Picture this: 1966. The world's on fire. Vietnam, civil rights, a youthquake shaking the foundations. In the eye of the storm, the Rolling Stones, barely out of their teens, are dropping sonic bombshells. And in Israel, Pax Records, that little label with the green and white stamp, presses a 12" vinyl LP that captures the Stones' early fury: "Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass)".
Forget mint condition and collector's obsessions. This ain't about legacy, it's about a moment in time. The Stones weren't polished icons yet, they were raw nerve endings, plugged into the blues, amped up with rebellion. They weren't just making music, they were the soundtrack to a cultural revolution.
This Pax release, it's a snapshot, not a retrospective. Side One kicks off with "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby...?", a swaggering declaration of independence, followed by the ominous groove of "Paint It, Black". It's a rollercoaster: the heartbroken howl of "It's All Over Now", the defiant stomp of "The Last Time", the raw ache of "Heart of Stone". Even the covers, the Bo Diddley-esque "Not Fade Away" and Chuck Berry's "Come On", are infused with the Stones' youthful arrogance.
Flip it over, and Side Two explodes with "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", that riff that launched a thousand garage bands. "Get Off My Cloud" is pure teenage angst, "As Tears Go By" a surprisingly tender moment. Then it's back to the fray: the manic "19th Nervous Breakdown", the courtly "Lady Jane", and a soulful take on "Time Is On My Side". They close with "Little Red Rooster", a Howlin' Wolf blues classic, proving they could still get down and dirty.
This is the Stones in their formative years, still exploring, still hungry. Andrew Loog Oldham, their Svengali producer, captured them live in the studio, warts and all. RCA in Hollywood, Chess in Chicago – these tracks breathe with the energy of those legendary spaces. The Pax pressing, on thick vinyl, lets that energy loose in your living room.
Don't forget, this was controversial stuff. The Stones were pushing boundaries, lyrically and otherwise. Their music was a challenge to the establishment, a middle finger to the status quo. In Israel, a country with its own complex cultural landscape, the Pax release was a bold statement. It was proof that rock and roll, in all its raucous glory, could cross borders and ignite passions.
So, yeah, "Big Hits" on Pax Records is a piece of history. But it's more than that. It's a high tide of youthful energy, a green grass of rebellion. It's the Rolling Stones, raw and untamed, captured on vinyl and unleashed on the world.
