We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…..
There have been artists that have strung together a series of records that stand out from not only the crowd, but their own stellar work. Think Dylan’s mid 60’s period with “Bringing It All Back Home, “Hwy 61 Revisited” and “Blonde On Blonde” or Springsteen’s “Born To Run”, Darkness On The Edge of Town” and “The River”. But, I think, it’s hard to find a better run of albums in the rock age than what the Rolling Stones gave us from 1968-72. “Beggars Banquet”, ‘Let It Bleed”, “Sticky Fingers” and the LP we will look at today…1972’s “Exile On Main Street”.
The Stones have been called the “worlds greatest rock & roll band” and this string of records is why. And Exile On Main Street is probably the high point of their long and storied career. And what’s fascinating is that they did this under some less than stellar circumstances.
In 1971 the band had decamped to the south of France for tax reasons and much of this album was recorded at the villa that Keith Richards had at Nellcote. Some was done at Olympia Studios in London and Mick Jagger did some serious overdubbing work later in LA.
The main problem was the burgeoning heroin problem of Richards, his girlfriend, Mick Taylor, sax man Bobby Keys and producer Jimmy Miller and the various celebs and hangers-on that populated the villa during this time. Richards might show up..he might not.
That the group was able to cut so many quality tracks in so many different styles lends credence to the “best band in the world claim”.
Side one is a monster. Every song is a killer from Rocks Off, Rip This Joint, and Casino Boogie…to the hit “Tumbling Dice” and the tasty Slim Harpo cover “Shake Your Hips”. Jagger’s vocal is kind of buried in the mix which is probably a good thing for some of this stuff. The band pulled no lyrical punches on this record.
Tons of standout tracks including “All Down The Line”, “Ventilator Blues”, the country take on “Sweet Virginia” and a nice guitar jam on “Stop Breaking Down”. Plus, you also get a Keith Richards vocal on ‘Happy”. The reviews were mixed at the time but most critics revisited the LP later and admitted it’s a top notch effort that needs repeated listening to appreciate. It’s dense and dark and as one reviewer called it “weary” sounding. But the same critic also said “few other albums, let alone double albums, have been so rich and masteful as Exile on Main Street, and it stands, not only as one of the Stones best records, but sets a remarkably high standard for all of hard rock.
It does indeed.
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