Forty Licks was originally released in 2002, marking forty years of The Rolling Stones, as the first compilation to span the band's entire career: for the first time, the early years on Decca and the work from 1971 onwards on their own Rolling Stones label sat together on one release. The forty songs run from Satisfaction, Paint It, Black and Gimme Shelter to Start Me Up and Miss You, plus four then-new songs, including Don't Stop. The compilation has sold more than seven million copies worldwide.

This edition is a 4-LP on coloured vinyl, with each disc in a different colour: yellow, red, blue and orange.