Product Description

The last Stones studio album of the '60s finds the band, for perhaps the first time, accurately reflecting the spirit of its age. The erstwhile bad boy outsiders of rock now foundthemselves firmly in the centre of the social and politicalpost-'68 whirlwind, and faced up to the challenge magnificently. The band's confident climb to its artistic peak was begun by BEGGAR'S BANQUET, but LET IT BLEED is a quantum leap even from that musical milestone.
The album's opener, "Gimme Shelter", with its insinuating guitar introduction, leads us decisively out of Flower Power and into a world where rape and murder are "just a shot away", and the Devil of BANQUET is very much alive and taking names. There's a nod to seminal influence Robert Johnson, whose "Love in Vain" is a mandolin-accompanied highlight. The climax arrives in the formof "You Can't Always Get What You Want", bearing referencesto the fallout of the Swinging London era. LET IT BLEED finds the Stones brimming with musical confidence and artistic inspiration.

Track Listing

1. Gimme Shelter
2. Love In Vain
3. Country Honk
4. Live With Me
5. Let It Bleed
6. Midnight Rambler
7. You Got The Silver
8. Monkey Man
9. You Can't Always Get What You Want

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1605 in Music
• Released on: 2006-08-10
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 43 minutes

Customer Reviews

superb album
from Gimme Shelter to the last track, good stuff. Very difficult to say something that has not been said already, hard to differentiate between the tracks and say this is better than that. Taken overall, none are better than any other, the whole is one perfect album as performed by the Stones, who are one perfect rock band.

Essential Stones
Along with Exile on Mian Street & Sticky Fingers, this one of the three absolutely essential Rolling Stones albums. It opens with (what is for me, anyway)the best track the Stones ever committed to record in "Gimme Shelter", and closes with the sublime "You Can't Always Get What You Want", and everything else in between shows a wealth of musicality and craftsmanship.
This was the beginning of a new era for the Stones. Mick Taylor came along to fill the gap left by Brian Jones, and the band really grew up. No longer were they the alternative to the Beatles, the bad boys to the squeaky clean mop-top quartet. Here was a band embarking on a journey that would see them become the epitome of a Rock n Roll band.
A glorious deep, rich sound with strong hooks and the "Human Riff" that is Keith Richards working over-time to keep you in the groove. It is the accumulation of all that has gone before it, steeped in the influences of both Jagger and Richards, a coming together of American delta blues, British 60's pop sensibilities and the energy of those early Rock n Rollers that awoke the rebel in the British teenage psyche. It brings kick-arse attitude to the fore and it is the foundation for what the Stones would become during the early 70's...quite simply the best band in the world.
A previous reviewer stated that perhaps the plethora of tribute bands should take note of this magnificent album, and include some of it amongst their repetoire, and I have to say I couldn't agree more. It is, without fear of contradiction, the Stones at their very, very best.

The best Rock N Roll band in the World
With this album the Stones grabbed that title and effortlessly held the title until sometime after the release of Exile On Main Street. A supreme mix of of blues influenced rock music with a bit of country and the frankly really oddball, but magically catchy "You Can't Alway get What You Want".

The album starts with one of the Stones best ever tracks "Gimme Shelter", which is nearly four and a half minutes long. The influence of Chuck Berry can still be heard on this track but the Stones have moved the goal posts and although Chuck invented some of the greatest Rock N Roll guitar licks, on Gimme Shelter Keith Richards raises the bar.

Following the slow Robert Johnson blues "Love in Vain" (superb) and the country rewrite of "Honky Tonk Woman" that is "Country Honk" (probably the weakest track) we get to "Live With Me". Heres a track that could easily have been on Exile on Main Street. A supreme piece of Rock Music, Jagger snarls the lyrics, a barnstorming Sax solo by Bobby Keys, the twin Pianos of Nicky Hopkins and Leon Russell pounding in the background. Its probably my favourite track on the album.

Having said the title track "Let It Bleed" is quite something as well. Charlie Watts who is frequently forgotten when the Stones are discussed, as always propels the track along with indecent drive, theres some lovely slide guitar from Keith Richards and Ian Stewart (the Stones equivlent to Billy Preston) adds the funky Piano licks.

As a previous reviewer has stated, and as I indicated at the start of my review, if you have this album, Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street you have the Stones at the very height of their powers. There are many other worthy albums they made which are worth getting but none touch these three.