The Rolling Stones
Flowers

THE REVIEW

The year 1967 was decidedly prolific and determining for the Stones (and obviously for the history of rock altogether), seeing important releases like Their Satanic Majesties Request and Between The Buttons, but not only those.

A virtual bridge between two seemingly distant worlds might be this album.

Flowers is a collection of singles that appeared in the USA or UK versions of Aftermath, the aforementioned Between The Buttons, and other (significant) tracks recorded two years earlier during various sessions.

The second half of the sixties marked the first true shift in style and sound for the Rolling Stones towards more psychedelic and refined sounds (it was not yet time for the raw blues of Beggars and company), also thanks to the insights, though increasingly fewer, of the late Brian Jones.

In the famous cover showing the bad boys' photos (almost like mugshots) superimposed on stems, the only one without leaves is, in fact, the blond and melancholic Jones (Wyman would claim that the idea was suggested by Richards and Jagger).

Increasingly distant and introverted, he can be fully appreciated in what might be one of his last valid performances.

The compilation's name was aptly chosen for the social and artistic context.

The most interesting track, besides the catchy and Beatles-like Ruby Tuesday, is, in my opinion, Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow? with its distorted intro hinting at many ideas that in the following years would be developed (by others) with orchestral arrangements and delirious feedback.

The unreleased tracks from the Satisfaction period are My Girl, Ride On, Baby, and Sittin' On A Fence, the last glimpses where you can recognize their primordial sound.

Other episodes of note and fully appreciated include the controversial Lady Jane and Mother's Little Helper.

Definitely a great record to put on to understand and enjoy these Stones with facets reflective of their time.