Rolling Stones Albums- Four Decades Strong

August 6th, 2010 by admin

Not every musical group can live forever. Four decades of Rolling Stones merch and albums show that this group is one of the few that already has a place in eternity. Since the group started out more than forty years ago, they have generated album sales of more or less 200 million. Add to these the countless awards, hall of fame placements and all time list inclusions.

The band first became public in 1962. At that time, current front man Mick Jagger and his friend Keith Richards began performing as the Rollin’ Stones. They were joined by Brian Jones on guitar, Ian Stewart on piano, Mick Taylor on bass and Tony Chapman on drums. Other members that came in later were Charlie Watts on drums and Bill Wyman on bass. Before Jagger came into the forefront, it was Jones who was considered the leader. It was from him that the band’s name came from. Every fan of Rolling Stones CDs however would now most likely know Jagger and Richards more than Jones.

It didn’t take long for the talented musicians to gradually leave the club scene. They signed up with Decca in 1963. At that time they were believed to have been given very generous terms mainly because Decca regretted having passed up on the Beatles. The band received excellent royalty rates and control over their recording materials. In their first year, the group had to hurdle tough challenges. Although this marked the release of their first album, it didn’t always get positive reviews. Some thought it lacked originality and was not very appealing at all.

The following year, things started to look up for the group. Their versions of old time favourites such as Little Red Rooster and It’s All Over Now climbed up the charts and started selling well in every local band store. The warm acceptance paved the way for well loved hits like Paint it Black, Ruby Tuesday, Satisfaction, Midnight Rambler and The Last Time. Nonetheless, there was still a greater clamor for even more original work on Rolling Stones albums.

By the 1970s it was clear that the group already had a firm grasp in the music industry. They became such an important part of pop culture that they were able to survive with their own label after they parted ways with Decca. At the height of their popularity, they left English soil and made France their official base.

The 80s is perhaps considered the peak period for the band. This was also the decade when the biggest conflict rocked the group. Previous decades had their share of members coming and going; personal clashes; drug charges and member deaths. The 80s however saw the two band pillars, Jagger and Richards collide. It took several years for them to partially patch their differences. They came together in 1989 as the group entered the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The 90s saw band members focusing on personal projects. They did not disband but they did go through seven years of not generating new material for an album. A Bigger Bang came out only in 2005.

Although the band has grown considerably older, Rolling Stones CDs still remain hot on album racks and still sell hundreds of rock tees. Their work continues to be hits even when they’re already old classics.

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