Man, i'm just know looking into these old albums - what total confusion with all of the UK vs US releases. Most of my old stuff is Hendrix, Doors, Zeppelin, Floyd. Never really bought any Stones, but i love howe the new SACD remasters sound (at least Beggar's Banquet) - wonderful - and the radio only plays the 70s stones now.
I'm trying to capture most if not all of the good songs from the 60s. I would like stereo if its available, which seems to be only the albums and not the hit collections. I'm thinking that if i have Beggar's Banquet and i need Let it Bleed (cause it does rock hard), i can get these two for most of the good early stuff:
Aftermath (UK) Through the past, darkly
With Darkly i can get the Ruby Tuesday and Spend the Night together without buying Betweeen the Buttons (which i don't think i would like). It also has Paint it Black which is not on the UK Aftermath. Also, i can have Rainbow and 2000 miles from the sun without listening to the rest of that album they are on. I guess i'm still missing some good stuff. I'll check out Rolling Stones Now. Any other suggestions?
I can honestly say that all of the albums are worth owning [except perhaps Got Live if You Want It which most people ignore; Their Satanic Majesties Request which has its detractors and supporters; and Metamorphosis which is an odds-and-ends collection released without the Stones' approval]. If you're looking for the best way to get The Hits, then either purchase Hot Rocks and More Hot Rocks or The Singles Collection.
***********
There's a lot of confusion about the overlapping track listings on UK versions versus the US versions versus the multiple compilations. ABKCO really screwed the pooch by not straightening out the discography the way Capitol did when they issued The Beatles catalog on disc. For anyone interested, here is the most efficient way to get every Stones studio track that ABKCO owns:
Purchase these:
England's Newest Hitmakers 12 x 5 The Rolling Stones Now! Out of Our Heads [US version] December's Children Aftermath [UK version] Between the Buttons [UK version] Their Satanic Majesties Request Beggar's Banquet Let it Bleed Metamorphosis The Singles Collection
To be an absolute completist, you'll also need these:
Flowers [for "Ride On Baby", "Sittin’ on the Fence", "My Girl"]
More Hot Rocks [for "Money", "Poison Ivy", "Bye Bye Johnny", "I Can’t Be Satisfied", "Sittin’ on the Fence" (also on Flowers), "Fortune Teller"]
Forty Licks [for 4 newly recorded tracks: "Don’t Stop", "Keys to Your Love", "Losing My Touch", "Stealing My Heart"]
Hot Rocks and More Hot Rocks are the only way to get many of the hits in stereo.
The live Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out is also a must purchase.
Getting all of the above makes the following discs completely redundant:
Aftermath [US version] Between the Buttons [US version] Big Hits (High Tide & Green Grass) Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits, Vol. 2) Out of Our Heads [UK version]
Methinks even darker times lie ahead for non-classical SACD.
I guess I'd better get cracking on picking these up since I've only got Hot Rocks, Beggar's Banquet, and the Sympathy for the Devil single. They usually have at least a couple at Best Buy, If I'm quick I can still get most of 'em.
ABKCO must be some greedy bastards. Many other companies would have put out the UK version and added the singles (that were on the US version) as bonus tracks. I'm actually debating whether to give them any money at all. I'll probably just buy the Let it Bleed. Screw em.
Thanks for guide to collecting the ABKCO catalog. It's exactly what I've been looking for. I was about to pull out what's left of my hair figuring out what I've duplicated in my rush order to get 'em before they're gone.
Three at $7.99 isn't too awful, although I suppose I could return them which would almost cover the Hot Rocks set as I still need to get it, More Rocks, and the singles box. Hopefully, the funds to swing them will come before they go away.
Thanks Again, Craig
If anyone is interested in my mistakes, they are: Between The Buttons (US) Big Hits Out Of Our Heads (UK)
Edit: For anyone interested, Overstock.com has Hot Rocks and More Rocks for $24.89 each and the Singles box for $36.50.
For the record, the MPEG audio CODEC [including Layer 3] is designed for multichannel applications. It is used instead of Dolby Digital AC-3 in Europe.