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hot stuff
Let it Bleed is not only the best Stones album but imo the Best over all record ever!

LIB has everything a music lover could ask for....Exile is Great but it's no Let it Bleed!--Play it Loud!

Much as I prefer the 1963-1967 era, I must admit that Let It Bleed & Sticky Fingers are the only RS albums where every track is strong & not one song sounds like "filler"...

Well. I have always like the following the best:
1.Sticky Fingers. Great songs and production Its the one to compare to LZ IV in terms of songwriting, production and pure dynamics. Two groups on top of their game!
2. EXile. Both for the raunch and the myth.
3. No 1. The first that I b ought and I still listen to this a lot
4. Beggars Banquet. Speaks for it self. The "comeback album"
5. Let it Bleed. Turned them into the greatest rock´n roll band in the world!
6. Some girls
7. Bigger Bang!!!
8. Aftermath
9. Voddo Lounge
10. Last but not least No2!!

For the moment these are my favourites!!

Am I the only one who thinks LIB has 4 masterpieces in it... and two clunkers! Namely "Country Honk" and the studio MR which sounds clumsy to me.

What I like about Exile is that it doesn't have a single song that grabs you immediately like Sympathy or BS does. The music is less access-able than before (68-71) and I think that was very bold of them to put out 16 songs without an obvious hit.

For GHS they'll return to the good old record biz sharks recipe : Angie is a tune that grabs you instantly.

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dcba
Am I the only one who thinks LIB has 4 masterpieces in it... and two clunkers! Namely "Country Honk" and the studio MR which sounds clumsy to me.

I must be the only RS fan who actually prefers the studio Midnight Rambler to all live versions. I love the murkiness of it, & the simple slide riffs (played by Keith?) that are never recreated live. I admit Country Honk could be better though (shame they didn't put the single version of Honky Tonk Women on it instead).

OK, I may be alone diggin both MR and CH from LIB then...how can you don't dig the 'honkin' on CH???

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Sleepy City

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dcba
Am I the only one who thinks LIB has 4 masterpieces in it... and two clunkers! Namely "Country Honk" and the studio MR which sounds clumsy to me.

I must be the only RS fan who actually prefers the studio Midnight Rambler to all live versions. I love the murkiness of it, & the simple slide riffs (played by Keith?) that are never recreated live. I admit Country Honk could be better though (shame they didn't put the single version of Honky Tonk Women on it instead).

I am with you on that one, Sleepy City. The studio version of 'Midnight Rambler' has its own unique virtues, which are not shared by the more theatrical live versions. I do believe, though, that 'Let It Bleed' is a little uneven. The only Stones album in my opinion that can seriously challenge 'Exile On Main Street' is 'Beggars Banquet' which for me is the Stones most perfect album (consistently strong songs sequenced perfectly to compliment each other). It flows wonderfully. I also love the fact that the Stones had returned to their roots, but instead of being influenced by chicago blues, like in the outset of their career, they concentrated more on the delta blues. As fun as their early interpretations were, by 'Beggars Banquet' the Stones had managed to acquire a degree of authenticity within their blues interpretation, which is pretty impressive for a bunch of white english boys. Of course, it was their own unique take, which wasn't quite a full emulation of the blacks of the deep south. However, mixed in with a little country, the delicate beauty of the acoustic playing, as well as Mick's vocals, makes it pretty unique.

I completely agree with Mick's assessment of Exile in ACCORDING TO THE ROLLING STONES.

i think sticky fingers is their best. it shows all their qualities: smash hits (brown sugar, wild horses) beautiful ballads (moonlight, sister, horses again), groove (cyhmk) dirty blues (ygtm) classic blues (i got the blues), country (dead flowers), punky rocker (bitch) plus sway that stands on its own. and a classic cover!
what more can you ask? exile is brilliant, the mood and everything. but sticky is all together THE classic stones album for me.

Exile - really the best album?
YES

"It's just some friends of mine and they're busting down the door"

their best???

Aftermath and nothing else

under the boardwalk---down by the sea

...Exile is one of the best albums that captures a mood, and a moment in time. It's a perfect period piece and it will always have that. That's what makes it even more special.....besides it's not an album that you have to skip any songs..they all work together and as part of shuffle.

I actually don't like the studio version of Midnight rambler that much (greatly prefer the live version), but unlike most fans I like country honk much better than honky tonk women.

Obviously a great album, but "Let It Bleed" will always get my vote for best Stones album. That album is so strong that when I've played it for people who have never listened to the Stones, some of them asked me, "is this a greatest hits collection?"

Yes.

Why, why with the best all the time? Why are we compelled to quantify how great the Stones are? If you can't say something critical, why say anything at all?

Of course the answer is, and let's sing this all together: Satanic Majesty's!

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Silver Dagger
For most of my life Exile was my favourite album of all time but in the last few years I've begun to think that pound for pound, or note for note as I should say here, it's Let It Bleed. Every single song is a 10/10 killer. It has an incredible dynamic, moving from darkness to light as well as heavy to light almost from track to track.

From the fully loaded thunder of Gimme Shelter to the country blues lament of Love In Vain; then the comical relief of Country Honk before the double whammy closing the old side one of Live With Me and Let It Bleed.

Then side 2 opening with another thunderous epic in Midnight Rambler before one of the Stones' most beautiful tunes in Keith's You Got The Silver. Another incredible rocker, Monkety Man follows before the album ends on a real high - the almost classical beauty that is You Can't Almost Get What You Want.

This album shimmers from start to finish. It's a masterpiece.

You summed it up perfectly.

Greetings from the Jersey Shore.

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stevecardi
Obviously a great album, but "Let It Bleed" will always get my vote for best Stones album. That album is so strong that when I've played it for people who have never listened to the Stones, some of them asked me, "is this a greatest hits collection?"

I've always thought so as well. Hard to pick a fave. Exile is probably the one I'm most likely to listen to all the way through, love the vibe.

The song craftsmanship of 'Let It Bleed' is just stellar though, through every cut.

sticky fingers# 1

Let It Bleed is great, great, great - no doubt about it. But I prefer the menacing murk and juke joint swing of Exile. LIB sounds somehow too clean to me, particulary Midnight Rambler. That track and Love In Vain were rendered almost superfluous by the superior live renditions on Ya Yas. I agree though that Gimme Shelter is quite possible the best opener to any Stones album or any album at all. But on Exile the black roots are blacker, and the country twang is twangier. I love 'em both of course, I just know which one is my favorite of the two.

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71Tele
Let It Bleed is great, great, great - no doubt about it. But I prefer the menacing murk and juke joint swing of Exile. LIB sounds somehow too clean to me, particulary Midnight Rambler. That track and Love In Vain were rendered almost superfluous by the superior live renditions on Ya Yas. I agree though that Gimme Shelter is quite possible the best opener to any Stones album or any album at all. But on Exile the black roots are blacker, and the country twang is twangier. I love 'em both of course, I just know which one is my favorite of the two.

Where do you put Sticky Fingers then? Here again, the songwriting is just unbelievable, and the recordings are excellent....to me though, it also sounds far cleaner, even than Let it Bleed.
That may be why I prefer listening to Exile, even though I'm not sure I agree it is their best album. I think we're just lucky to be able to have stupid arguments of what is best, when there are so many to choose from.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-07-20 03:12 by treaclefingers.

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Sleepy City

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dcba
Am I the only one who thinks LIB has 4 masterpieces in it... and two clunkers! Namely "Country Honk" and the studio MR which sounds clumsy to me.

I must be the only RS fan who actually prefers the studio Midnight Rambler to all live versions. I love the murkiness of it, & the simple slide riffs (played by Keith?) that are never recreated live. I admit Country Honk could be better though (shame they didn't put the single version of Honky Tonk Women on it instead).

The studio Midnight Rambler glimmers with inherent evil - like a murderer getting into his car and driving off to a blood-letting. It is an incredible listening experience from start to finish. They have never recreated that same feeling on a live version.

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treaclefingers

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71Tele
Let It Bleed is great, great, great - no doubt about it. But I prefer the menacing murk and juke joint swing of Exile. LIB sounds somehow too clean to me, particulary Midnight Rambler. That track and Love In Vain were rendered almost superfluous by the superior live renditions on Ya Yas. I agree though that Gimme Shelter is quite possible the best opener to any Stones album or any album at all. But on Exile the black roots are blacker, and the country twang is twangier. I love 'em both of course, I just know which one is my favorite of the two.

Where do you put Sticky Fingers then? Here again, the songwriting is just unbelievable, and the recordings are excellent....to me though, it also sounds far cleaner, even than Let it Bleed.
That may be why I prefer listening to Exile, even though I'm not sure I agree it is their best album. I think we're just lucky to be able to have stupid arguments of what is best, when there are so many to choose from.

No, I think Sticky Fingers is better than LIB, or I should say "even better", as I think LIB is great. To me, there's an evolution of greatness from BB, to LIB, Sticky and Exile. Each one better than the one before...Ah, those were the days.

I listen to Exile as if it was a live album. It is like a live studio album. Exile and Sticky Fingers are the two Stones albums that gives me goosebumps when I listen to them. If you are to criticize Exile you could mention the fact that it hasn't a clear cut single (maybe tumblig dice, but the version on Exile isn't one of my favourites) and that the sound is murky for a studio album.

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Stoneage
I listen to Exile as if it was a live album. It is like a live studio album. Exile and Sticky Fingers are the two Stones albums that gives me goosebumps when I listen to them. If you are to criticize Exile you could mention the fact that it hasn't a clear cut single (maybe tumblig dice, but the version on Exile isn't one of my favourites) and that the sound is murky for a studio album.

And I would say that those particular criticisms of Exile - as frequent as they are - completely miss the point of the album.

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71Tele

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Stoneage
I listen to Exile as if it was a live album. It is like a live studio album. Exile and Sticky Fingers are the two Stones albums that gives me goosebumps when I listen to them. If you are to criticize Exile you could mention the fact that it hasn't a clear cut single (maybe tumblig dice, but the version on Exile isn't one of my favourites) and that the sound is murky for a studio album.

And I would say that those particular criticisms of Exile - as frequent as they are - completely miss the point of the album.

Exactly...that criticism is actually the strength of the album.

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Big Al
Whilst Exile is rightly hailed as a classic, I have always preferred both Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers. Tracks like Almost See His Face and Turd On The Run - an off-putting title if ever there were one - bring the album down a notch-or-two, in my opinion. I find the production to be slightly muddy and murky. I find the brightness and punch of Sticky Fingers and the menace of Let It Bleed more appealing. Exile is better than Beggars Banquet, though - again, that's just my opinion.

That's funny, I read an interview with Mick Taylor a while back and he said almost exactly the same thing. Mostly that the band were pretty frustrated making Exile, due to the humidity, recording conditions and whatnot. I'm sure he said something like "Sticky Fingers is better in every respect". Exile has just grown on people.

Anyway, back on topic, there are to me indisputably four albums above all others for the Stones:

- Beggar's Banquet
- Let it Bleed
- Sticky Fingers
- Exile on Main Street

In any order really, depending on preference. Immediately after I'd have:

- Aftermath
- Goat's Head Soup
- Out of Our Heads
- It's Only Rock'n'Roll
- Some Girls
- The Rolling Stones

Nice to see so much interresting response to this theme. :-)

As I said in the beginning, If I HAD to choose Stones albums, which I fortunately don't have to, I would choose The Rolling Stones - Out of our heads - Aftermath - Let it bleed - Sticky fingers - Exile on main st. - Goats head soup - It's only rock'n roll - Black and blue - Some girls - Tattoo you - Voodoo lounge. I would not rate them, just have them within reach in case I need one or the other for whatever mood I'm in.

And then I would have all the others as a backup in case I need some of the more hidden gems that are scattered all over the rest of the albums, studio and live..... It's just an amazing collection of rock'n roll, blues, soul, country, reggae and even gospel, which I have enjoyed every day since I got my first Stones album in 1971.

As tough as it may sound, and it surely is not meant to be that way, their album with the highest number of good songs, their most consistent album ever, their best album if you want, is "Forty Licks".

You can think about the edits to some of the songs whatever you want, just like I do, but "40 Licks" is to the Rolling Stones what "the Great 28" is to Chuck Berry.

As tough as it may sound, and it surely is not meant to be that way, their album with the highest number of good songs, their most consistent album ever, their best album if you want, is "Forty Licks".



I thougt it was The London Years..

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