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12 X 5

The Rolling Stones - 12 X 5 Audio CD

A fair review of the The Rolling Stones "12 X 5" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Rolling Stones reviews here, or go back to the The Rolling Stones tabs.

Band: The Rolling Stones
Title: 12 X 5
Rating:

Release Date: 2002-09-03
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Around and Around 2: Confessin' the Blues 3: Empty Heart 4: Time Is on My Side 5: Good Times Bad Times 6: It's All over Now 7: 2120 South Michigan Avenue 8: Under the Boardwalk 9: Congratulations 10: Grown up Wrong 11: If You Need Me 12: Susie-Q

fine early album from The Stones--but when haven't they done a great job ???
The Rolling Stones perform very well on this CD; but when didn't they do everything they could to please their fans? Their longevity proves that their fans still enjoy their music; and that's terrific. 12 X 5 gives us some of the very best of The Stones' early work; the CD has some bluesy numbers and the instrumental "2120 South Michigan Avenue," the address of Chess Records where a number of these songs were recorded, also shines. The quality of the sound on this CD is excellent and I like that they used the artwork from the original record album cover.

"Around and Around" has a great bluesy/rockin' sound to it that makes it a strong number with which to open this album. Chuck Berry would be proud! The electric guitars are awesome and I like that percussion and the drums! "Confessin' The Blues" continues in the same vein and The Rolling Stones ace this seemingly effortlessly; but of course we know it really wasn't all that easy--their talent always carries them through. Mick Jagger's singing is faultless, too. Great! "Empty Heart" impresses me; that harmonica and percussion enhance the musical arrangement as they bat this right out of the ballpark! I love it.

Jerry Ragovoy's "Time Is on My Side" is one of my favorite early Stones tunes even if some people prefer the guitar-intro version, what we get here is the organ-intro version. The blues flavor of this cover song is terrific; and it all holds its own very well. "Good Times, Bad Times" is essentially acoustic; it has Mick singing squarely front and center as the stripped down music compliments his singing to perfection--and beyond! "Good Times, Bad Times" is really great and it makes a fine ballad for this album.

"It's All Over Now" is quite an energetic number that many Stones fans (and even non-Stones fans) will recognize; this was first released by The Valentinos with Bobby Womack and then covered by The Rolling Stones. The Stones do this flawlessly and it blows my mind! "It's All Over Now" has great vocals and the music with those guitars and more make this one of the best early numbers by The Stones. "2120 South Michigan Avenue" is a strong instrumental with a distinctly `60s flavor to it--but don't worry; it still sounds awesome in our times. "Under The Boardwalk" again showcases the band's ability to cover a song (this time by The Drifters) with panache; they sing and play this wonderfully and this music lacks nothing--this is all THAT good. "Congratulations" is another great, melancholy ballad that describes a man's ache when his woman leaves him; and there's "Grown up Wrong" with its percussion, vocals, and a mixture of major and minor keys to make this a fine tune indeed!

"If You Need Me" has a R&B style popular then and even now; The Rolling Stones perform this wonderfully; it's got a fine rhythm and these artists never miss a beat! The album ends strong, too, with The Rolling Stones performing "Susie Q. " "Susie Q" rocks and I those guitars make it a real stand-out of this CD!

The Rolling Stones scored a huge goal in my book with this album; this is fine music that is a necessity for any fan of The Rolling Stones. It also makes a fine starter CD for people just discovering The Stones; and anyone who likes R&B from the 1960s would do well to add this to their collections. .

Before the HITS:
I was just filling in the holes in my "Stones" catalog! For the most part this disc is pretty weak! It was recorded at a time before "The Glimmer Twins" started writing good songs (or bad songs for that matter) Good covers of "Chuck Berry's "Around & Around", Bobby Womack's "It's All Over Now", and the always popular "Time Is On My Side" make the disc worth owning.

Rollicking Stones' Album
Many of the songs are covers, but there are also some of the earliest of their own compositions (for those who are not Rolling Stones' veterans, songs credited to Nanker Phelge are actually by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards). 12 X 5 was a classic Rolling Stones album.

The CD opens with a fine cover of Chuck Berry's "Around and Around" and closes with the classic "Susie Q," well sung by the way.

Let's sample some of the works.

"Around and Around. " This is credible Chuck Berry (I never thought, for instance, that the Beatles, as talented as they were, could quite manage the essence of Berry's works). There is nice guitar work and great thumping piano playing.

"Time Is on My Side. " Another cover and another classic. The Stones made this their own song. The rhythm section lays down a good base for the rest of the band. Even at his young age, Jagger had the ability to get into a song and make it mean something.

"Good Times, Bad Times. " The Rolling Stones have had a solid blues sensibility since their earliest works. This song is their own blues piece (a Jagger-Richards composition). A fine piece of blues. Great harmonica work and solid guitar work. The opening lines:

"There've been good times,
There've been bad times.
I had my share of hard times, too. "

"Under the Boardwalk. " I still find it hard to think of the Stones playing this summertime song! But they do it well and make this fun. Then, the CD closes out with a cool version of "Susie Q. " Nice guitar work again.

Anyhow, if you want a flavor of the early Rolling Stones, you can't do much better than this. I hadn't listened to this album for eons, and it's still fresh and even interesting to listen to.
.

12 X 5, great early Stone
This album is very early Stones (1964), and in my opinion, in addition to Let It Bleed, it is one of the best albums they have ever done. Some of the younger Stones fans may not be aware that the Rolling Stones started out as a blues band. Some songs rock, some are bluesy (?), and some are familiar, but all are great. I highly recommend this CD to anyone who is interested in the Rollings Stones roots or who just loves to listen to something different.

it's good
their version of under the boardwalk sounds better than the original. each song sounds clean; really fresh. .

You can see a complete list of all The Rolling Stones discography, or go back to the The Rolling Stones tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.