Mick ’n’ Keef’s golden era revisited

The Rolling Stones 7” Singles 1966-1971

What an era! In these five years, the Stones wrote classic after classic, survived the loss of their founder Brian Jones, and cemented their position as the world’s greatest rock ’n’ roll band.

They also side-stepped nimbly into psychedelia.

Paint It, Black, released in May 1966, was remarkable.

The song was developed from melodies Jones had improvised on an Indian sitar which gave it an unsettling edge, mirrored by Mick

Jagger’s lyrics about depression and alienation.

Jones, who died aged 27 in 1969, sprinkled inventive musical magic on other gems featured here. He played mellotron on 1967’s She’s A Rainbow, organ on Let’s Spend The Night Together, harpsichord and dulcimer on Lady Jane, and sitar on 1968’s Street Fighting Man.

Rarer songs include Long Long While, the B-side of

Paint It, Black, Who’s Driving

Your Plane? which backed the US release of Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow?, and Child Of The Moon – the UK B-side of

1968 chart-topper Jumpin’

Jack Flash.

The rip-roaring No1 smash was heralded as the band’s return to delta blues. Other classics include Sympathy For The Devil (with much later mixes thrown in) from December 1968.

The Beatles conked out the next year, but the Stones went from strength to strength with blues rock anthem Honky Tonk Women.

Brown Sugar, from 1971, and the ballad Wild Horses followed.

All the tracks here have been remastered, but although all were recorded inside the

1966-71 timeframe, Out Of Time and I Don’t Know Why were released later.

We also get Jagger’s minor solo hit Memo From Turner (from cult movie Performance), with Ry Cooder on slide guitar.

The set of 18 7in vinyl 45s comes with a book containing detailed liner notes, rare photos, a poster and more.