Summary
“Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass)” is The Rolling Stones’ first great “story so far” on vinyl.

Your Decca TXS 101 copy is a UK gatefold reissue from around 1970, revisiting a compilation that originally appeared in 1966. Think of it as a time capsule of the Stones’ rise from raw R&B covers band to swaggering hit machine.

On these grooves, you get the essentials of their early years: “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Paint It Black,” “Get Off Of My Cloud,” “The Last Time,” “As Tears Go By,” “19th Nervous Breakdown,” and more. It’s a crash course in how five scruffy London kids stole the blues, rewired it, and sold it back to the world as British Invasion rock.

For anyone building a vinyl collection, this record is both a greatest-hits blast and a history lesson you can dance to.

About the Artist
The Rolling Stones formed in London in 1962, knit together by a shared obsession with American blues and R&B.

Core classic lineup: Mick Jagger (vocals), Keith Richards (guitar), Brian Jones (multi-instrumentalist), Bill Wyman (bass), Charlie Watts (drums).
Primary influences: Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Jimmy Reed, and early rock ’n’ roll and soul.
In the early 1960s, the Stones were almost a tribute band to their heroes. They played Chess and Chess-style blues so faithfully that American artists were impressed and slightly alarmed. Manager and producer Andrew Loog Oldham then had a big idea: market them as the anti-Beatles.

Where the Beatles were charming and tidy, the Stones were sullen, dangerous, and just a bit unwashed. Oldham’s famous line, “Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone?” was pure marketing gold.

At first, the band leaned heavily on covers. Their UK singles like “Come On” (a Chuck Berry tune) and “Not Fade Away” (Buddy Holly by way of Bo Diddley) showed off their R&B chops. But Oldham pushed Mick Jagger and Keith Richards to write. Reluctantly at first, they did—and the Jagger/Richards partnership quickly became one of rock’s greatest songwriting engines.

By the time the songs on Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) were recorded (roughly between 1963 and 1966), the Stones had transitioned from a club band to chart-toppers. They were no longer just playing the blues; they were defining the sound of mid-60s rock.

About the Record
“Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass)” is a compilation—but not a lazy one. It’s a curated snapshot of the band’s evolution in just a few intense years.

What’s on it?
The UK Decca TXS 101 edition (the one you’ve got) focuses on the big British singles and early milestones, including:

“Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?”
“Paint It Black”
“It’s All Over Now”
“The Last Time”
“Not Fade Away”
“Come On”
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
“Get Off Of My Cloud”
“As Tears Go By”
“19th Nervous Breakdown”
“Time Is On My Side”
“Little Red Rooster”
“Heart of Stone”
“Lady Jane”
It covers the phase where the Stones transition from high-energy cover band to fully-fledged songwriters exploring folk, baroque pop, and darker lyrical themes.

Genre & sound
The record sits at the intersection of:

Blues and R&B – “Little Red Rooster,” “Not Fade Away,” “It’s All Over Now”.
British Invasion rock – “Satisfaction,” “Get Off Of My Cloud,” “19th Nervous Breakdown”.
Baroque/orchestral pop – “As Tears Go By,” “Lady Jane”.
Psychedelic leanings – “Paint It Black” points toward the trippier late-60s sound.
It’s the perfect bridge between their scrappy R&B phase and the album-focused era that would give us Aftermath, Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, and Sticky Fingers.

Significance in their discography
When it first appeared in 1966, Big Hits served three big roles:

Story so far: It neatly tied together UK singles, EP material, and early favorites in an age when not all hits were on the studio albums.
Image building: By lining up so many hits on one disc, it cemented the Stones as a singles powerhouse, not just a bluesy curiosity.
Market weapon: In the mid-60s, greatest-hits packages were also a way to keep a band on the charts between studio albums and tours.
By 1970, when your reissue pressing was circulating, the Stones had already released Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed. In that context, Big Hits played like a “prequel”—a sharp reminder of where all that late-60s greatness began.

Collectors and critics still treat this compilation as one of the stronger, better-sequenced hits albums of the 1960s. It doesn’t feel random; it feels like a narrative.

About the Cover
The Decca TXS 101 UK edition has one of the most evocative Stones covers of the era.

The front
You get the band standing in a lush, slightly surreal green setting by the water, with Mick Jagger front and center and the others receding into the background.

The “high tide and green grass” from the title is almost literal: shimmering water, dense greenery, and that pastoral, slightly dreamy haze.
It contrasts nicely with the band’s image. Dangerous city boys, now in nature, still looking like they don’t quite belong there.
The UK artwork differs from the fisheye-lens, city-trippy US cover. This one is more grounded and reflective—perfect for a compilation that looks back.

The gatefold & booklet
The TXS 101 issue is a gatefold with an insert/booklet of photos from their early career:

Studio shots, live snaps, and candid images from the first wild years
Portraits by major 60s photographers like David Bailey and Gered Mankowitz (names deeply tied to the London mod/rock visual scene)
For a fan in 1970, this wasn’t just a record. It was a mini-photo archive of the band becoming The Rolling Stones as the world knows them now.

Design-wise, the cover and booklet help tell the same story the tracklist does: this is a band that has already lived a lot of life in a very short time.

About the Lyrics & Music
This record works almost like a highlight reel of the Stones learning how to write, arrange, and push rock music forward.

The early covers: learning by stealing (with love)
Several key tracks are covers, and they matter:

“Come On” – Their debut single. A Chuck Berry tune sped up and sharpened. The band reportedly grew to dislike it, dropping it from live sets early, but it’s fascinating as a document of where they started.
“Not Fade Away” – Buddy Holly filtered through a Bo Diddley beat. It’s raw, driven by that hypnotic, stomping rhythm and handclaps.
“It’s All Over Now” – Written by Bobby Womack. This became their first UK No. 1 single. Jagger’s voice is already full of character: bitter, amused, and a little smug.
“Little Red Rooster” – A Willie Dixon blues that gave the Stones a unique claim to fame: it’s the only traditional blues song to hit No. 1 on the UK singles chart.
These tracks show the band paying direct tribute to their heroes while also ramping up the energy and attitude.

The originals: Jagger/Richards find their voice
By the mid-60s, Jagger and Richards were firing on all cylinders:

“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”

The fuzz-tone riff is one of rock’s most famous accidents—Keith Richards originally imagined it as a horn line.
The lyrics are pure bottled frustration: sexual frustration, media overload, fake advertising.
It became a worldwide hit and is often ranked among the greatest rock songs of all time.

“The Last Time”
A key early Jagger/Richards single. The riff nods to the Staple Singers’ gospel tune “This May Be the Last Time,” but the Stones make it electric and urgent.

“Get Off Of My Cloud”
A snotty, joyful pushback against fame, rules, and nosy neighbors. Jagger is basically shouting, “Leave me alone,” over a tumbling, almost chaotic groove.

“19th Nervous Breakdown”
Satirical and neurotic, full of social anxiety and relationship tension.
Bill Wyman’s sliding bass “dive-bomb” at the end is a tiny moment of genius that players still talk about.

“Heart of Stone”
A slow, moody piece halfway between R&B and soul ballad, with Jagger knowingly playing the cold-hearted lover.
These tracks show the Stones taking teenage angst and turning it into sharp, witty, and often dark pop.

The softer and stranger side
The compilation also captures the band’s interest in more delicate, orchestrated sounds:

“As Tears Go By”
One of the earliest Jagger/Richards compositions to be recorded, originally given to Marianne Faithfull.
The Stones’ version keeps the baroque string arrangement, giving us melancholy London rather than sweaty Chicago clubs.

“Lady Jane”
Elizabethan-flavoured, with Brian Jones adding dulcimer.
Lyrically full of pseudo-period language (“My sweet Lady Jane…”), it shows their willingness to step outside pure blues and rock forms.

“Paint It Black”
A huge leap forward. The sitar line (played by Brian Jones) and the minor-key drone give it a tense, almost Eastern-psychedelic mood.
The lyric touches grief, war, depression, and existential dread. This is where the Stones start to sound genuinely haunted.

“Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?”
Brash, noisy, with a frantic brass arrangement.

One of their more chaotic mid-60s singles, it hints at the louder, more experimental Stones of the late 60s.

Production & sound
Most of these tracks were:

Produced by Andrew Loog Oldham.
Recorded in legendary rooms like Chess Studios (Chicago), RCA Studios (Hollywood), and Regent Sound (London).

This means:

Punchy, mono-centric mixes on the earlier tracks.
A gradually wider stereo picture and more adventurous arrangements on the later ones.
Early use of fuzz guitar, sitar, and orchestration in a rock context.
For a 1970 Decca pressing, you’re likely getting that classic warm, slightly compressed UK sound. Many collectors still swear by UK Decca Stones pressings for the way they handle the midrange punch of guitars and Jagger’s voice.

Critical reception & legacy
While compilations don’t usually win awards, Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) has earned deep respect over time:

It charted high on both sides of the Atlantic when first released (Top 5 in the UK and US).
In the US, it’s been certified multi-platinum.
Publications like Rolling Stone, AllMusic, and long-time collectors’ mags have repeatedly singled it out as one of rock’s most essential greatest-hits sets.
Vinyl-focused outlets and communities (like Vinyl Me, Please and hardcore Discogs collectors) often recommend early Decca/ London pressings of Big Hits because:

It pulls together single mixes that weren’t always easy to find on LP.
The sequencing is unusually strong for a hits collection—it actually plays like an album.
As a listening experience, it still feels remarkably alive. There’s very little filler here.

Conclusion
“Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass)” isn’t just a greatest-hits compilation. It’s the sound of the Rolling Stones becoming The Rolling Stones.

On one record, you get:

The raw R&B covers that started it all.
The first wave of Jagger/Richards classics.
The stylistic experiments that led them into psychedelia and album-era greatness.
If you want to understand how the band moved from sweaty London clubs to stadium-filling legends, this Decca TXS 101 pressing is a near-perfect starting point. It’s historically important, musically thrilling, and—most importantly—ridiculously fun to play loud.

If you only own a few Stones records on vinyl, this one absolutely earns its place in the stack.

Other Recommendations
If you love Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass), here’s where to go next.

More Rolling Stones
“Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)” (1969)
The natural follow-up. Covers the later 60s singles—think “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Street Fighting Man,” “Honky Tonk Women.” Often paired with Big Hits as a two-part early-career overview.

“Aftermath” (UK version, 1966)
Their first all-originals album. Features “Paint It Black” (in US versions) and deep cuts like “Under My Thumb” and “Out of Time.” Essential for hearing the band flex as album artists.

“Out of Our Heads” (1965)
The bridge between R&B covers and original hits. Includes “Satisfaction” (US) and a strong mix of covers and originals.

“Beggars Banquet” (1968)
A pivot into darker, rootsy territory. “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Street Fighting Man,” and a more mature, dangerous Stones.

“Let It Bleed” (1969)
Often cited as one of their very best albums. “Gimme Shelter,” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” If Big Hits is the energetic youth movie, this is the gritty sequel.

“Sticky Fingers” (1971)
For when you’re ready for the full swagger: “Brown Sugar,” “Wild Horses,” and some of their most iconic 70s work.

Similar vibes from other artists
If you like the era and the feel of Big Hits, try:

The Beatles – “1962–1966” (The Red Album)
Early Beatles hits in one tidy package. Ideal parallel to early Stones.

The Who – “Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy” (1971)
A compilation of early Who singles and key tracks. Loud, hooky, and packed with attitude.

The Kinks – “The Kinks Greatest Hits!” (or other 60s Kinks comps)
“You Really Got Me,” “All Day and All of the Night,” “Tired of Waiting for You.” British Invasion power with a sly, observational twist.

The Animals – Best-of compilations
For more British blues-rock grit. “House of the Rising Sun” is just the beginning.

Spin Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass), then line a few of these up next. You’ll have your own private British Invasion festival happening right there on your turntable.