Rolling Stones
December's Children - London 1965
Tracks: Tracks: 1. She Said Yeah / 2. Talkin' About You / 3. You Better Move On / 4. Look What You've Done / 5. The Singer Not The Song / 6. Route 66 / 7. Get Off of My Cloud / 8. I'm Free / 9. As Tears Go By / 10. Gotta Get Away / 11. Blue Turns To Grey / 12. I'm Moving On
Comments:
"December's Children" was a U.S. only album that only in a few cases collided with the European releases, and for this reason the record was / is particularly interesting for Stones collectors.
The music is somewhat a mixed bag, consisting of EP tracks and singles. A few numbers were already a year or two old when the album was released in December 1965.
Half of the songs are Jagger / Richards originals and the rest are cover versions of various other artists' songs. Among these, you'll notice the excellent interpretation of Arthur Alexander's ballad "You Better Move On". The energetic and raw opening track "She Said Yeah" is another standout.
Two tracks are live recordings showing that the Stones were also a highly competent live band.
Among the Jagger / Richards originals important is the recently released single "Get Off Of My Cloud" / "I'm Free"; both songs among the very best from this period. Two very fine, and often overlooked, melodic ballads are to me the album's biggest highlights. "Blue Turns Gray two" is also technically a great recording, while "The Singer Not the Song" is an equally impressive number, which maybe has not been given the same "finish". This song can also be found in an excellent cover version by Alex Chilton.
Rolling Stones' "answer" to "Yesterday" is another of the disc's most memorable numbers. "Gotta Get Away" is more on the regular but still okay.
A slightly uneven overall impression and the somewhat short playing time.
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