What the Rolling Stones in Mono Box Set Includes and Its Rare Exclusive Mixes

The Rolling Stones in Mono box set, released in 2016, covers the band’s entire mono output from 1963 to 1969—everything from the debut album through Let It Bleed. It gathers all 14 UK studio albums in mono, plus the US-only December’s Children, Flowers, and Through the Past, Darkly, along with 45 single sides and extended-play tracks. For fans obsessed with the raw, compressed punch of early Stones, this is the only place to hear the records as they were originally designed for jukeboxes and portable players.

The big draw for collectors is the clutch of mono mixes that never appeared on any previous CD release. Most famously, the 1964 single “Tell Me (You’re Coming Back)” appears here in a true mono mix that differs from the fake stereo version used for decades. Also exclusive are the original mono versions of “Heart of Stone” (with a longer fade and different vocal take) and “The Last Time” (featuring a more prominent guitar riff). The 1966 Aftermath mono mix is also included—Brian Jones’ dulcimer is way louder in the left channel than on any stereo master. These aren’t just gimmicks; they reveal a harder, more immediate side of the band that stereo separated and softened.