Loved VL when it came out when I was 29...won tickets on the radio to a VL 'listening party'.

An ok album, hasn't particularly aged well and no breakout tracks like Bridges, although I prefer VL to Bridges.

...and Sipuncula, I'm wondering if your predisposition to liking VL may mean that you're blinded by rainbows?

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treaclefingers
...and Sipuncula, I'm wondering if your predisposition to liking VL may mean that you're blinded by rainbows?

Yes indeed. And faces in windows. The glint, you see.

The first hint I heard that the Stones were still active (which blew my mind--they had to be 50!) was hearing You Got Me Rocking on the radio. Like a teaser I guess. I knew their past stuff a bit but was amazed they were still active. Jump started my interest. What can I say? Is it a good song? Eye of the beholder thing I guess. I think it is. I'm glad all that stuff happened at that time in my life. The music has certainly had an impact on me over the years, as I'm sure it has on all of yours. Why else would we be reading and posting here?

Was 16 an tatoo you came out becamE instant fan then started into the older albums..

Where do I sit on your bell curve?

Born in 1954.

Followed band since I first heard Route 66 on my crystal set in 1965.

My fave albums are Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile, A Bigger Bang (!), Goats Head, Blue & Lonesome, Beggars, Bridges to Babylon, Aftermath and Tattoo You.

I seem to straddle the ages!

Rod



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-07-03 08:14 by bitusa2012.

My first one was Steel Wheels on CBS.

I did steal a CBS CD of It's Only Rock'n'Roll from my local library "Bless me father, for I have sinned"

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Sipuncula

My argument is that you are biased by your age when it comes to judging their post-70s output.

Don't you mean post-90s output? Because the vast majority of fans who turned on to the Stones in the 70s or 80s find their post-90s output a soul-sucking travesty. Anyways...

Perhaps I’m biased but I would say that people like me who were born in the summer of love and got hooked on the Stones between 1980 and 81 were the most blessed of addicts because hungry for more and unable to wait for 1983 each trip to the record store provided a fix that was somehow, impossibly, more intense than the last. The albums were purchased without regard to chronology or concern for ‘rankings’ – they were all so dazzlingly good in retrospect it was like I was listening to Creation. And I had faith in what the future held...

I don’t get quite so high off their albums any more of course – most days I’d rather rank them than listen to them – and as the uninspired music of the last 3 decades has stripped them of their divinity I no longer have any expectations that ‘Start Me Up’ will make me come after I’m dead.

Totally agree with this. I'm 19 and can't understand why so many people on this board seems to dislike almost everything they've put out since 1981.

Even though Beggars Banquet, Let it Bleed and Sticky Fingers might be their best albums, I still think Voodoo Lounge and Bridges to Babylon are their best albums since that streak. Some Girls and Exile on Main Street and the earlier 60's output are overrated. I also love ''Don't Stop'' and ''Stealing My Heart'' more than most of their songs from the 70's.

I'm totally unbiased by age.


I'm 42 years of age. Only a couple of years older than you. I consider what you wrote to be a bit presumptuous.

I started liking the Stones when I heard Harlem Shuffle at 11 years old. I was hooked right then and there. I took to Keith instantly when I saw him in that video. So for the next 4 years, my parents gave me money to buy every Rolling Stones album I could find. I had nearly all of them by 1989. I did not make a decision on them based on what year a record came out, I liked what I liked. As the years 86 to 89 came by, I bought whatever album from the record store, used book store, used record store, garage sale, etc. There was no particular order.

I bought Undercover used at a record store in 1987. I did not like the sound at all. So I never listened to it again until 2013 when it came up on my ipod and for the first time, I realized I loved that album. It came as a shock to me. I actually really listened to it.

I bought Voodoo Lounge the day it came out in 1994. I had trouble getting into it except for Keith's song and a few others on first listen. But I stuck with it and to this day occasionally Out Of Tears comes to mind more than any other song. I like Voodoo Lounge, but it's not my favorite.

But as for Mick Taylor, I loved his playing from day one when I heard the live stuff off of Hot Rocks, except I thought it was Keith playing those parts. When I finally bought Love You Live, which Mick Taylor didn't play on, I could tell that it was not Keith playing those beautiful leads from GYYYO, though I love Keith's playing too. I just like what is good.

I can't get into Bridges To Babylon no matter how hard I try though. A Bigger Bang was ok, but I haven't listened to it since 2006.

There is no age bias at all for me. That's purely speculation.

But sometimes the brain is not ready for an album until later on down the road. I might not like something today, but I might like it tomorrow. Some great music demands repeated listening.

To this day, the Rolling Stones music I like listening to the best are things like Hyde Park 1969, Altamont, Ladies and Gentlemen...The Rolling Stones, and Brussels Affair plus the audience tapes. The golden era live stuff is what I turn to the most. I was listening to this stuff in the early 90's before it was officially released. I was sending away to far off places for this stuff when I was 15.

I am born in 1968.
In my early teens, I only listened first to British ska, then to punk, then to a bit of new-wave. The Stones were considered mainstream, pop, sell-out, dinosaurs etc... They were not considered a serious option by any of the people I hung out with, who listened to Smiths, Joy Division, PIL, all that.
But since I played a bit of piano and wanted to join a band, it sort of seemed to me "blues" (which I knew nothing about, absolutely 0) might be something to investigate. So I bought an alubm by a certain Luther Johnson, and another by Otis Rush (side A) and Little Walter (side B ). I had no idea who these people were, I basically bought them for the covers, so I think I was lucky, because I enjoyed these albums very much.
Then I started reading about the blues, and about "old" music in general (maybe a bit like Bono who - to the bewildered amazement of Keith Richards - knew nothing about music before punk), and - what do you know? - apparantly those fakers, those old, boring, mainstream, commercial sell-outs the Stones used to be a blues band. I didn't know that. So I listened to their first album. *BENG*!!! I was 17 at that time, and I was flabbergasted, knocked off my feet. It was the best music I heard. I especially loved Route 66, I Just Wanna Make and - wow! - Mona. I still have a special feeling for that album.
Then little by little, I started to listen to the rest, more or less in chronological order. The first time I heard Sympathy For The Devil I thought: "What? Whoo-whoo backup singers? Samba rhythms? That's all wrong!" but then I grew to dig it. Then came Let It Bleed, then Exile. I became a true fan. Tattoo You had come out a few years earlier and at that time I'd thought it was typical mainstream pop album. Now, I re-listened to it, and loved the whole thing. Especially the B-side.
Then Dirty Work came out. Confusing. This was "my band" now, but clearly the album was not very good. I loved One Hit, and I still do. It's the last time they made not just "a typical Stones" song, but a "typical Stones song with something extra nobody else would have thought of". But the rest of the album was embarrassing. The fact that about that time Mick Jagger was all over the t.v. with "Let's Work" didn't help either. What the hell did I get myself into?
But then there was all this richess: Beggar's Banquet, Let It Bleed, SF, Exile, SG, Tattoo You, and all those other great songs on various other albums. And there were the exciting live-concerts (although none of them compared to Get Yer Ya's Out, musically speaking, they were still very exciting). And Keith started to make great solo-albums. So, my love for the Rolling Stones remained intact and grew by listening to their Great Albums.
The albums post-Undercover were all deceptions, I'd enjoy them for a bit (Steel Wheels (6), Voodoo Lounge (5), Bridges to Babylon (7)), but didn't see the point listening to them, if I could just as well listen to their very best. Didn't care about ABB. Don't care about Mick solo. Love Keith's solo work. Have seen them live about 7 or 8 times, but I won't go this time, because it's just too expensive. They are still the best rock n roll band ever, because they were the only ones who really understood how to play that music (not just the rock, also the roll, as Keith would say) but they're long past their prime. I wish Keith would have dedicated more time on his solo projects which on an artistic level are more satisfaying.
I don't know what this says about my age. Most people my age I hang out with think I am listening to "old man's music", and they listen to utter crap bands like R****head (I don't even want to write their name out) and the rest of that grunge/emo/post-whatever/indie rubbish.

First records by the Stones I got were in '89, when I was 13 - Steel Wheels and Hot Rocks. Still love SW.

I'm 57. Became a big fan at age 10 in 1970 with Ya Yas; still my fave live album. Studio faves are the Big Four and the next big run from Some Girls through Tattoo You.

"Gonna find my way to heaven ..."

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sanQ
I'm totally unbiased by age.


I'm 42 years of age. Only a couple of years older than you. I consider what you wrote to be a bit presumptuous.

I started liking the Stones when I heard Harlem Shuffle at 11 years old. I was hooked right then and there. I took to Keith instantly when I saw him in that video. So for the next 4 years, my parents gave me money to buy every Rolling Stones album I could find. I had nearly all of them by 1989. I did not make a decision on them based on what year a record came out, I liked what I liked. As the years 86 to 89 came by, I bought whatever album from the record store, used book store, used record store, garage sale, etc. There was no particular order.

I bought Undercover used at a record store in 1987. I did not like the sound at all. So I never listened to it again until 2013 when it came up on my ipod and for the first time, I realized I loved that album. It came as a shock to me. I actually really listened to it.

I bought Voodoo Lounge the day it came out in 1994. I had trouble getting into it except for Keith's song and a few others on first listen. But I stuck with it and to this day occasionally Out Of Tears comes to mind more than any other song. I like Voodoo Lounge, but it's not my favorite.

But as for Mick Taylor, I loved his playing from day one when I heard the live stuff off of Hot Rocks, except I thought it was Keith playing those parts. When I finally bought Love You Live, which Mick Taylor didn't play on, I could tell that it was not Keith playing those beautiful leads from GYYYO, though I love Keith's playing too. I just like what is good.

I can't get into Bridges To Babylon no matter how hard I try though. A Bigger Bang was ok, but I haven't listened to it since 2006.

There is no age bias at all for me. That's purely speculation.

But sometimes the brain is not ready for an album until later on down the road. I might not like something today, but I might like it tomorrow. Some great music demands repeated listening.

To this day, the Rolling Stones music I like listening to the best are things like Hyde Park 1969, Altamont, Ladies and Gentlemen...The Rolling Stones, and Brussels Affair plus the audience tapes. The golden era live stuff is what I turn to the most. I was listening to this stuff in the early 90's before it was officially released. I was sending away to far off places for this stuff when I was 15.

19 and 42 - "only a couple of years older"...

I'll use that from now on

I'm 32, and the Jimmy Miller era is the absolute best to me, studio and stage.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-07-05 02:48 by TravelinMan.

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TravelinMan
I'm 32, and the Jimmy Miller era is the absolute best to me, studio and stage.

Same.

Except I'm three decades-plus older; how'd that happen anyway?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2017-07-05 10:01 by hopkins.

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hopkins

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TravelinMan
I'm 32, and the Jimmy Miller era is the absolute best to me, studio and stage.

Same.

Except I'm three decades-plus older; how'd that happen anyway?

My dad saw them in Detroit in 1969 when he was 17 and they became his all-time favorite band and Mick Taylor his favorite guitarist. I still have my dad's bootleg cassette of the Perth Nicky Hopkins bday concert! I grew up listening to the Stones, Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, the Beatles (whom I thought were a kids band when I was little), Little Richard, the Doors (my mom's favorite band), Santana, and a bunch of music outside classic rock (Ben Harper, the Gipsy Kings, etc.). As I got older I developed my own taste, and became a musician and myself.

When I look at the Stones from that era it features their most creative song writing and instrumentation, most inspired playing, and the support musicians were an extension of the band. I mean, who lives with their pianist and horn section exiled in France?!?!

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Hairball
Yeah that's a mystery, but even stranger (to me) are those who have no critical opinion at all - aka the cheerleaders - who praise every single thing the Stones have ever done. Whether it's a mediocre album or a bad live performance - doesn't matter as the Stones can do no wrong in their minds.

Not all that different from the opposite end ... where it doesn't matter what they do, the Stones can do no right in their minds.

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LeonidP

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Hairball
Yeah that's a mystery, but even stranger (to me) are those who have no critical opinion at all - aka the cheerleaders - who praise every single thing the Stones have ever done. Whether it's a mediocre album or a bad live performance - doesn't matter as the Stones can do no wrong in their minds.

Not all that different from the opposite end ... where it doesn't matter what they do, the Stones can do no right in their minds.

I don't think you'll find any of those on this board, as everyone has at least a certain amount of appreciation for some, if not most, of what they've done.
You have the Brian era lovers, the MT era lovers, the latter day era lovers, and those who prefer select elements of all eras (whether it's live, studio, etc.).
Just goes to show different strokes for different folks, and not everything the Stones have done is gushingly praiseworthy.
An occasional troll/100% Stones hater will appear briefly once in a while, but that's a rarity and they don't last long.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

I'm 46, and these are my fave albums:

Beggars Banquet
Some Girls
Aftermath
Sticky Fingers

Can't see that my choices are based on my age..

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DandelionPowderman
I'm 46, and these are my fave albums:

Beggars Banquet
Some Girls
Aftermath
Sticky Fingers

Can't see that my choices are based on my age..

There are probably 7 Stones records that are non-controversial as choices for faves: the ones you list above, in addition to LIB, EOMS, and TY. I think the salient question about age influencing your preferences is: does your age ever dictate identifying anything EXCEPT those 7 records as your favorite? For example, is a youngster more able to choose Voodoo or an oldster more likely to choose December's Children? Can your age, in other words, make you buck the trend and opt for something other than the magnificent 7 as your top choice?

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TravelinMan

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hopkins

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TravelinMan
I'm 32, and the Jimmy Miller era is the absolute best to me, studio and stage.

Same.

Except I'm three decades-plus older; how'd that happen anyway?

My dad saw them in Detroit in 1969 when he was 17 and they became his all-time favorite band and Mick Taylor his favopun ppm rrite guitarist. I still have my dad's bootleg cassette of the Perth Nicky Hopkins bday concert! I grew up listening to the Stones, Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, the Beatles (whom I thought were a kids band when I was little), Little Richard, the Doors (my mom's favorite band), Santana, and a bunch of music outside classic rock (Ben Harper, the Gipsy Kings, etc.). As I got older I developed my own taste, and became a musician and myself.

When I look at the Stones from that era it features their most creative song writing and instrumentation, most inspired playing, and the support musicians were an extension of the band. I mean, who lives with their pianist and horn section exiled in France?!?!

what a great pose and what a great dad.he surrounded you with a beautiful Legacy of Grey music. that great music I meant. damn talking to this phone is not exactly working out.I graduated high school in 1969 and then the same age as your dad.Vice Officejet The Who Jimi Hendrix and very many others in 1969.I didn't see the stones until 1972 and I'm jealous of your pops in that respect.rock on young man you're doing great exclamationdammit I meant! Okay I'm going to go back to typing thanks for your post.you damn kids and your crazy gadgets these days I tell ya...

In 1964 I bought my first RS album: The Rolling Stones. 53 years down the road I have (among other artists that I also listen to) a huge collection of great Stones albums/songs to choose from. I never felt that my age had anything to do with my Stones album/song preferences. To me things like "time of the year", "time of the day", "the weather", "world events", "concerts", "being with friends", "mood of the day/night", etc., etc. are basically the one reason for me to pick any album/bunch of songs that fits the mood.
What a luxery! How privileged it is to be a Rolling Stones fan!

I think that there are "I have a soft spot for..." albums that may be based on age. As I said before, Voodoo Lounge will always be a special album for me, but never would I rank it in the Top 10.

For a lot of people, that "soft spot" album could be Emotional Rescue, or Undercover, or Steel Wheels...albums people discovered when they were teens, that got them into the Stones after they were past their commercial/creative prime.

But at the end of the day, the vast majority of objective Stones fans, no matter the age, will typically end up ranking some order of the following albums:

- Beggars
- Bleed
- Sticky
- Exile
- Some Girls

as the Stones Best 5.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2017-07-06 16:01 by keefriff99.

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LongBeachArena72

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DandelionPowderman
I'm 46, and these are my fave albums:

Beggars Banquet
Some Girls
Aftermath
Sticky Fingers

Can't see that my choices are based on my age..

There are probably 7 Stones records that are non-controversial as choices for faves: the ones you list above, in addition to LIB, EOMS, and TY. I think the salient question about age influencing your preferences is: does your age ever dictate identifying anything EXCEPT those 7 records as your favorite? For example, is a youngster more able to choose Voodoo or an oldster more likely to choose December's Children? Can your age, in other words, make you buck the trend and opt for something other than the magnificent 7 as your top choice?

I've never heard of "The magnificent seven"

I'd rather put on ER than GHS, and I would prefer Rock'n'Roll Circus to most of their live albums. Stripped is high on my list, but Ya Yas and Got Live If You Want It and Live In England 65 are great, too. Some days my fave is Camden 64, but How Can I Stop is top 5 for me.

Music is more complex than age, or something...

Undercover is the age-based, sentimental choice for me.
I was 21 when it was released, I had looked forward to the album and liked it, but I also sensed it was the beginning of the end for the band. So it was special that way.
The events of the next five years confirmed that. When they didn't appear together at Live Aid I figured they were done, plus Keith and Mick had solo albums, and DW was a disappointment.
Then they got back together again but they were a different band. Over time I have learned to appreciate them again, but UC still feels like the last time they were edgy and current.

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georgie48
In 1964 I bought my first RS album: The Rolling Stones. 53 years down the road I have (among other artists that I also listen to) a huge collection of great Stones albums/songs to choose from. I never felt that my age had anything to do with my Stones album/song preferences. To me things like "time of the year", "time of the day", "the weather", "world events", "concerts", "being with friends", "mood of the day/night", etc., etc. are basically the one reason for me to pick any album/bunch of songs that fits the mood.
What a luxery! How privileged it is to be a Rolling Stones fan!

Since you have been a fan since 1964 with your first Stones album, out of curiosity do you have a absolute favorite amongst them all.
And could you pick your absolute least favorite? Maybe a list of your top 5 favorites in no particular order?

I understand you find joy in all of them, and what you prefer depends on a lot of variables and can change with the direction of the wind, etc., but......................
Lets say you were stranded on a desert island and could only keep five of them....might be a tough task , but would be interesting to hear!



_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Hi Hairball,
Indeed very, very tough! I give it a try, but if you would ask me again in a month time ??? (Maybe on a different island? )
1. Route 66 (live 1965) ..... very loud!
2. (I can't get no) Satisfaction
3. Time waits for no one
4. Saint of me
5. Gimme Shelter

The one song I very much dislike is: Sing this song together, part 2

Quote
georgie48
Hi Hairball,
Indeed very, very tough! I give it a try, but if you would ask me again in a month time ??? (Maybe on a different island? )
1. Route 66 (live 1965) ..... very loud!
2. (I can't get no) Satisfaction
3. Time waits for no one
4. Saint of me
5. Gimme Shelter

The one song I very much dislike is: Sing this song together, part 2

Thanks georgie48 - very nice list.
I also like all of those - even Saint of Me! We must be a very small minority who likes that song!

But lets make it tougher here (or maybe easier?)...instead of just songs, how about a pick of your top 5 desert island albums?

I'll go first:

Beggars Banquet
Let it Bleed
Sticky Fingers
Exile
Tattoo You

This can change though depending on the mood I'm in - sometimes I'll have Aftermath in there (instead of Sticky), and other times I'll have Some Girls in there (instead of Tattoo You), etc., etc., etc., but at this very minute that list is going with me to the desert island and there's no turning back. One thing I'm sure of as far as whole albums go though - nothing after Tattoo You will ever make my Top 5 list.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Thanks georgie48 - very nice list.
I also like all of those - even Saint of Me! We must be a very small minority who likes that song!

But lets make it tougher here (or maybe easier?)...instead of just songs, how about a pick of your top 5 desert island albums?

I'll go first:

Beggars Banquet
Let it Bleed
Sticky Fingers
Exile
Tattoo You

This can change though depending on the mood I'm in - sometimes I'll have Aftermath in there (instead of Sticky), and other times I'll have Some Girls in there (instead of Tattoo You), etc., etc., etc., but at this very minute that list is going with me to the desert island and there's no turning back. One thing I'm sure of as far as whole albums go though - nothing after Tattoo You will ever make my Top 5 list.[/quote]

Since I would not have any choice, I would go the practical way: many songs, great variety. How about:

Exile
Aftermath
Get Yer Yaya's Out
A Bigger Bang (underestimated)
Blue and Lonesome

I would make sure that "Going Home" would be the last song of the day, to give me energy to get of that desert island a.s.a.p.

Talking about magical moments (I really had many with the Stones) one to mention was during a visit to the USA in 2015, where I was at the Raleigh (SD) concert on July 1st: Moonlight Mile in combination with that great video. I felt like being in another world!

Quote
Hairball
Thanks georgie48 - very nice list.
I also like all of those - even Saint of Me! We must be a very small minority who likes that song!

But lets make it tougher here (or maybe easier?)...instead of just songs, how about a pick of your top 5 desert island albums?

I'll go first:

Beggars Banquet
Let it Bleed
Sticky Fingers
Exile
Tattoo You

This can change though depending on the mood I'm in - sometimes I'll have Aftermath in there (instead of Sticky), and other times I'll have Some Girls in there (instead of Tattoo You), etc., etc., etc., but at this very minute that list is going with me to the desert island and there's no turning back. One thing I'm sure of as far as whole albums go though - nothing after Tattoo You will ever make my Top 5 list.

Quote
georgie48
Since I would not have any choice, I would go the practical way: many songs, great variety. How about:

Exile
Aftermath
Get Yer Yaya's Out
A Bigger Bang (underestimated)
Blue and Lonesome

I would make sure that "Going Home" would be the last song of the day, to give me energy to get of that desert island a.s.a.p.

Talking about magical moments (I really had many with the Stones) one to mention was during a visit to the USA in 2015, where I was at the Raleigh (SD) concert on July 1st: Moonlight Mile in combination with that great video. I felt like being in another world!

Goes to show that maybe age has nothing to do with one's preferences after all.
Glad you enjoyed your visit to the USA and Moonlight Mile - I saw the first show of that tour at San Diego, and Moonlight Mile was indeed a highlight.

One of my fond memories of the Stones (and I've also had many), was being in London in 2003 to see the three shows (Twickenham, Wembley Arena, and the Astoria), and it just so happened Mick Taylor was playing at the very small 100 Club in Oxford Street between those dates. Needless to say I made it in there, and stood right in front of him the entire show - almost eye level as the stage was only about a foot high.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

I became a fan in 1973, when I was 11.
My all time faves are Exile, Sticky, Bleed, Beggars and Some Girls.
But i also like Afteremath & Out of our Heads (the european versions!), and I also like Steel Wheels, Voodoo Lounge and Bridges (very underrated in my opinion). What does this say about me? ;-)
For me it all depends on the Songs and nothing else.