12 x 5

The Stones' version of Jerry Ragavoy's "Time Is On My Side" (almost a carbon copy of New Orleans singer Irma Thomas' soul hit) was the band's first U.S. Top 10 single and, along with a sharp take on Bobby Womack's "It's All Over Now," remains the standout of this second album. The other 10 tracks are split between generally good rock and R&B covers and a frankly uneven set of originals. Of the latter, "Congratulations" is the clear winner, thanks to Mick Jagger's soon-to-be-familiar dry, jaundiced delivery of snarky lyrics. The group lets loose on the instrumental "2120 South Michigan Avenue" (a tribute to Chess Records, which was based at that Chicago address). But the rote renditions of "Confessin' the Blues" and "Under the Boardwalk" sound like a band marking time while waiting for a breakthrough.