Disc One/Two: 1. It’s All Over Now, 2. I Can’t Be Satisfied, 3. Stewed And Keefed, 4. Around And Around, 5. Confessin’ The Blues, 6. Down In The Bottom, 7. Empty Heart, 8. Hi Heel Sneakers, 9. Down The Road Apiece, 10. If You Need Me, 11. Look What You’ve Done, 12. Tell Me Baby, 13. Time Is On My Side Version 2 (on cover 1), 14. Reelin’ And Rockin’, 15. Don’t You Lie To Me, 16. 2120 South Michigan Avenue, 17. What A Shame, 18. Fanny Mae, 19. Little Red Rooster, 20. Time Is On My Side Version 3 (on cover 2), 21. Goodbye Girl, 22. Key To The Highway, 23. Mercy Mercy Version 1, 24. Mercy Mercy Version 2, 25. That’s How Strong My Love Is, 26. The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man, 27. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, 28. Try Me.

There was great hope when this set was announced that maybe through using some AI applications we could have enjoyed some new stereo versions of the Chess sessions that have circulated so far mostly in mono with some exception. In fact it has been reported possible to have a stereo mix from an original mono source, since AI algorithms can detect every musical instrument and isolate it, making possible to create a stereo mix. There is a rumor that there are already versions of Little Red Rooster and Come On in full stereo, created by fans possibly using apps like Demix Pro, while someone else even worked on Robert Johnson’s Sweet Home Chicago! However, coming to this release, the old saying ‘not all that glitters is gold’ is absolutely true. First of all these discs have different length and I don’t know how to explain these 9 seconds difference, but for the choice to use real stereo takes that are somehow shorter. Then many songs are in the well known finished versions, namely: It’s All Over Now, I Can’t Be Satisfied, Around And Around, Confessin’ The Blues, Down In The Bottom, Empty Heart, Down The Road Apiece, If You Need Me, Look What You’ve Done, Tell Me Baby, Don’t You Lie To Me, 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Little Red Rooster, That’s How Strong My Love Is, The Under Assistant West Coast Promo Man and Satisfaction which come from official releases (7” single, No.2, Five By Five ep, December’s Children, The Rest of the Best, Out Of Our Head). There are also mistakes like Time Is On My Side Version 1 which is actually Version 2 and Version 2 which is Version 3 and then Fanny Mae which is the usual BBC broadcast version. How can some new stereo tracks be distinguished from the traditional ones then? I assume the best way is to notice those whose drums are on one channel only (I Can’t Be Satisfied) instead of being in the centre (Stewed And Keefed) that are genuine stereo tracks. That said it must be admitted that the newly ‘worked’ stereo tracks do sound great, no comparison with the so called electronically reprocessed stereo official attempts. But they must have forgotten Time Is On My Side 2, Reelin’ And Rockin’, Fanny Mae, Little Red Rooster and from Goodbye Girl through The Under Assistant West Coast Promo Man plus Try Me though, because they are still mono to my ears. Consequently this release brings out just a bunch of new stereo tracks and that is disappointing due to the back cover claim.

Packaging is questionable from my point of view, first of all they had a shot of the Stones at Chess Records in 1964 which is on the back cover, that should be the front cover with all respect for the Gered Mankowitz shot we all know; in fact there are many of these pictures available online, some even show Andrew Oldham and Stu with the band, let alone the Bob Bonis Lost Stones Photographs book that came out in 2018. Secondly, since both discs have the same tracks what is the point of having both track lists, with a repetition that is not just useless, but misleading since many tracks allegedly called stereo are mono.