#26: Out of our Heads, The Rolling Stones (USA) (1965)

Dan and Sam count down their 28 favorite albums of all time via e-mail conversation. To see the earlier ones in the list, click the tag "The 28"

Place on personal list: Sam--22, Dan--26, Average--24

Favorite Song: Sam--"That's How Strong My Love Is," Dan--"Mercy Mercy"

Favorite Line: Sam--uhh, maybe we should skip that this time. Dan--okay.


Dan:
This is unequivocally my favorite Rolling Stones album, and probably my favorite British Invasion album in general. Of all the British Invasion-era bands, I've always thought the Rolling Stones are right there in the top three with the Beatles and the Dave Clark Five. I think smart people still could've told at the time how great the Beatles would be, since even in their pre-Rubber Soul phase they were doing very interesting things with harmony and chord structure for a pop group, but their early work somehow lacks the authentic soul feel the Stones were able to achieve. I'll elaborate more on these things after I go through the songs, but one more point I would make is that we're talking about the US release here, the UK release is significantly altered and, in my opinion, much worse.

1) Mercy Mercy (9): This is my favorite song on the album, and I think a perfect tone-setter right up front. The beat is nice and heavy, and the guitar tone has nice buzz to it. I like the instrumental breaks, where Mick's voice comes through particularly well. He also shows great range, like during the bridge around 1:40. Also around 2:15 they alter the rhythm of the riff a little bit and it sounds really cool.

2) Hitch Hike (8.5): Gotta love the backing vocals on this Marvin Gaye cover. The drum hits at the end of each verse are great, and the whole song has lots of drive forward, even though the tempo is kind of relaxed and it's not really that loud or anything. This reminds me a lot of the Edwin Starr song "Twenty-Five Miles" in that you actually sort of FEEL the travels being described in the song.

3) The Last Time (8.5): Thank you Brian Jones for this killer riff. A pretty early example of riff-based rock songs, obviously a fundamental precursor to Led Zeppelin et al. I really feel a lot of emotion in the song during the end of each verse, "maybe the last time, i don't know." The guitar solo is extremely simple but I like it a lot. Love when everything drops out at the end and its just the tambourine before the guitar comes back in. The energy builds really well right at the end, what with the yelling and all.

4) That's How Strong My Love Is (8): There are a lot of covers on this album, but they're done so well I'm not really going to complain that we're a third of the way in and only have had one original composition. This is a really good song to begin with, but the Stones do it up quite well, with a heavy triplet feel that alternates between relaxed and mellow and loud and frenetic. It has a really good rhythmic feel to it, and the groove is tight throughout.

5) Good Times (7): Ok now things are getting a little out of hand on the cover front, not because this isn't a good song (in fact, it's a great song), but it's really way too similar to the Sam Cooke version to have much merit. It gets a solid rating here just because it sounds good, but they're really not doing anything too exciting. At least they don't butcher it like all those Chuck Berry covers the Beatles put out.

6) I'm All Right (Live) (7): I think throwing live tracks on a studio album is a cool idea, and this really gives some insight into the intensity, energy, and sheer volume the Stones possessed at the time. One of the select few times I actually applaud the awful audio quality because it gives me a feeling that there's almost so much energy the audio equipment can't even handle it (which scientifically speaking is actually half true). Of course there aren't really many lyrics, but the riff is really catchy. I wouldn't say this is an extraordinary song, but it really works well here in context after a softer tune and is a solid listen.

7) (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (8): Forget every time you've previously heard Mark Coppola declare the Stones the greatest rock band ever before playing this track. Now listen to it. It's very very good, and it's a damn shame that the commodification [ed. note: I don't know what this word means, but, yeah] of the Stones has led to the overplay of this song on virtually every "classic rock" station across the country, for a long time ruining it for me. In reality its a seriously good song, and really ahead of its time in terms of volume and guitar distortion. The driving beat and vocals really get the emotion across here.

8) Cry to Me (9): Not a Stones original, but I think this might be among the best covers of all time. The interplay between the rhythm guitar with all that reverb and the sweet tone on the lead part is awesome. Also lots of peaks and valleys in intensity which is nice. I really love the end, listen particularly to the lead guitar from 2:15 on. The buildup in energy is driven by that part I think, and in general is awesome.

9) The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man (7.5): This is a really funny, nice sounding blues. The lyrics are legitimately pretty comical, and I like the sardonic element with him voicing his opinion on how much he contributes to a group's artistic success when it's clear he doesn't give a shit about music. The harmonica is a nice touch in the background, and the riff is kind of goofy, but I think quite good in this song which is kind of goofy in general.

10) Play With Fire (9): This song really comes from out of nowhere, which I think adds to how good it is, although its really one of the best Stones' tracks to begin with. The echo chamber effect is stellar, and the guitar part, particularly the moving bass line, is great. The feeling it exudes is really strong, and the lyrics are simple but effective in delivering their message emotionally, not just textually. I really like the guitar verse at 1:00.

11) The Spider and the Fly (7): A pretty straightforward blues, but the guitar weaving that Jones and Keith Richards were known for is on prime display here. It has a lot of drive and energy (kind of a theme on this album? i've said it like 10 times already) and the lyrics and cadence are a little corny but the blues feel itself is authentic enough to make up for it. I like its position on the album, a nice low key song to follow a much more emotional track.

12) One More Try (6.5): Not bad, but not really much here. The intro is pretty weak, the lyrics are kind of like a stupid version of 19th Nervous Breakdown, and there's not very much creativity measure to measure. Especially as a last track, it doesn't work so well.

Bonus) Gotta Get Away (9): Just throw this song in here right at the end and the album becomes wayyyyyy better. This song is on the UK release of the album, and why it didn't make it to the US one is beyond me. I love everything about this, the melody is really cool, the guitar part is heavy and inventive, and in general it just sounds awesome. I didn't even know about this song till I got the complete Stones' singles and b-sides collection, so I suggest everyone check it out if you haven't heard it before. Really, this would be the perfect song to end this album and would bump it up at least a couple spots on my list.

I think this album is the antithesis of Bringing it All Back Home. It's not really that much better, but I would definitely choose to listen to it all the way through first because it's way more consistent. Especially the first half, which is not only consistently good, but consistently great. Brian Jones has always been my favorite Stone, not even so much for his playing, but for what I perceive to be his musical influence, and this is one of the last albums they released where he was a significant contributor in my opinion. Although in very broad terms a lot of these songs are pretty similar, there's a lot of subtle musical things going on that keep the whole album fresh.

I promised I'd say something about Charlie Watts, so here it is. I think he sucks. Well, not exactly. It's more like I just don't get why he's so acclaimed. Most of his work with the Stones is really uninspiring. He keeps a great beat, no doubt, but how can any self-respecting drummer go through entire songs without even throwing in a fill? On THIS album, however, he's really in the zone, laying down great grooves but also throwing in some cool rhythms etc. Love Mick's vocals, he's got great soul, and I despise Keith Richards but have gotta admit that he plays the guitar quite well, at least here. None of the songs here are my absolute favorite Stones tracks, but after the three or four songs of theirs I like best pretty much every song here makes the list right after them. Essentially, other than a couple other songs, I think this album possesses the rest of their best work.

Sam:
I'm uncomfortable about a few things in discussing Out of Our Heads. I'm uncomfortable calling this The Stones' best album when I only know Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street in the most cursory manner. I'm uncomfortable trying to assess an album of mostly covers when I haven't heard any of the originals. I'm uncomfortable, as I will be 2-3 other albums that are coming up soon on the list, in talking about a piece of art that I just don't know that well. Sure I love it, and I've listened to it at least 15-20 times, but I still don't have a full understanding of what's going on. And finally, I'm uncomfortable that, the more I think about it, there's no way I prefer this album to Bringing It All Back Home or Black Star. I think both of us gave precedence to albums with consistent excellence/very goodness over ones with flashes of incredible brilliance and some mediocrity, but, philosophically, I tend the other way, so I'm regretting ranking things the way I did. Ah, c'est la vie, I guess.

All of that said, I shall press on, and because I can't compare the covers to the originals, I'm just going to assess the quality of the song with a, say, half point deduction for being a cover.

1) Mercy, Mercy (8)
I love the little guitar intro. It's a little ahead of its time, no? It sounds almost like something out of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. While I wish that sound was more incorporated into the rest of the song, I still like it a lot, vintage British Invasion stuff, which I really enjoy. Mick is a powerful singer.

2) Hitch Hike (8)
I also dig the backing vocals, and this is long been a song that I toss on any playlist that it doesn't sound terrible on. The laid back pace is also welcome.

3) The Last Time (8.5)
Hey, a song they wrote! The riff is killer, the chorus is catchy and it's some great simple rock. This is another one from the OooH that I've been known to put on far too many playlists.

4) That's How Strong My Love Is (8)
I really love this song. In terms of simply how much I enjoy listening to it, this and "Good Times" are probably my favorites on the album. I especially like the contrast between the mellow verses and the powerful chorus. And Mick is a great performer.

5) Good Times (8)
Like I said, I haven't heard the original, so I believe you when you say this is too similar to the original to have a lot of merit, but I'm ignoring that aspect of it. It's such a relaxing song to listen to a summer afternoon. It's a blissful listening experience.

6) I'm All Right (7.5)
I love having a live track on here, and yes, while there aren't too many lyrics to speak of, we're not actually listening to The Stones for their lyrical complexity. It's a fantastic live performance of a song that's probably a little too short.

7) (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (8)
I agree with you completely about this song. It's been pretty close to ruined for me by the way it's been fawned over, but when I've been away from classic rock radio for a while, it's an excellent song with probably one of the most important riffs ever written.

8) Cry to Me (8.5)
I actually sometimes forget about this song, but you're right, it's awesome. The lead guitar at the end is great, Mick is great, the contrasts in intensity are great, everything's great.

9) The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man (7.5)
Yeah, I like this a lot too. I don't think the lyrics are all that funny (they are a little bit), but I like all the musical stuff going on, particularly the aforementioned goofy beat, which is totally appropriate, and the little change at the end.

10) Play with Fire (9)
Like you said, "Play with Fire" comes out of nowhere. It's also the only track that has any kind of emotional tension, and while I'm not a big fan of angry derisive lyrics, it does show that The Stones have more going on than meets the eye. Musically, it obviously sounds totally different from the rest of the album too, and it's a good change of pace.

11) The Spider and the Fly (7)
Agree about this one too. Straightforward blues but very enjoyable. The truth is that I just love straightforward blues, so I can't complain too much.

12) One More Try (7.5)
I actually like this song a lot, and I think this is my favorite use of the harmonica on the album. I'm totally fine with this as a final track.

I haven't heard "Gotta Get Away."

One thing I realized as I was writing this is that, at the time, it was standard practice to write very few to none of your songs. I believe Dylan and The Beatles were both revolutionary as singer/songwriter pop musicians, and both still began their careers with a lot of covers. The point is that we shouldn't penalize The Stones too harshly for all the covers (not that think either of us did). Still, I can't shake the feeling that this is a little bit like saying With The Beatles or Bob's eponymous debut is their best work, where of course they're doing good things, but haven't yet entered their truly revolutionary phase. Perhaps the difference with The Stones is the death of Brian Jones, but I still feel weird about it.

Dan:
I can't actually remember our personal rankings, did you put this one ahead of the last two on your personal list or did it just average this way? I'm a little less comfortable after going through the two really in depth saying this is better than Black Star, but I'm still convinced it's better than Bringing it All Back Home. I'm also not really sure how to deal with covers, even when I have heard the originals. I think when evaluating an album I tend to lean fairly heavily towards actual performance, because if you get picky over original material then you'd kind of face a dilemma calling Rushmore a great album, which it obviously is even though most of it someone just chose.

Mercy Mercy is definitely ahead of its time, not just in terms the heavy use of distorted, riff-oriented guitar, but also just the general heavy feel. It sounds way more dense than anything else coming out of England at this time.

You're last comments were very thought provoking. First, I think the Stones are a very unique case, as you alluded to, since The Beatles and Bob, although exploring a huge range of music, were the same artistic minds, whereas after Brian Jones left the band there was a pretty clear change in direction artistically.

I don't think the comparison to debut albums holds though [ed. note: Dude, you know With The Beatles isn't a debut right?], because although the Stones were still one album away from predominantly their own written material, I don't think they ever made an album as consistently good as this. Like I said, my absolute favorite Stones' tracks are from, shall we say, more mature albums. But you won't catch me ever listening to those albums all the way through. The album on our list I thought about most when I reviewed this was actually Rubber Soul. I'm pretty sure both albums were the fourth US release from those bands, and I think they're both the first albums that move from really really good pop to really really good music.

Sam:
Man, did I write some inane things in describing those songs. That's a symptom, I suppose, of us dealing with a kind of music that I don't really have the vocabulary to describe. It was frustrating trying to say what I thought about the songs and failing, and now I'm realizing just how much I failed. This will continue to be a problem on any of these British Invasion, early pop/R&B albums though thankfully, I think there's only one or two left.

And yeah, I think I actually had this album higher than you did (23 maybe? [22]), which wasn't a terrible mistake but evidence at least that I hadn't gone as in-depth evaluating everything as I have now. For one thing, I was skeptical about having Black Star on the list at all, and now I think we put it significantly too low.

Are you saying that you think Please Please Me was "really really good pop" and not "really really good music"? Well, we'll get to that I guess.

I'm not sure I'm buying the Rubber Soul comparison because though there's certainly some original stuff on here, it still sounds like British Invasion pop/R&B while I think Rubber Soul is as different from With The Beatles as Revolver is from Rubber Soul. Rubber Soul was a revolutionary album, and I don't think this one was. I do see what you're saying though.

As for covers, I think songwriting is critically important (I mean, I think something like 70% or more of Bob's greatest is in the writing), so I gave a small deduction for every song that wasn't original, but because of the context, I didn't penalize too much.

Alright, that was frustrating but also maybe the most interesting conversation yet. And thankfully, I know the next album about as well as I know anything this side of Chutes Too Narrow (which holds the record for number of times played in one summer (~3,986,543)).