Date Of Original Release: 1965 Key Tracks: Not Fade Away, Route 66, Tell Me Note: This LP was originally released in the UK with minor track changes as "The Rolling Stones #2". Like the previous entry, this is a collection of the Stones earliest material, but this album is notable for containing the very first Jagger/Richards composition, "Tell Me". It's not their best song, but as a tentative step away from being strictly a blues cover band and an attempt to do original material, it remains an important signpost for the Stones. Elsewhere, "Route 66" and "Not Fade Away" remain the standouts from another crop of blues/R&B covers.
9. Steel Wheels
Date Of Original Release: 1989 Key Tracks: Mixed Emotions, A Rock And A Hard Place, Continental Drift Remember all the "Steel Wheelchair" jokes that came out when this album was released? Even the Simpsons did one. Now consider that that was twenty-five years ago. Yes, you are old, and so are the Stones. But unlike you, this album has aged surprisingly well, with "Continental Drift" being a striking example of the Stones stepping outside of their typical template to great success - its world flavor, featuring the Joujouka Pipers, being reminiscent of something that Brian Jones might have concocted back in the hazy days of 1967. "Mixed Emotions" (or "Mick's Emotions", as some in the band might say) is great stadium rock, with a chorus just begging to be sung along to with a huge crowd. At this point the Stones are mainstream arena rock, but it's surprisingly good mainstream arena rock.