In the book, Who Killed Christopher Robin, it describes the various
instruments that Brian played on the Aftermath album. In addition to
the instruments I already knew about, such as dulcimer, sitar,
bells, and marimba, he also played, strangely enough, a child's toy
banjo. I never knew that. Does anyone know what track he played it
on? Aftermath is one my favorite early Stones records, and the
culmination of their first truly 'classic' period. For me, The
Rolling Stones greatest era will always be 1964-1966, without a
doubt! They were Punk rockers, fifteen years ahead of their time! So
were the Who, the Kinks, and the Animals. After 1966, they were no
longer Punks, they were Gentry. Fame and money have a weird way of
quenching anger, I suppose. Don't get me wrong, the Stones rocked in
the late '60s, but drugs, internal strife, police harrassment, and
ego, really took their toll. Personally, I've always liked Satanic
Majesties, and I'd much rather listen to 2000 Light Years From Home
than Interstellar Overdrive. 2000 Light Years, for one thing, is much
funkier. I first heard the Stones music on a children's tv show
called The Hilarious House Of Frightenstein, in the early '70s. But
it wasn't until 1980 that I got my first Stones record, High Tide
And Green Grass. I then proceeded buying them in order of release,
from Englands Newest Hitmakers, to Let It Bleed. To be perfectly
honest, except for the movie Gimme Shelter, I was never all that
interested in their '70s or '80s stuff, even though I did own them.
The Brian Jones era has always meant more to me. I love all their
early stuff, but Rolling Stones Now, Out Of Our Heads, and Aftermath,
are my three most favorite Stones albums from the mid-'60s. I think
they were at the peak of their career in 1966, as were a lot of
other artists, such as Bob Dylan, the Beach Boys, and the Beatles, of
course. To me, the Stones of the mid-'60s just went from strength to
strength, and those three years alone, 1964-1966, were a real
learning curve. Aftermath is notable, among other things, as the
first Stones album written entirely by Mick and Keith. There's also
an amazing amount of musical growth and variety, depending upon which
version you have, of course. I grew up listening to the London
Records version, which is still a great album, but the UK version is
better. Don't blame the Stones though for the unscrupulousness and
greed of their American distributors. Capitol Records, the Beatles
distributor in the States, also employed the exact same practice.
Respect.


Mark