The Rolling Stones, recorded in 1964, on Decca record label, value, first pressings £1,000, second pressings £350, third pressings £200.

THE Stones owe an acknowledgement to The Beatles for kick-starting their career, writes MICHAEL BROOKS. Two years previously, The Beatles had unsuccessfully auditioned for Decca records. Head of Decca, Dick Rowe, made himself unwittingly but enduringly synonymous with a catastrophic commercial misjudgement by telling The Beatles that "guitar groups were on the way out, didn't like any of their songs and suggested they go back to Liverpool and forget any idea of becoming recording stars." Two years later, after being signed to Parlophone records and were the biggest band in the world, they had proved that guitar groups were very much in. Mr Rowe did redeem himself. Bumping into George Harrison, on George's suggestion, he went on to sign The Rolling Stones without ever hearing them and despite his gaffe, remained as head of Decca records until his death in the mid-eighties.

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were primary school friends who resumed their friendship in their later teens after discovering their mutual love of American rhythm and blues music. Together with a few friends, they formed a band and began playing at small venues throughout London, they met up with Brian Jones, who had been offered a residency at the now legendary Marquee club and became The Rolling Stones. This is their first album and unique because it does not feature the band's name or a title, record buyers only had the image to look at. It features 12 tracks, mostly rhythm and blues cover versions also the first Jagger/Richards recorded song Tell Me. Decca released the song Come On originally recorded by Chuck Berry; it peaked at number 21 in the charts. The next few months saw the Stones catapulted to fame amid outrage and controversy about their indifference, surly demeanour and the length of their hair. This was still a world where older folk were still coming to terms with The Beatles hair styles, though they had neatly groomed mop-tops. Newspapers asked, "Would you let your daughter go out with a Rolling Stone?" These opinions eventually collapsed as the Stones rivalled The Beatles as a top recording act. Now all in their seventies, they have been acknowledged as one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands ever, still filling concert arenas around the world. They just keep rolling on.