Rareties 1971-2003 (2005)
1.Fancy Man Blues
2.Tumbling Dice (live)
3.Wild Horses (live)
4.Beast of Burden (live)
5.Anyway You Look at It
6.If I Was a Dancer (Dance, Pt.2)
7.Miss You (dance mix)
8.Wish I'd Never Met You
9.I Just Wanna Make Love to You
10.Mixed Emotions (12 inch mix)
11.Through the Lonely Nights
12.Live with me (live)
13.Let it Rock
14.Harlem Shuffle (NY mix)
15.Mannish Boy (live)
16.Thru and Thru (live)
You have to ask yourself: who exactly was this for? A casual listener? Unlikely. Released mere months after A Bigger Bang, this wasn’t a well-timed primer for the newly curious. No, Rarities was aimed squarely at the diehards—the completists, the collectors, the ones who happily purchase a CD of studio outtakes or rehearsal jams just to hear a five-second difference in the mix. And to that group, the prospect of a new Stones compilation of unreleased (or at least hard-to-find) material was a tantalizing one.
In theory, anyway.
In practice, Rarities is a frustratingly lazy release. For something billed as a deep dive into the band’s vaults, the pickings are surprisingly slim. Most of what’s here has either been released elsewhere or could be cobbled together from any number of live albums, deluxe editions, or maxi-singles. The inclusion of a handful of dance remixes—yes, dance remixes—is particularly baffling. At best, they feel dated; at worst, they come off as filler in a compilation that can scarcely afford it.
There are a few genuine treasures scattered about. Maybe four tracks, if we’re being generous, could qualify as actual “rarities” in the true sense. But given the vastness of the band’s back catalogue—spanning decades, styles, and sessions—it’s hard to understand why the compilers didn’t dig deeper. A missed opportunity, to say the least.
What makes it all the more disappointing is that the Stones had pulled this sort of thing off before. Sucking in the Seventies was similarly maligned upon release, yet in hindsight, it had a certain oddball charm. Rarities, on the other hand, feels thrown together with the enthusiasm of a contract obligation. A few bright spots aside, it’s difficult to shake the feeling that this one was phoned in. Still, the faithful will find enough here to justify a listen or two. But for a band with such a towering legacy, it’s difficult not to expect more.
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