In the early days of The Rolling Stones, there was no organized effort to record songs for albums. Instead, the band was furiously tearing out songs during day-long studio sessions and releasing them in whatever format seemed right at the time.

From late 1964 through early 1965, the band put out a UK EP titled 5 X 5, an expanded U.S. version titled 12 X 5, a UK album titled The Rolling Stones No. 2, and a U.S. album titled The Rolling Stones, Now! They also released ten singles.

The Rolling Stones No. 2 (January, 1965) is appropriately titled, because it feels like a sequel to the band’s first UK studio album. Twelve more songs, mostly covers of R&B and blues classics, plus a sprinkling of original material. This time out, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards contributed three songs, though ‘What a Shame,’ Grown Up Wrong,’ and ‘Off the Hook’ are among their most forgettable compositions.

The band’s growing profile led this album to be a big hit in the UK, where it spent ten weeks at #1. The Rolling Stones, Now!, its closest American counterpart, made it to #5 in the States.

Apart from covers of ‘Under the Boardwalk’ and ‘Suzie Q,’ the most recognizable song on this album is ‘Time is On My Side,’ which became the band’s first top ten hit in the U.S. (though in a different form than the version included here).