Review: The Rolling Stones' 'Honk'

Ever since the release of Made in the Shade nearly 45 years ago, compilations of Rolling Stones Records-era Rolling Stones records have poked out every few years like the lascivious tongue that pokes out from most of their covers. When the Stones quietly released Blue and Lonesome a few years ago, another in this long, long lines of hits comps was inevitable, and that shoe is finally dropping now with Honk. It is another Rolling Stones Records-era compilation with a lot of the usual suspects from “Brown Sugar” to “Start Me Up” and beyond. 

Once again there is a modicum of variation to distinguish it from the myriad other Stones compilations. “Dancing with Mr. D.” makes its first appearance on a Stones compilation, and there is a trio of tracks from Blue and Lonesome. There’s also a triple-disc version of Honk that includes ten live tracks all culled from performances given over the past six years, which means they don’t catch the Stones at their most vital or even spry. The live selections are more notable for their most interesting (“She’s a Rainbow” makes its live album debut) and weirdly redundant (did we really need both studio and live versions of lesser songs such as “Mr. D” and “Bitch”?) choices than it is for the presence of guest stars Ed Sheerhan, Florence Welch, and Dave Grohl, who don’t make the Stones seem as fresh and relevant as Mick thinks they do. However, it is the fact that half of the studio tracks come from the Stones’ less vital albums of the past 35 years is what ultimately makes Honk a less thrilling compilation than the vast majority of others.