Aftermath [US] (Remastered)

by The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger

Overview

Aftermath -- usually (and correctly) viewed as the Stones' response to the newfound maturity of the Beatles' Rubber Soul -- is notable for a number of reasons, not the least being that it was the group's first album in stereo (courtesy of legendary American engineer Dave Hassinger). It was also the Stones' first completely self-penned LP, with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards rising to the occasion with a series of brilliantly commercial -- and occasionally nasty -- songs, ranging from the delicately Elizabethan "Lady Jane" to the Dylanesque "Mother's Little Helper." Aftermath is also the album that revealed Brian Jones as the band's secret weapon; apparently he was able to play just about any exotic instrument he got his hands on, and his touches are all over the album, particularly in the ironic lilt his marimba lines add to the otherwise malevolent "Under My Thumb." Finally, the concluding blues jam, "Goin' Home," was at the time the longest rock track ever recorded, and though not completely successful as such, there's no doubt that then embryonic San Francisco psychedelic bands like the Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead took it as a template for much of their own work.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/27/2002
Label:	Abkco
UPC:	0018771947622
catalogNumber:	719476
Rank:	6201

Tracks

1. Paint It Black
2. Stupid Girl
3. Lady Jane
4. Under My Thumb
5. Doncha Bother Me
6. Think
7. Flight 505
8. High and Dry
9. It's Not Easy
10. I Am Waiting
11. Going Home

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Rolling Stones   Primary Artist
Mick Jagger   Guitar,Harmonica,Percussion,Keyboards,Vocals
Charlie Watts   Percussion,Drums,Marimbas,Bells
Jack Nitzsche   Organ,Percussion,Piano,Harpsichord,Keyboards,Hammond Organ
Bill Wyman   Organ,Synthesizer,Bass,Piano,Bass Guitar,Harpsichord,Keyboards,Marimbas,Vocals,Bells
Brian Jones   Dulcimer,Guitar,Marimbas,Sitar,Bells
Keith Richards   Guitar,Keyboards,Vocals
Ian Stewart   Organ,Piano,Harpsichord,Keyboards

Technical Credits

Mick Jagger   Composer
Rolling Stones   Arranger
David Hassinger   Engineer,Liner Notes
Iris Keitel   Art Direction
Mick McKenna   Tape Research
Andrew Loog Oldham   Producer
Keith Richards   Composer
Steve Rosenthal   Archives Coordinator
Gus Skinas   Engineer
Lenne Allik   Concept

Editorial Reviews

The Rolling Stones finally delivered a set of all-original material with this LP, which also did much to define the group as the bad boys of rock & roll with their sneering attitude toward the world in general and the female sex in particular. The borderline misogyny could get a bit juvenile in tunes like "Stupid Girl." But on the other hand the group began incorporating the influences of psychedelia and Dylan into their material with classics like "Paint It Black," an eerily insistent number one hit graced by some of the best use of sitar (played by Brian Jones) on a rock record. Other classics included the jazzy "Under My Thumb," where Jones added exotic accents with his vibes, and the delicate Elizabethan ballad "Lady Jane," where dulcimer can be heard. Some of the material is fairly ho-hum, to be honest, as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were still prone to inconsistent songwriting; "Goin' Home," an 11-minute blues jam, was remarkable more for its barrier-crashing length than its content. Look out for an obscure gem, however, in the brooding, meditative "I Am Waiting."

All Music Guide - Richie Unterberger