The only five albums by The Rolling Stones you need on vinyl
Alongside The Beatles, The Kinks and The Who, The Rolling Stones led the so-called British Invasion of the American charts throughout the 1960s. Taking after their central luminary, Muddy Waters, the Stones were the most loyal of this early wave of British rock acts to the blues tradition. Initially, the band was guided by Brian Jones through a couple of albums almost entirely composed of R&B covers.
As the 1960s progressed, the Stones detached themselves from the comfort of covers as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards’ knack for hitmaking loosened Jones’ grasp on the band’s direction. By the mid-1960s, the Stones competed with The Beatles in the upper regions of charts on both sides of the Atlantic and reached full stride by the decade’s end.
Undoubtedly, The Rolling Stones’ most impactful and essential period occurred between 1965 and 1972. Between these years, they released eight UK and ten US studio albums that held some of the most iconic hits of Britain’s classic rock era.
At the beginning of this period, hits like ‘The Last Time’ and ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ captured the imagination of the post-war generation. By 1972, a unique sound characteristic of the band had been established and was perfected in hits like ‘Brown Sugar’ and ‘Rocks Off’.
Today, we present the five essential Rolling Stones records every fan should own on vinyl. All of the selections hail from the band’s most vital period. After careful consideration, these five were deemed the most representative of the band’s spirit and, together, contain most of the greatest hits.
Their Satanic Majesty’s Request and Some Girls were close runners-up, not for being the band’s greatest albums, but for representing essential chapters in its history. Both records marked a stylistic digression from the Stones’ associative classic rock sound, whether psychedelic or disco-infused. Ultimately, we decided to go with the classic era essentials.
The following selections have been handpicked by Far Out Magazine, and as a result, we may earn from qualifying purchases.
Five essential The Rolling Stones albums:
Out of Our Heads [US Edition – Translucent Teal Vinyl] (1965)
Every classic rock collection should be positively heaving with material from the mid-1960s. Following Elvis Presley’s work in the ’50s, the ’60s marked rock’s most commercially rampant era before it was butchered and diluted into subgenres approaching the ’70s. In 1965, The Beatles welcomed early hints of psychedelia and the influence of Bob Dylan in Rubber Soul; meanwhile, the Stones remained loyal to their R&B roots.
Every fan should have at least one early Stones record in their collection, and after much deliberation, we’ve landed on 1965’s Out of Our Heads as the most essential. The album can be considered a culmination of the band’s first chapter: still layered with discerning covers, the album also witnesses some of the Jagger-Richards partnership’s most iconic hits, including ‘The Last Time’, ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ and ‘Play with Fire’.
Available for purchase here for £39.90.
Beggars Banquet (1968)
For many, 1968’s Beggars Banquet marked the beginning of The Rolling Stones’ peak period of the late ’60s and early ’70s. Following Their Satanic Majesties Request, a divisive response to psychedelic rock and The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Stones returned to their roots in blues-based rock ‘n’ roll.
Beggars Banquet was also the band’s final album released with original leader Brian Jones. The roots blues fanatic had become withdrawn from the band amid a spiralling substance abuse problem but helmed the fantastic slide guitar on ‘No Expectations’ as one of his final contributions. The album is also home to the classic hits’ Sympathy for the Devil’, ‘Street Fighting Man’ and ‘Stray Cat Blues’.
Available for purchase here from £27.85.
Let It Bleed (1969)
Through the mid-1960s, The Rolling Stones emerged from the sanctuary of blues covers as Jagger and Richards developed their songwriting skills. This coincided with a transition toward more pop-orientated chart hits, contributing to the alienation of Jones, who was dismissed from the group in June 1969, just a month before his tragic death.
At around this time, the Stones were on top of their game. With classics like ‘Gimme Shelter’, Midnight Rambler’, ‘Monkey Man’ and ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’, Let It Bleed somehow improved upon its predecessor, Beggar’s Banquet. This essential record capped off a highly successful decade and laid the blueprint for an even more successful patch in the early 1970s.
Available for purchase here for £27.52.
Sticky Fingers (1971)
In 1971, The Rolling Stones opened the decade’s roster with a bonafide firecracker. Sticky Fingers elicited controversy befitting of the band thanks to its drug references, sexually suggestive title and Andy Warhol-conjured cover art. As we unzip the fly, the music within boasts some of the Stones’ most emotive lyrical compositions and iconic riffs.
The enveloping and emotive qualities of ‘Wild Horses’ and ‘Sister Morphine’ are juxtaposed by the eternally iconic rock-outs, ‘Brown Sugar’, ‘Can’t You Hear Me Knocking’ and ‘Bitch’. Sticky Fingers undoubtedly showed the Stones at their peak as they usurped the rock ‘n’ roll throne from the recently disbanded Beatles.
Available for purchase here for £23.49.
Exile on Main St. (1972)
Most fans seem to pick Sticky Fingers or its follow-up, Exile On Main St., as the greatest Stones album. I’ve personally never been able to decide which I prefer, but from the fence top, I assert that every Stones fan with a turntable should have both on vinyl.
On a good day, Exile on Main St. may prosper over Sticky Fingers thanks to its more diverse thematic and stylistic range. As the title lets on, the album was recorded while the band was living in tax exile in France. With rough, homemade edges in all the right places, Exile on Main St. captures the Stones’ essence at a crucial moment in their history.
Available for purchase here for £28.66.
