Rolling Stones

Amazon.co.uk The Stones got their groove on early, making one of the few originals here, the blues pastiche "Little by Little," a standout in terms of cool-eyed intensity. While taking on Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Buddy Holly and Marvin Gaye on a debut album would rightfully have daunted many a young band, this bunch just rocks it all. Outside the general toughness of sound and the front-cover glares, there's little of the badass 'tude-mongering that would begin to define them with the next album; here, Jagger, Richards, Jones, Wyman and Watts are mainly about the music, which they essay with a respectful insolence. --Rickey Wright