The Rolling Stones — Exile on Main St.
Perhaps this didn’t need to be a double album, but it is undeniable this is some of the Stone’s best work.
1962, London: The Rolling Stones formed. Their tenth studio album came ten years later in 1972. Exile on Main St. is a reference to the band emigrating from the UK to avoid high taxes. Recorded and mixed primarily outside of London, the album was noted for its protracted and sloppy production. The final mixes for the album have an almost unfinished feeling and exhibit the collaborative nature of the recordings. These warm takes feel as though they were recorded in one take on a single track, with several people in the studio. The album received mixed reviews at release but still topped the charts in the UK & US. Retroactive critique has been unanimous in its praise. The album is ranked at no. 14 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the top albums of all time.
This is the most “classic” rock album in my collection. Making heavy use of the rhythm and blues precursors which spawned rock, this album acts as a direct love letter to the honky tonk, afro-centric forebearers who allowed for the Stone’s to become the smash hit they are. “Rocks Off” is a blast of a song opener. Setting the tone for the album to follow, we find Mick Jagger and Keith Richards at their collaborative best. But, listen, this album contains 18 songs, I’m not going to talk about them all. However, you should check this album out if you never have. “Tumbling Dice” is a heartland rock anthem through and through, where Jagger on vocals and guitar. Describing himself as a gambling wild card, Jagger’s swagger knows no bounds in this, the sole hit off the album. “Let It Loose” ends side C. This piano ditty takes a break from the honky tonk energy to make a slow beat last and shine. The penultimate track on the album “Shine A Light” begins slow but crescendos into a beautiful pop-blues power anthem. One of the Stone’s greatest tracks. The album ends with the immaculate and punny “Soul Survivor.” Evoking their earlier work but with all the bravado which comes with this album, this track ends a near perfect, if not overlong album.
Must Listen To: Soul Survivor
“Soul survivor / It’s gonna be the death of me.”
