Exile on Main Street (Vinyl) [Import]

A lot of younger guys are discovering 1970s music. I grew up in the 70s and my friends' teenaged sons and their friends are regularly asking me for recommendations of 1970s albums and bands. They all know Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd but, surprisingly, they don't seem to know much about the Stones.

To assist some of the younger guys discovering 1970s music, I'll recommend Exile On Main Street is one of the essential albums for your collection. It's one of that decade's best albums.

This particular release has some extra tracks that weren't on the original album release. The extra tracks are worth having but they're not essential.

Bottom line: if you're exploring 1970s music, the Stones' Exile On main Street is an essential album for your music collection.

A 5-star album reduced to 4 stars because of the "overdone" (re-)remaster. As the knowledgeable reviewer at [...] said of this latest attempt (IMO) to capitalize on the Stones' legacy," [m]uch of its myth lies in its murk, how its dense, scuzzy sound is the quintessential portrait of rock stars in decadent isolation, the legend bleeding into its creation so thoroughly it is impossible, and unnecessary, to separate one from the other." Unlike Bob Ludwig (who did a superb job remastering Exile in 1994 for Virgin, somewhat cleaning it up, but leaving its essential nature), those responsible for this remaster have missed the point: this originally was a low-def album, probably done that way on purpose, and certainly reflecting the atmosphere under which it was created. The "murk and the scuzz" were part of it - the album could have easily been entitled "Torn and Frayed" after Track 7. But this new 2010 remaster cleans up all the scuzz; granted, you can now hear every instrument clearly, but I for one want that original murky, scuzzy sound. Exile was never about clarity. Unfortunately, many contemporary remasters are often more about the engineers, who end up outsmarting themselves, than the musical legacy they're trying to preserve - for one thing, they inevitably do it too loud (no doubt to grab attention) as this one has been. If you can, try to compare this one with the Ludwig 1994 remaster - huge difference in loudness level for one thing.

Exile received at least as many lukewarm reviews as it did ecstatic ones when it first came out in 1972 - not surprising as it was a double album (the Stones' first) that took a while to get into, like the White Album, Tusk and many others. Now it's considered one of the best (#1 in the minds of many) of the Stones' Big Four (the others being Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers - BB remains my personal favourite, though Exile is firmly #2!).

My recommendation - while you still can, get a copy of the 1994 remastering by Robert Ludwig, who is one of the (very few) truly great mastering engineers working today. Better still, maybe, get a good used vinyl copy (2 records - preferably original pressing), hopefully with some hiss, pops and ticks to enhance the murk and scuzz - remember, folks, this is Exile!

Thanks for putting up with the long review (but this is a long album!)

Sandwiched between "Sticky Fingers" and "Goats Head Soup" this album is hard to explain. But why explain it? Just enjoy it.

You get the feeling that the Stones went into the studio and just let it rip. In a way, it can be compared to the Beatles' white album in its eclecticness, but it is much more coherent. While there are different styles, ranging from blues to country to gospel, the record is unified by its uniquely grungy atmosphere. There is a tired, world-weary darkness to the album, "Torn and Frayed," some moments of Tom Waits' rolling-around-in-the-dirt grossness, "Turd on the Run," with moments of shining light, "Let it Loose" and "Shine a Light."

1&2) Rocks Off/Rip This Joint - The album starts with a bang, from the weird, rockin' "Rocks Off" to the Richards gem, "Rip this Joint." You won't find a better Richards tune. Mick's gargling break in the middle of "Rock's Off" mars an otherwise spectacular opening.

3) Shake Your Hips - An eery, murky blues cover. One of the weaker tracks, but it sets the mood for the rest of the album.

4) Casino Boogie - Can't understand most of the words. Keith is particularly nasal on this one. But it introduces the horn section in an upbeat rhythm number.

5) Tumbling Dice - It got radio play, but see how well it fits into the context of this album.

6) Sweet Virginia - A gritty, soulful country number with a memorable scatalogical refrain featuring some great backing vocals. It also features a Tom Waits-ish vocal by Mick.

7) Torn and Frayed - A countrified anthem to exhaustion.

8) Sweet Black Angel - A murky, bluesy ode to a Black pin-up girl. Unfortunately most of the lyrics are indecipherable.

9) Loving Cup - Great piano intro. One of the more joyful songs on the album. "I'm the man who brings you roses when you ain't got none." But a little dirt still sticks, "Do you want to push and pull with me all night?" The rousing ending foreshadows the glorious "Let it Loose."

10) Happy - A Richards gem. Who doesn't "need a love to keep me happy"?

11) Turd on the Run - A Tom Waits-ish roll in the mud. Sounds as if it was written after a visit to a whorehouse. "Dirty hands, vaseline, you give me disease." Perhaps Mick gives us a glimpse into a dark soul.

12) Ventilator Blues - A dark, ponderous, blues number. Another mood piece.

13/14) I Just Want to See His Face/Let it Loose - Gospel was never like this. Man's greatest desire, to see the face of God, "Don't want to walk or talk about Jesus/ I just want to see his face," expressed in a low, rumbling, reverberating, rhythm number. The track features a muffled Jagger vocal with suitablly soulful black backing vocalists. The somber mood lays the ground for the glorious "Let it Loose."

The pent up emotion and desire for redemption explodes on "Let it Loose," a glorious gospel-inspired explosion. The most hopeful, soulful song on the album builds to a glorious crescendo featuring a wonderful chorus and full-tilt horn section. There is no other Stones song like this. Oh, what might have been.

15) All Down the Line - A straight-ahead, no frills rock number. A great one.

16) Stop Breaking Down - One of the mood-creating rhythm tracks. Starts slow but builds to a rollicking end.

17) Shine a Light - The coda to "Let it Loose." "May the good Lord Shine a Light on You/ make every song your favorite tune." Amen brother Jagger.

18) Soul Survivor - A gritty end. The album ends on a hopeful note.