''Metamorphosis'' is the third compilation album of

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

music 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 profits ...

ABKCO Records ABKCO Music & Records, Inc. (Allen & Betty Klein Company) is a major 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 ...

(who usurped control of the band's

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

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

material in 1970) after the band's departure from Decca and Klein. Released in 1975, ''Metamorphosis'' centres on outtakes and alternate versions of well-known songs recorded from 1964 to 1970.

History

After the release of ''

Hot Rocks 1964–1971 ''Hot Rocks 1964–1971'' is a compilation album by the Rolling Stones released by London Records in December 1971. It became the Rolling Stones' best-selling release of their career and an enduring and popular retrospective. The album includes ...

'' in 1971, an album titled ''Necrophilia'' was compiled with the aid of

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 Loog Oldha ...

for release as a follow-up compilation, featuring many previously unreleased (or, more accurately, discarded) outtakes from the Rolling Stones' Decca/London period. While that project failed to materialise — with ''

More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies) ''More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies)'' is a compilation album by the Rolling Stones released in December 1972 on London Records. The album was a follow-up to the hugely successful '' Hot Rocks 1964–1971''. When '' Hot Rocks 1964–1971 ...

'' being released in its place — most of the unreleased songs were held over for a future project. In February 1974, to give it an air of authority, Bill Wyman involved himself in compiling an album he entitled ''Black Box''. However, Allen Klein wanted more

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

songs in the project for monetary reasons, and Wyman's version remained unreleased. ''Metamorphosis'' was issued in its place. Wyman's original picks for the record were: "Bright Lights Big City" "Cops and Robbers" "I'd Much Rather Be With the Boys" "Little Red Rooster" (Live) "Down The Road Apiece" (Live) "Don't Lie to Me" "If You Let Me" "Godzi "Panama Powder Room" "Gold Painted Nails" "Fannie Mae" "Down in the Bottom" "Godzi" and "Panama Powder Room" were instrumentals from the ''

Between the Buttons ''Between the Buttons'' is the fifth British and seventh American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 20 January 1967 in the UK and on 11 February in the US as the follow-up to '' Aftermath''. It reflected the S ...

'' sessions and have never been released. They were recorded at RCA Studios, Hollywood on August 4-12, 1966. Most of the tracks that appear on side one of the vinyl album are demos, written by Jagger and Richards for other artists to perform. Some were recorded with session musicians like

Big Jim Sullivan James George Tomkins (14 February 1941 – 2 October 2012), known professionally as Big Jim Sullivan, was an English musician whose career started in 1958. He was best known as a session guitarist. In the 1960s and 1970s, he was one of t ...

on guitar,

Clem Cattini Clemente Anselmo Agustino Cattini (born 20 August 1937) is an English rock and roll drummer of the late 1950s and 60s, who was a member of The Tornados before becoming well known for his work as a session musician. He is one of the most prolifi ...

on drums, and Jimmy Page on guitar, and were not intended for release by the Rolling Stones. Indeed, on most of these tracks the only Rolling Stone who appears is Jagger. "Out of Time" and "Heart of Stone" were well-known Stones songs that appear here in drastically different renditions, with session players providing the backing. Side two includes unreleased band recordings up until the ''

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'' sessions of 1970. With some speculation that "I'd Much Rather Be With the Boys" had a homosexual subtext,

The Toggery Five The Toggery Five were an English freakbeat band from Manchester, England that was formed in the midst of the Manchester Beat music, beat scene. The band emerged as other popular British acts like The Hollies and The Dakotas were also coming to p ...

version changed the lyric to "I'd rather be out with the boys." An alternate version of "Memo from Turner" includes Brian Jones on guitar and has a looser vibe than the Mick Jagger solo single from the soundtrack album of the 1970 film "Performance". Released in June 1975, ''Metamorphosis'' came out the same day as the band's authorised hits collection '' Made in the Shade'' and was also seen to be cashing in on The Rolling Stones' summer Tour of the Americas. While the critical reception was lukewarm, ''Metamorphosis'' still managed to reach No. 8 in the US, though it only made No. 45 in the UK. Two singles, " Out of Time" (featuring Jagger singing over the same backing track (with strings) used for

Chris Farlowe Chris Farlowe (born John Henry Deighton, 13 October 1940) is an English rock, blues and soul singer. He is best known for his hit single " Out of Time" written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, which rose to No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 19 ...

's 1966 version) and a cover of Stevie Wonder's "I Don't Know Why" briefly made the singles charts. Upon its initial release, ''Metamorphosis'' was released with 16 songs in the UK, while the American edition had only 14 — omitting "Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind" and "We're Wastin' Time". The album's cover art plays off the title with a human/insect motif alluding to

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...

's ''

The Metamorphosis ''Metamorphosis'' (german: Die Verwandlung) is a novella written by Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, ''Metamorphosis'' tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himsel ...

'', and includes images of both Brian Jones and his replacement Mick Taylor. In August 2002, the full UK edition of ''Metamorphosis'' was issued in a new remastered CD, vinyl, and

SACD Super Audio CD (SACD) is an optical disc format for audio storage introduced in 1999. It was developed jointly by Sony and Philips, Philips Electronics and intended to be the successor to the Compact Disc (CD) format. The SACD format allows mul ...

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Track listing

All songs by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, except where noted. Side one #" Out of Time" – 3:22 #" Don't Lie to Me" ( Hudson Whittaker) – 2:00 #" Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind" – 2:25 #"Each and Everyday of the Year" – 2:48 #" Heart of Stone" – 3:47 #"I'd Much Rather Be with the Boys" (

, Keith Richards) – 2:11 #"(Walkin' Thru The) Sleepy City" – 2:51 #"We're Wastin' Time" – 2:42 #"Try a Little Harder" – 2:17 Side two #

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,

Paul Riser Paul Riser (born September 11, 1943) is an American trombonist and Motown musical arranger who was responsible for co-writing and arranging dozens of top ten hit records. His legacy as one of the " Funk Brothers" is similar to that of most of ...

, Don Hunter, Lula Hardaway) – 3:01 #"If You Let Me" – 3:17 #"Jiving Sister Fanny" – 2:45 #"Downtown Suzie" ( Bill Wyman) – 3:52 #"Family" – 4:05 #"

Memo from Turner "Memo from Turner" is a solo single by Mick Jagger, featuring slide guitar by Ry Cooder, from the soundtrack of ''Performance'', in which Jagger played the leading role of Turner, a reclusive rock star. It was re-released in October 2007 on a ...

" – 2:45 #"I'm Going Down" – 2:52

Recording details

"Out of Time" – 3:22 *Recorded 27–30 April 1966 *The demo—with Jagger on lead vocal—for

's hit single version "Don't Lie to Me" – 2:00 *Recorded on 10 June 1964 *Incorrectly credited to Jagger and Richards on the album *Line up: Mick Jagger (vocals), Keith Richards (guitar),

Brian Jones Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English multi-instrumentalist and singer best known as the founder, rhythm/lead guitarist, and original leader of the Rolling Stones. Initially a guitarist, he went on to prov ...

(guitar), Charlie Watts (drums), Bill Wyman (bass), Ian Stewart (piano) "Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind" – 2:25 *Recorded on 13 February 1964 *The first version of this song to be released (in early 1965) was by the American duo

Dick and Dee Dee Dick and Dee Dee (or Dick and Deedee) is an American singer-songwriter duo that reached popularity in the early to mid-1960s. The group was founded by California classmates Richard Gosting and Mary Sperling. They eventually changed their names t ...

, followed closely by the

Vashti Bunyan Vashti Bunyan (born Jennifer Vashti Bunyan, 1945) is an English singer-songwriter. Beginning her career in the mid-1960s, she released her debut album, ''Just Another Diamond Day'', in 1970. The album sold very few copies and Bunyan, discourage ...

recording "Each and Everyday of the Year" – 2:48 *Recorded in early September 1964 * Bobby Jameson's version of this song features the same backing track as this recording. It was also covered by a group that went by the name of Thee, both in 1965 "Heart of Stone" – 3:47 *Demo recorded 21–23 July 1964 with Jimmy Page on guitar and

on drums "I'd Much Rather Be With the Boys" – 2:11 *Recorded in February 24–28, 1965 at Decca Studios, West Hampstead *Originally released by The Toggery 5 in 1965. *Guest musicians:

John McLaughlin John or Jon McLaughlin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John McLaughlin (musician) (born 1942), English jazz fusion guitarist, member of Mahavishnu Orchestra * Jon McLaughlin (musician) (born 1982), American singer-songwriter * John McLaug ...

(guitar),

Joe Moretti Joseph Edward Moretti (10 May 1938 – 9 February 2012) was a Scottish guitarist renowned for his work on seminal UK rock and roll records such as Vince Taylor's "Brand New Cadillac" and Johnny Kidd & the Pirates' "Shakin' All Over". He lived i ...

(bass) and Andy White (drums). "(Walkin' Thru The) Sleepy City" – 2:51 *Recorded in early September 1964 *Originally released by

The Mighty Avengers ''The Mighty Avengers'' is a comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics. Originally written by Brian Michael Bendis, also the writer of '' New Avengers'', the title first featured an officially sanctioned Avengers team of registered ...

in 1965 "We're Wastin' Time" – 2:42 *Recorded in early September 1964 *Originally released by

Jimmy Tarbuck James Joseph Tarbuck (born 6 February 1940) is an English comedian, singer, actor, entertainer and game show host. He was a host of ''Sunday Night at the London Palladium'' in the mid-1960s, and hosted numerous game shows and quiz shows on ITV ...

in 1965 "Try a Little Harder" – 2:17 *Recorded on 13 February 1964 "I Don't Know Why" – 3:01 *Recorded on 3 July 1969 (the night that news broke of Brian Jones's death) during the sessions for ''

Let It Bleed ''Let It Bleed'' is the eighth British and tenth American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released 28 November 1969 on London Records in the United States and shortly thereafter by Decca Records in the United Kingdom. ...

'' *The music after the stop was spliced in at a later stage. The second slide guitar solo by

Mick Taylor Michael Kevin Taylor (born 17 January 1949) is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967–1969) and the Rolling Stones (1969–1974). As a member of the Stones, he appeared on: ''Let It Bleed'' ...

is a copy of the first solo *Incorrectly credited to Jagger, Richards and Taylor on the first pressing of the album. The credits were corrected with the second pressing and on the 2002

version "If You Let Me" – 3:17 *Recorded on 3–11 August 1966 during sessions for ''

'' *Line up: Mick Jagger (vocals), Keith Richards and Brian Jones (acoustic guitar, autoharp), Charlie Watts (drums), Bill Wyman (bass), Ian Stewart (organ) "Jiving Sister Fanny" – 2:45 *Recorded in June 1969, during the ''

'' sessions, with Taylor on lead guitar *Line up: Mick Jagger (vocals), Keith Richards (guitar), Mick Taylor (guitar), Charlie Watts (drums), Bill Wyman (bass),

Nicky Hopkins Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably ...

(piano),

Jon Tiven Jon Tiven (born January 3, 1955) is an American composer, guitarist, record producer, and music journalist. He has produced albums by Wilson Pickett, Frank Black and Don Covay as well as a series of tribute albums paying tribute to the songwriti ...

(congas) "Downtown Suzie" – 3:52 *Recorded on 23 April 1969 as a ''

'' outtake under the original title "Lisle Street Lucie". It features Ry Cooder on open G tuned guitar. Song written by Bill Wyman. "Family" – 4:05 *Recorded on 28 June 1968 as a '' Beggars Banquet'' outtake. *Line up: Mick Jagger (vocals), Keith Richards (guitars), Charlie Watts (drums), Bill Wyman (bass),

(piano),

Jimmy Miller James 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 most closely associated for his work with several key musical acts of ...

(percussion) "Memo from Turner" – 2:45 *Recorded on 17 November 1968; a different take was released as a Mick Jagger solo single in October 1970 and featured in the film '' Performance''. *Featuring Jagger on vocals and

on guitar, the identity of the other musicians on this track is not certain, with

Jim Capaldi Nicola James Capaldi (2 August 1944 – 28 January 2005) was an English singer-songwriter and drummer. His musical career spanned more than four decades. He co-founded the progressive rock band Traffic in 1967 with Steve Winwood with whom he co ...

and Steve Winwood of Traffic, as well as the other Rolling Stones, being mentioned as playing on it "I'm Going Down" – 2:52 *Recorded primarily in the fall of 1969. *Line up: Mick Jagger (vocals), Keith Richards (guitar), Mick Taylor (bass), Charlie Watts (drums),

Bobby Keys Robert Henry Keys (December 18, 1943 – December 2, 2014) was an American saxophonist who performed with other musicians as a member of several horn sections of the 1970s. He appears on albums by the Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Harry Ni ...

(saxophone),

(congas) * Stephen Stills was with the Stones during recording and possibly contributed to the track. *Credited to Jagger, Richards and Taylor on the first pressing of the album. The credits were changed to 'Jagger/Richards' with the second pressing and on the 2002

version

Charts

References

{{Authority control Albums produced by Andrew Loog Oldham Albums produced by Jimmy Miller The Rolling Stones compilation albums 1975 compilation albums ABKCO Records compilation albums