Review
"Bill Janovitz's riveting look at Exile on Main Street is a must-read, not just for diehard Stones fans, but for anyone in interested in rock 'n roll, American roots music, the Sixties, and pop culture in the broadest sense. Janovitz combines the perspectives of historian, memoirist, critic, and fan in a concise appreciation of this monumental record; you'll never think about the Rolling Stones in quite the same way again after reading it." -Tom Perrota
"Janovitz, by widening and narrowing his lens at will much as the Stones themselves did with the music that inspired them, ultimately delivers a uniquely free-wheeling text that offers readers the equivalent of a fresh set of ears." -Harp Magazine
Thirty-Three and a Third is a series of short books about critically acclaimed and much-loved albums of the past 40 years. Over 50,000 copies have been sold! "Passionate, obsessive, and smart." -Nylon "...an inspired new series of short books about beloved works of vinyl." -Details Description Tracing the creation of Exile on Main St. from the original songwriting done while touring America through the final editing in Los Angeles, Bill Janovitz explains how an album recorded by a British band in a villa on the French Riviera is pure American rock & roll. Looking at each song individually, Janovitz unveils the innovative recording techniques, personal struggles, and rock & roll mythmaking that culminated in this pivotal album. Excerpt Exile is exactly what rock & roll should sound like: a bunch of musicians playing a bunch of great songs in a room together, playing off of each other, musical communion, sounds bleeding into each other, snare drum rattling away even while not being hit, amps humming, bottles falling, feet shuffling, ghostly voices mumbling on and off-mike, whoops of excitement, shouts of encouragement, performances without a net, masks off, urgency. It is the kind of record that goes beyond the songs themselves to create a monolithic sense of atmosphere. It conveys a sense of time and place and spirit, yet it is timeless. Its influence is still heard today. Keith Richards has said, tongue in cheek, the record "was the first grunge record.">
