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Week Ending:
25 January 2025

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TheBigBlack

The Rolling Stones [Mono]

The Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones [Mono] (1964)

[Classic Rock]

The debate of The Beatles vs The Stones has ranged for over half a century, and will no doubt continued unresolved for many years yet. Comparisons are rife, but to be fair - remove the relativity of timing and location, and there really isn't much you can compare. The Beatles debut was full of Rock 'n' Roll with a little bit of R&B, and The Rolling Stones introduced themselves to the world with a little bit of R&B and a whole lot of blues. Most album (and career) openers burst out the speakers untamed, but The Stones instead introduce their debut album with the restrained 'Route 66'. A cover of the King Cole Trio, it is the sound of vintage America wrapped in the comfy blanket of London's swinging 60s. In case you are question the authenticity of white boys playing the blues, next up is the Muddy Waters classic 'I Just Want To Make Love To You' nailed in a wonderful, fast paced rock 'n' roll style that is totally The Stones. Jimmy Reed's 'Honestly I Do' finally puts to bed the comparison's with the Fab Four. Whereas The Beatles would perform a song like this with charm that would cause the teenage girls to faint, the sleaze of The Stones starts to creep in untamed. Mick Jagger isn't singing to school girls, he is singing to women. Bo Diddly's 'Mona' is a pretty faithful rendition, as you can't really perform a Diddly song without that distinctive rhythm. Most of these songs are covers, and the three tracks written by the band quickly reveal why. 'Now I Got A Witness' is a flat instrumental that has no real purpose, and 'Tell Me (You're Coming Back)' manages to redeem itself with a sniff of sixty's charm. 'Little By Little' is the only song of the three that hints at the future potential as a band of songwriters, and although it is credited to the whole band it reeks of that Mick Jagger / Keith Richards style that would become so prominent later. Song after song the album drips with atmosphere that makes it hard to deny. Recorded in and mixed only in true mono, it has a flatness to the sound that gives it an air of authenticity of its purpose, showcasing the great blues of the U.S.A. Slim Harpo's 'I'm A King Bee' is just perfect in its execution, with some great lead work by Brian Jones, and it sets up side 2 to rival the first. Chuck Berry's 'Carol' is played in a very Berry style, and is perhaps a little too. 'sterile' to rival the original. Many of the early Stones recordings suffer from poor sound quality due to the band's insistence of working outside the Decca studios, but this album is pristine in its sonics. It all ends nicely with a fairly basic and almost quaint version of Rufus Thomas' 'Walking The Dog', leaving you with just enough energy to go back to track 1 and start it all over again. Popularity at the time aside (the album topped the U.K. charts for 12 weeks) in hindsight it can be said it is a slow and steady start to a career that would certainly ramp up in the future. There are hints of potential throughout, but you won't find any of that signature Stones swagger that came to be such a identifying trait later. Regardless, it is a wonderful time capsule back to a time when music was simpler, but no less essential.

Members: New Additions

These are new members added this week.

Click on any images below to see member details.

Andrew Loog Oldham

Classic Rock

Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of The Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style.

Bill Wyman

Classic Rock

William George Wyman (born 24 October 1936) is an English musician who was the bass guitarist with the rock band The Rolling Stones from 1962 to 1993. Wyman was part of the band's first stable lineup and performed on their first 19 albums. Since 1997, he has performed as the vocalist and bass guitarist for Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings.

Brian Jones

Classic Rock

Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 - 3 July 1969) was an English musician and founder of The Rolling Stones. Initially a slide guitarist, he went on to sing backing vocals and played a wide variety of instruments on Rolling Stones recordings and in concerts. When Jones developed alcohol and drug problems, his performance in the studio became increasingly unreliable, leading to a diminished role within the band he had founded. In June 1969, The Rolling Stones dismissed Jones; guitarist Mick Taylor took his place in the group. Less than a month later, Jones died by drowning at the age of 27 in the swimming pool at his home at Cotchford Farm, East Sussex.

Charlie Watts

Classic Rock

Charles Robert Watts (2 June 1941 - 24 August 2021) was an English musician who was the drummer of The Rolling Stones from 1963 until his death in 2021. He has been ranked among the greatest drummers of all time.

Ian Stewart

Classic Rock

Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as a member of The Rolling Stones since 1975, and a member of Faces and Jeff Beck Group. Wood has also recorded several other solo efforts.

Keith Richards

Classic Rock

Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who is an original member, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of The Rolling Stones. His songwriting partnership with the band's lead vocalist Mick Jagger is one of the most successful in history. His career spans over six decades, and his guitar playing style has been a trademark of the Rolling Stones throughout the band's career.

Mick Jagger

Classic Rock

Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is best known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; their songwriting partnership is one of the most successful in rock music history. His career has spanned over six decades, and he has been widely described as one of the most popular and influential front men in the history of rock music.

Mick Taylor

Classic Rock

Michael Kevin Taylor (born 17 January 1949) is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967-1969) and The Rolling Stones (1969-1974). Since leaving The Rolling Stones in December 1974, Taylor has worked with numerous other artists and released several solo albums.

Core Discographies: New Additions

These are new releases available in the Core Discographies this week.

Core Discographies Links: New Additions | New Releases | Coming Soon | Themes

Remember, Core Discographies accepts Requests. Click HERE to request your favourite album to be included.

Click on any links below to see release details.

MP3

FLAC

Ringo Starr
Look Up

[Album]
10 January 2025
Classic Rock

'Look Up' is the twenty-first studio album by Ringo Starr. It marks his first studio album in over five years since What's My Name (2019). A country music album, it features guest appearances from Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Lucius, and Larkin Poe, as well as writing and production contributions from T Bone Burnett.

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Bob Dylan & The Band
The 1974 Live Recordings

[Albums Boxed Set]
20 September 2024
Classic Rock

'The 1974 Live Recordings' is a boxed set of live recordings by Bob Dylan. It is all soundboard recorded shows from his 1974 tour backed by The Band.

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Robert Plant
Digging Deep, Subterranea

[Compilation Album]
2 October 2020
Rock

'Digging Deep, Subterranea, is a compilation album by Robert Plant. The songs were assembled as a companion to his podcast series Digging Deep With Robert Plant that explores the composition and recording of hits, album tracks, and previously unreleased songs throughout Plant's post-Led Zeppelin career.

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Pink Floyd
The Albums (Discovery)

[Albums Boxed Set]
23 September 2011
Classic Rock

'Pink Floyd (Discovery)' is a albums boxed set by Pink Floyd. It launched the Why Pink Floyd...? re-release campaign that included a number of remastered reissues. It includes all of their standard studio albums released, newly remastered by James Guthrie and Joel Plante.

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Neil Young
Chrome Dreams II

[Album]
23 October 2007
Folk Rock

'Chrome Dreams II' is the thirtieth studio album by Neil Young. The album name references Chrome Dreams, a legendary Neil Young album from 1977 that had originally been scheduled for release but was shelved in favor of American Stars 'N Bars. The album debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart at number 11, selling about 54,000 copies in its first week. In addition, the song 'No Hidden Path' was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance at the 51st Grammy Awards, 2009.

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The Beatles
The Capitol Albums (Vol. 2)

[Albums Boxed Set]
11 April 2006
Classic Rock

'The Capitol Albums (Vol. 2)' is an albums boxed set by The Beatles. It comprises of their 1965 American Capitol Records releases. The CDs were mastered from submaster tapes from the Capitol Records vaults which were prepared by Capitol A&R executive Dave Dexter Jr., who added reverb to several tracks and simulated stereo on some mono tracks. The box set debuted on the Billboard 200 album chart on 29 April 2006, at number 46, with approximate sales of 27,000 copies. It was awarded a gold record by the RIAA on 19 May 2006.

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Oasis
Don't Believe The Truth

[Album]
30 May 2005
Rock

'Don't Believe The Truth' is the sixth studio album by Oasis. It reached number one in the U.K. Albums Chart with first week sales of 237,865, and is the 32nd fastest selling album ever in the U.K. The album entered the U.S. charts at number 12, with 65,000 copies sold in the first week, the highest any Oasis album had reached there since 1997's Be Here Now, although its chart stay was brief. The album went triple platinum in the U.K. in the first week of 2006 (1,000,000+ sales).

MP3

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The Beatles
The Capitol Albums (Vol. 1)

[Albums Boxed Set]
15 November 2004
Classic Rock

'The Capitol Albums (Vol. 1)' is an albums boxed set by The Beatles. It comprises of their 1964 American Capitol Records releases. The CDs were mastered from submaster tapes from the Capitol Records vaults which were prepared by Capitol A&R executive Dave Dexter Jr., who added reverb to several tracks and simulated stereo on some mono tracks. The box set debuted on the Billboard 200 album chart on 4 December 2004 at number 35 with sales of 37,303 copies. It spent 6 weeks on the chart. The box was certified with gold and platinum awards on 17 December 2004 by the RIAA.

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Oasis
Familiar To Millions

[Album]
13 November 2000
Rock

'Familiar To Millions' is a live album by Oasis. The album was recorded at Wembley Stadium on 21 July 2000. It debuted at No. 5 in the U.K. charts with 57,000 copies sold in the first week.

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Jimi Hendrix
Morning Symphony Ideas (Official Bootleg)

[Compilation Album]
25 July 2000
Classic Rock

'Morning Symphony Ideas (Official Bootleg)' is a posthumous album by Jimi Hendrix. It contains a number of jams and demos from late 1969 / early 1970.

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Jimi Hendrix
Merry Christmas And Happy New Year

[E.P.]
16 November 1999
Classic Rock

'Merry Christmas And Happy New Year' is a posthumous E.P. by Jimi Hendrix.

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INXS
Elegantly Wasted

[Album]
4 April 1997
Rock

'Elegantly Wasted' is the tenth studio album by INXS. It was the final album recorded with lead singer Michael Hutchence before his death in November that same year.

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INXS
Welcome To Wherever You Are

[Album]
3 August 1992
Rock

'Welcome To Wherever You Are' is the eighth studio album by INXS. With alternative music breaking into the mainstream, INXS tried to establish a new direction for itself, incorporating sitars, a 60-piece orchestra, and a much more 'raw' sound to their music. It was the first album by an Australian artist to debut on the U.K. Albums Chart at number one since AC/DC's Back In Black, released in 1980.

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Radiohead
Drill

[E.P.]
5 May 1992
Alternative Rock

'Drill' is the debut E.P. by Radiohead. It was the band's first commercial release, and attracted little attention, reaching 101 on the U.K. Album Chart.

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Uriah Heep
Different World

[Album]
?? February 1991
Classic Rock

'Different World' is the eighteen studio album by Uriah Heep. It was the first Uriah Heep studio album from which no single was released in the U.K.

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Uriah Heep
Raging Silence

[Album]
6 November 1989
Classic Rock

'Raging Silence' is the seventeenth album by Uriah Heep. It marked the studio debut of Canadian vocalist Bernie Shaw and keyboardist Phil Lanzon. It was produced by Richard Dodd and the title is an allusion to the Manfred Mann's Earth Band album The Roaring Silence (1976).

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Queen
Jazz

[Album]
11 October 1978
Classic Rock

'Jazz' is the seventh studio album by Queen. The album's varying musical styles were alternately praised and criticised. It reached number two in the U.K. Albums Chart and number six on the U.S. Billboard chart.

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Queen
News Of The World

[Album]
28 October 1977
Classic Rock

'News Of The World' is the sixth studio album by Queen. In 1977, punk rock acts, most notably the Sex Pistols, sparked massive backlash against progressive rock artists such as Queen, to which the band responded by simplifying their symphonic rock sound and gearing towards a more spontaneous hard rock sound.

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Queen
A Day At The Races

[Album]
10 December 1976
Classic Rock

'A Day At The Races' is the fifth studio album by Queen. It serves as a companion to Queen's previous album, A Night At The Opera (1975), with both taking their names from Marx Brothers films and having similar packaging and eclectic musical themes.

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Eric Clapton
No Reason To Cry

[Album]
27 August 1976
Classic Rock

'No Reason To Cry' is the fourth solo studio album by Eric Clapton. The album was recorded in Malibu and Los Angeles between December 1975 to May 1976.

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Queen
A Night At The Opera

[Album]
21 November 1975
Classic Rock

'A Night At The Opera' is the fourth studio album by Queen. It was reportedly the most expensive album ever recorded at the time of its release.

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Queen
Sheer Heart Attack

[Album]
1 November 1974
Classic Rock

'Sheer Heart Attack' is the third studio album by Queen. Digressing from the progressive themes featured on their first two albums, the album featured more pop-centric and conventional rock tracks and marked a step towards the classic Queen sound.

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Queen
Queen II

[Album]
8 March 1974
Classic Rock

'Queen II' is the second studio album by Queen. It is significant for being the first Queen album to contain elements of the band's signature sound of multi-layered overdubs, vocal harmonies, and varied musical styles.

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Queen
Queen

[Album]
13 July 1973
Classic Rock

'Queen' is the debut studio album by Queen. The album combines heavy metal and progressive rock with a folk influence.

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The Who
Ready Steady Who [Mono]

[E.P.]
11 November 1966
Classic Rock

'Ready Steady Who' is the first E.P. by The Who. It was released about a month prior to their next album A Quick One (1966). The title refers to a Ready Steady Go! TV special the band had recently appeared on, but the E.P. contains different recordings from those performed on the TV show.