Before they were the "world's greatest rock 'n' roll band," the Stones were one of England's best cover bands. Singer Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Brian Jones, drummer Charlie Watts and bassist Bill Wyman were passionate blues fans, and unlike other British R&B bands of the day, they put their own nasty edge on the material. An outgrowth of Blues Incorporated, the Rolling Stones made their first single, a cover of Chuck Berry 's "Come On," in 1963 and recorded their 1964 album debut, The Rolling Stones (England's Newest Hitmakers), in just 10 days. It's a crackling explosion of bluesy beat that runs from the lead-off "Not Fade Away" through the buzz of "Route 66," "King Bee" "Carol" and "Walking The Dog." The group's ability to infuse rhythm & blues tunes with their own fertile energy jump beats carried through 12 X 5 and The Rolling Stones Now!, a toughened blues-rock jewel.

The next five U.S. albums, which saw Jagger-Richards blossom as songwriters, are vibrant pastiches of various studio sessions that didn't match the U.K. releases and orphaned a couple hit singles. Out Of Our Heads provided the breakthroughs of "The Last Time" and "Satisfaction." The raucous December's Children artfully mixed bad-boy blues slink ("Look What You've Done") with zooming rock 'n' roll ("Get Off My Cloud") and convincing balladry ("As Tears Go By"). It was the all-original Aftermath (1966) that most effectively reworked blues roots into exciting new hybrids, like Jones's gypsy hook on "Paint It Black." Jones's harmonica also powered "Going Home" from its origins as a two-minute, 30-second song into a trend-setting 11-minute jam.

Between The Buttons, with "Let's Spend The Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday" spliced in, and the leftovers of Flowers were entertaining, almost vaudeville detours with newfound melodic flair that showed some Beatles influence and sometimes strained Jagger's rogue vocals. Their Satanic Majesties Request blatantly knocked-off Sgt. Pepper's while yielding a few psychedelic highs.