Tracklist front / back album covers
UK edition
Side one
1. "Route 66" 2:20
2. "I Just Want to Make Love to You" 2:17
3. "Honest I Do" 2:09
4. "Mona (I Need You Baby)" 3:33
5. "Now I've Got a Witness" 2:29
6. "Little by Little" 2:39
Total length: 15:27
Side two
1. "I'm a King Bee" 2:35
2. "Carol" 2:33
3. "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)" 4:05
4. "Can I Get a Witness" 2:55
5. "You Can Make It If You Try" 2:01
6. "Walking the Dog" 3:10
Total length: 17:19
US edition
Side one
1. "Not Fade Away" 1:48
2. "Route 66" 2:20
3. "I Just Want to Make Love to You" 2:17
4. "Honest I Do" 2:09
5. "Now I've Got a Witness" 2:29
6. "Little by Little" 2:39
Total length: 13:42
Side two
1. "I'm a King Bee" 2:35
2. "Carol" 2:33
3. "Tell Me" 4:05
4. "Can I Get a Witness" 2:55
5. "You Can Make It If You Try" 2:01
6. "Walking the Dog" 3:10
Total length: 17:19
The Rolling Stones Band Members / Musicians
Mick Jagger – lead vocals, backing vocals, harmonica ("Honest I Do", "Little by Little", "I'm a King Bee"), percussion ("Not Fade Away"), handclaps ("Route 66")
Keith Richards – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Brian Jones – electric guitar, harmonica "Not Fade Away", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "Now I've Got a Witness", [14], percussion ("Can I Get a Witness", "You Can Make It If You Try"), backing vocals
Bill Wyman – bass guitar, backing vocals
Charlie Watts – drums
Ian Stewart – piano ("Little by Little", "Tell Me", "Can I Get a Witness", "I Just Want to Make Love to You"), organ ("Now I've Got a Witness", "You Can Make It If You Try")
Gene Pitney – piano ("Little by Little")
Phil Spector – maracas ("Little by Little")
Graham Nash – backing vocals ("Little by Little")
Allan Clarke – backing vocals ("Little by Little")
The Rolling Stones is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released by Decca Records in the UK on 16 April 1964. The American edition of the LP, with a slightly different track list, came out on London Records on 30 May 1964, subtitled England's Newest Hit Makers, which later became its official title.
Recorded at Regent Sound Studios in London over the course of five days in January and February 1964, The Rolling Stones was produced by then-managers Andrew Loog Oldham and Eric Easton. The album was originally released by Decca Records in the UK, while the US version appeared on the London Records label.
The majority of the tracks reflect the band's love for R&B. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (whose professional name until 1978 omitted the "s" in his surname) were fledgling songwriters during early 1964, contributing only one original composition to the album: "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)". Two songs are credited to "Nanker Phelge" – a pseudonym the band used for group compositions from 1963 to 1965. Phil Spector and Gene Pitney both contributed to the recording sessions, and are referred to as "Uncle Phil and Uncle Gene" in the subtitle of the Phelge instrumental "Now I've Got a Witness".
First pressings of the album, with matrix numbers ending in 1A, 2A, 1B, and 2B, have a 2:52 version of "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)", which was pressed from the wrong master tape. Subsequent pressings include the 4:06 version. Early labels and covers also have misprints with the fourth track on side 1 listed as "Mona", which was later changed to "I Need You Baby"", the subtitle of "Now I've Got a Witness" written "Like Uncle Gene and Uncle Phil", the word 'If' omitted from "You Can Make It If You Try", and 'Dozier' spelt 'Bozier'. "Route 66" is listed as "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" on some versions of the album, and some later versions of the album have "I Need You Baby" listed as "Mona (I Need You Baby)" and the subtitles of "Now I've Got a Witness" and "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)" removed entirely.
The album cover photo was taken by Nicholas Wright. The cover bears no title or identifying information other than the photo and the Decca logo – an "unheard of" design concept originated by manager Andrew Oldham.
Upon its release, The Rolling Stones became one of 1964's biggest sellers in the UK, staying at No. 1 for twelve weeks.
The original British version of the album was released on compact disc in 1984, but became out-of-print on CD for many years afterwards. In November 2010, it was made available as part of a limited edition vinyl box set titled The Rolling Stones 1964–1969, and by itself digitally at the same time. The original title was also re-instated as part of the Rolling Stones in Mono CD box set, released on 30 September 2016. The album was only released in mono in both the UK and US; no true stereo mix was ever made.
The US version of the album, originally self-titled but later officially called England's Newest Hit Makers, was the band's debut US album and was released by London Records on 30 May 1964, a month-and-a-half after the British version. The track "Not Fade Away" (the A-side of the band's third UK single) replaced "I Need You Baby", and the titles of the tracks "Now I've Got a Witness (Like Uncle Phil and Uncle Gene)" and "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)" were shortened to "Now I've Got a Witness" and "Tell Me" on most versions of the American release. Upon its release, The Rolling Stones reached No. 11 in the US, going gold in the process. To date, this is the Stones' only American studio album that has failed to place in the top five on the Billboard album charts. In August 2002, the album, by now officially called England's Newest Hit Makers, was reissued as a new remastered CD and SACD Digipak by ABKCO.
The English rock group the Rolling Stones have released 30 studio albums, 33 live albums, 29 compilation albums, three extended play singles, 121 singles, 32 box sets, 48 video albums and 77 music videos. Throughout their career, they have sold over 240 million records worldwide. Billboard ranked them as the 2nd Greatest artist of all time (behind The Beatles). The Rolling Stones have scored 37 Top 10 albums (9 No. 1 albums) on Billboard 200 and 8 No. 1 hits on Billboard Hot 100.[3] According to the Recording Industry Association of America, they have sold 66.5 million albums in the US, making them the 7th best-selling group in history.
The early singles and albums released from 1963 to 1967 were originally on Decca Records in the United Kingdom, and on their subsidiary label London Records in the United States.
Prior to 1967, it was common practice for British releases to be reconfigured for the American market. In some cases, the US version would be an entirely different album with different tracks, cover photos and liner notes. The first five British Rolling Stones albums were converted into seven LPs for the American market, adding material from singles and the UK EPs. The two Big Hits singles packages, from 1966 and 1969 respectively, differ in each nation, and in the case of December's Children (And Everybody's) and Flowers there are no UK counterparts. Studio releases from Their Satanic Majesties Request in 1967 forward are uniform in both the UK and the US.
The Rolling Stones Discography
Studio albums
1964 The Rolling Stones (UK)
1964 England's Newest Hit Makers (US)
1964 12 X 5 (US)
1965 The Rolling Stones No. 2 (UK)
1965 The Rolling Stones, Now! (US)
1965 Out of Our Heads (US)
1965 Out of Our Heads (UK)
1965 December's Children (And Everybody's) (US)
1966 Aftermath (UK)
1966 Aftermath (US)
1967 Between the Buttons (UK)
1967 Between the Buttons (US)
1967 Their Satanic Majesties Request
1968 Beggars Banquet
1969 Let It Bleed
1971 Sticky Fingers
1972 Exile on Main St.
1973 Goats Head Soup
1974 It's Only Rock 'n Roll
1976 Black and Blue
1978 Some Girls
1980 Emotional Rescue
1981 Tattoo You
1983 Undercover
1986 Dirty Work
1989 Steel Wheels
1994 Voodoo Lounge
1997 Bridges to Babylon
2005 A Bigger Bang
2016 Blue & Lonesome
Live albums
1966 Got Live If You Want It!
1970 Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The Rolling Stones in Concert
1977 Love You Live
1982 Still Life
1991 Flashpoint
1995 Stripped
1996 The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
1998 No Security
2004 Live Licks
2008 Shine a Light
2017 On Air
