"Aftermath" by The Rolling Stones (April, 1966)

Dad's Take:

1966 was a pivotal year in rock and roll history. Seems like everybody started to get serious and created more artful music. The folk music explosion led to more serious lyrics, and many bands experimented with unusual sounds and arrangements. Aftermath is a typical example. Those punky kids from London expanded their horizons on this one, the first album to feature only songs written by members of the band.

Now, I have to say up front that this is not my favorite Stones record. I typically like my Stones like I like my carrots, crunchy and raw. Although still rooted in a Chicago blues sound, this album leans heavily toward more mellow, with songs like "Lady Jane." Other songs, like the still-popular-but-I'm-not-quite-sure-why "Mother's Little Helper" feature lyrics that distract me by sounding like an eighth grader's attempt to write meaningful, deep poetry. The following lines, especially, annoy me and ruin what might otherwise be an interesting song that does not not quite achieve the social commentary it attempts:

"Things are different today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
Cooking fresh food for a husband's just a drag
So she buys an instant cake and she burns her frozen steak

On the other hand, any album that includes the classic "Under My Thumb" is not all bad. Even that classic Stones rocker has interesting things happening in the arrangement, and it works.

The experimentation on this record led to more and more excess, as heard on their 1967 psychedelic classic, "Their Satanic Majesties Request," but here it sounds not quite cooked, and makes me miss that classic Stones sound.

Not a bad album, but not the Rolling Stones I enjoy listening to.

Brad's Take:


Let's start this off with a fun fact.
Fun fact: This album came out on April 15, 1966. Exactly 20 years before my birthday, and 20 years before my dad had to start changing poopy diapers on a regular basis.
It would be more of a bragging right if only I had actually liked this album...

I started listening to Aftermath a couple of weeks ago, but only listened to about 3/4 of it before I got bored and put on a different CD. I haven't heard many Rolling Stones albums so I can't really compare this one to their others, but I can say that this one was really hard to get through, especially twice.

"Under My Thumb" was the only song that I feel like I can listen to a few more times. Although it's one of the Stones' slower songs, it's still a nice tempo to bob your head to.

One thing I am confused about is why the UK version (the version of the album that we listened to) doesn't include their single "Paint It, Black" like the US version does. I actually really like that song, and that would have made this album a bit more enjoyable.

Either way, Aftermath only made me want to listen to a different Rolling Stones album.