Hot Off the Press and Ready to Roll This November The Rolling Stones 1964-1969 & The Rolling Stones 1971-2005 Remastered Vinyl Box Sets

NEW YORK, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- For the very first time in history the "World's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band," ABKCO Records and Universal Music Group have joined forces to offer two vinyl box set collections spanning over 40 years of the Rolling Stones' career. The box sets include 23 original studio albums, two "Big Hits" collections as well as two rare EPs. They will be released on November 22 in the U.K. and November 23 in the U.S. and Canada. The Rolling Stones 1964-1969 and The Rolling Stones 1971-2005 Vinyl Box Sets offer the consumer a wealth of great Rolling Stones music, much of which hasn't been available on vinyl for a considerable period of time.

The Rolling Stones 1964-1969 Vinyl Box Set, a limited edition numbered box set collection, chronologically encompasses the Stones' early U.K. releases. The set includes nine re-mastered Rolling Stones studio albums, two remastered EPs, plus two "Big Hits" collections. It's the first vinyl reissue in decades for The Rolling Stones (EP), The Rolling Stones, Five by Five (EP), The Rolling Stones No. 2, Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) and Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2).

The first five titles in the set are presented in their original mono format affording, for the first time in years, an opportunity for Stones fans to enjoy remastered versions of the tracks "I Can't Be Satisfied," "Time Is On My Side" (Version 2) and "Down the Road Apiece" as originally released. Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) is included with its original octagonal cover and artwork intact. Metamorphosis is also included in the set; the album was first released in 1975 but is wholly comprised of tracks recorded from the early-to-late sixties. The inclusion of the band's original two "Big Hits" collections was mandated by the fact that U.K. album releases in that era most often did not include contemporaneously released hit singles.

The world really was the Rolling Stones' oyster in the seventies, as their escapades made headlines around the world from the French Riviera to Switzerland and via the U.S. and Canada. They performed groundbreaking concerts in arenas and moved effortlessly into open-air stadiums. They stuck their collective tongue out at the British establishment and became citizens of the world.

They set up their own label and made the most of their new-found artistic freedom and, most importantly, they issued a series of definitive studio albums: Sticky Fingers, Exile On Main Street, Goats Head Soup, It's Only Rock 'n' Roll, Black And Blue and Some Girls. They partied at Studio 54, came up with dance-floor hits "Miss You" and "Emotional Rescue," and recorded in Paris, Nassau, Jamaica and New York.

The eighties saw the band stretch the envelope further still, working with jazz great Sonny Rollins, film directors Julien Temple and Michael Lindsay-Hogg, and producers Chris Kimsey and Steve Lillywhite on classics such as Emotional Rescue, Tattoo You, Undercover, Dirty Work and Steel Wheels.

Throughout the next two decades they filmed with Scorsese, recorded with Don Was and released further groundbreaking albums--Voodoo Lounge and Bridges To Babylon, right up to 2005's triumphant A Bigger Bang.

Fans now get a chance to rediscover many of their past favorites and unearth some forgotten gems along the way too -all re-mastered and sounding better than ever.

The two volumes, a compendium of the band's U.K.-released studio recordings, will be marketed jointly by ABKCO and UMG and span the band's output from the dawn of their recording career in early 1964 with the release of their debut LP The Rolling Stones, through to A Bigger Bang, originally released in 2005. Pressings in The Rolling Stones 1964-1969 and The Rolling Stones 1971-2005 Vinyl Box Sets are 180-gram virgin heavyweight vinyl and are part of the much lauded Back-to-Black classic vinyl reissue series.

Jody Klein, ABKCO Music and Records CEO, remarked, "With the current marketplace resurgence of vinyl, these collections are certain to delight both long-standing Stones fans as well as contemporary vinyl devotees. The quality of the pressings and the care with which these historic releases have been remastered is breathtaking."

"We are honored to continue our campaign to preserve the Stones legacy with the highest quality sets for fans to enjoy," added Bruce Resnikoff, President/CEO, Universal Music Enterprises (UMe).

Andrew Kronfeld, Universal Music Group International's Executive VP, International Marketing, said, "Vinyl was the Rolling Stones' accomplice from day one, so this is the way to hear the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band. There's nothing else to say--just listen."

The Rolling Stones 1964-1969 Vinyl Box Set:
The Rolling Stones (EP)*, original U.K. release January 10, 1964
The Rolling Stones*, original U.K. release April 17, 1964
Five By Five (EP)*, original U.K. release August 14, 1964
The Rolling Stones No. 2*, original U.K. release January 15, 1965
Out Of Our Heads*, original U.K. release September 24, 1965
Aftermath, original U.K. release April 15, 1966
Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass), original U.K. release November 4, 1966
Between The Buttons, original U.K. release January 20, 1967
Their Satanic Majesties Request, original U.K. release December 8, 1967
Beggars Banquet, original U.K. release December 5, 1968
Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2), original U.K. release September 12, 1969
Let It Bleed, original U.K. release December 6, 1969
Metamorphosis, original U.K. release June 6, 1975
*Denotes recorded in mono

The Rolling Stones 1971-2005 Vinyl Box Set:
Sticky Fingers, original U.K. release April 23, 1971
Exile On Main Street, original U.K. release May 12, 1972
Goats Head Soup, original U.K. release August 31, 1973
It's Only Rock 'N Roll, original U.K. release October 18, 1974
Black And Blue, original U.K. release April 20, 1976
Some Girls, original U.K. release June 9, 1978
Emotional Rescue, original U.K. release June 23, 1980
Tattoo You, original U.K. release August 25, 1981
Undercover, original U.K. release November 7, 1983
Dirty Work, original U.K. release March 24, 1986
Steel Wheels, original U.K. release August 28, 1989
Voodoo Lounge (2 LPs), original U.K. release July 11, 1994
Bridges To Babylon (2 LPs), original U.K. release September 29, 1997
A Bigger Bang (2 LPs), original U.K. release Sept 5, 2005

First off, waaay too pricey. Second, Aftermath, Big Hits, Buttons and Majesties all have dedicated mono mixes. So why aren't they here?

I LOVE the Stones but this much is too much. If the "Exile'" vinyl reissue is indicative then these LPs utilize the same mastering as the recent souless, airless UNI compact disc reissues which is another way of saying they won't sound as good as an original Decca and London pressings and certainly nowhere near the Original Masters box from 15 years or so ago.

Good to see No 2 (out of print since the 80s) and the UK versions of the Big Hits albums. Let's hope High Tide and Green Grass has the booklet and Satanic Majesties has the 3D sleeve and the red cloud inner. Sucks that Beggar's Banquet has the toilet cover though. Universal/ABKCO should have gone for exact replicas.

PS. The 2 eps have been out as 12 inches before and where's the Got LIVE if you want it ep???

I'm pretty sure the mono masters of Aftermath, Buttons and Majesties are folded stereo masters. There's no big differences like the Beatles mono/stereo mixes.

The important question: Is "Star Star" going to be the censored version?

Precisely. I like that that The first two are back out again on vinyl and much prefer the UK Big Hits and Through The Past, Darkly over London's versions but yes where is GOT LIVE EP. If these were out as stand alone issues I'd buy 'em in a flash, heck even as cds I'd buy them as they are the Stones I grew up with.

There's no live albums in the boxes which probably explains the absence of the live ep. ABKCO probably they'd ripped enough people off with the YaYas box to make them buy it again. The first 3 in mono is a good idea because the last remaster of Rolling Stones Now started in mono and then veered between the two formats for the rest of the album.

Let's hope they master them properly too. The original stereo mix of Honky Tonk Women is only available on Rolled Gold + at the moment and that's probably the worst sounding CD ever.

At the risk of upsetting the purists the 1964-1969 UK albums are actually available as downloads - 7Digital having them on Mp3@320 CBR having bought No2 with the long Everybody Needs Somebody To Love.

What's this about the original stereo mix of Honky Tonk Women? Only on Rolled Gold? Do you have more details? Surely it must have been available elsewhere before that. Wasn't it?

Too my ears the mix of Honky Tonk Women on the Singles Collection (1st edition), the 3 editions of the Through the Past Darkly and Hot Rocks doesn't sound like the version on the original UK/Australia vinyl Through the Past Darkly buy the Rolled Gold definitely sounds like the same mix. Listen to the brass in the instrumental break or on the final chorus. If the hairs on the back of your neck don't stand up you're listening to the inferior mix.

ABKCO has the stupid idea that once they remaster a track they put that remaster on EVERY issue no matter what the original album sounded like. The version of Heart of Stone on RSN and HTaGG has prominent backing vocals which definitely weren't in the original, or they were buried so low in the mix that no one had ever heard them before. The always stuff up She's a Rainbow as well. Someone should go and buy a copy of the 45 and see how it starts and how it ends and then remaster it.

Erm Going Home is different on the mono UK compared with the stereo (Time was I had the mono ) the vocal around the "gotta get home baby" bit is different. With Beggars Banquet, Sympathy for the Devil was a different mix because the piano disappears if you just fold the stereo mix down and it was caught before release by the mastering engineers. It is on the stereo reel for Beggars with a note to say to use the mono Devil at the end of the reel and sum everything to mono for the mono lp.

I have Aftermath from the UK box Coming soon here as someone kindly split a box up!

I have coming soon a sealed 4xlp version of that I got very cheap!

US mono Aftermath is a fold down of the stereo while the UK is a dedicated mono mix. Buttons is a dedicated mono mix (Yesterday's Papers is noticably longer) Most UK (and Australian) copies of Satanic are fold downs (if there's a T2 in the matrix number it's fake mono) US copies are real mono (listen to the church bells before The Lantern 3 bells REAL mono mix 2 bells fold down) (She's a Rainbow and 2000 Light Years From Home ARE real mono on the rare mono UK pressing of Through the Past Darkly) Beggars has a dedicated mono mix of
Sympathy (less 'woops' in the intro) then seems to revert to fold down. Bleed I've never heard but I've reason to believe it's a fold down.

Has anyone actually played this box? Looking at itunes the Big Hits compilations are a complete mess. Honky Tonk Women in mono for one thing. You'd expect for the price of this thing they'd make an effort to replicate the original albums rather than randomly pick what they believe is the best sounding version. If they've put 4 stereo tracks on Rolling Stone no 2 I'm going to scream.

You never bought the tape version of No.2 then cos thats' what they did (and reprocessed for stereo the remaining mono tracks).
There is a digital glitch - a skip in the digital domain - on Get Off Of My Cloud (High Tide & Green Grass) that according to the guy who cut the vinyl was on the supplied high rez .wav file.

ALL the ABKCO/London CD versions of Now have the 4 tracks in stereo and the Russian pirate CD of No2 has the same glitch. If Apple had mastered the Beatles CDs with the "best available version" not worrying if that version was mono or stereo there would have been blood on the street. Everyone on Amazon seems to have bought these boxes as a collectable without actually playing the vinyl. Hopefully someone will play it and it'll be awesome and their investment will be protected.

Well I think the Aftermath from the box set is very good having got it finally with silent surfaces and to my humble ears a decent mastering job from the supplied files even if those who have spent $$$ getting the older versions in decent shape may possibly prefer them.
They have used the unboxed Decca logo on the disc label which is a nice touch and the lp jacket has Decca prominently at the front like the original and rear although it has the new ABKCO catalog number.

Most people on the Hoffman board love the sound (half the 30 page thread is about the shipping!!!!) Ruby Tuesday is restored to it's original mix (there was a missing vocal overdub on the 2002 master), Heart of Stone IS the 2002 master and there's a digital glitch in Get Off My Cloud. Beggar's Banquet is speed corrected and has the audiophiles raving.

It's on a nice Decca label but there's no ear or frr