Margotin - The Rolling Stones All the Songs

April 7, 1962. Onstage at the Ealing Club in London, a young, blond-haired guitarist launches into the intro of Dust My Broom, a blues number from the depths of the Mississippi Delta. His bottleneck glides up and down the strings of his Hofner Committee guitar, producing an unfamiliar, mesmerizing sound. His name is Brian Jones. Among the audience in the packed, smoky room are two young musicians who appreciate his performance even more than most: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The three of them share a passion for the blues of Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Jimmy Reed, and Lightnin Hopkins, and decide to throw in their musical lot together. Over the following months they are joined by Ian Stewart, a pianist well-versed in the dynamic rhythms of boogie-woogie, Bill Wyman, and finally Charlie Watts. The Rolling Stones are born, and with them one of the most extraordinary and exciting musical stories of the twentieth century.

May 1963. A few months before John F. Kennedys assassination. Harold MacMillan is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and General de Gaulle is President of France. Pouring forth from the radio are the Beatles with From Me To You, Gerry and the Pacemakers with How Do You Do It? and Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas with Do You Want To Know A Secret. In London, five disenchanted-looking musicians with dark circles under their eyes from spending night after night practicing the magical chords and riffs of those eternal Chicago blues are getting ready to record their first single, Come On. And their dedication pays off, for this debut release will seal their destiny and kick-start the career of the greatest rock n roll band in the world!

Ever since that auspicious spring of 1963, the Rolling Stones have been a glittering star in the rock n roll firmament, and the concert given by the London band in 2016 to a captivated crowd in Cuba demonstrates that the legend is far from over. Where does this Rolling Stones magic come from? Without doubt from their rebelliousness, their love of provocation, and their black humor and acerbic wit. But most of all it derives from their musicthat special cocktail of blues and rock n roll, country and gospel that sums up half a century of good vibrations and cool sounds. A music born of the incredible bond between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, two songwriters who have forged a route to success by spurning fashion and holding critics in utter contempt. The music of the Stones comes across as authentic because it is the music of a never-ending party, of a categorical refusal to grow old.

Because the Stones are an English band, The Rolling Stones All the Songs is based on their British discography. Where the track listing of the US version of an album differs from the UK release, we have indicated this and made a point of including any songs that are not on the UK album. In the case of the live albums, we have covered all the songs that have never been recorded in the studio. Finally, in order to be absolutely straight with the reader, wherever it has proved impossible to be sure about a date or a musicians name, we have inserted a (?).

The Stones have been rolling for more than half a century. The most extraordinary thing is not that they have discovered the elixir of eternal youth for themselves; it is that they have chosen to share it with their fans, both onstage and on disc. May The Rolling Stones All the Songs be an enduring contribution to their alchemy!