OK, let me start by acknowledging that I'm one of those people who believe that The Rolling Stones ceased to be relevant after Brian Jones died. So there's that. Also, I bought many of these singles back in the day in the original picture sleeves (including the EPs which I bought direct from a supplier in England). So seeing them in miniature after all these years (my record collection is long gone) was a treat. Also, I'm basically boycotting those ridiculous Rolling Stones reissue CDs that offer nothing to me as a consumer that I didn't have on my original LPs 40 years ago. (Man, has it been that long?) So, given all that, I was thrilled when this set was (finally) issued. The years 1965-1967 are (to me) the Golden Age of The Rolling Stones - their artistic peak years. The songs included in this set are almost all classics. The packaging is fabulously fun. I love the idea of packaging the CDs as miniature versions of the old 45s (much like the earlier Kinks sets) and the booklet is actually informative. So skip those insulting reissues (until somebody is willing to do them up right with bonus tracks and a meaningful booklet) and get this set instead. It rocks!

This is one of the most fantastic exposures of the modern art of making music.
Touching all the corners of the magic world of the seven keys of expression, The Stones comes in colours with all the flowers of the evergreen.
The language of creativity at his high peak. A fantastic trip from "Satisfaction" to "The Lantern", exploring the eleven houses of light where The Stones hide his real soul from themselves.
Like the myth of Dorian Gray .... his real face before the snake bites the golden apple of temptation ... As the poet said, in another time and another place, "the laburnum will be as yellow next june as it is now . . . but we never get back our youth... our limbs fail, our senses rot . . . youth, youth, there is absolutely nothing in the world but youth." Against the dullish contemporaneity .... a solution always satisfactory: PAINT IT BLACK!

An eleven(11) disc-box set with JUST two songs on each CD.You read that correct. Their used price is good, for WHAT you get here. Strictly for the completists and die-hards. Although,you get plenty of old Stones classics that I, personally haven't heard in ages.Anyone else remember the bluesy "Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man"? It was the flip side of the "Satisfaction" 45 vinyl single. Had to have been maybe my second 45 I ever bought. Other goods are "Get Off My Cloud", the psychedelic gem "Paint It Black", "Mother's Little Helper", "She's A Rainbow" among many others. Only downside is that you'll need to get up and walk over to your stereo and CHANGE each 2-track CD. Otherwise, it's great. Semi-recommended.

The purpose of this review is to completely compare the contents of "Singles Collection: The London Years" to the 3 "Singles" box sets which as a group contain the same songs plus more. There are some good comparisons in the other reviews, but also several omissions and inaccuracies, so hopefully this 1-to-1 comparison will clear things up a bit as to what songs are included on each, and which "missing" songs can also be found on the other ABKCO CD's, particularly "More Hot Rocks: Big Hits & Fazed Cookies". Each of these collections is rather expensive, so hopefully this may help you decide which sets you really need or want.

To settle one thing first though, the songs on the "Got Live If You Want It" EP contained in the "Singles 1963-1965" box set are NOT included on the full length CD "Got Live If You Want It". They share the same title but that's all, and were actually two different releases. Buying the full length CD will NOT get you all the same songs on the EP as indicated in another review. With that out of the way.....

"Singles 1963-1965": "Singles Collection: The London Years" contains all of the songs included in this box set, with the exception of 3 original British EP's exclusive to the box set. The first EP contains You Better Move On (also available on "December's Children") and Poison Ivy, Bye Bye Johnny & Money (all 3 also available on "More Hot Rocks: Big Hits & Fazed Cookies"). The second EP (originally titled "5 X 5") contains If You Need Me, Empty Heart, 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Confessin' The Blues and Around & Around, all of which are also available on the "12 X 5" CD. The third EP (the afore mentioned "Got Live If You Want It") contains early live versions of We Want The Stones, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Pain In My Heart, Route 66, I'm Movin On & I'm Alright, none of which are available on any other CD (with the possible exception of I'm Alright which may or may not be the same version included on the full-length "Got Live..." CD).

Conclusion: Both "The London Years" and "Singles 63-65" contain the early single/B-sides Come On (also available on "More Hot Rocks") as well as I Want To Be Loved, I Wanna Be Your Man & Stoned which aren't available on any other ABKCO CD. So both sets contain 3 songs not included elsewhere, plus the box set includes the live EP. So the deciding factor between "The London Years" and "Singles 63-65" would appear to be the live EP.

"Singles 1965-1967": "Singles Collection: The London Years" contains all of the songs included in this 2nd box set, with no exceptions. Both contain the single/B-sides Long Long While & We Love You (also available on "More Hot Rocks") and Sad Day & Who's Driving Your Plane? which aren't available on any other ABKCO CD. So both sets contain 2 songs not included elsewhere. No further conclusions.

"Singles 1968-1971": "Singles Collection: The London Years" contains all of the songs included in this 3rd box set, with a few unique exceptions. The third box set additionally contains Everybody Needs Somebody to Love (also available on "The Rolling Stones Now!") and three non-ABKCO B-sides + 3 remixes exclusive to the box set. The B-sides are the Ry Cooder instrumental Natural Magic (from the film "Performance" soundtrack...Memo From Turner was the A-side) and Bitch & Sway which were the B-sides to Brown Sugar & Wild Horses. My guess is the licensing rights to these B-sides belong to Virgin Records, etc. and hadn't yet been negotiated when "The London Years" was originally released back in 1989. The remixes appear to be 3 different "rap" style remixes of Sympathy For The Devil. The box set also contains a bonus DVD (see the item description for more on that).

Conclusion: Both "The London Years" and "Singles 68-71" contain the B-side Child Of The Moon (also available on "More Hot Rocks") and Brown Sugar & Wild Horses (also available on "Hot Rocks 1"). So the deciding factor between "The London Years" and "Singles 68-71" would appear to be the three non-ABKCO B-sides, the three remixes and the DVD contained in the box set.

Final Conclusion: For the completest collector who has to have absolutely everything on CD, you basically have 2 choices. Buy all 3 box sets, or buy "Singles Collection: The London Years" and the two box sets "Singles 63-65" & "Singles 68-71" (a lot of duplication, though "The London Years" runs a little cheaper than the box sets + you don't have to change CD's as often).

A slightly cheaper option if you're mainly interested in completing the ABKCO Rolling Stones "canon" not released on the regular studio full-length CD's is to buy "Singles Collection: The London Years" and "Singles 1963-1965". You'd only be missing the three non-ABKCO B-sides and the 3 Sympathy For The Devil remixes.

A cheaper option still, if you're only interested in the very early singles & live EP and can live without a few later ABKCO B-Sides, is to buy "More Hot Rocks: Big Hits & Fazed Cookies" and "Singles 1963-1965". With those 2 you'd only be missing Sad Day, Who's Driving Your Plane? and the three non-ABKCO B-sides and the 3 remixes.

In truth, the 2nd & 3rd discs of "Singles Collection: The London Years" make an interesting listen because each is primarily made up of A & B sides not included on the regular studio CD's. So they're almost like listening to independent CD's without repeating too many songs you'll hear when listening to the other albums. The 2nd disc from "More Hot Rocks" and also "Through The Past Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)" do the same, only with different selections of songs, so comparing these two further is highly recommended as well.

Decisions, decisions. Hope this helps.

Though the 1968-1972 is by far the best period in Stones history, that period had the Stones worrying more about finely crafted albums - which they did - then releasing 45s. Back when they did play the singles market, their best material came out between 1965 and 1967. Some of rock's greatest singles are here. Satisfaction? Check. Get Off My Cloud? Yup. 19th Nervous Breakdown? That's there, too. Paint It Black? You got it. Mother's Little Helper? Yeah. As Tears Go By? They got that, too. Let's Spend the Night Together/Ruby Tuesday (a double a-side)? We got it. She's a Rainbow? Yeah.
Okay, so some of this hasn't held up well. There's a good reason why some b-sides have been lost to history, and the In Another Land/The Lantern single has been justly forgotten. Oh well, still pretty good.
Oh, the packaging sucks. Just figured I'd say that.