The Rolling Stones

The Stones' first (and only) compilation of outtakes is largely made up of demos recorded with an all-star cast of session musicians (like Jimmy Page and Nicky Hopkins). You also get more classic material with the brilliant "I Don't Know Why," the orchestrated "Out Of Time," and the stunning "Memo From Turner."

Metamorphosis is both interesting and embarrassing, a curio and an outrage. Its 14 tracks
consist of jams, outtakes, alternate takes and primitive versions of songs the Rolling Stones
later revised into more polished numbers, all recorded (roughly) during their first six years.
But one can't really call it a Rolling Stones album. The hideous artwork is the first indication
that this album is the product of the Stones' former management, which won the... More >

Flowers it ain't, but Jamming With Edward it ain't either. The second side holds up better than the first, the sound and musicianship are rough and thin throughout, and most of the arrangements were obviously given up in the middle (remember One Plus One?), sometimes because the songs were worth giving up on. But Bill Wyman's "Downtown Suzie" and Oldham-Richards's "I'd Much Rather Be With the Boys," to choose two previously unheard for all too obvious reasons, rank with all but the greatest Stones originals, and at its worst this still represents the world's greatest rock and roll band during the period when they were earning the title. (Grade - B+)