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The Rolling Stones’ Label That Never Was
ROLLING STONES VS THE BEATLES: LABEL WARS Back in December 1967, The Rolling Stones were all set to launch Mother Earth and signed Marianne Faithfull as their first artist — move over, Apple Records! But the label never really took off… yet. The dream got a reboot in 1970 with Rolling Stones Records. Fun fact: the idea first popped up in Record Retailer in February 1968. Rock dreams sometimes take a little detour before hitting the spotlight!
December 16, 1967: The Stones announce that Marianne Faithfull was the first artist being signed signed to their Mother Earth label (planned along the Beatles’ Apple Records) But then the launching of the rumoured new label never happened, until the band started Rolling Stones Records in 1970. Later on, plans for the band to have its very own label were first mentioned in Record Retailer of the 21st of February 1968.
According to the article Charlie Watts was designing the logo, the company was intended to operate out of premises at 46A Maddox St, London W1. Record Retailer of the 16th of July 1969 quoted the Stones’ manager Allen Klein as saying that there was ‘a good possibility’ of the band launching its own label, which was still to be called Mother Earth. When the new label was eventually born, however, some two years or so later, the name had been dropped in favour of that of the band.
The Rolling Stones Didn’t Want an Apple — They Wanted the Whole Planet
*By Marcelo Sonaglioni The Rolling Stones and The Beatles were always compared, but when it came to record labels, the Fab Four went Apple, while the Stones went… Mother Earth? Sounds fitting, right? In 1970, the Stones launched their own label, Rolling Stones Records, after breaking free from Decca. But before settling on the now-iconic tongue-and-lips logo, they jokingly considered calling it Mother Earth—perhaps a nod to their rebellious, countercultural image. Meanwhile, The Beatles’ Apple Records had already been up and running, complete with its polished, business-like approach.
The Stones, never ones to follow trends, went in the opposite direction—gritty, edgy, and far from corporate. In the end, Rolling Stones Records became the home of classics like Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St., proving that while the Beatles had their Apple, the Stones didn’t need a frui: they had the whole damn planet. (Ref. Rolling Stones record label)
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