Highlights on Disc One include "Satisfaction" (which is quite possibly the best rock song ever recorded), the dark "Paint It Black," and the gorgeous ballad "Ruby Tuesday." On Disc Two the best include the rocking "Jumpin' Jack Flash," the redneck-flavored "Honky Tonk Woman," and the ambitious statement "You Can't Always Get What You Want." But every single song is worth a listen, I generally don't skip any tracks.

If you are already a Stones fan, chances are you already have most of these songs on their respective albums. But if you are just starting to come around, I definitely recommend Hot Rocks as a smart buy.


Good album to start out with   December 6, 1999
18 out of 22 found this review helpful

This was my first Stones album. I got it when I was a kid and I remember really liking it alot especially the first side with all their earlier songs.My favorite songs in those days was Ninteenth Nervous Breakdown, As Tears Go by, Play With Fire, Paint it Black, Time is On my side, Get off My cloud, and Mothers little helper, and my especial favorite was Ruby Tuesday. I never have liked Satisfaction or Under my Thumb. I also remember being really shocked by Sympathy for the Devil and I would never listen to it, I guess I thought I would be dragged down to Hell for listening to it. Thats one reason I never listened to the second side, I was so scared of hearing that song(hey, I was only about 9 years old)Anyway, times change and now my favorite songs are on the second side because I don't really like their mid sixties songs too much anymore. My fave songs on it now are Jumping Jack Flash,Wild Horses, Brown Sugar, Midnight Rambler(I like the version on Let it Bleed better though)Honky Tonk Women, and yes, Sympathy For the Devil. Its a good album to start out any Stones collection with and if you like it then you can go on to Beggers Banquet, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile on Main Street which is the god of all rock albums.


The first Stones album you should buy   December 10, 1999
Marc Axelrod (Potter, Wi USA)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

What? You don't own any Rolling Stones albums? Then don't hesitate and go out and buy this one. This is the best album to get if you've never heard the Stones before. Then if you like it (and even if you don't like it), go out and get "Sticky Fingers" and "Exile on Main Street." Then you'll be Stoned.


Still the best early Stones compilation   December 29, 2004
Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Spanning the first seven years of the Stones' recording career, "Hot Rocks" includes almost every song the casual fan could want from that period.
It doesn't include their earliest blues and R&B covers, which is a shame, but once you're hooked I'm sure you can find the money to go out and get the Stones' first four LPs anyway ;-)

But look at what is here: "Satisfaction", "Heart Of Stone", "Honky Tonk Women", "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "Brown Sugar", "Sympathy For The Devil" and many, many more. This excellent, attractively packaged and well annotated compilation truly provides the cream of the crop.
Get "Hot Rocks" and "Jump Back: The Best Of The Rolling Stones 1971-1993" and you'll have a much better career overview than with the good-but-not-great 2002 box set "Forty Licks".