Release Date: July 30, 1965 (United States), September 24, 1965 (United Kindgdom)
Label: Decca
Popular Songs:
Songs You Need to Listen To:
Written By: Andy Trcka
July 30, 2019
A few years back I ran into an old mentor/teacher and excitedly told him I just finished graduate school. He responded, not with congratulations, kudos, accolades or by questioning my thesis topic. Instead, in referring to my recent accomplishment (aka the assemblage of education I needed to be successful in my career) he said: “that’s a smart skillset.” Effectively he reduced three years of studying to a skillset! I bring this up because given musical styles and instrumentation imbedded within Out of Our Heads, I might say the same to Mick: “it looks like you’ve assembled all your skillsets.” Unlike how I bit my tongue in responding to my mentor, I wager Mick would have no problem telling me to fuck off. This effort is a rich blend of pop, blues, soul, and even small bits of gospel and country. All of these styles and sounds are recognizable but will later meld into a distinct sound that will provide for some of the Stones most iconic and memorable songs.
Roughly 12 million tuned in on October 25, 1964 to watch the Stones debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. Americans weren’t immediately smitten with the Stones. But with the more angsty “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” in 1965, they fell in love with the floppy top, bad boy Rolling Stones. The song, released as a single in the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK), and on the US version of Out of Our Heads, reached number one in both countries. It was the first of 8 number one hits in the US. It is truly an iconic song but there is nothing I can say about it that is readily Googleable.
Out of Our Heads is the Stones fourth album but shouldn’t be considered the fourth volume of their work, as albums usually would be. This is because for albums before Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967) they released versions in the UK and US separately. Singles and EP’s were treated differently in the two countries. In the US singles were released both in single format and a part of the album. In the UK, if it was a single, it was not included in the album. This grabbag of formats makes it moderately difficult to follow what was released when, where and how. For simplicities sake, I am distilling the mixture of singles, albums and singles into 6 album reviews. Thus some some of what I mention in this review was actually released via EP or single, or depending on which side of the pond you’re on, may or may not have been on the album.
A total of 18 songs were recorded for Out of Our Heads. This effort featured 10 original songs by the Stones, primarily written by Jagger and Richards. This is the first album where the majority of the content is original. It is important to note the Stones were the product of the London blues scene and in that circle, it wasn’t frowned upon to cover songs. In fact, swapping and sharing of songs was common. Nonetheless, this record is a tipping point, being over half the songs are originals. Perhaps it’s my competitive nature running away with me (pun) but I like to note what I prefer – their stuff or the covers. I suggest you track the same for yourself. Here’s a tracklist to help you in your quest:
- “She Said Yeah” (Bono, Jackson)
- “Mercy Mercy” (Covay, Miller)
- “Hitch Hike” (Gaye, Paul, Stevenson)
- “That’s How Strong My Love Is” (Jamison)
- “Gotta Get Away” (Jagger, Richards)
- “Talkin’ ‘Bout You” (Berry)
- “Cry To Me” (Russell)
- “Oh Baby (We Got a Good Thing Goin’ On)” (Ozen)
- “Heart of Stone” (Jagger, Richards)
- “The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man” (Nanker Phelge)
- “I’m Free” (Jagger, Richards)
- “The Last Time” (Jagger, Richards)
- “Good Times” (Cooke)
- “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (Jagger, Richards)
- “I’m All Right” (Diddley)
- “Play With Fire” (Nanker Phelge)
- “The Spider and the Fly” (Jagger, Richards)
- “One More Try” (Jagger, Richards)
Out of Our Heads was the product of sessions at Chicago’s Chess studios and Los Angeles’ RCA Records. Chess plays a larger role in some of their previous albums and the history of their Chess sessions will be further detailed as part of those reviews (i.e. 12 X 5 and NOW). It stands to reason Out of Our Heads has an earthy feel to it as it was partly crafted in a blues studio.
A noticeable feature of this album is how the instrumentation shines brightly at varying moments for each participant. Mick’s vocals shine as brilliantly on the soulful “Cry to Me “ as any instrument. “Heart of Stone” features gospel tinged vocals by Mick complimenting Wyman’s bass perfectly. While Wyman’s bass is strong on “Heart of Stone,” Brian and Keith’s guitars establish a playful rhythmic pairing that will be evident throughout the Stones career (even after Jones…departure). Wyman’s bass also figures prominently on “Mercy Mercy,“ effectively steering the song.
My favorite moment on Out of Heads is being pulled through the dreamy landscape of “Play With Fire.” The warning issued to a possible mate in this song is reflective of an older and more grounded Mick. This song would fit in seamlessly on Voodoo Lounge. The harpsichord was already in the studio! Another top moment is when Mick’s wields his voice as if it were an instrument on “That’s How Strong My Love Is.” On this soulful effort it feels as if he’s singing a woman next to him and we’re in the room to witness it.
A couple songs on this record don’t fit neatly into a musical style, e.g. pop, blues, soul. “I’m All Right” is a fast, almost punk tempo that sounds like it escaped from a garage, it’s cadence is infectious. “She Said Yeah” has a live 1978ish, Some Girls tour feel. Both these songs pour themselves into your brain and hit the dance button.
There isn’t anything to not listen to on this album. Any song you might choose to avoid is simply done so upon your discretion. Personally, I’m not wild about the “Spider and the Fly” but there is no reason beyond opinion as it is a perfectly serviceable song. I’m also not fond of “The Good Times” or “One More Try.” But, you might find these songs enjoyable – Rolling Stone magazine certainly did as this album ranks #113 in their 2003 listing of the top 500 albums of all time. Let me just say it again, there isn’t anything not listenable on this album.
Every year the Tour de France passes through the Alps and Pyrenees mountain ranges. If the top moments I mentioned earlier were the Alps, i.e. pinnacle of this album, “I’m Free” and “Gotta Get Away” are the Pyrenees. While not as towering and ultimately dramatic as the Alps, the shorter Pyrenees are still awe-inspiring. Any cyclist whose hauled their butt over a peak in the Pyrenees can attest to this. Both these tunes are slower and more relaxed than the rest of Out of Our Heads. Their tempo provides a sneakpeak at future slow-paced Rolling Stones classic tunes such as “Waiting on a Friend,” “Memory Motel,” and “Beast of Burden”.
This is a collaborative album where the influence of all participants are showcased. But even in this creative environment the exact motivations for “The Under Assistant West Coast Promotional Man” are unclear. Is it mocking, playful, directed at someone specific, or sincere? Whatever the motivation, despite being a tongue-in-cheek endeavor, the song is genuinely listenable. Song writing credits are given to Nanker Phelge. Nanker was a pseudonym used for many Stones collaborative efforts. The exact composition of the collaborative is still debated today, but basically Jagger, Oldham, Richards, Stewart, Jones, Watts and Wyman are the rumored collaborists. At this point in their career the Stones were signed directly to Andrew Loog Oldham and leased to Decca Records. In future reviews I’ll dig deeper in the history of the Stones relationship with Oldham, Decca Records, the London blues scene versus the sound coming out of Liverpool. Yes, there was some influential music emanating from Liverpool at the same time the Stones were evolving…But for now I want to focus on their visit to Chess Studios in 1965.
Bubble gum pop was the order of the day. Probably served as a numbing agent to ward off the seriousness of the cultural landscape. Into the maelstrom of mid-1960’s America, the Stones visited Chess Studios to record part of what would eventually become Out of Our Heads.
America wasn’t all screaming girls and Ed Sullivan in 1965. In the American South the death of segregation ushered in a reordering of the social fabric. Society was being reinvented to accommodate the recently fully enfranchised African Americans. The transition was not easy – many schools and businesses would not integrate until the 1980’s.
Northern cities were not immune to racism. Dr. Martin Luther King famously noted, “I have never seen, even in Mississippi and Alabama, mobs as hateful as I’ve seen in Chicago.” Many northern towns accommodated African American migrants by stuffing them into ghettos or whatever economically depressed corner of the city was available. America in 1965 was a crossroads.
A continent away, by virtue of playing “American” music, the Stones were keeping strains of American music alive and accessible to Americans and Londoners alike. In a time many Americans wouldn’t venture into a part of town because “that’s their side of town,” Mick, Charlie, Bill and Keith crossed an ocean to visit “that side of town.” They never cared about the color of the musicians playing the music they were digesting…they just listened and then traveled 4000 miles to record in the same studio! Much has been written about the Stones over the years, but the image of them crossing an ocean to record with African Americans is the vision of the Stones I choose to hold dear. I wonder if I were alive in 1965 if I would have had an interest in blues and furthermore, had the guts to venture into the side of town it was played?
As the Stones expanded on their influences, eventually blending them into a unique and transformative sound that delivered some of Rock and Roll’s most identifiable songs. On Out of Our Heads we can easily discern the influences. The lesson in Out of Our Heads is for us as listeners to expand our own boundaries, just as Mick did when stepping foot in Chess Studios. Doing so created an interesting repertoire and rich sound for the Stones and undoubtedly will do the same for us. So get out their and grow your skillsets!
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