Aftermath

Aftermath, released in April 1966 by Decca Records, is the fourth British and sixth American studio album by the Rolling Stones. It is considered an artistic breakthrough for the band: it is the first to consist entirely of original Mick Jagger–Keith Richards compositions, while Brian Jones played a variety of instruments not usually associated with their music, including sitar, Appalachian dulcimer, marimbas and Japanese koto, as well as guitar, harmonica and keyboards, though much of the music is still rooted in Chicago electric blues. It was the first Rolling Stones album to be recorded entirely in the US, at the RCA Studios in California, and their first album released in true stereo. It is also one of the earliest rock albums to eclipse the 50-minute mark, and contains one of the earliest rock songs to pass the 10-minute mark (“Goin’ Home”).

In August 2002 both editions of Aftermath were reissued in a new remastered CD and SACD digipak by ABKCO Records, with the UK version containing an otherwise unavailable stereo mix of “Mother’s Little Helper”. In the same year the US edition of Aftermath was ranked No. 109 on the List of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album was included in Robert Dimery’s 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.