The Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones, Now! (1965/2002) [SACD]

The covers on this 1965 gem are a bit more obscure than on the Stones' first two long-players, not a bad thing for a band still getting its writing chops together (if admirably; "Heart of Stone" and "Surprise, Surprise" are particularly strong). If there were still doubts that these London kids had any business playing this music, a casually scorching "Down the Road Apiece" should have allayed them; the stomp they lay on Bo Diddley's "Mona" and Jagger's lazy drawl on the New Orleans obscurity "Down Home Girl" make for canny mood changes. --Rickey Wright