The Rolling Stones' First Demo at IBC Studios: February 1963

Before they were the snarling, strutting icons of the 60s, the Rolling Stones were just a raw R&B band from London looking for a break. On February 11, 1963—seven months before their first single came out—they walked into IBC Studios on Portland Place to cut their very first demo. The session was organized by their then-manager, Giorgio Gomelsky, who paid for the studio time (about £15) and brought in young engineer Glyn Johns to run the tapes. Johns, just 21, would later become a legendary producer for the band and for Led Zeppelin, but on that day he was simply trying to capture the noise of six hungry musicians in a small room.

The Stones recorded four