It’s been 50 years since the Rolling Stones released Let It Bleed, the band‘s eighth studio album and one that came during a period of significant stress and tension, due to a number of issues including the erratic behavior of guitarist Brian Jones, who was replaced by Mick Taylor during the recording sessions.
Despite the turmoil — or perhaps inspired by it — Let It Bleed has gone on to be considered one of the Stones’ greatest artistic achievements by many, thanks in large part to the songs “Gimme Shelter” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” which have both become staples of the Stones’ repertoire.
On Nov. 1, ABKCO Records will release a special edition of Let It Bleed to mark the 50th anniversary, featuring lavish Rolling Stones memorabilia recreations and remastered audio tracks. From the news release:
This 2 LP/ 2 HybridSuper Audio CD set was entirely remastered in both stereo and mono by Grammy®-winning engineer Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering. The collection also comes with a reproduction of the 1969 7” mono single of “Honky Tonk Women”/ ”You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” in a picture sleeve. Also included are three 12” x 12” hand-numbered replica-signed lithographs printed on embossed archival paper, and a full-color 23” x 23” poster with restored art from the original 1969 Decca Records package. An 80 page hardcover book that includes an essay by journalist David Fricke and never-before-seen photos by the band’s tour photographer Ethan Russell is part of the set. ABKCO Records is also releasing the remastered stereo version of Let It Bleed as a stand-alone CD, vinyl LP, and digitally.
Here’s an unboxing of the special edition:
And a stream of the newly remastered version of “Monkey Man”:
