4 Rolling Stones Albums That Peaked at No. 2

The Rolling Stones remain one of the most legendary classic rock bands. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood keep going long after fellow 1960s bands such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd called it a day. They made several No. 1 hits, but four Rolling Stones albums peaked at No. 2 in the United States.

The Rolling Stones reached the top of the charts 9 times

Before covering the Stones’ albums that peaked at No. 2, we need to acknowledge their slew of hit records. They sent nine albums to the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart in their career.

It’s more than just an impressive number. The Rolling Stones had chart-topping albums across three decades. Sixteen years separated their first Billboard No. 1 (1965’s Out of Our Heads) with their most recent (1981’s Tattoo You).

With a few more units sold, these four Rolling Stones that peaked at No. 2 could have added to their tally of chart-toppers.

Note: We included proper studio albums only, not greatest hits packages or other compilations. 

1. ‘Aftermath’

Aftermath blasts off with “Paint It, Black,” one of The Rolling Stones’ biggest hit songs from their entire career. The dark, menacing song aurally predicted the despair and doubt that sprouted up at the end of the 1960s. Richards said the band was ahead of the musical trends with the song.

The entire album showcases the band’s grasp of differing styles. There’s the lounge-jazz vibe of “Under My Thumb,” the back-porch blues of “Doncha Bother Me” and “High and Dry,” and the lengthy, non-U.K. album-closing jam “Going Home.”

Ballads such as “Lady Jane” and “I Am Waiting” prove The Rolling Stones possessed songwriting prowess beyond the blues. Yet 1966’s Aftermath stopped its climb up the charts at No. 2.

2. ‘Between the Buttons’

The first of three (!) Rolling Stones albums from 1967, Between the Buttons follows in a similar vein to Aftermath. The ballads “Ruby Tuesday” and “She Smiles Sweetly” are album highlights, along with opener “Let’s Spend the Night Together.”

After mining delta blues as they built their sound, Between the Buttons contains some of the most sonically ambitious Rolling Stones songs of the mid 1960s. “Cool, Calm and Collected” swings wildly and effectively between vaguely Indian tones and saloon rockabilly (and adds a kazoo for good measure). “My Obsession” rides Charlie Watts’ bare-bones rhythm track, Bill Wyman’s muscular bass, and a barroom piano on a strangely satisfying minimal song.

3. ‘Their Satanic Majesties Request’

The third 1967 album followed The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band chronologically and stylistically. Unlike the Fab Four’s record, which rocketed to the top of the Billboard charts in the summer of 1967, this is one of The Rolling Stones’ albums that peaked at No. 2 in the United States.

Richards and Jagger don’t like the album, but fans embraced it enough to send it up the charts. And it’s easy to see why. There are the album standouts “2000 Light Years From Home” and “She’s a Rainbow,” of course. Beyond those, songs such as “The Citadel” and “Gomper” provide solid approximations of the psychedelic pop The Beatles and Pink Floyd scored with in 1967.

4. ‘Voodoo Lounge’

The Rolling Stones’ discography doesn’t grow as quickly as it once did. Still, more than 40 years after releasing their debut album, they proved they were still relevant with 1994’s Voodoo Lounge.

Lead single “Love Is Strong,” which features Jagger’s harmonica playing that Richards once praised, and “Out of Tears” spent a combined 20 weeks on the singles charts. Elsewhere, songs such as “You Got Me Rocking,” “Sparks Will Fly,” and “Mean Disposition” channel the mix of blues, country, and rockabilly that put the Stones on the map decades earlier. Voodoo Lounge can’t compare to the albums they made in their heyday, but seeing The Rolling Stones release an album that peaked at No. 2 so long into their career proved their tank was far from empty in 1994.

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.