Here’s a well-rounded, critical look at box set (released 2011). A Sweeping, Flawed Capstone to the “Second Act” When the Rolling Stones released The Singles Collection: 1971–2006 in late 2011, it arrived as the natural companion to 2009’s Singles Collection: 1963–1971 (the London/Decca years). Where that earlier box traced the band’s transformation from blues-obsessed teens to jet-black rock royalty, this three-disc (or 45-disc vinyl behemoth) set covers the era when the Stones became a self-sustaining industry: their own label (Rolling Stones Records), the iconic tongue logo, and a shifting sound that veered from disco to punk-surf to stadium balladry. What You Get The standard physical release is three CDs containing 45 A- and B-sides spanning 1971’s “Brown Sugar” to 2006’s “Biggest Mistake” (from A Bigger Bang ). The digital edition runs 54 tracks, adding some non-UK single cuts. For vinyl obsessives, the limited edition box (45 × 7″ singles in repro sleeves) is a work of fetishistic beauty — but at a collector’s price.
For a set priced at premium level, the liner notes are disappointingly brief. A few paragraphs per era and no session details. Hardcore fans will want the out-of-print Rolling Stones: The Singles book instead. Here’s a well-rounded, critical look at box set
Hearing “Brown Sugar” (1971) bleed into “Wild Horses” (UK single 1971) then jump to “Happy” (1972) reveals a band still deeply in their creative golden hour. By the time you hit “Fool to Cry” (1976) and “Respectable” (1978), you feel the hangover of the ’70s and the punk-spiked revival. What You Get The standard physical release is