''Singles Collection: The London Years'' is a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

, released in 1989. It was released as a 3-CD and a 4-LP set.

Background

''Singles Collection: The London Years'' was released by former manager

Allen Klein Allen Klein (December 18, 1931 – July 4, 2009) was an American businessman whose aggressive negotiation tactics affected industry standards for compensating recording artists. He founded ABKCO Music & Records Incorporated. Klein increased pr ...

ABKCO Records ABKCO Music & Records, Inc. (Allen & Betty Klein Company) is an American independent record label, music publisher, and film and video production company. It owns and/or administers the rights to music by Sam Cooke, the Rolling Stones, the Animal ...

(who usurped control of the band's

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

material in 1970) after the band's departure from Decca and Klein. The set is a

triple album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

of every Rolling Stones single—and their B-Sides—mostly in their original mono mixes (at least as of the 2002 reissue), in both the UK and US encompassing their entire era with

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

in the United Kingdom and

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

in the United States—hence the album's title. The original collection was produced by

Andrew Loog Oldham Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style. Early life Oldham's f ...

, and digitally compiled and prepared under his supervision by P. D. Rain and Jody Klein. With a range from 1963 to 1971, the set begins with their very first UK single,

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...

's " Come On", and runs to ''

Sticky Fingers ''Sticky Fingers'' is the ninth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. It was released on 23 April 1971 on the Rolling Stones' new label, Rolling Stones Records. The Rolling Stones had been contracted by Decca Records an ...

Brown Sugar Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content or produced by t ...

" and "

Wild Horses The wild horse (''Equus ferus'') is a species of the genus ''Equus'', which includes as subspecies the modern domesticated horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') as well as the endangered Przewalski's horse (''Equus ferus przewalskii'', sometimes tr ...

" (which Allen Klein shares release rights with the Rolling Stones). The only omissions are four B-sides from 1970 and 1971. "

Bitch Bitch may refer to: * Bitch (slang), a vulgar derogatory term used primarily referring to women, but is often directed towards men as well * A female dog or other canine Bitch or bitches may also refer to: Arts and media Film and television ...

" and " Let It Rock" (released in the UK on the "Brown Sugar" single) and " Sway" (B-side to "Wild Horses"). Allen Klein did not have release rights to this material when this compilation was released. Also not included was "Natural Magic", a

Jack Nitzsche Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche ( '; April 22, 1937 – August 25, 2000) was an American musician, arranger, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He came to prominence in the early 1960s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spector, a ...

instrumental, released as the B-side to the 1970 Mick Jagger single " Memo from Turner". These are available on the box set '' Singles 1968–1971'' except "Let It Rock" which is available on the box set '' Singles 1971–2006'' and the '' Rarities 1971–2003'' album. The release also does not include the EPs released by the band, ''

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

'', ''

Five by Five A signal strength and readability report is a standardized format for reporting the strength of the radio signal and the readability (quality) of the radiotelephone (voice) or Wireless telegraphy, radiotelegraph (Morse code) signal transmitted by ...

'' and '' Got Live If You Want It!'', which are available on the box set '' Singles 1963–1965''.

Release and reception

''Singles Collection: The London Years'' was released at a timely juncture, just a couple of weeks before the Rolling Stones' comeback album ''

Steel Wheels ''Steel Wheels'' is the nineteenth U.K. and twenty-first U.S. studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 29 August 1989 in the US and on 11 September in the UK. It was the final album of new material that the band re ...

'' was due for release after a significant break, and months following their induction into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

. Going platinum, the album reached No. 91 in the US. In August 2002, ''Singles Collection: The London Years'' was issued in a new remastered Compact Disc and SACD

digipak Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case A ...

. This version had a few differences from the 1989 release. Notably, the recording of " Street Fighting Man" on the 1989 release (and other releases such as '' Through the Past, Darkly'' and '' Hot Rocks 1964–1971'') is the LP stereo mix. The 2002 remaster uses the slightly shorter mono single mix. Also, the 2002 recording of "

Sympathy for the Devil "Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones. The song was written by Mick Jagger and credited to the Jagger–Richards partnership. It is the opening track on the band's 1968 Studio album, album ''Beggars Banquet ...

" fades out earlier than the 1989 version. In 2006,

Steven Van Zandt Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin. He has appeared i ...

placed ''Singles Collection: The London Years'' on top of his list of the most essential albums of all time, calling it:

Track listing

All songs by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, except where noted.

Disc one

#" Come On" (

) – 1:48 #"I Want to Be Loved" (

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

) – 1:52 #"

I Wanna Be Your Man "I Wanna Be Your Man" is a Lennon–McCartney-penned song first recorded and released as a single by the Rolling Stones, and then recorded by the Beatles for their second studio album '' With the Beatles''. The song was primarily written by Pau ...

" ( John Lennon/Paul McCartney) – 1:43 #" Stoned" (

Nanker Phelge Nanker Phelge (also known as Nanker-Phelge) was a collective pseudonym used between 1963 and 1965 for several Rolling Stones group compositions. According to manager Andrew Loog Oldham the 'Nanker Phelge' credit was mostly used for tracks where th ...

) – 2:09 #" Not Fade Away" ( Charles Hardin/

Norman Petty Norman Petty (May 25, 1927 – August 15, 1984) was an American musician, record producer, publisher, and radio station owner. He is considered to be one of the founding fathers of early rock & roll. With Vi Ann Petty—his wife and vocalist—he ...

) – 1:47 #" Little by Little" (Nanker Phelge/

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

) – 2:39 #"

It's All Over Now "It's All Over Now" is a song written by Bobby Womack and his sister-in-law Shirley Womack. It was first released by The Valentinos, featuring Bobby Womack, in 1964. The Rolling Stones heard it on its release and quickly recorded a cover ver ...

" (

Bobby Womack Robert Dwayne Womack ( ; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's ...

/Shirley Jean Womack) – 3:27 #"Good Times, Bad Times" – 2:31 #"

Tell Me Tell Me may refer to: * ''Tell Me...'', a 1979 album by Jimmy Knepper * Tell me (advertisement), a 2005 Chinese-language newspaper ad calling for universal suffrage in Hong Kong * Tell Me (TV series), ''Tell Me'' (TV series), a 2019 South Korean qu ...

" – 2:47 #"

I Just Want to Make Love to You "I Just Want to Make Love to You" is a blues song written by Willie Dixon. In 1954, it was recorded by Muddy Waters, and released as a single with the title "Just Make Love to Me". The song reached number four on '' Billboard'' magazine's R&B B ...

" (Willie Dixon) – 2:17 #"

Time Is on My Side "Time Is on My Side" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy (using the pseudonym "Norman Meade"). First recorded by jazz trombonist Kai Winding and his orchestra in 1963, it was covered (with additional lyrics by Jimmy Norman) by both soul singer I ...

" ( Norman Meade) – 2:59 #"Congratulations" – 2:28 #"

Little Red Rooster "Little Red Rooster" (or "The Red Rooster" as it was first titled) is a blues standard credited to arranger and songwriter Willie Dixon. The song was first recorded in 1961 by American blues musician Howlin' Wolf in the Chicago blues style. Hi ...

" (Willie Dixon) – 3:05 #"Off the Hook" – 2:34 #" Heart of Stone" – 2:45 #"What a Shame" – 3:03 #" The Last Time" – 3:42 #" Play with Fire" anker Phelge) – 2:14 #"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" – 3:43 #"The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man" (Nanker Phelge) – 3:20 #" The Spider and the Fly" – 3:38 #" The Spider and the Fly (song)">The Spider and the Fly" – 3:38 #"Get Off of My Cloud" – 2:54 #" I'm Free" – 2:24 #"The Singer Not the Song" – 2:22 #"As Tears Go By (song)">As Tears Go By" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards/

) – 2:45

Disc two

#"Gotta Get Away" – 2:07 #"19th Nervous Breakdown" – 3:56 #"Sad Day" – 3:01 #"Paint It Black" – 3:44 #"Stupid Girl (Rolling Stones song), Stupid Girl" – 2:55 #"Long Long While" – 3:01 #"Mother's Little Helper" – 2:45 #" Lady Jane (song), Lady Jane" – 3:10 #"

Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow? "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was recorded in the late summer of 1966 during early sessions for what would become t ...

" – 2:34 #"Who's Driving Your Plane?" – 3:14 #"

Let's Spend the Night Together "Let's Spend the Night Together" is a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and originally released by the Rolling Stones as a double A-sided single together with " Ruby Tuesday" in January 1967. It also appears as the opening track ...

" – 3:26 #" Ruby Tuesday" – 3:13 #"

We Love You "We Love You" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones that was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Their first new release of the summer of 1967, it was first released as a single on 18 August in the United Kingdom, with "D ...

" – 4:36 #"

Dandelion ''Taraxacum'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus has a near-cosmopolitan distribu ...

" – 3:48 #" She's a Rainbow" – 4:11 #" 2000 Light Years from Home" – 4:44 #" In Another Land" (

Bill Wyman William George Wyman ( né Perks; born 24 October 1936) is an English musician who was the bass guitarist with the rock band the Rolling Stones from 1962 to 1993. Wyman was part of the band's first stable lineup and performed on their first 19 ...

) – 2:53 #"The Lantern" – 4:26 #"

Jumpin' Jack Flash "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released as a non-album single in 1968. Called "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London" by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, the song was seen as the band's retu ...

" – 3:38 #"Child of the Moon" – 3:12

Disc three

#" Street Fighting Man" – 3:09 #*The 1989 release uses the 3:16 stereo version from ''

Beggars Banquet ''Beggars Banquet'' is the seventh studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 6 December 1968 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and London Records in the United States. It was the first Rolling Stones album pro ...

'' #" No Expectations" – 3:55 #"Surprise, Surprise" – 2:30 #"

Honky Tonk Women "Honky Tonk Women" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. It was released as a non-album single in July 1969 in the United Kingdom, and a week later in the United States (a country version called "Country Honk" was later includ ...

" – 3:00 #"

You Can't Always Get What You Want "You Can't Always Get What You Want" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones from their 1969 album '' Let It Bleed''. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was named as the 100th greatest song of all time by ''Rolling Sto ...

" – 4:49 #" Memo from Turner" – 4:06 #*Released as a

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

solo single in November 1970 #"

" – 3:49 #"

" – 5:42 #"

I Don't Know Why "I Don't Know Why" (sometimes listed as "Don't Know Why I Love You") is a song by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, from the 1968 album ''For Once in My Life''. It was released as a single on January 28, 1969, with " My Cherie Amour" on ...

" (

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

/Paul Riser/Don Hunter/Lula Hardaway) – 3:01 #" Try a Little Harder" – 2:17 #" Out of Time" – 3:22 #" Jiving Sister Fanny" – 3:20 #"

" – 6:17 #*The 1989 release contains a slightly longer 6:24 version'' All tracks on disc one and most of disc two were produced by

; tracks 1–4 of disc one were co-produced with

Eric Easton Eric Easton (1927–1995) was an English record producer and the first manager of British Rock music, rock group the Rolling Stones. Originally from Lancashire, he joined the music industry playing the organ in music halls and cinemas. By the ...

. Tracks 15–18 of disc two were produced by

and tracks 19–20 produced by

Jimmy Miller Jimmy Miller (March 23, 1942 – October 22, 1994) was an American record producer and musician. While he produced albums for dozens of different bands and artists, he is known primarily for his work with several key musical acts of the 1960s ...

. All tracks on disc three were produced by Jimmy Miller, except tracks 3, 10, and 11, which were produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. and track 6, which was produced by

Chart positions

Certifications

References

{{Authority control Albums produced by Andrew Loog Oldham Albums produced by Jack Nitzsche Albums produced by Jimmy Miller Albums produced by Mick Jagger The Rolling Stones compilation albums 1989 compilation albums ABKCO Records compilation albums Albums with cover art by Mick Rock Albums recorded at IBC Studios Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios