Standing Over By The Record Machine: The Rolling Stones 7” Singles 1966-1971 box set is the state of the 45 RPM art.

18 reasons why Mick ‘n’ Keef ‘n’ the boys are The World’s Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band.

The seven-inch single is the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll medium. True, the 45 lost some of its luster in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, when rock lost its roll and made pretensions towards being some sorta “artform,” rather than fabulous teenage noise with a big beat. Then it became all about albums. And while albums are good things, a good seven-inch is a better thing. 

You have a total of three minutes to work with, before the sound starts deteriorating. But singles sound best when you cap them at 2:30. That’s when the fidelity is at its most crisp. What this means is you’d best compress all your best ideas into that abbreviated time, and say ‘em as loudly and with as much energy as you can muster. The faster playing speed means you can master them shithot, so your new masterpieces are LOUD AS FUCK!!

This is why when punk happened, the 45 became its ultimate delivery system. There’s nothing to waste – get in, make your statement as forcefully as possible, leave scars and burn marks, then get out.

This is why The Rolling Stones have been pedestaled by many over the years as the apex rock ‘n’ roll band: Early on, they mastered the art of the 45 RPM single. Hence, doesn’t it stand to reason that the best place to hear Mick ‘n’ Keef ‘n’ the boys would be stacking a buncha their best little records with big round holes onto the spindle and letting ‘em drop on the platter one by one, the volume knob busted off at neighbor-threatening levels? That’ll get the party started better’n Hackney Diamonds any day! (And yes, I am aware I gave the latest Stones full-length an okay review, if not a full-on rave. But, c’mon! Ya gonna tell me that, “Bite My Head Off” aside, any of that stands up to “Honky Tonk Women”? Even “Bite My Head Off,” cool as it is, most decidedly does not!)

ABKCO Records just did us all a favor, issuing the limited edition box set The Rolling Stones Singles 1966-1971, the companion to last year’s The Rolling Stones Singles 1963-1966, Both vinylize a pair of 2004 box sets presenting the Stones’ entire 1960s 45 catalog on facsimile CD singles, complete with miniaturized reproduction 45 sleeves — a silly practice common to the the early ‘00s. Remember the times, brethren: The big bad music biz honestly believed it had vanquished the quaint vinyl record for good, and was hoping CDs would hang on in spite of Napster essentially slaying that dragon with free MP3 downloads. The sound quality was shit, but hey — music was now free! Forget the artists having to pay their bills!

AHEM! But I digress….

Point is, those of us with taste and discernment never stopped loving records. [NOTE TO YOUNGER READERS: THESE ARE CALLED “RECORDS”!! NOT “VINYLS”!! VINYL IS THE MATERIAL RECORDS ARE MADE OF!!! AND THE PLURAL OF “VINYL” IS VINYL!!] Eventually, the world came back around and understood the vitality of the vinyl medium, which meant ABKCO had to wake up and realize that they needed to revinylize all those CDs from way back. With The Rolling Stones Singles boxes, ABKCO manages to accomplish just that with aplomb. The Rolling Stones Singles 1966-1971 presents the period where The Rolling Stones became THE ROLLING STONES in capital letters, through 18 of the greatest 45s which man- and womankind had the privilege of hearing and shaking their tail feathers to. We’re talkin’ stone cold killers such as the whirling dervish tarantella that is “Paint It Black,” the fuzz-drenched nerve-shredder that is “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow?,” the leering titillation of “Let’s Spend The Night Together,” the nostalgia and remorse over love lost in “Ruby Tuesday,” the hip-shaking badassery of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (which I’ve long been convinced was the New  York Dolls’ musical blueprint, as the video clip linked above was their fashion template) and “Brown Sugar,” the hard-rockin’ revolutionary politics of “Street Fighting Man,”  the country-inflected raunch of “Honky Tonk Women.” All mastered good and LOUD, on heavyweight vinyl, in their original picture sleeve art.

There’s, of course, the requisite bells-and-whistles accompanying the music, as in any box set worth its weight in rock ‘n’ roll. There’s a 32-page softbound book with copious liner notes, photos and memorabilia, always welcome. There’s the poster, depicted above, of the Mick Taylor lineup, which crafted at least half of this collection. There’s an envelope containing five high-quality photo prints. All of which is lovely. But when you get right down to it, what counts is the music, right? And that’s presented immaculately.

What is really present, which might not be noticeable by some when, say, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” comes struttin’ on the car radio, is how well-crafted the production has always been on Rolling Stones records. Pretty remarkable for much of their ‘60s output, considering Andrew Loog Oldham was a studio novice when he first brought the Stones into Olympic Studios to record their debut single, the 1963 Chuck Berry-penned “Come On.” But for all their raw blues-based thunder, Stones records always have been clear, every instrument placed in a well-defined space in the mix, without losing any live energy. The sonic tradition continued once they switched in 1968 to Jimmy Miller, once Oldham was dismissed as their manager. Miller was a drummer, so he paid particular attention to Charlie Watts’ drum sound, as well as piling on subtle percussive details – shakers, tambourines, timbales, whatever would get feet and butts onto the dance floor. 

Yes, there is an audible difference between the Brian Jones Rolling Stones and the Mick Taylor Stones. Especially considering that during the era covered by this box, Brian had seemingly become bored with playing guitar, leaving it all to Keith Richards as he explored any instrument laying around the studio and finding he had a natural aptitude for them all, most evident by the sitar hook he attached to “Paint It, Black.” Taylor came in as a hotshit lead guitar wunderkind. For the first and last time, the Stones had defined lead and rhythm guitar roles in the band, Keith reduced to the rhythm slot.

You don’t do that to Keith fucking Richards!

The Rolling Stones function best when the two guitarists — be it Keith and Brian or Keith and Ron Wood — practice what Keith calls “the ancient art of weaving.” I think a more accurate term would be “four hands, one guitar.” No one guitarist sticks to a defined role in the Stones, when they’re functioning at peak perfection. Their parts interlock, they swap lead and rhythm roles, they possibly even forget who’s supposed to solo, accidentally stepping on one another. But it’s part of their charm and spontaneous musicality. 

And yet, some of the greatest Stones 45s — “Honky Tonk Women,” “Brown Sugar” — are of the Mick Taylor era! Go figure!

There’s also some rarities, such as Jagger’s solo “Memo From Turner” from the Performance soundtrack. And you get a 33 RPM EP of “Street Fighting Man”/”Surprise Surprise”/”Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” you can play alongside your “Street Fighting Man” 45, to hear for yourself the supremacy of 45 RPM vs. 33. Where appropriate, both the US (on London Records) and UK (on Decca) 45s are also included. 

Could The Rolling Stones Singles 1966-1971 be the best Rolling Stones album ever? Well, it ain’t an album, babe. These are the frequencies at which the Stones convulse the best, all in one place. Get the first singles box with this, and you may just have all the Stones you need.

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