 1963 and 1971 (after which the band began releasing discs under the Rolling Stones Records imprint). The fantastic speed and scope of the Stones' early artistic development have few parallels in popular music, and this collection not only details that incredible process, but serves as a microcosm of '60s pop culture as well.

From the down-and-dirty Chicago-style blues and R&B of the group's early covers (Chuck Berry's "Come On," Willie Dixon's "I Just Wanna Make Love to You") to the dreamy chamber pop of "Lady Jane" and the proto-hard rock of "Street Fightin' Man," the band was always on the cutting edge, both reacting to and anticipating cultural and musical trends. One listen to this box, however, reveals that, unlike the Beatles, the Stones seldom veered far from their roots, always injecting a vital dose of raw sexuality and pure rock & roll spirit into even the boldest of experiments. minimize