Le case discografiche non hanno mai avuto scrupoli. Se la band o l'artista da queste prodotto infila un mezzo successo di dimensioni (quasi) planetarie non si può prescindere dal greatest hits, o best of, chiamatelo come volete. Sempre e comunque, anche qualora l'artista in questione, tolto quel mezzo successo, non abbia null'altro da poter offrire al pubblico pagante.
La Decca Record, fondata a Londra nel 1929, aveva in catalogo un po' di gente, ma non così famosa, salvo i Rolling Stones che a metà anni Sessanta erano, insieme ai Beatles, la band più famosa di tutto il pianeta. Band che, oltretutto, aveva già infilato un bel po' di successi, tra cui l'immortale "Satisfaction". Ergo, non si poteva più aspettare, era giunto il momento di capitalizzare, e così, dopo soli sei album ufficiali (di cui almeno i primi due strapieni di cover) ecco pronto il greatest hits.
L'album esce il 2 aprile del 1966, un mese prima del lancio di "Aftermath" (guarda caso).
"Big Hits" contiene tutto il meglio del meglio degli Stones fino a quel periodo ("Satisfaction", "The last time", "Time is on my side", "Heart of stone", "Play with fire", solo per citare le più famose) e, come tutti gli album Decca del periodo, esce in due differenti versioni: prima edizione per il mercato statunitense, seconda edizione per il mercato inglese. Quest'ultima appare fin da subito decisamente migliore, ma è solo una questione di date. "Big Hits" in Uk esce il 4 novembre del 1966 quando cioe' "Aftermath" è già una realta più che acquisita, e al best of si aggiungono "Paint it, black" e "Lady Jane", non propiamente robetta.
L'operazione è evidentemente di puro stampo commerciale, nulla più, ma forse un merito l'ha avuto: è stata la prima antologia a mettere insieme, all'interno di uno stesso vinile, tutti i 45 giri dei Rolling Stones. Oggi sembra un'ovvietà, all'epoca no. In un'epoca in cui non esistavano Ipod e lettori mp3, poter aver tutti insieme i maggiori singoli del proprio gruppo preferito apparve qualcosa di quasi avanguardistico. "Big Hits" piace anche per questo.
Naturalmente il valore musicale in sé è indiscutibile, pezzi come "19th Nervous Breakdown" o "Get off of my cloud" (oltre ai sopracitati) non sono, e non possono essere, minimamente discutibili, fanno cioè parte integrante della storia del rock (seppure un po' giurassico, ma, tutto sommato, non importa).
Elenco tracce e testi
01 (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (03:45)
I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try, and I try, and I try, and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no
When I'm drivin' in my car
And a man comes on the radio
He's tellin' me more and more
About some useless information
Supposed to fire my imagination
I can't get no, oh no no no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say
I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try, and I try, and I try, and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no
When I'm watchin' my TV
And a man comes on and tells me
How white my shirts can be
Well he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
The same cigarettes as me
I can't get no, oh no no no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say
I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no girl reaction
'Cause I try, and I try, and I try, and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no
When I'm ridin' 'round the world
And I'm doin' this and I'm signin' that
And I'm tryin' to make some girl
Who tells me, "baby better come back later next week
'Cause you see I'm on losin' streak"
I can't get no, oh no no no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say
I can't get no, I can't get no
I can't get no
Satisfaction, no satisfaction, no satisfaction, no satisfaction
I can't get no
04 Time Is On My Side (02:50)
(Meade)
Time is on my side, yes it is
Time is on my side, yes it is
Now you always say
That you want to be free
But you'll come running back (said you would baby)
You'll come running back (I said so many times before)
You'll come running back to me
Oh, time is on my side, yes it is
Time is on my side, yes it is
You're searching for good times
But just wait and see
You'll come running back (I won't have to worry no more)
You'll come running back (spend the rest of my life with you, baby)
You'll come running back to me
Go ahead, go ahead and light up the town
And baby, do everything your heart desires
Remember, I'll always be around
And I know, I know
Like I told you so many times before
You're gonna come back, baby
'Cause I know
You're gonna come back knocking
Yeah, knocking right on my door
Yes, yes!
Well, time is on my side, yes it is
Time is on my side, yes it is
'Cause I got the real love
The kind that you need
You'll come running back (said you would, baby)
You'll come running back (I always said you would)
You'll come running back, to me
Yes time, time, time is on my side, yes it is
Time, time, time is on my side, yes it is
Oh, time, time, time is on my side, yes it is
I said, time, time, time is on my side, yes it is
Oh, time, time, time is on my side
Yeah, time, time, time is on my side
06 Tell Me (03:47)
(Jagger/Richards)
I want you back again
I want your love again
I know you find it hard to reason with me
But this time it's different, darling you'll see
You gotta tell me you're coming back to me
You gotta tell me you're coming back to me
You gotta tell me you're coming back to me
You gotta tell me you're coming back to me
You said we're through before
You walked out on me before
I tried to tell you, but you didn't want to know
This time you're different and determined to go
You gotta tell me you're coming back to me
You gotta tell me you're coming back to me
You gotta tell me you're coming back to me
You gotta tell me you're coming back to me
I wait as the days go by
I long for the nights to go by
I hear the knock on my door that never comes
I hear the telephone that hasn't rung
You gotta tell me you're coming back to me
You gotta tell me you're coming back to me
You gotta tell me you're coming back to me
You gotta tell me you're coming back to me
07 19th Nervous Breakdown (03:50)
You're the kind of person
You meet at certain dismal, dull affairs
Center of a crowd, talkin' much too loud
Runnin' up and down the stairs
Well it seems to me that you have seen too much in too few years
And though you've tried, you just can't hide
Your eyes are edged with tears
You better stop
And look around
Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes, here it comes
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
When you were a child
You were treated kind
But you were never brought up right
You were always spoiled with a thousand toys
But still you cried all night
Your mother who neglected you
Owes a million dollars tax
And your father's still perfecting ways of making sealing wax
You better stop
And look around
Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes, here it comes
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Oh, who's to blame?
That girl's just insane
Well nothing I do don't seem to work
It only seems to make matters worse, oh please
You were still in school
When you had that fool
Who really messed your mind
And after that you turned your back
On treating people kind
On our first trip
I tried so hard to rearrange your mind
But after awhile I realized you were disarranging mine
You better stop
And look around
Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes, here it comes
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Oh, who's to blame?
That girl's just insane
Well nothing I do don't seem to work
It only seems to make matters worse, oh please
When you were a child
You were treated kind
But you were never brought up right
You were always spoiled with a thousand toys
But still you cried all night
Your mother who neglected you
Owes a million dollars tax
And your father's still perfecting ways of making sealing wax
You better stop
And look around
Here it comes
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
08 Heart Of Stone (02:49)
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)
There've been so many girls that I've known
I've made so many cry and still I wonder why
Here comes the little girl
I see her walking down the street
She's all by herself
I try and knock her off her feet
But, she'll never break, never break, never break, never break
This heart of stone
Oh, no, no, this heart of stone
What's different about her? I don't really know
No matter how I try I just can't make her cry
'Cause she'll never break, never break, never break, never break
This heart of stone
Oh, no, no, no, this heart of stone
Don't keep on looking that some old way
If you try acting sad, you'll only make me glad
Better listen little girl
You go on walking down the street
I ain't got no love, I ain't the kind to meet
'Cause you'll never break, never break, never break, never break
This heart of stone
Oh, no, no, you'll never break this heart of stone darlin'
No, no, this heart of stone
You'll never break it darlin'
You won't break this heart of stone
Oh no no no
You better go
You better go home
'Cause you'll, you'll never break this heart of stone
10 Not Fade Away (01:48)
I'm gonna tell you how it's gonna be
You're gonna give your love to me
I'm gonna love you night and day
Well love is love and not fade away
Well love is love and not fade away
My love bigger than a Cadillac
I try to show it and you're drivin' me back
Your love for me has got to be real
For you to know just how I feel
Love is real and not fade away
Well love is real and not fade away
I'm gonna tell you how it's gonna be
You're gonna give your love to me
Love to last more than one day
Well love is love and not fade away
Well love is love and not fade away
Well love is love and not fade away
12 Play With Fire (02:15)
( Nanker Phelge)
Well, you've got your diamonds and you've got your pretty clothes
And the chauffeur drives your car
You let everybody know
But don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire
Your mother she's an heiress, owns a block in Saint John's Wood
And your father'd be there with her
If he only could
But don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire
Your old man took her diamond's and tiaras by the score
Now she gets her kicks in Stepney
Not in Knightsbridge anymore
So don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire
Now you've got some diamonds and you will have some others
But you'd better watch your step, girl
Or start living with your mother
So don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire
So don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire
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