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| Singles Collection: The London Years | ||||
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| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 15 August 1989 | |||
| Recorded | May 1963 – February 1970 | |||
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| Length | 185:44 | |||
| Label | ABKCO | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Compiler |
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| The Rolling Stones chronology | ||||
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Singles Collection: The London Years is a compilation album by the Rolling Stones, released in 1989. It was released as a 3-CD and a 4-LP set. [1]
Singles Collection: The London Years was released by former manager Allen Klein's ABKCO Records (who usurped control of the band's Decca/London material in 1970) after the band's departure from Decca and Klein.
The set is a triple album of every Rolling Stones single—and their B-Sides—mostly in their original mono mixes (at least as of the 2002 reissue), in both the UK and US encompassing their entire era with Decca Records in the United Kingdom and London Records in the United States—hence the album's title.
The original collection was produced by Andrew Loog Oldham, and digitally compiled and prepared under his supervision by P. D. Rain and Jody Klein.
With a range from 1963 to 1971, the set begins with their very first UK single, Chuck Berry's "Come On", and runs to Sticky Fingers' "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses" (which Allen Klein shares release rights with the Rolling Stones).
The only omissions are four B-sides from 1970 and 1971. "Bitch" and "Let It Rock" (released in the UK on the "Brown Sugar" single) and "Sway" (B-side to "Wild Horses"). Allen Klein did not have release rights to this material when this compilation was released. Also not included was "Natural Magic", a Jack Nitzsche instrumental, released as the B-side to the 1970 Mick Jagger single "Memo from Turner". These are available on the box set Singles 1968–1971 except "Let It Rock" which is available on the box set Singles 1971–2006 and the Rarities 1971–2003 album.
The release also does not include the EPs released by the band, The Rolling Stones , Five by Five and Got Live If You Want It! , which are available on the box set Singles 1963–1965 .
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
| MSN Music | [3] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
| Tom Hull | A [6] |
Singles Collection: The London Years was released at a timely juncture, just a couple of weeks before the Rolling Stones' comeback album Steel Wheels was due for release after a significant break, and months following their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Going platinum, the album reached No. 91 in the US.
In August 2002, Singles Collection: The London Years was issued in a new remastered Compact Disc and SACD digipak by ABKCO Records. This version had a few differences from the 1989 release. Notably, the recording of "Street Fighting Man" on the 1989 release (and other releases such as Through the Past, Darkly and Hot Rocks 1964–1971 ) is the LP stereo mix. The 2002 remaster uses the slightly shorter mono single mix. Also, the 2002 recording of "Sympathy for the Devil" fades out earlier than the 1989 version.
In 2006, Steven Van Zandt placed Singles Collection: The London Years on top of his list of the most essential albums of all time, calling it:
The greatest collection of music by the greatest rock & roll band there will ever be. [7]
All songs by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, except where noted.
All tracks on disc one and most of disc two were produced by Andrew Loog Oldham; tracks 1–4 of disc one were co-produced with Eric Easton. Tracks 15–18 of disc two were produced by the Rolling Stones and tracks 19–20 produced by Jimmy Miller. All tracks on disc three were produced by Jimmy Miller, except tracks 3, 10, and 11, which were produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. and track 6, which was produced by Jack Nitzsche.
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Billboard 200 [8] | 91 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) [9] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) [10] | Gold | 100,000* |
| United States (RIAA) [11] | Platinum | 333,333^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Andrew Loog Oldham 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.
Nanker Phelge was a collective pseudonym used between 1963 and 1965 for several Rolling Stones group compositions. According to manager Andrew Loog Oldham the 'Nanker Phelge' credit was mostly used for tracks where the origin lay in blues standards from the 1950s they heard when visiting the Chess studios in Chicago. It also enabled Oldham to benefit from writing credits.
Between the Buttons is the fifth British and seventh American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 20 January 1967 in the UK and 10 February in the US. Reflecting the band's brief foray into psychedelia and baroque pop balladry during the era, the album is among their most eclectic works; multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones frequently abandoned his guitar during the sessions in favour of instruments such as organ, marimba, dulcimer, vibraphone and kazoo. Keyboard contributions came from two session players: former Rolling Stones member Ian Stewart and frequent contributor Jack Nitzsche. Between the Buttons would be the last album produced by Andrew Loog Oldham, who had, to this point, acted as the band's manager and produced all of their albums.
The Rolling Stones is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released by Decca Records in the UK on 17 April 1964. The American edition of the LP, with a slightly different track list, came out on London Records on 29 May 1964, subtitled England's Newest Hit Makers, which later became its official title.
Singles 1963–1965 is a box set compilation of the singles and EPs by The Rolling Stones spanning the years 1963 to 1965. Part of a series of repackages by ABKCO Records, who licence The Rolling Stones' 1963–1970 recorded works, Singles 1963–1965 is the first of three successive volumes to commemorate their non-LP releases during this era.
Singles 1965–1967 is a box set compilation of singles by The Rolling Stones spanning the years 1965–1967. The second in a series of repackages by ABKCO Records, who licence The Rolling Stones' 1963–1970 recorded works, Singles 1965–1967 is the second of three successive volumes to commemorate their non-LP releases during this era.
12 × 5 is the second American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in 1964 following the success of their American debut The Rolling Stones . It is an expanded version of the EP Five by Five, which had followed their debut album in the UK.
The Rolling Stones No. 2 is the second studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in 1965 following the success of their 1964 debut album The Rolling Stones. It contains three compositions from the still-developing Mick Jagger/Keith Richards songwriting team, with all the other songs being covers of American R&B and rock and roll numbers, similar to the first album.
Five by Five is the second EP by the Rolling Stones and was released in 1964. Captured during a prolific spurt of recording activity at Chess Studios in Chicago that June, Five by Five was released that August in the UK shortly after their debut album, The Rolling Stones, had appeared. The title of Five by Five is a play on words—five tracks recorded by a band with five members.
Hot Rocks 1964–1971 is a compilation album by the Rolling Stones released by London Records in December 1971. It became the Rolling Stones' best-selling release of their career and an enduring and popular retrospective. The album includes a mixture of hit singles, such as "Jumping Jack Flash", B-sides such as "Play with Fire", and album tracks such as "Under My Thumb" and "Gimme Shelter", the last of which has become one of the Rolling Stones' most popular and highly regarded songs. The album artwork depicts five nested silhouettes of the band members' profiles taken by rock photographer Ron Raffaelli in 1969. A photograph of the band at Swarkestone Hall Pavilion, taken by Michael Joseph in 1968, was printed on the back cover of the vinyl release.
More Hot Rocks is a compilation album by the Rolling Stones released in December 1972 on London Records. The album was a follow-up to the successful Hot Rocks 1964–1971.
Metamorphosis is the third compilation album of the Rolling Stones music released by former manager Allen Klein's ABKCO Records after the band's departure from Decca and Klein. Released in 1975, Metamorphosis centres on outtakes and alternate versions of well-known songs recorded from 1964 to 1970.
"Let's Spend the Night Together" is a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and originally released by the Rolling Stones as a double A-sided single together with "Ruby Tuesday" in January 1967. It also appears as the opening track on the American version of their album Between the Buttons. The song has been covered by various artists, including David Bowie in 1973.
Jagger–Richards is the songwriting partnership between English musicians Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, founder members of rock band the Rolling Stones. They are one of the most successful songwriting partnerships in history. In addition to Jagger and Richards's songwriting partnership, they have also produced or co-produced numerous Rolling Stones albums under the pseudonym the Glimmer Twins.
"Play with Fire" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, originally released as B-side to the song "The Last Time". It was later included on the American release of their 1965 album Out of Our Heads.
"Little by Little" is a song by the Rolling Stones recorded on 4 February 1964. Decca Records released it as the B-side to their version of "Not Fade Away" on 21 February 1964. The title stems from an identically titled track by Junior Wells and Earl Hooker, with the rhythmic similarity to "Shame, Shame, Shame" by Jimmy Reed, a song which was released the previous year. Reed was not credited for the song, however, Phil Spector was given co-credit with "Nanker Phelge". The song is also included on their April 1964 debut album The Rolling Stones.
Stone Age is a compilation by The Rolling Stones released on the Decca label in 1971. It reached number four on the UK charts.
Rock 'n' Rolling Stones is a compilation album by the Rolling Stones released in 1972. It reached number 41 in the UK Albums Chart.
"Stoned" was released in the United Kingdom by the Rolling Stones on the Decca label on 1 November 1963, as the B-side to their version of "I Wanna Be Your Man". Recorded in early October 1963, it was the first song released to be credited to "Nanker Phelge", and the band's first original composition, derivative of "Green Onions" by Booker T. & the M.G.s. This bluesy quasi-instrumental features Jones on harmonica and Stewart on tack piano, with occasional vocals from Jagger who huskily recites "Stoned .... outa mah mind .... where am I at?"
