The Rolling Stones’ third UK studio album, Out of Our Heads, was released in the U.S. two months earlier — July vs. September of 1965. It was a major hit on both sides of the pond, reaching #1 in the U.S. and #2 in the UK. Once again, the lineups were significantly different.

Because the tradition was not to include single releases on UK albums, that version of Out of Our Heads didn’t feature the band’s biggest hit to date (and one of their biggest overall), ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.’ That smash did appear on the U.S. edition, as did hit ‘The Last Time’ and its haunting B-side, ‘Play with Fire.’

The inclusion of those three classic tracks certainly gives the U.S. version of this album a leg up. The UK version, on the other hand, does include ‘Heart of Stone,’ previously released in the U.S. on the album The Rolling Stones, Now!. Good lord, I can’t wait for these guys to release just one version of something.

I’m always fascinated to see songwriters make the leap from middling early efforts to bona fide classics over the course of a couple of years. Prior to 1965, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards had barely put pen to paper, and their songs that did get a release were forgettable. Then suddenly they were cranking out tunes that still hit hard 60 years later.

Out of Our Heads (UK edition) was The Stones’ third straight album dominated by blues and R&B covers but for my money it stands apart from the other two. The performances here are much more confident and muscular, and Jagger’s vocals have a touch of the snarling charisma that would become his signature.

This is the sound of a great band on the verge of becoming legendary.