Aftermath was a move in a different direction for The Rolling Stones – the kind of move that other bands were embracing at the time. The Beatles' Rubber Soul album had signalled something of a change in rock music, and Revolver, released in August 1966, marked an even more significant shift. In America, The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds had been recorded and was acclaimed upon its release between the UK and US releases of Aftermath. Aftermath was the Stones' fourth album in the UK, where it reached No. 1 after being released by Decca Records on April 15, 1966. It marked the first time that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote every song on a Stones album. It was also the culmination of the adrenalin rush that had been the Stones' first three years as a professional band: the pair infusing their songs with an attitude that has carried them through their entire career.

Aftermath is one of those albums that pushed pop in the direction of rock, no more so than with the song "Goin' Home," which, at over 11 minutes, signaled what lay ahead. In 1965 only Dylan and the Stones had defied the three-minute law – and kicked open the doors to the future." "Goin' Home" was also a blues-inspired track, so for both the Stones and rock, this was a back-to-the-future moment. Other standout cuts on Aftermath are "Lady Jane," one of the band's greatest ballads and the B-side of "Mother's Little Helper" (which, following "Paint It, Black" as a single, appeared on the UK version of Aftermath, but not the US one). The clever "Under My Thumb" has remained one of the band's most popular songs from the era, despite never being released as a single in either the US or the UK. There's also the original version of "Out Of Time," with Brian Jones playing marimbas, that Chris Farlowe covered shortly after the Stones' release, taking it to No. 1 on the UK singles chart.

The US version of Aftermath differs from the UK version in one major way: it only has 11 tracks, whereas the UK version has 14. The front cover photo for Aftermath's UK release was taken by Guy Webster, a celebrity photographer who went on to take photographs of Presidents Reagan and Clinton. The cover design was done by the band's manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, who was credited as Sandy Beach.