The Rolling Stones (mono) (reissue) vinyl

Decca Records reissue the first Rolling Stones LP, simply titled the Rolling Stones, which first hit in April 1964, taking Decca by surprise as it reached number one in the UK charts on only the second week of release. The irony is that the Stones' chart staying power went against their Sisyphean name: instead of rolling down the charts as Sisyphus' boulder usually immediately did, the fearsome four led by Jagger proved an impressive ability to remain kings of the hill, their Stones balancing up there for an inordinate period of time; in fact it took a good 25 weeks for the Rolling Stones to exit just the third place. The result was that Decca had to struggle to fulfil demand, as its chart performance really did curtail expectations. Now reissued in 2024, hot on the heels of the Stones' Hackney Diamonds LP released this same year, we've no worries about demand fulfilment this time. Enjoy the original Stones record as intended from the go, from the version of standard 'Route 66' and Chuck Berry cover 'Carol' to the closing rendition of Rufus Thomas' 'Walking The Dog' - but expect this audiophile's stereo version to pleasingly contrast with the original mono.