Product Description

Still inspired by their STICKY FINGERS recording sessions in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, EXILE ON MAIN STREET found the Rolling Stones sounding more like a Southern fried juke-joint band than ever before. That EXILE was recorded in a basement is no surprise, either--much of it sounds as if it was recorded live at a gospel revival, with a final mix that gives nohierarchy to specific instruments. The result is a swampy, most exhilarating chunk of rock & roll euphoria.
EXILE sharpens the country, blues, and gospel tendencies the Stones began exploring in the late '60s on albums like BEGGAR'S BANQUET. Here, armed with an assortment of backing musicians and vocalists, the band virtually inhabits the spirit of each style, distilling the whole to a ragged, soulful perfection.From the escalating, horn-driven vamps of "Rocks Off" through the back porch singalong "Sweet Virginia" to the mean blues stomp of "Ventilator Blues" and the church-like strains of "Shine a Light", EXILE's double-album length plays like a weary, boozed-up sermon on the very meaning of rock music. This is the closest the band ever came to religion, and it still has the power to convert.

Track Listing

1. Rocks Off
2. Rip This Joint
3. Shake Your Hips
4. Casino Boogie
5. Tumbling Dice
6. Sweet Virginia
7. Torn And Frayed
8. Sweet Black Angel
9. Loving Cup
10. Happy
11. Turd On The Run
12. Ventilator Blues
13. I Just Want To See His Face
14. Let It Loose
15. All Down The Line
16. Stop Breakin' Down
17. Shine A Light
18. Soul Survivor

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2292 in Music
• Released on: 1994-08-15
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Before Keith Richards' bad habits took over for a time in the mid-'70s, his work ethic was quite high. Stories abound of the long, if somewhat off-schedule, hours he spent working on this classic album in the basement of his home in France. Hanging together as much because of great songwriting ("Rocks Off," "Soul Survivor") as its fabled grungy atmosphere, Exile caps the Stones' great 1968-'72 run with a force that belies their supposed spiritual tiredness. What some of these songs are about is anybody's guess--Keith claims "Ventilator Blues" was inspired by a grate, while the song plays like an ode to a pistol--but that's just part of this album's hazy game. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

Life's too short...
I like the Stones and I love raw blues and R&B but I somehow missed out on "Exile on Main Street". So, enthused by such great reviews, I was expecting something special... an earthy, pseudo-live album that, despite its origins in drug addled chaos, would grab my attention and be worth the effort of repeat listening while, on the way, delivering up some classic gems. Well I tried, but what I kept getting was a voice saying "look, matey, you could spend hours trying to get into this but the truth is it ain't that good".

Maybe, like Neil Young's "Tonight's the Night" - whose origins and chaotic structure are similar but which still grabs valued space in my music collection - you had to buy it at the time and then listen to it for many years for it to fully register or, is it in reality one of rock's greatest "king with no clothes" outings? Either way, life's too short and there's too much other genuinely brilliant music out there to waste huge amounts of time trying to work out which it is. Then again, maybe I'm simply not capable of appreciating such a complex and odd record.

The stones' best
Definitely the stones finest album. Order out of chaos. The album has a lot of contrasts right the way through, from rock to country to gospel to pop to straight ahead rock n' roll. The mix demands the attention of the listener - only careful listening reveals the true richness of the material. Incidently, Jagger did not like the mix - his vocal is pretty far back. Keith, by and large, took the credit for this album, but the influence of Gram Parsons is heard throughout - only Parsons had mastered the art of injecting pop/ rock sensibilties into country music at this point - 1971.
Also largely uncredited, guitar player Mick Taylor brought a level of musicianship not heard in the stones before. The best english blues guitarist of his generation, his mercurial style and phenomenal technique opened new doors for band.
This album finally freed them from the 60s pop image and forged a musical style and reputation that would serve them for the coming decades. The album was backed by a 72 US Tour that for many reasons has faded into legend - the stones at their absolute peak.

Probably not for first time buyers of the stones - the material is too rich to digest for the uninitiated as all the great albums are.

The Best
This is the best album of all time!

A bold statement; but one that has stood the test of time. The depth, richness and innovation of Exile is breathtaking. Quite simply the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

As a Stones album it lacks any big hits and for that reason new listeners should be directed to the likes of Sticky Fingers. However, for the discerning listerner Exile provides rich pickings across rock, soul, dance and country genres. Ecery track is outstanding and each could be the subject of a 5 star review in its own right.

Regular listening will present different favourite tracks over time. However, Tumbling Dice, Shine a Light, All Down the Line, Torn and Frayed, Sweet Black Angel and Ventilator Blues are worthy highlights.

It is this album that has emented the Stones reputation and deservedly so.

If you only buy one album; make it this one.