The Rolling Stones - Vol. 2, 12 X 5 (JAPANESE Edition UK 1965)

"The Rolling Stones Vol. 2" is the Japanese version of "12 X 5", the second American album released in 1964 following the massive success of their debut "The Rolling Stones" in the UK and the promising sales of its American substitute, "The Rolling Stones (England's Newest Hit Makers)", sometimes titled as "England's Newest Hit Makers" or just "The Rolling Stones".


The album, like its predecessor, largely featured R&B covers; however, it does contain three compositions from the still-developing "Mick Jagger"/"Keith Richards" songwriting team, as well as two group compositions under the pseudonym of "Nanker Phelge".
"12 X 5" is notable for featuring the first, and less-often-heard, of "The Rolling Stones"' two versions of "Jerry Ragovoy"'s "Time Is on My Side", with a prominent electronic organ part instead of the better-known version's electric guitar.

The Rolling Stones: It's All Over Now / Good Times, Bad Times, London Records, Japan HIT-386

After a series of sessions in Chicago in June 1964, "The Rolling Stones"' UK label "Decca Records" released the five-song EP "Five by Five". Because EPs were never a lucrative format in the US, "London Records"—their American distributor at the time—spread the EP songs across an entire album, adding seven new recordings to create a release of 12 songs by five musicians, hence the album's title. The rest of the songs were singles "It's All Over Now" and "Time Is on My Side" with their B-sides, plus three songs that were later included on "The Rolling Stones No. 2" album. "Decca Records" would use the same cover (minus the lettering) for "The Rolling Stones"' second UK album "The Rolling Stones No. 2" in early 1965
The Rolling Stones: Time is On My Side / Congratulations, London Japan HIT-427 December 1964

"12 X 5" proved to be a faster seller than "England's Newest Hit Makers", reaching No. 3 and going gold quickly.

The group's second British album actually appeared after their second US LP, mostly owing to the fact that the British Rock & Roll audience wasn't focused on the long-player as a medium (singles and EPs were the driving force of the business in England then). It uses the same "David Bailey" cover shot that had graced the US-issued 12 X 5 album two and a half months earlier, but only four songs, "Under The Boardwalk", "Suzie Q", "Grown Up Wrong" and "Time Is On My Side", overlap on the two albums.