May 5, 2017 Paint It Gold


The Rolling Stones, Aftermath, London PS-476, 1966

In their 55 year career, The Rolling Stones have released 30 studio albums, 23 live albums, 25 compilation albums and 120 singles.  With all of that output, and despite their legendary status, not all of their records are pricey collectables that collectors search out.  Perhaps those 25 compilations have something to do with satisfying the demand for their music to the point where original albums like this one sometimes end up in bargain bins.  Aftermath, along with most of the group’s pre Jumpin Jack Flash material just isn’t as collectable as a comparable Beatles record or later Stones classics like Exile On Main Street.


Naturally, this is very ok by me.  This may not be the most critically acclaimed Stones record, but it is the first one where all of the songs were written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.  Brian Jones shows what a flair he had for experimentation with new sounds and instruments by playing Sitar, Marimba, and something called an Appalachian Dulcimer to give this record sounds that no other pop record had yet incorporated.  It so impressed The Beatles when it came out and they were recording what would become Revolver that Ringo only half jokingly proposed calling their new record After Geography.


Perhaps part of the reason this decent copy sold for $3 has to do with the quality of the original London Records manufacturing.  These records don’t appear to have the same feel to them that a Capitol, Columbia, or RCA record does.  Their covers usually have ring wear and split seams and the vinyl seems to be of a lesser grade.  Also, like The Beatles, The Stones’ the pre-1967 US albums were different than the UK versions.  This version has different artwork and 4 fewer songs than the UK release, including the US Top 10 hit Mother’s Little Helper.  Whatever the reasons, these are great albums to have in a collection and the prices will never be better.

Today’s Summary:
Cost: $3, $178 Remaining

Leave a Reply


You are commenting using your account. Log Out /  Change )

Google photo


Twitter picture


Facebook photo


Connecting to %s