Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)

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Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)
Greatest hits album by
the Rolling Stones
Released12 September 1969
Recorded8 August 1963 – June 1969
Genre
Length42:30
Language
Jimmy Miller
The Rolling Stones chronology
Beggars Banquet
(1968) 		Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)
(1969) 		Let It Bleed
(1969)

Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) is the second compilation album by the English rock band

London Records/ABKCO Records
in the US.

Background

According to Bruce Eder of AllMusic, the album resulted from "three coinciding events – the need to acknowledge the death of the band’s founder Brian Jones (whose epitaph graces the inside cover) in July 1969; the need to get 'Honky Tonk Women,' then a huge hit single, onto an LP; and to fill the ten-month gap since the release of Beggars Banquet and get an album with built-in appeal into stores ahead of the Stones' first American tour in three years."[1]

Songs

Because the Stones'

Aftermath
-era material appearing only on its UK edition, the American edition of Big Hits Vol. 2 included hit singles from the Aftermath period.

The British track listing included the more obscure "

Flowers album. In addition to those songs, many tracks, notably single-only releases, were collected for the first time on a UK Rolling Stones album: "Let's Spend the Night Together", "Ruby Tuesday", "We Love You", "Dandelion", and "Honky Tonk Women
".

Title and packaging

The name of the album is a play on a line from the

through a glass, darkly, but then face to face..."[2]

The LP was packaged in an eight-sided die-cut

gatefold sleeve, featuring an epitaph for Jones: "When this you see, remember me and bear me in your mind. Let all the world say what they may, speak of me as you find."[3] Album cover design by John Kosh
, ironically, brings the viewer face to face with the five band members, through a glass.

Release

Released on 12 September 1969,[4] both versions of Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) proved to be popular releases, reaching #2 in the UK and US with enduring sales.

In August 2002 the US edition of Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) was reissued in a new remastered CD and

digipak by ABKCO Records
.

The British version was again made available to the public as part of a limited edition vinyl box set, titled The Rolling Stones 1964–1969, in November 2010. It was also re-released digitally at the same time.

It was released in 2011 by Universal Music Enterprises in a Japanese only SHM-SACD version. For Record Store Day 2019 ABKCO Records released the record on orange vinyl, with a gatefold cover in the octagonal-shape of the original issue.

Critical reception

Retrospective professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
[5]
Tom HullA−[6]

Reviewing for

The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) that the compilation had adequately summarised the Stones' "brief but tasty" psychedelic music period.[9]

Track listing

UK edition

All tracks written by

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
, except where noted.

Side one

  1. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" – 3:40
    • Originally released as a single in May 1968
  2. "Mother's Little Helper" – 2:45
  3. "2000 Light Years from Home" – 4:45
  4. "Let's Spend the Night Together" – 3:36
    • Originally released as a single in January 1967
  5. "You Better Move On" (Arthur Alexander) – 2:39
  6. "We Love You" – 4:22
    • Edited version; originally released as a single in August 1967

Side two

  1. "Street Fighting Man" – 3:15
  2. "She's a Rainbow" – 4:11
  3. "Ruby Tuesday" – 3:16
    • Originally released as a single in January 1967
  4. "Dandelion" – 3:32
    • Edited version; Originally released as a single in August 1967
  5. "Sittin' on a Fence" – 3:02
    • Originally released on the American compilation
      Flowers
       in July 1967
  6. "Honky Tonk Women" – 3:00
    • Originally released as a single in July 1969

US edition

All tracks written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

Side one

  1. "Paint It Black" – 3:20 (from Aftermath)
  2. "Ruby Tuesday" – 3:12 (from Between the Buttons)
  3. "She's a Rainbow" – 4:35 (from Their Satanic Majesties Request)
  4. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" – 3:40 (from London single 908)
  5. "Mother's Little Helper" – 2:40 (from Flowers)
  6. "Let's Spend the Night Together" – 3:29 (from Between the Buttons)

Side two

  1. "Honky Tonk Women" – 3:03 (from London single 910)
  2. "Dandelion" – 3:56 (from London single 905)
  3. "2000 Light Years from Home" – 4:45 (from Their Satanic Majesties Request)
  4. "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?" – 2:33 (from Flowers)
  5. "Street Fighting Man" – 3:10 (from Beggars Banquet)

Personnel

The Rolling Stones

Additional musicians

Charts

Chart (1969–1970) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[10] 9
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[11] 2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] 5
Finland (
The Official Finnish Charts)[13]
 9
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] 13
Italian Albums (
Musica e Dischi)[15]
 6
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[16] 118
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[17] 10
UK Albums (OCC)[18] 2
US Billboard 200[19] 3

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[20]
2006 release 		Gold 100,000‡
United States (RIAA)[21] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Eder, Bruce (n.d.). "Through the Past, Darkly: Big Hits, Vol. 2". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  2. ISBN 3739216905
    .
  3. ISBN 0767909569
    .
  4. ISBN 0857121138
    .
  5. ISBN 0857125958
    .
  6. ^ Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: The Rolling Stones". tomhull.com. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  7. ^ Marcus, Greil (18 October 1969). "Records". Rolling Stone (44). San Francisco: Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc.: 42. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  8. ^ Christgau, Robert (18 September 1969). "Consumer Guide (4)". The Village Voice. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  9. ISBN 0743201698
    .
  10. ISBN 0-646-11917-6
    .
  11. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6086". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Rolling Stones – Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  13. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5
    .
  14. GfK Entertainment Charts
    . Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  15. Musica e Dischi
    (in Italian). Retrieved 30 May 2023. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Rolling Stones".
  16. ISBN 4-87131-077-9
    .
  17. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Rolling Stones – Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  18. ^ "The Rolling Stones | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  19. ^ "The Rolling Stones Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  20. ^ "British album certifications – Rolling Stones – Through the Past Darkly". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  21. ^ "American album certifications – Rolling Stones – Through the Past, Darkly". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 4 September 2021.

External links

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