One of the most iconic compilation albums of all time is climbing the charts—55 years after it was first released.
The Rolling Stones’ Hot Rocks 1964-1971 has re-entered the Billboard 200 at No. 171 for the week ending Aug. 8, making its 440th week overall on the coveted album chart. Hot Rocks originally reached No. 4 in early 1972, shortly after its release.
The reason for the classic album’s latest surge is likely due to streaming sales amid the July 2026 release of the band’s 27th studio album, Foreign Tongues. Bandmates Mick Jaggerand Keith Richards have also been in a rare interview cycle as they promote the new album, prompting fans to look back fondly on their past music library—and new fans to catch wind of it.
Hot Rocks is a compilation of the Rolling Stones’ early music recorded from 1964 to 1971. It became the legendary band’s biggest-selling release, curated as a “cash-in for the 1971 Christmas season” after they parted ways with manager Allen Klein and his Decca/ABKCO Records company to form Rolling Stones Records, according to Ultimate Classic Rock. The band had no say in the track selection for Hot Rocks, as they had previously signed over control of their early catalog to Klein.
Hot Rocks includes 21 Stones classics such as “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” ‘Time Is on My Side,” ”As Tears Go By,” “Paint It Black,” “Ruby Tuesday,” “Gimme Shelter,” and then up-to-date singles such as “Brown Sugar” and “Wild Horses.”
A 1971 interview by Rolling Stone questioned the absence of songs such as “Lady Jane,” “Not Fade Away,” “It’s All Over Now,” “She’s a Rainbow,” and “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow,” further highlighting the fact that the band had an extraordinarily prolific catalog to curate from.
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Jagger once looked back on some of the classic songs that did make the cut. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he revealed that Richards originally didn’t want “Satisfaction,” the band’s first No. 1 hit, to be released as a single.
“People get very blasé about their big hit,” he added. “It was the song that really made the Rolling Stones, changed us from just another band into a huge, monster band. You always need one song. We weren’t American, and America was a big thing, and we always wanted to make it here. It was very impressive the way that song and the popularity of the band became a worldwide thing.”
Fifty-five years after Hot Rocks 1964-1971 remains more than a greatest hits compilation—it is the ultimate introduction to the Rolling Stones for generations of fans.
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