Metamorphosis (The Rolling Stones album)
| Metamorphosis | ||||
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| Compilation album by The Rolling Stones | ||||
| Released | 6 June 1975 | |||
| Recorded | February 1964 – July 1970 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 48:03 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | ABKCO | |||
| Producer | Andrew Loog Oldham, Jimmy Miller | |||
| The Rolling Stones compilations chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Robert Christgau | B+ |
| Rolling Stone | no rating |
Metamorphosis is the third compilation album of The Rolling Stones music released by former manager Allen Klein's ABKCO Records (who usurped control of the band's Decca/London material in 1970) after the band's departure from Decca and Klein. Released in 1975, Metamorphosis centres on outtakes and alternate versions of well-known songs recorded from 1964 to 1970.
After the release of Hot Rocks 1964–1971 in 1971, an album titled Necrophilia was compiled for release as the follow-up, with the aid of Andrew Loog Oldham, featuring many previously unreleased (or, more accurately, discarded) outtakes from the Rolling Stones' Decca/London period. While that project failed to materialise—with More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies) being released in its place—most of the unreleased songs were held over for a future project. In 1974, to give it an air of authority, Bill Wyman involved himself in compiling an album he entitled Black Box. However, Allen Klein wanted more Mick Jagger/Keith Richards songs in the project for monetary reasons, and Wyman's version remained unreleased. Metamorphosis was issued in its place.
Most tracks that appear on side one of the vinyl album (all tracks up until "Try a Little Harder", except for "Don't Lie to Me") are demo songs, written by Jagger and Richards for other artists to perform. They were mostly recorded with session musicians like Big Jim Sullivan on guitar, Clem Cattini on drums, and Jimmy Page on guitar, and were not intended for release by the Rolling Stones. Indeed, on most of these tracks the only Rolling Stones member who appears is Jagger. While "Out of Time" and "Heart of Stone" were already well known, they appear here in drastically different renditions, with session players providing the backing. Side two includes unreleased band recordings created up until the Sticky Fingers sessions of 1970. Some people found that the song "I'd Much Rather Be With the Boys" had a homosexual subtext, so The Toggery Five version changed the lyric to "I'd rather be out with the boys."
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