The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St.
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Free Music Notes for Exile on Main St.
Free Music Review: The Greatest Rock Album Ever - Period!
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the real deal, numero uno, number one, the absolute best, period.
While many classic albums of the late 60's and early 70's might be showing their age, "Exile on Main Street," is just as fresh and demanding as it was when first released in 1972. From Keith Richard's power chords signaling the beginning of "Rocks Off" to the frantic loud and raucous guitar fade of "Soul Survivor" Mick, Keith, Charlie, and the boys go for the throat on the Stones most powerful album. The Stones employ all their influences at their best: blues, gospel, country, R&B, and good old garage band rock n roll. The Stones love Chuck Berry, check out "Rip This Joint." Next, try some Slim Harpo blues, "Shake Your Hips." If you don't feel totally greased up by now, then get ready for "Casino Boogie" with Keith and Mick Taylor trading guitar licks sounding like screeching alley cats with Charlie Watts playing a naughty strip tease rhythm on the drums. What would be the end of side one on the LP ends with the great classic hit, "Tumblin' Dice."
"Exile on Main Street" is a loosely structured concept album, in essence the Stones' journey through America. Thus side two, take the listener on a little spin out in the sticks with "Sweet Virginia" where you'd better be ready to scrape the sh## right off your shoes. For another stab at country music in much the same trippy mood as Gram Parson's "New Soft Shoe" comes "Torn and Frayed" the kind of song George Jones or Merle Haggard could only dream of. "Sweet Black Angel" brings in a little island music sound with its gentle marimbas. Finally, side two ends with the powerful country ballad with Nicky Hopkins, whose piano mastery can be heard on almost every cut on the album, pounding out one of his best piano leads on any Stones album with "Loving Cup." Side three opens with Keith Richards' most familiar song, "Happy." From there the Stones turn in one of their sleaziest, grungiest, most menacing tunes ever where Keith locks them in a manic rhythm that never lets up from start to finish, guitars and piano playing in total sync as Mick belts out some of the Stones' most mysonistic lyrics ever with "Turd on the Run." "Ventilator Blues" is a show case for Mick Taylor's fine slide guitar playing. The next number, "Just Want to See His Face" is perhaps the oddest song on the album. It sounds like something coming across an old AM radio late at night from an African American southern church service. The rhythms are captivating. Side three ends with the album's most powerful ballad with some killer horn and vocal arrangements, "Let It Loose." After working the listener into an emotional frenzy with that tune, now it's time to start down the album's home stretch with one of the Stones' great concert rockers, "All Down the Line" with some of the most creative hooks the Stones have ever stuck in one of their straight ahead rockers. "Stop Breakin' Down" is the second cover of a blues classic on the album. Is it any wonder to this day the old blues masters still perform with Mick and the boys? "Shine A Light" is a glorious spiritual masterpiece with lovely gospel piano and organ provided by Billy Preston and two of the most memorable guitar solos ever performed in a Stones classic. Finishing up in a mad frenzy on what was a full two album set is "Soul Surivor" a tune that starts off hot and keeps getting faster, louder, and nastier as the song continues. Somehow the way the guitars keep chiming into a fade at the end gives the listener the idea that the journey continues long after the album stops playing.
It's muddy, it's dirty, but after the 1994 remaster, American listeners finally get to hear the Stones best album in its full glory. The American LP pressings were horrible, tinny and shrill with so much of the details and subtlties missing in action. The CBS release of the first CD was absolutely horrible. Did anybody do any premastering planning? The European record albums were beautiful and the 1994 CD finally gives the listener a chance to hear all the details in the massive wall of sound without compromising the rough and rowdy sound that the album strives so hard to maintain.
There's so much going on with every song. After all these years, it's still growing on me. I've worn out five LP's and two CD's enjoying this album.
No rock music collection is legit without this album, period. Play it as loud as you can handle it.
Free Music Review: Clasico de Clasicos
Hit: 5 Stars
Muy bueno que siempre se sigan editando estos clasicos de los mas grandes de los grandes, los Stones y una de sus obras maestras. Ya no se hacen discos tan buenos como este sin tanta parafernalia electronica.Free Music Review: Absolutely Fabulous Rolling Stones
Hit: 5 Stars
This cd album is awesome. I listen to it every day. This is a must for Stones fans.Free Music Review: Difficult Stones album for the uninitiated
Hit: 3 Stars
It would be easy to find 2 or 3 Stones albums to take the place of Exile as the "Stones Best". I find Exile very slim on classic Stones tunes. If you enjoy the Stones playing acoustic blues-based songs this is a great album. If, however, you prefer the Stones playing their great, crafted songs, then choose something else, as this is more for the well-versed and initiated in the Stones. I would start with "Let It Bleed", "Sticky Fingers", Beggar's Banquet" or "Some Girls" even..
Don't get me wrong--Exile is an excellent album, but instead of being a quintessential Stones masterpiece, I would call it an encapsulation of the top British Blues Band playing their nod to great American Blues.
I think even the Stones would have agreed back in '72 when Exile was released. This was just after they had started their own label, and they were more isolated in the studio, arguably more in the throes of drug addiction, and they weren't at their creative peak. Interestingly the prior album Sticky Fingers--their first on their own label--is arguably their strongest album, but probably Let It Bleed is their greatest achievement. All the songs are strong and original on Let It Bleed (with plenty of blues to knock your socks off, and great slide work by Brian Jones). I think they were still struggling and Mick Taylor's contribution would not really come forward until later.
So basically I'm saying that if you acknowledge the Rolling Stones' best era as being between '68 and '78, mostly the Mick Taylor era with some early Ron Wood at the tail end of it, then Exile is certainly an important work. But if you realize how capable the Stones were of writing incredible tunes, then you have to admit that Exile on Main Street is a second-rate effort song-wise. It is still a great album by any standards, though...
Free Music Review: The Rolling Stones - Not As High As Others Rate It
Hit: 3 Stars
Ahh the Stones........instrumentally probably one of the most average bands to make it big in the history of rock n roll, but they have always had that certain something that have kept them at the top much longer than most of their peers from the same era. In 2007 the Stones can still fill football stadiums more than 40 years after their formation. I don't have a lot of Stones on CD, but I have picked up a few of their albums over the years. Many Stones fans consider "Exile" to be one of the band's all time great albums. I like it, but probably not as much as a lot of people do. The production is muddy and lackluster even by 1972 standards. There is some good material to be found here, but like many double studio albums (the CD is a single) there is a lot of filler here too. The album really did not produce any huge hits for the Stones. "Tumbling Dice" and Keith Richard's led "Happy" were the two tracks to receive the most airplay with "All Down The Line" getting a bit on AOR radio as well.. The rest of the album is a mix of R & B, basic rock, blues and country. It is the Rolling Stones at their most basic, and they neither excel nor bomb on the majority of this album.