ALBUM REVIEW: The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St.

    After many of the big acts in the 60s went into the wind at the turn of the decade, there's a case to be made that The Rolling Stones were the biggest band left standing, and they were consistently breaking out some of their best material on top of it. Their psychedelic experimentation in the 60s did little other than turn the band into a joke, and while Satantic Majesty's Request is a far better album than the press makes it out to be, the simple fact is that it will be seen by most as a shameless cash-in on what Sgt. Pepper's started earlier that year, cover and all. Afterwards, though, the Stones dropped that act and went back to basics, and starting with Beggar's Banquet in late 1968, the group was returning to their blues and rock roots with a consistently great series of albums, following Banquet with the even better Let It Bleed in 1969 and the just as fun Sticky Fingers in 1971 (throw in the solid Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! live album in 1970, too). Naturally, their next album continued this back-to-basics idea, however they were hit with a switch-up when the group became tax exiles, fleeing to France before the British government could seize their assets - most of this album was recorded in a mobile studio and in the basement of Keith Richards' mansion "Nellcôte". These sessions are somewhat infamous for their overblown nature, revolving door of musicians, and excessive drug use from members - it only makes sense that the results would yield The Stones' first double LP. Exile on Main St. may be a little excessive, but this truly is the culmination of everything The Stones had done with their return to basics, all in a blazing glory of blues, R&B, and fuckin' rock & roll.

    Being the first double album from the group, you're probably wondering how they fill that space? At only 18 songs and 60 minutes, it's admittedly a somewhat scant 2LP set compared to something like The Beatles' self-titled or Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, both albums that assure their time is well-spent. While it maybe isn't the most overblown or expansive of double albums, let it be known that The Stones make sure your time is well-spent with a kickass album, and one that sounds great at that. The production on this album is of particular compliment to me - it's certainly as clean sounding as albums like Sticky Fingers or Let It Bleed were, but something about the layering of tracks and instruments throughout sounds almost chaotic, and certainly sloppy in that great kind of way. Everything kind of bleeds together into a big blob of rock and blues with bouncing bass, killer licks, rock-solid drumming, and those horns! The horns were previously a sticking point with me on Sticky Fingers, and they often got dangerously close to that cheesy territory. Here, the horns are vamping and powerful, often adding great texture to songs like the killer "Rocks Off" or their low punches on "Tumbling Dice". This messiness is helped with the walls of backup singers on some moments, which almost infuses an element of gospel into some songs - perhaps an out-of-pocket influence for The Stones, but I never said I was complaining. Throw in their eternal love for the blues on killer moments like a rendition of Robert Johnson's "Stop Breaking Down" or the Keith Richards-led "Happy", and you have a dynamic sounding album that's truly killer from start to finish.

    With the Rolling Stones, though, you want to rock out, and Exile has it in spades. "Rocks Off" is possibly, with exception to the chaotic beauty of "Gimme Shelter", the best opening track on any Stones song - nothing prepares you for the sheer energy and liveliness of the album better than this killer number. "Tumbling Dice" similarly carries this momentum, as do other driving rockers like "Down the Line" or the trawling energy of "Ventilator Blues" with its sliding guitar and the album's omnipresent horn smacks running directly into the murky groove of "I Just Want to See His Face". Other moments like the soaring "Rip This Joint" play like a true love letter to 50s rock & roll - a brilliant pastiche that still stays true to The Stones' personality. These driving moments do get balanced out somewhat with more slower jams or acoustic grooves, such as on "Sweet Virginia" or the rootsy "Sweet Black Angel" on the album's second side. Another slower moment that can be found on this album is the one and only "Shine a Light", a bold penultimate track for the album - it's as big and grandiose as "You Can't Always Get What You Want", and every bit as great of a way to end the album... and it's not even the real ending of the album. No, instead what follows it is the excellent "Soul Survivor", immediately bringing us back up with more killer rock, it almost reminds me of "Rocks Off" but a touch slower and every bit as chaotic. It gives a very "full circle" feel to the album, and it really is the perfect way to end.

    Exile on Main St. may be a little messy, but it's the perfect and largest gem in The Stones' crown of dominance in the late 60s and early 70s. A bold and somewhat brash release chalk full 'o' rock and blues in their back-to-basics style that they've been perfecting since 1968. A product of its excessive environment and proudly unbridled in their catalog, Exile is a real motherfucker of an album, and maybe it's that very quality that makes it the Stones' crowning achievement - they sure did rip this joint.

RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

Listen to Exile on Main St.