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The Rolling Stones Complete Discography
The Rolling Stones formed in 1961 by recording early singles covering rhythm and blues standards. They released their first album, The Rolling Stones in 1964, and have continued to tour and record ever since. This book is the first complete discography in over a decade and details the Stones' 49 albums, 66 chart-ranking singles, early EPs and all the B-sides including live takes, studio recordings, recent remixes, and compilations. Included with each entry are reproductions of all album covers, singles sleeves, release dates, composer credits, timing and comments—critical information needed to understand a band that has featured a changing cast of members around the lasting core of Mick Jagger and Keith Richard. This discography is the most comprehensive guide to the Stones' output ever published in one volume—a browsable and compelling reference to an enduring force in pop culture.
- GenresMusic
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
19 people want to read
About the author
Alan Clayson
64 books10 followersAlan Clayson (Dover, England, 1951) is of a late 1970s vintage of composer-entertainers that also embraces the likes of Wreckless Eric, Tom Robinson, Elvis Costello and John Otway. While he is still making regular concert appearances, he has become better known as an author of around thirty books - mostly musical biography. These include the best-sellers "Backbeat" (subject of a major film), The Yardbirds and The Beatles book box.
He has written for journals as diverse as The Guardian, Record Collector, Ink, Mojo, Mediaeval World, Folk Roots, Guitar, Hello!, Drummer, The Times, The Independent, Ugly Things and, as a 'teenager, the notorious Schoolkids 0z. He has also been engaged to perform and lecture on both sides of the Atlantic - as well as broadcast on national TV and radio.
From 1975 to 1985, he led the legendary Clayson and the Argonauts - who reformed in 2005, ostensibly to launch Sunset On A Legend, a long-awaited double-CD retrospective - and was thrust to 'a premier position on rock's Lunatic Fringe' (Melody Maker).
As shown by the existence of a US fan club - dating from an 1992 soiree in Chicago - Alan Clayson's following grows still as well as demand for his talents as a record producer, and the number of versions of his compositions by such diverse acts as Dave Berry (in whose backing group, he played keyboards in the mid-1980s), New Age Outfit, Stairway - and Joy Tobing, winner of the Indonesian version of Pop Idol. He has worked too with The Portsmouth Sinfonia, Wreckless Eric, Twinkle, The Yardbirds, The Pretty Things, Mark Astronaut and the late Screaming Lord Sutch among many others. While his stage act defies succinct description, he has been labelled a 'chansonnier' in recent years for performances and record releases that may stand collectively as Alan Clayson's artistic apotheosis were it not for a promise of surprises yet to come.
He has written for journals as diverse as The Guardian, Record Collector, Ink, Mojo, Mediaeval World, Folk Roots, Guitar, Hello!, Drummer, The Times, The Independent, Ugly Things and, as a 'teenager, the notorious Schoolkids 0z. He has also been engaged to perform and lecture on both sides of the Atlantic - as well as broadcast on national TV and radio.
From 1975 to 1985, he led the legendary Clayson and the Argonauts - who reformed in 2005, ostensibly to launch Sunset On A Legend, a long-awaited double-CD retrospective - and was thrust to 'a premier position on rock's Lunatic Fringe' (Melody Maker).
As shown by the existence of a US fan club - dating from an 1992 soiree in Chicago - Alan Clayson's following grows still as well as demand for his talents as a record producer, and the number of versions of his compositions by such diverse acts as Dave Berry (in whose backing group, he played keyboards in the mid-1980s), New Age Outfit, Stairway - and Joy Tobing, winner of the Indonesian version of Pop Idol. He has worked too with The Portsmouth Sinfonia, Wreckless Eric, Twinkle, The Yardbirds, The Pretty Things, Mark Astronaut and the late Screaming Lord Sutch among many others. While his stage act defies succinct description, he has been labelled a 'chansonnier' in recent years for performances and record releases that may stand collectively as Alan Clayson's artistic apotheosis were it not for a promise of surprises yet to come.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 25, 2012
I've been in love with The Rolling Stones since I was a teenager...maybe even before then. When I was 16, I began to truly devour their entire catalog...and soon became a hardcore fan. The thought of reading a book that lists and discusss the entire Rolling Stones cannon was of great interest to me...Yet not long after opening THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY book...I realized I was in for a very long, and not particularly informative read...
Clayson's first mistake was the structure. Instead of listing all of the Rolling Stones releases in chronological order...he instead lists them in categories...UK Albums, then US albums, etc...leaving for last..UK and US singles. Why this does not work, is that you lose a sense of history if you break it up...For example...how can you even discuss an album track like 1986's "Too Rude" before you discuss a single like 1966's "Get Off My Cloud"?? There's no sense of progression...no sense of story. I don't care that it's just a "Complete Discography"...It's a book, isn't it?
There's still a story to be told...The fact that Clayson doesn't understand this is clearly evident throughout...
THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY does not even work as a reference book...giving little detail about recording dates, or studios...I got the sense that Clayson just didn't bother to do his research...and when he did bother, he went in the wrong direction. On too many occasions, Clayson tries to compensate for his lack of Stones knowledge by going on about other artists...discussing their versions of a given Stones song...or not. Sometimes he'll throw out a disposable factoid for no apparent reason...just to fill the space. Here's an example:
About STICKY FINGERS track "Moonlight Mile", Clayson writes "Buckmaster of The Third Ear band whose oboe, viola, and bongo and 'cello undulations opened the Hyde Park show, scored the orchestral strings for "Sway." The incandescent encapsulation of a van's headlights signalled one more wearied deliverence from the treadmill of the road for someone who preferred to develop some flash of inspiration rather than fall asleep upright with the motorway roaring in his ears." Say what? What is he talking about? What does this have to do with the glorious song "Moonlight Mile"?? Is this just Alan Clayson's interpretaion of the lyrics? Huh? I thought this was a discography...not an essay on song lyrics. What about the track itself Alan?? Perhaps you'd want to mention that absence of Keith Richards on guitar? Perhaps you'd point out Mick Jagger's exquisite vocals...and guitar work??
Here's what Clayson says about the LET IT BLEED song "Let It Bleed" - "Perhaps it was to imprint the superficial worth of another of the album's weaker moments that this honky-tonkin', restricted-code ditty became the title track." What? That's it? Nothing else to say about this classic song that's been a radio-staple in the U.S. for 40 years?? Alan, did you even LISTEN to the song??
For some idiotic reason... Clayson spends a considerable amount of time at the end of the book going through all of the solo albums by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Charlie Watts...while ignoring solo works by other members of The Rolling Stones...such as Brian Jones, Ron Wood, Bill Wyman, & Mick Taylor.
To top it all off...their are numerous errors in the book which made me suspicious of all of the so called "facts" presented in the tome. Legenday "Late Night With David Letterman" keyboardist and bandleader Paul Shaffer (who guested with Keith Richards on NBC's "Friday Night Videos" in the 1980's) is mentioned as a drummer..."one of NBC's "Saturday Night Live"'s resident musicians." At least he spelled his name right...
The key ingredient missing in THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY is that through 464 pages, I never got the sense that Alan Clayson even liked The Rolling Stones. Substituting intellectual bravado over anything remotely interesting or informative...Clayson never once touches on the greatness of Mick Jagger on vocals & guitar, Keith Richards on guitar and vocals, Bill Wyman on bass, Brian Jones on everything, Mick Taylor on lead guitar, Ron Wood on guitar, and Charlie Watts on drums...with Ian Stewart on boogie-woogie piano now and then...These 8 men created some of the greatest rock and roll ever made...Alan Clayson seems incapable of appreciating, for example...the beauty and gusto of Keith Richards' genius guitar intros..."The Last Time", "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", "Rocks Off", "19th Nervous Breakdown", "Jumping Jack Flash", "Street Fighting Man", "Brown Sugar" and on and on....I don't think Clayson could ever understand the power of Mick Jagger's vocals on "Get Off My Cloud" or "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'"...Clayon called "Live With Me", from LET IT BLEED, "bland"...as if he could ever understand the dangerous and sexy groove generating from Bill Wyman's bass and Charlie Watts' drums...not to mention Keith Richard's provoking guitar licks...and Bobby Keys' fantastic sax solo. Clayson does not even mention Bobby Keyes..who was a key player (pun intended) on many Stones tracks...and has since toured with with Stones to this day. What a drag that one of the "Greatest Rock and Roll Bands in the World" has to be chronicled in one of the lamest rock and roll books in the world...
Clayson's first mistake was the structure. Instead of listing all of the Rolling Stones releases in chronological order...he instead lists them in categories...UK Albums, then US albums, etc...leaving for last..UK and US singles. Why this does not work, is that you lose a sense of history if you break it up...For example...how can you even discuss an album track like 1986's "Too Rude" before you discuss a single like 1966's "Get Off My Cloud"?? There's no sense of progression...no sense of story. I don't care that it's just a "Complete Discography"...It's a book, isn't it?
There's still a story to be told...The fact that Clayson doesn't understand this is clearly evident throughout...
THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY does not even work as a reference book...giving little detail about recording dates, or studios...I got the sense that Clayson just didn't bother to do his research...and when he did bother, he went in the wrong direction. On too many occasions, Clayson tries to compensate for his lack of Stones knowledge by going on about other artists...discussing their versions of a given Stones song...or not. Sometimes he'll throw out a disposable factoid for no apparent reason...just to fill the space. Here's an example:
About STICKY FINGERS track "Moonlight Mile", Clayson writes "Buckmaster of The Third Ear band whose oboe, viola, and bongo and 'cello undulations opened the Hyde Park show, scored the orchestral strings for "Sway." The incandescent encapsulation of a van's headlights signalled one more wearied deliverence from the treadmill of the road for someone who preferred to develop some flash of inspiration rather than fall asleep upright with the motorway roaring in his ears." Say what? What is he talking about? What does this have to do with the glorious song "Moonlight Mile"?? Is this just Alan Clayson's interpretaion of the lyrics? Huh? I thought this was a discography...not an essay on song lyrics. What about the track itself Alan?? Perhaps you'd want to mention that absence of Keith Richards on guitar? Perhaps you'd point out Mick Jagger's exquisite vocals...and guitar work??
Here's what Clayson says about the LET IT BLEED song "Let It Bleed" - "Perhaps it was to imprint the superficial worth of another of the album's weaker moments that this honky-tonkin', restricted-code ditty became the title track." What? That's it? Nothing else to say about this classic song that's been a radio-staple in the U.S. for 40 years?? Alan, did you even LISTEN to the song??
For some idiotic reason... Clayson spends a considerable amount of time at the end of the book going through all of the solo albums by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Charlie Watts...while ignoring solo works by other members of The Rolling Stones...such as Brian Jones, Ron Wood, Bill Wyman, & Mick Taylor.
To top it all off...their are numerous errors in the book which made me suspicious of all of the so called "facts" presented in the tome. Legenday "Late Night With David Letterman" keyboardist and bandleader Paul Shaffer (who guested with Keith Richards on NBC's "Friday Night Videos" in the 1980's) is mentioned as a drummer..."one of NBC's "Saturday Night Live"'s resident musicians." At least he spelled his name right...
The key ingredient missing in THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY is that through 464 pages, I never got the sense that Alan Clayson even liked The Rolling Stones. Substituting intellectual bravado over anything remotely interesting or informative...Clayson never once touches on the greatness of Mick Jagger on vocals & guitar, Keith Richards on guitar and vocals, Bill Wyman on bass, Brian Jones on everything, Mick Taylor on lead guitar, Ron Wood on guitar, and Charlie Watts on drums...with Ian Stewart on boogie-woogie piano now and then...These 8 men created some of the greatest rock and roll ever made...Alan Clayson seems incapable of appreciating, for example...the beauty and gusto of Keith Richards' genius guitar intros..."The Last Time", "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", "Rocks Off", "19th Nervous Breakdown", "Jumping Jack Flash", "Street Fighting Man", "Brown Sugar" and on and on....I don't think Clayson could ever understand the power of Mick Jagger's vocals on "Get Off My Cloud" or "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'"...Clayon called "Live With Me", from LET IT BLEED, "bland"...as if he could ever understand the dangerous and sexy groove generating from Bill Wyman's bass and Charlie Watts' drums...not to mention Keith Richard's provoking guitar licks...and Bobby Keys' fantastic sax solo. Clayson does not even mention Bobby Keyes..who was a key player (pun intended) on many Stones tracks...and has since toured with with Stones to this day. What a drag that one of the "Greatest Rock and Roll Bands in the World" has to be chronicled in one of the lamest rock and roll books in the world...
Displaying 1 of 1 review