The Rolling Stones are a blues-influenced British rock band that formed in London in 1962. The band's current lineup includes original members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, as well as Ronnie Wood, who joined in 1975. Former members included Brian Jones, Ian Stewart, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, and Mick Taylor. They are one of the most popular and influential rock bands in history. It became common to hear people ask, "Who do you prefer, The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?" Personally, I say "why not both?" (The Stones tend to rock harder than the Beatles, while the Beatles rock... sweeter, I guess.)

tek's rating: (and three quarters)

Forty Licks
AllMusic; Amazon; Apple Music; Discogs; Wikipedia

This is a 2-disc greatest hits compilation that was released in 2002. I got it in 2026.

Disc One

1. "Street Fighting Man" (1968): I'm not quite sure if I've heard this before or not, but I probably have. It's certainly not something I find memorable. But it's not bad.

2. "Gimme Shelter" (1969): This one I know for sure, and I definitely like it. Not sure I could match the song with its title in my memory, but the song itself is very memorable, and very cool.

3. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (1965): This is one of the songs I think of most often when I think of the Rolling Stones. To a lesser extent, I think of the 1988 film "Satisfaction", though I don't remember anything about that. It has nothing to do with the Stones, other than one of the characters singing this song. (I should probably watch that again someday.) Anyway, this isn't quite one of my favorite Stones songs, but it's pretty fun.

4. "The Last Time" (1965): I didn't remember this title, but as soon as it started playing, I recognized it. I like it, but it's not one I find super memorable.

5. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (1968): When I hear this title, I just think of a 1986 film, which I don't think I've ever seen. I wouldn't be able to associate the song's title with the song itself, so I didn't know if I'd recognize the song, but I do. And it's pretty good.

6. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (1969): This is a song I think of fairly often, compared to most other Stones songs, at least partly because of the choir part. I'm not sure whether I always remember that it's by the Stones, though I certainly should. Anyway, I like it well enough. Listening to it now, I think parts of it put me slightly in mind of the Donovan song "Season of the Witch", for some reason. It's the longest song on the album, at 7:28.

7. "19th Nervous Breakdown" (1966): I don't recall ever hearing this title before, and the song itself isn't very familiar, but it's possible I'd heard it before. It's good.

8. "Under My Thumb" (1966): I feel like I might have thought this was released more recently than the '60s, maybe even in the '80s. It's a fairly good song, and memorable. Not sure how I feel about the song's meaning. (Not sure I even know what it means, but I suspect I wouldn't like it if I was sure about that.)

9. "Not Fade Away" (1964): A title that sounds familiar, but I wouldn't be able to place it with the song. Not something I really think of if I'm not listening to it, and in fact I'm not sure I've heard it before. Apparently it was originally by Buddy Holly. It's a bluesy song, and has been covered by other artists, but I'm not sure if I've heard it by anyone, just heard the title. But I guess I like it. Could stand to be longer (it's less than 2 minutes).

10. "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?" (1966): I'm sure I've never heard this title, and I rather doubt I've heard the song before. It's okay, but not something I expect to find memorable.

11. "Sympathy for the Devil" (1968): This is the second-longest song, at 6:17, but I expected it to be the longest. It's one of the Stones songs I find the most memorable, and the lyrics are certainly quite interesting. Definitely a classic. I also kind of remember it being the title of one episode of Cowboy Bebop, but that's not really important.

12. "Mother's Little Helper" (1966): I don't think I've ever heard this song or the title. This is a bit more folk rock than most of these songs, as well as raga rock (which I only know because Wikipedia said so, but I guess I can hear that element, a bit). It's a rather depressing song, but good.

13. "She's a Rainbow" (radio edit, 1967): I don't think I've ever heard this song or the title. It's psychedelic enough to be a Beatles song, which is kind of unusual for the Stones, I think. But I like it. Probably won't remember it, but I wish I would.

14. "Get Off of My Cloud" (1965): This is another song you could have told me was from the '80s and I probably would have believed you. Although I feel like it almost sounds like it could be from the '50s, though mostly it does sound like the '60s, I guess. It's not a song I think of much, but I definitely know it.

15. "Wild Horses" (1971): I feel like I'm more familiar with a cover of this song, from the '90s, though I couldn't say who it was by (if indeed the cover I'm thinking of even existed). I'm not sure that it's any of the artists Wikipedia mentions as covering it. But I guess I was at least passingly familiar with this version of the song. It's definitely good.

16. "Ruby Tuesday" (1967): This sounds to me like psychedelic folk, if such a genre exists. It's certainly a memorable song, partly because of the restaurant chain that was named after it. But I'm sure I'd remember it even if that chain didn't exist. It's pretty good, though I'm not sure I was aware it's by the Stones.

17. "Paint It, Black" (1966): More raga rock. I've never been sure if this song is supposed to have a comma in it or not, but I think it is (regardless of some sites, like Wikipedia, not including a comma). Maybe. It's one of the songs I think of most often when I think of the Stones. I also associate it with the TV series Tour of Duty, which used this as its theme song. Because of that, I also associate it with the Vietnam War, even though that's not really what it's about. Anyway, I like it a lot.

18. "Honky Tonk Women" (1969): This is another song I think of as an episode title from "Cowboy Bebop". It certainly sounds to me like honky-tonk music, more than rock. It's not a song I think of much, but I'm pretty sure I'd heard it before, and I like it.

19. "It's All Over Now" (1964): Another song I wasn't sure I'd know, based on the title. But I do. Not a song I think of much, but at least the chorus is memorable to me. It's a decent song. It's got some country in it, and it was originally done by the Valentinos (an R&B group with which I am not familiar).

20. "Let's Spend the Night Together" (1967): Yet another song whose title was unfamiliar to me, but I must have heard the song before. It's good, but I don't find it that memorable.

Disc Two

1. "Start Me Up" (1981): This is another song I thought was released much later than it was, because of its use in a Microsoft ad campaign in the mid-90s. It's possible I hadn't heard it before those ads came out, I'm not sure. In any event, it's very energetic and catchy.

2. "Brown Sugar" (1971): I have no idea whether I'd heard this before or not, but it's good.

3. "Miss You" (1978): Another song I wasn't sure I'd know, based on the title. But as soon as it started, I recognized it. At least the instrumental part is familiar; I'm not so sure about the lyrics. Not a song I would ever think about when I'm not listening to it, but of course it's good.

4. "Beast of Burden" (1978): Yet another song I would have thought came out much later. I probably heard it in ads or something, though I don't recall when or for what (and Wikipedia doesn't mention any ads). Maybe I'm wrong about that, and I just didn't happen to hear it on the radio until sometime in the '90s or later, and thought it was new. In any event, it's a cool song.

5. "Don't Stop" (2002): This is a new song, original to this album. I don't recall if I'd ever heard it before I first listened to the album in 2026, but I may have. It's not something I would find memorable, anyway, but it's not bad, and it sounds like it could have been released at any time in the band's history.

6. "Happy" (1972): Neither the title nor the song sound familiar to me, but it's not bad.

7. "Angie" (1973): I feel like I've definitely heard or read this title before, but the song doesn't really sound familiar to me. It's a lot softer than most Stones songs, and I think I like it less than their harder stuff, but it's okay. Wikipedia says it's glam rock, and I can hear that, but I could also imagine it being done by like Aerosmith or some group like that.

8. "You Got Me Rocking" (1994): I don't think this is familiar to me. It's okay.

9. "Shattered" (1978): I'm pretty sure I've never heard this before. It immediately sounded different to me than any other Stones song I've heard. Wikipedia calls it punk rock, disco, and new wave, and I can hear all that in it, especially the punk. It's not bad, but I feel like it's kind of weird. I also feel like I won't ever think of it unless I'm listening to it, but if I ever do listen to it, I might be like, "Oh yeah, that song".

10. "Fool to Cry" (radio edit, 1976): I don't think I've heard this before. It's another kind of soft song. I don't think I care for it, but that's mainly because I don't think anyone should call anybody a fool to cry. There's nothing wrong with crying.

11. "Love Is Strong" (1994): I'm not sure if I've heard this, but I may have. It's got some bluesy harmonic parts, but for the most part it's not really bluesy. I do like it. Somehow it kind of made me think if Iggy Pop, but that probably doesn't make much sense. I can't think of a specific example of what made me think that.

12. "Mixed Emotions" (radio edit, 1989): I kind of remember this from when it came out, because it's around the time I would have been in my early years of really listening to the radio. So it's one of the few Stones songs I know that isn't from before my time. I have a certain fondness for it, because of that. It's not as good as some of their earlier work, but it's still pretty good.

13. "Keys to Your Love" (2002): New song. I'm pretty sure I never heard this one. Parts of it kinda remind me of Prince. It's not bad, but I can't imagine I'll remember it.

14. "Anybody Seen My Baby?" (1997): The title doesn't sound familiar, but the song sounds kind of familiar. And I don't think that's just because, as Wikipedia says, the chorus sounds like that of the k.d. lang song "Constant Craving". There's also a little bit of hip-hop in one spot (by Biz Markie), which I wasn't expecting. All in all, I think it's a fairly interesting song.

15. "Stealing My Heart" (2002): New song. I don't know this one. Parts of it put me in mind of The B-52s. It's not bad.

16. "Tumbling Dice" (1972): This doesn't sound greatly familiar, but it's still refreshing to hear after a stretch of more modern songs on the disc.

17. "Undercover of the Night" (1983): This one's unfamiliar, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. It might be a little too early '80s, not that I have anything against '80s music, it's just that I'm not sure if it's a good fit for the Stones. But it's okay.

18. "Emotional Rescue" (radio edit, 1980): This one's unfamiliar, and I think it's too disco. Again, I have nothing in particular against disco necessarily, though it's not my favorite genre, and I'm not sure how I feel about Mick Jagger singing it.

19. "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" (radio edit, 1974): After some unfamiliar songs, it's nice to hear a classic again. I feel like this would have been a good choice to end the album on a high note, but alas, there's one more to go, and a new one, at that. But whatever, this song rocks, which is always apt for rock songs that are about rock music.

20. "Losing My Touch" (2002): New song. Sounds a bit country, at least the instrumentation. It's probably the softest song on the album, and rather sad. It's not bad, but I don't think I'll remember it.

Well, all in all I think it's a great album. There probably aren't many more songs, if any, that I would have wanted it to include. Maybe a few I've forgotten about would have been good to have here, but if I can't think what they might be, I guess I don't miss them that much. There were plenty of songs on the album I didn't know, or didn't know well, which I wouldn't have missed if they weren't included here. But none of them are bad. Mostly, I'm just happy to have a collection that includes a lot of songs I did know and love.