Flowers was initially perceived as a mere cash-in, but as time wore on it has come to be regarded as a necessary listening stop in the Stones chronology despite the fact much of it revisits territory from the previous few records. The Stones did the reverse of the Beatles in '67 - whereas the Fab Four put out Sgt. Pepper and followed it up with the odds-and-ends deal that was the Magical Mystery Tour - the Stones mish-mash record came first (at least Stateside), and they followed it up with their big 1967 psychedelic record, towards the end of that fateful year. Whether that was intentional or not, Flowers is a record filled with so many entertaining tunes that, I even raised the rating of "Lady Jane" a half point, because it fits better with the flow of this record than it does with Aftermath! I mean, really, compare this with the previous effort and let's be honest - a lot of the tunes on Between the Buttons were half-cocked and disjointed in comparison. Furthermore, Flowers succinctly sums up the 1966-67 era of the Stones and serves as a great lead-in for what would be one of the most controversial records in their career, and a real turning point.

By any account you read, this ended up being a difficult record for the Stones to put together. They got caught in the trap of trying to keep up with the Joneses, even though when you actually listen to the record, there is no way any of this could be misconstrued as a carbon copy of Sgt. Pepper - not even close - and anyway, a lot of the songs here feel like parodies of the hippie movement. More to the point, there is a certain feel about Satanic Majesties Request which I find more realistic compared to the Beatles' presentation of psychedelia. Ultimately, on the average, it turned out not to be THE spiritual awakening, and was more like a wacky side-adventure with semi-dangerous side effects - and I think that is the gist of what the Stones get across here, intentional or otherwise. The whole deal - and 1967, for that matter - put the band in a massive funk, and the only way out was to go back to the roots, as it were. That said, going back to the album, despite all of these drawbacks and forces working against the group, I do find it to be immensely entertaining as a cohesive whole. Request, much like other psychedelic concept records, is meant to be devoured from start to finish, to really get a feel of what it is about.

Returning from a long-deserved break, Deguello was another left-turn of sorts, starting to introduce turn-of-the-decade pop-rock into their normal blues-rock repertoire. And it turned out to be a big success (“I Thank You”, “Cheap Sunglasses”).

Now! feels like a step back from the previous two albums, despite what many critics have said in the past. Sure, there are a lot of dark, gloomy tunes here, but I also notice a moderate lack of substance. Tracks like "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" and "Off the Hook" are light and fun, but are they true to the Stones' sarcastic tradition? Not so sure about that. On the other hand, "Heart of Stone" is an amazing, pleading ballad which is up there with their absolute best.

Regarding this particular album: the Stones recorded it over the course of a few performances in Madison Square Garden, and one in Baltimore, right before Let It Bleed was released. What one hears as far as Ya Ya's is concerned is a band in the midst of celebration, and who could blame them? Freed from the confines of the studio, what was formerly an edge-of-your-seat drama extraordinaire ("Midnight Rambler") turns into a non-stop happy rager with the fans clapping beat for beat. Obviously, these are shows I would have loved to have been at, but compare them to the studio versions, and it's no contest. I miss the little touches, additions, and other tidbits from all the studio recordings - things which the live presentation cannot compensate for.