December's Children (And Everybody's)
December's Children (And Everybody's) is the fifth American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in December 1965. It is primarily compiled from different released tracks from across the band's recording career up to that point, including the UK version of Out of Our Heads. Bassist Bill Wyman quotes Jagger in 1968 calling the record "[not] an album, it's just a collection of songs." Accordingly, it is only briefly detailed in Wyman's otherwise exhaustive book Rolling with the Stones. It features their then-recent transatlantic hit single "Get Off of My Cloud", as well as their own remake of Marianne Faithfull's Jagger/Richards-penned hit "As Tears Go By", which was released as the album's second single in the US.
December's Children (And Everybody's) | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 4 December 1965 | |||
Recorded | August 8, 1963 – October 26, 1965 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 29:04 | |||
Label | London | |||
Producer | Andrew Loog Oldham | |||
The Rolling Stones US album chronology | ||||
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Singles from December's Children (And Everybody's) | ||||
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Recording and music
It is the last of the group's early releases to feature numerous cover songs; writers Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote only half of the songs themselves. There had been no sessions to record the LP; many of the songs were from the UK edition of Out of Our Heads recorded in September 1965 in Los Angeles. Many of the tracks had appeared earlier in the UK versions of Rolling Stones albums or had been released on singles or EPs, but had not been heard in the American market; other tracks were unreleased tracks that had been recorded during other recording sessions.
Title and packaging
The title of the album came from the band's manager, Andrew Loog Oldham (who facetiously credits it to "Lou Folk-Rock Adler" in his liner notes on the back cover). According to Jagger, it was Oldham's idea of hip, Beat poetry.[1] The front cover photo of the band, by Gered Mankowitz, had previously been used for the UK edition of Out of Our Heads.
Release and reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
MusicHound Rock | [4] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
Tom Hull | A−[5] |
December's Children (And Everybody's) reached No. 4 in the US, where it was certified gold.[6] The group's second US No. 1, Get Off of My Cloud, was the highest-charting single on the album, also a major chart topper in the band's native UK and several other markets.
In August 2002, the album was reissued in a new remastered CD and SACD digipak by ABKCO Records. "Look What You've Done" remains the album's only cut issued in true stereo.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
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1. | "She Said Yeah" | Sonny Bono, Roddy Jackson | Out of Our Heads (UK) | 1:30 |
2. | "Talkin' About You" | Chuck Berry | Out of Our Heads (UK) | 2:30 |
3. | "You Better Move On" | Arthur Alexander | The Rolling Stones EP (UK) | 2:37 |
4. | "Look What You've Done" | Muddy Waters | December's Children | 2:33 |
5. | "The Singer Not the Song" | B-side of "Get Off of My Cloud" (UK) | 2:22 | |
6. | "Route 66" | Bobby Troup | Got Live If You Want It! (UK live EP) | 2:29 |
Total length: | 14:01 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
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7. | "Get Off of My Cloud" | single (US) | 2:52 | |
8. | "I'm Free" | Out of Our Heads (UK) | 2:17 | |
9. | "As Tears Go By" |
| December's Children | 2:45 |
10. | "Gotta Get Away" | Out of Our Heads (UK) | 2:03 | |
11. | "Blue Turns to Grey" | December's Children | 2:27 | |
12. | "I'm Moving On" | Hank Snow | Got Live If You Want It! (UK live EP) | 2:12 |
Total length: | 14:36 |
Recording sessions
Most of the songs were recorded 5–6 September 1965 at the RCA Records studio in Hollywood, California, except:
- "You Better Move On" – 8 August 1963, Decca Studios, London
- "Look What You've Done" – 11 June 1964, Chess Records studio, Chicago
- "Route 66" and "I'm Moving On" – 5–7 March 1965, live performances, England
- "As Tears Go By" – 26 October 1965, IBC Studios, London
Personnel
The Rolling Stones
- Mick Jagger – lead vocals (all tracks), backing vocals (1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 11), tambourine (10)
- Keith Richards – electric guitar (all but 9), acoustic guitar (5, 9), backing vocals (1, 2, 5–8, 10–12), co-lead vocals (5)
- Brian Jones – electric guitar (1, 2, 5–8, 11), acoustic guitar (3, 10), slide guitar (12), harmonica (4, 12), organ (8), backing vocals (3)
- Bill Wyman – bass guitar (all but 9), backing vocals (3)
- Charlie Watts – drums (all but 9)
Additional personnel
- Ian Stewart – piano (2, 4, 7)
- Mike Leander – string arrangement (9)
Charts
Chart (1966) | Peak position |
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US Billboard 200[7] | 4 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA)[8] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- Wenner, Jann S. "Archives | The Rolling Stone Interview: Jagger Remembers". Archived from the original on 9 November 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
- Unterberger, Richie. "December's Children (And Everybody's) – The Rolling Stones". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- "The Rolling Stones: Album Guide – Rolling Stone Music". Archive.org. 12 April 2011. Archived from the original on 12 April 2011.
- "December's Children (And Everybody's)". Acclaimed Music. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: The Rolling Stones". Tomhull.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- "Gold & Platinum – RIAA". riaa.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- "The Rolling Stones Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- "American album certifications – The Rolling Stones – December's Children". Recording Industry Association of America.