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121 of 128 found the following review helpful:
 WARNING!! Great music, but Amazon is not selling the SACD version of this disc Mar 24, 2006
By El Grande
I give the CD five stars for content (difficult to argue with that rating, this is a classic that the part-time Stones fan can't do without)... Five stars to Amazon for quick shipping and a pleasant experience with customer service on the phone... But zero stars to Amazon for misrepresenting what they are selling.
Apparently prior reviewers didn't have this problem, but when I received my "Hybrid SACD" of Hot Rocks (March '06), I furrowed my brow in concern when I noticed that the SACD logo appeared nowhere on the packaging (it does say "DSD Remastered" on the spine of the jewel box). After tearing open the package, I found that the SACD logo appeared nowhere on the disc or in the booklet. After being inserted in my SACD compatible player, I was unable to access the SACD layer.
That's because this ISN'T the SACD hybrid version that they're advertising it to be. This is the same standard CD you can buy at your local record store, Best Buy or Wal*Mart. Speaking of BB, I took this CD to my local outlet and popped the disc(s) into one of their Sony SACD players on the shelf, just to make sure it wasn't just MY unit that wouldn't play it correctly... The unit in the store did something that my player didn't, which perfectly illustrates the problem, it actually said on the player's LED display "NOT HYBRID DISC".
Well, I guess THAT clears it up.
Figuring that it was an honest mistake, I called Amazon and pointed out that I'd been shipped the wrong disc. Kudos to the fellow at Amazon's customer service center, he apologized and promptly sent me a replacement by overnight mail (no charge), and sent a label to affix to the package to return the CD I was erroneously sent. Only problem is...
The "replacement" CD is identical to the one I was sent the first time.
Giving up on Amazon after two tries, I have subsequently purchased a lightly-used proper hybrid SACD of Hot Rocks on eBay, and the disc(s) sound great. FWIW, the hybrid SACD issue of Hot Rocks appears to have only been issued in cardboard fold-out packaging (if online pics are to be believed), so if you order this CD and get it in a jewel box without any mention of it being a hybrid SACD, you've got the "regular" version of the CD.
The UPC code of the SACD issue is 0-18771-96672-2. The "regular" CD has the same number save for the last one, which is -1. The first and last numbers are very small in comparison to the middle ten, so at first glance the CD's appear to have the same UPC code... But that little '1' or '2' at the end makes all the difference.
I assume that this is an honest mistake on Amazon's part, but potential buyers who are searching for the SACD version of Hot Rocks have been warned. I believe that the "standard" layer on the SACD disc is identical in content and quality to the non-SACD version, so if you don't have an SACD-compatible player, none of this will be of any consequence to you.
68 of 71 found the following review helpful:
 As good as any Stones compiliation is likely to get. Mar 26, 2003
By Shotgun Method
If I was looking to point a casual fan toward a Rolling Stones retrospective, I'd completely pass on Forty Licks and tell them to go for Hot Rocks, without question. Everybody knows that 1964-1971 were the golden years for the Stones, and this compilation, which deftly selected the hits from that era, is damn good stuff. All the landmark material is accounted for--Get Off Of My Cloud, Paint It Black, Let's Spend The Night Together, Gimme Shelter, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Street Fighting Man, Sympathy For The Devil, a live cut of Midnight Rambler, and of course, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction. Although this will not satisfy diehard fans and I wish a few other songs were included (Stray Cat Blues, the Ya-Ya version of Carol, Sister Morphine, She's A Rainbow, 2000 Man) everything here is grade-A gritty blues rock. The second disc could very well stand alone, it's that good. As far as the SACD remasters are concerned, they are a massive improvement over the original remasters in every conceivable way. And don't believe the naysayers who claim the new versions are not compatible with PCs--they are. If you have this and Exile On Main Street, you're set as a casual fan. Completists will want the individual albums, but Hot Rocks does a damn good job of capturing the Stones at their finest before old age and drug abuse set in. Recommended.
42 of 44 found the following review helpful:
The greatest stones album ever... REMASTERED! Aug 28, 2002
Whenever an album is newly remastered, a reviewer has to take in both the customers who are buying the album for the first time, and those who are buying their third or fourth copy. I'll start with the former. This is one of those few, special, greatest hits sets that is, in every way, perfect! Most best of's always leave off important tracks and have moments of worthless filler. Others are made obsolete by better, more complete sets. Not Hot Rocks. Merely because it covers only the best, most famous, and most influential songs of the 7 years when the Stones were at their peak, mountains above the rest of rock and roll. (except the Beatles, Dylan, and Hendrix). Sure Not Fade Away, The Last Time, and 2000 Light Years (among others) were fine, but how can you say they aren't dwarfed by the looming presence of every song on this album? (Which includes Time is on my Side, Satisfaction, Paint it Black, Let's Spend the Night Together, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Sympathy for the Devil, and Brown sugar) In conclusion this is a perfect sampler of everything that was great and magical about the Rolling Stones, and remains great and magical today. Words can not describe the greatness of the songs in this album, so I can only say this, I can only say that you are not a rock and roll fan until you are Stones fan. So for everybody who wishes to sink their teeth into the glory days of the Rolling Stones, Hot Rocks is the place to begin. (Note: While you're at it, get Exile on Main Street and Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out as well.) Now for those who already who need a reason to buy this again. Most everyone who collects music knows how badly one can be screwed out of well-earned money by remasters. (i.e the Ozzy Osbourne "remasters" released this year) Not this time around. You will never Rolling Stones recordings that sound so fresh and clear. New musical bits are brought to the surface for the first time in years. (Most notably on Honky Tonk Woman where horns and new guitar licks can be heard for the first time) And all those classic old songs now sound sharper and more distinct than ever. You can hear those wonderful guitar riffs, drums, and bass licks (oh those wonderful Bill Wyman bass licks) like never before. (i.e. Brian Jones' sitar on Paint it Black is at last brought to the front of the mix, and you can actually hear two different guitars on Midnight Rambler). It gets even better for those that have bought SACD players, for on the SACD layer it sounds even more incredible. It almost sounds as if you are sitting there in the studio watching the Stones make the master takes. And for those that think this isn't worth buying, because all these songs are on other discs, think about this; you won't be hearing the original Brown Sugar and Wild Horses sounding so good for a while. So in conclusion anybody who is anybody owes it to themselves to buy the new version of Hot Rocks. New fans get a sampler of some of the greatest music ever made, and the older fans get the best sounding glory-day Stones you'll ever hear. The Rolling Stones Remasters is one of the best (if not the best) of its kind. It is definetely worth checking out. And Hot Rocks ain't a bad place to start. Get it today!
45 of 52 found the following review helpful:
Essential Collection, great sound but... Aug 27, 2002
By Fredpulm
I owned this excellent package in vinyl the very first day it came out (wow!) 30 years ago. The music is, with no question, an exceptional bunch of songs in one place: no dispute there and therefore recommended as essential. I do disagree with ABCKO about their research for the best masters for this proyect: the lack of stereo Masters in Satisfaction, Mother's Little Helper, Off of my cloud is dissapointing. I do have these in my analog Hot Rocks CD I obtained while stationed in Germany in 1989. With less resolution, but in stereo, they do sound great.
Aside from my misgivings for being a definitive project with full utilization of stereo with the SACD format, I would still recommend it.
18 of 19 found the following review helpful:
awesome set from The Stones May 30, 2008
By Matthew G. Sherwin
Hot Rocks 1964-1971 is an awesome two CD Stones compilation set that has so many of their best hits. This also makes a great introduction to the band, too, just as other people have said. The sound quality is excellent and the artwork is really nicely done.
The first CD starts with "Time Is On My Side;" this classic Stones tune really rocks well and they deliver this with lots of positive energy! The percussion is great; and The Stones sing and play this to perfection! "Heart Of Stone" has a great beat; and Mick Jagger sings this passionately--with all his heart and soul. He sings of a woman he knows and it all works very well. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is easily one of their best hits ever--and one of the best rock songs ever written, too. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" explores the frustration a man can feel when he doesn't have a girlfriend; and that's something many guys can relate to. The song rocks well anyway; and I could never tire of hearing The Rolling Stones doing "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." Excellent!
"Get Off Of My Cloud" is another classic by the Stones; this song has a great beat and they handle complicated tempo and key changes like the pros they were and still remain! Mick sings great and "Get Off Of My Cloud" is a major highlight of this two CD set; the lyrics are very creative, too. "Mother's Little Helper" uses some pretty awesome electric guitar; and listen for The Rolling Stones to do their very best on "Paint It Black." "Paint It Black" has one of the best arrangements The Stones ever wrote and sang; and the music is also very well done. "Under My Thumb" is yet another classic tune by this incredible band; they ace this easily and I always like to hear this song.
The first CD ends strong with The Rolling Stones doing "Let's Spend the Night Together." "Let's Spend the Night Together" celebrates the happiness of attraction between a man and a woman and that's terrific.
The second CD continues the hits. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" has a pretty cool flavor to it; those electric guitars work well and Mick Jagger sings this very well. "Sympathy For The Devil" was always one of my very favorite Stones tunes; "Sympathy For The Devil" keeps the new listener guessing at who the song is about until the song is well along and that draws in the listener really well. There's also the poignant "You Can't Always Get What You Want" with its sublime female chorus; this song about life makes its point well and that's the strength of this song in addition to the music. "Brown Sugar" rocks so hard that I love hearing this--even if it's over and over again! "Brown Sugar" is easily one of their best songs ever and the topic is interesting, to say the least...
The second CD ends with "Wild Horses;" "Wild Horses" is a passionate love song that always tugs at my heartstrings when I hear it. It moves me a lot and it's a total masterpiece. Good for them!
Overall, The Rolling Stones turned out a "greatest hits" set so strong it DID take on a life of its own. Even all these years later, this album sells quite well and newcomers are always buying it. This two CD set proves that The Rolling Stones were-and are--one of the best rock and roll bands of all time. It will be a long, long time before we see another band this good again.
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