Aftermath

Aftermath
Studio album by The Rolling Stones
Released	15 April 1966 (UK) 20 June 1966 (US)
Recorded	3–8 December 1965 and 6–9 March 1966
Genre	Rock
Length	42:31
Label	Decca (UK) London (US)
Producer	Andrew Loog Oldham
Professional reviews
All Music Guide (UK) link All Music Guide (US) link Blender link
The Rolling Stones chronology
Out of Our Heads (1965 UK) Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) (1966 US) Aftermath (1966) Between the Buttons (1967 UK/US) Got Live if You Want It! (1966 US)
Alternate cover
American cover

Aftermath, first released on 15 April 1966, by Decca Records is the fourth British studio album by The Rolling Stones. It was released in the United States on 20 June 1966 by London Records as their sixth American album. The album proved to be a major artistic breakthrough for The Rolling Stones, being the first full-length release by the band to consist exclusively of Mick Jagger/Keith Richards compositions. Aftermath was also the first Rolling Stones album to be recorded entirely in the United States, at the legendary RCA Studios in Hollywood, California at 6363 Sunset Boulevard, and the first album the band released in stereo.

The album is also notable for its musical experimentation, with Brian Jones playing a variety of instruments not usually associated with rock music—including sitar on "Paint It, Black", the Appalachian dulcimer on "Lady Jane" and "I Am Waiting", the marimbas (African xylophone) on "Under My Thumb" and "Out of Time," harmonica on "High and Dry" and "Goin' Home", as well as guitar and keyboards. The songwriting featured some of the Stones' most overtly misogynistic lyrics and, though full of experiments (as noted above), the music was still wholly rooted in early Chicago electric blues.

As with all the Stones pre-1967 LPs, different editions were released in the UK and the USA. This was a common feature of British pop albums at that time—the same practice was applied to all The Beatles albums prior to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band—because UK albums typically did not include tracks that had already been released as singles, and because British pop albums generally included 13 or 14 tracks, while American albums usually featured 11 or 12 tracks.

The original British version of Aftermath was issued in April 1966 as a fourteen-track LP. Issued between the non-LP single releases of "19th Nervous Breakdown" and "Paint It, Black", Aftermath was a major hit in the UK, spending eight weeks at #1 on the UK album chart.

The American version featured different cover art and an alternate, shorter running order that eliminated "Out of Time", "Take It or Leave It", "What to Do", and "Mother's Little Helper". All four tracks were later issued in the US on other compilations, and "Mother's Little Helper" was also issued as a single, in 1966, peaking at #8 on the Billboard charts.^{[citation needed]} In their place, the album substituted their current # 1 hit "Paint It, Black". The revamped Aftermath still reached #2 in the US, eventually going platinum.^{[citation needed]}

In 2002, the US edition of Aftermath was ranked number 108 on the List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.^{[citation needed]}

In August 2002 both editions of Aftermath were reissued in a new remastered CD and SACD digipak by ABKCO Records.

British track listing

All songs by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

Side one

1. "Mother's Little Helper" – 2:45
2. "Stupid Girl" – 2:56
3. "Lady Jane" – 3:08
4. "Under My Thumb" – 3:41
5. "Doncha Bother Me" – 2:41
6. "Goin' Home" – 11:13

Side two

1. "Flight 505" – 3:27
2. "High and Dry" – 3:08
3. "Out of Time" – 5:37
4. "It's Not Easy" – 2:56
5. "I Am Waiting" – 3:11
6. "Take It or Leave It" – 2:47
7. "Think" – 3:09
8. "What to Do" – 2:32

American track listing

All songs by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

1. "Paint It, Black " – 3:21
2. "Stupid Girl" – 2:56
3. "Lady Jane" – 3:08
4. "Under My Thumb" – 3:41
5. "Doncha Bother Me" – 2:41
6. "Think" – 3:09
7. "Flight 505" – 3:27
8. "High and Dry" – 3:08
9. "It's Not Easy" – 2:56
10. "I Am Waiting" – 3:11
11. "Goin' Home" – 11:14

Personnel

The Rolling Stones

• Mick Jagger – vocals, percussion, lighting, and harmonica
• Brian Jones – guitars (including slide guitar on "Doncha Bother Me"), marimba on "Under My Thumb" and "Out of Time", bells, Appalachian dulcimer on "Lady Jane" and "I Am Waiting", sitar on "Paint It, Black", harpsichord, harmonica on "High and Dry" and "Goin' Home", and keyboards
• Keith Richards – guitar and backing vocals
• Charlie Watts – drums, percussion, marimba, and bells
• Bill Wyman – bass guitar, marimba, bells, piano, organ, and harpsichord

Additional musicians

• Jack Nitzsche – percussion, piano, organ, and harpsichord
• Ian Stewart – piano, organ, and harpsichord

Chart positions

Album

Singles

References

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008)

External links

• Link to Patti Smith piece for Creem January 1973 detailing her response to the Stones and Aftermath