Forty Licks has the distinction of being the first all-encompassing hits package of the Rolling Stones 40-year career. Covering four decades over a 2-CD retrospective, there are the obvious hits as well as the not-so-obvious ones, most of which are from latter day releases the band feels are necessary to include, if only for comprehensive sake.


That original '60s musical arc bounded from '50s rock and R&B revivalism ("Not Fade Away," "The Last Time") to anti-Mop Top aggression ("Satisfaction," "Get Off My Cloud," "19th Nervous Breakdown") to proto-goth cynicism ("Paint It Black," "Have You Seen Your Mother Baby") and psychedelic minstrelsy ("She's a Rainbow," "Ruby Tuesday") to the epitome of blues-based cock rock ("Street Fighting Man," "Jumpin' Jack Flash") in quick succession.