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TravelinMan
IMO there is no album better (combination of songwriting, variety, production, flow, timelessness etc) than Sticky Fingers. It’s perfect from beginning to end. That said, Exile is my favorite album.

After all the buildup your favorite album is Exile. Sticky happens to be my favorite. I respect those who prefer Exile though. I'm just not very big on the country music flavors. Can't help it.

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TravelinMan
IMO there is no album better (combination of songwriting, variety, production, flow, timelessness etc) than Sticky Fingers. It’s perfect from beginning to end. That said, Exile is my favorite album.

Have to agree with that. Except BB is my favourite. Love the 'freakiness' they still had in their sound.

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DandelionPowderman

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TravelinMan
IMO there is no album better (combination of songwriting, variety, production, flow, timelessness etc) than Sticky Fingers. It’s perfect from beginning to end. That said, Exile is my favorite album.

Have to agree with that. Except BB is my favourite. Love the 'freakiness' they still had in their sound.

The freakiness was Brian’s influence?

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Taylor1

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DandelionPowderman

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TravelinMan
IMO there is no album better (combination of songwriting, variety, production, flow, timelessness etc) than Sticky Fingers. It’s perfect from beginning to end. That said, Exile is my favorite album.

Have to agree with that. Except BB is my favourite. Love the 'freakiness' they still had in their sound.

The freakiness was Brian’s influence?

Brian, Keith and Mick. Listen to Stray Cat Blues. A perfect example, imo.

Sorry about going farther off topic here but I want to say Stray Cat Blues is an absolute gem. It's in the same league as JJF in my opinion.

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TravelinMan
Tattoo You is Jagger’s masterpiece. He put that album together with Kimsey beautifully.

Jagger did an excellent job on Some Girls capturing popular trends like disco and punk, however a handful of songs grow tired quickly and would better be served as b-sides, Far Away Eyes* for instance. Tattoo You is timeless and covers a wide range of the band’s abilities including former pals Taylor and Hopkins.

*I would enjoy this song had they developed an album version without the tongue-in-cheek spoken word pastiche and used the released version as a b-side where it firmly belongs IMO

No Spare Parts or even Do You Think I Really Care would've been a better fit than Far Away Eyes as far as having a country song on SG in regard to what you said about the silliness.

They left off Rotten Roll and When She Held Me Tight and included a rather benign Just My Imagination so whatever they were thinking it certainly doesn't seem about the album as a rounded work but a bit of a freak out, perhaps not only in regard to disco and punk but Keith's legal issues leading up to the recording and whatever during.

Aside from Miss You, which, if that's disco it sure doesn't sound like it, obviously compared to The Bee Gees etc, what is 'punk' on the album? I really don't hear it. I understand it's more about attitude, so that's Respectable, Lies and Shattered. But do they have attitude? Or more so, punk attitude?

Mick didn't think so.

(It's n)ot really (influenced by punk rock). When you look at the original album and even if you want to look at the outtakes, it sort of is but that's an easy kind of tag you can always put on it. Miss You isn't really punk and Far Away Eyes isn't. Some Girls is kind of a blues. It's with harmonica and slide guitar and all. It's got that kind of attitude to it but it's not that music, except in a couple of places.

[timeisonourside.com]

Mick talked about the album being more about NYC yet acknowledging disco, punk and hip hop all happening yet the album is more of an eccentric rock album, for the Stones, anyway. Nothing really rolls, it's lumpy. Whip, title track, Respectable, Lies, Run and Shattered. Might as well include Summer Romance since it was recorded for the album, although it's brilliant on ER.

So perhaps that's the attitude that made it into the music even though it's not punk. The outtakes present a whole different sound: various blues, country, solid beat ballads and rockers like When She Held Me Tight, Rotten Roll, Fiji Jim, Hang Fire, Start Me Up, Turning To Gold, I Need You, I Love You Too Much etc.

Over 40 songs. They wanted the album to be different than the previous three. So it's an eclectic album in comparison to, really, anything prior, with exception to BUTTONS, which I've started to like more, maybe 60/40.

In some ways it makes sense that BUTTONS isn't liked so much because it's the warm up to MAJESTIES in regard to weirdness, in general, as in not good weirdness.

Maybe SG was their last blast at being different. ER was done on cruise control and U was more of a freak out 'with the times' album, although it's quite expansive in styles and genres.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025-10-12 04:59 by GasLightStreet.

I hear punk’s influence on Whip, Lies, Respectable, and Shattered. Some New Wave as well.

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TravelinMan
I hear punk’s influence on Whip, Lies, Respectable, and Shattered. Some New Wave as well.

So do I. Some posters here claim Some Girls is not a punk album and I agree it isn’t in its entirety, but at least these four titles sound punk, more or less, and under the influence of the punk rock of those times, directly or indirectly.

I feel the New Wave influence stronger on Emotional Rescue, though. I posted before that the ambience of the soundscape the Stones created on ER has a strong similarity to Reggatta de Blanc, The Police’s second album released in 1979.

It feels to me, the album covers, the sleaziness of SG and the weirdness of ER, also reflect punk (the former) and New Wave (the latter) vibes.

[iorr.org]

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DandelionPowderman

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Taylor1

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DandelionPowderman

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TravelinMan
IMO there is no album better (combination of songwriting, variety, production, flow, timelessness etc) than Sticky Fingers. It’s perfect from beginning to end. That said, Exile is my favorite album.

Have to agree with that. Except BB is my favourite. Love the 'freakiness' they still had in their sound.

The freakiness was Brian’s influence?

Brian, Keith and Mick. Listen to Stray Cat Blues. A perfect example, imo.

Also his mellotron on Jigsaw Puzzle

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RisingStone

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TravelinMan
I hear punk’s influence on Whip, Lies, Respectable, and Shattered. Some New Wave as well.

So do I. Some posters here claim Some Girls is not a punk album and I agree it isn’t in its entirety, but at least these four titles sound punk, more or less, and under the influence of the punk rock of those times, directly or indirectly.

I feel the New Wave influence stronger on Emotional Rescue, though. I posted before that the ambience of the soundscape the Stones created on ER has a strong similarity to Reggatta de Blanc, The Police’s second album released in 1979.

It feels to me, the album covers, the sleaziness of SG and the weirdness of ER, also reflect punk (the former) and New Wave (the latter) vibes.

[iorr.org]

That's what my post was about: getting to the culture of. Forget subjective, look at deliberate. The Police were, and still are, a magnificent combination of genres. Throw in Elvis Costello...

The Stones weren't going to get into the jank of Costello but I could see them listening to The Police and going "Ohhh... got it."

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frankotero

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TravelinMan
IMO there is no album better (combination of songwriting, variety, production, flow, timelessness etc) than Sticky Fingers. It’s perfect from beginning to end. That said, Exile is my favorite album.

After all the buildup your favorite album is Exile. Sticky happens to be my favorite. I respect those who prefer Exile though. I'm just not very big on the country music flavors. Can't help it.

There’s no accounting for taste. To each their own.
In my view, Sticky Fingers is the weakest of the Big Four.
More precisely, the least strong, as all of them are masterpieces, obviously.
FTR my favorite is Let It Bleed.

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RisingStone

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frankotero

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TravelinMan
IMO there is no album better (combination of songwriting, variety, production, flow, timelessness etc) than Sticky Fingers. It’s perfect from beginning to end. That said, Exile is my favorite album.

After all the buildup your favorite album is Exile. Sticky happens to be my favorite. I respect those who prefer Exile though. I'm just not very big on the country music flavors. Can't help it.

There’s no accounting for taste. To each their own.
In my view, Sticky Fingers is the weakest of the Big Four.
More precisely, the least strong, as all of them are masterpieces, obviously.
FTR my favorite is Let It Bleed.

I agee about Sticky Fingers and Let It Bleed; and, btw, Sticky Fingers is still a 5-star masterpiece in my eyes.

My 'Big Four' in preference order:

Let It Bleed
Exile on Main Street
Beggars Banquet
Sticky Fingers

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RisingStone

There’s no accounting for taste. To each their own.
In my view, Sticky Fingers is the weakest of the Big Four.
More precisely, the least strong, as all of them are masterpieces, obviously.
FTR my favorite is Let It Bleed.

Sticky Fingers is fantastic, but it has one total turd for me: You Gotta Move. If they replaced that one with a good rocker it would have made the album so much better!

Mathijs

Total turd is harsh, it's like a precursor to the loose feel of Exile and GHS, compared to the tightness of Bitch or Brown Sugar. I like that bassdrum too.

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Mathijs

Sticky Fingers is fantastic, but it has one total turd for me: You Gotta Move. If they replaced that one with a good rocker it would have made the album so much better!

Mathijs

Some traditionals are better left alone indeed.

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skytrench
Total turd is harsh, it's like a precursor to the loose feel of Exile and GHS, compared to the tightness of Bitch or Brown Sugar. I like that bassdrum too.

If they would have used on Exile it would not have stuck out so much I think. I find it a turd because it's so out of place, so not in line with the rest of the album.

Mathijs

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Big Al
I agee about Sticky Fingers and Let It Bleed; and, btw, Sticky Fingers is still a 5-star masterpiece in my eyes.

My 'Big Four' in preference order:

Let It Bleed
Exile on Main Street
Beggars Banquet
Sticky Fingers

Same for me, except that EOMS and BB are interchangeable in order depending on my mood.
I’d give SF 4 to 4 and a half stars, not 5 — still a masterpiece but not flawless.

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Mathijs
Sticky Fingers is fantastic, but it has one total turd for me: You Gotta Move. If they replaced that one with a good rocker it would have made the album so much better!

It’s an okay track for me. Neither great nor lame, just average.
I initially didn’t get CYHMK, feeling jamming is not their thing, generally (live Midnight Rambler is a rare exception).
Also Side B feels to me a tad weaker than Side A, overall — one reason why I don’t rate SF as high as the other three.

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RisingStone

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Big Al
I agee about Sticky Fingers and Let It Bleed; and, btw, Sticky Fingers is still a 5-star masterpiece in my eyes.

My 'Big Four' in preference order:

Let It Bleed
Exile on Main Street
Beggars Banquet
Sticky Fingers

Same for me, except that EOMS and BB are interchangeable in order depending on my mood.
I’d give SF 4 to 4 and a half stars, not 5 — still a masterpiece but not flawless.

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Mathijs
Sticky Fingers is fantastic, but it has one total turd for me: You Gotta Move. If they replaced that one with a good rocker it would have made the album so much better!

It’s an okay track for me. Neither great nor lame, just average.
I initially didn’t get CYHMK, feeling jamming is not their thing, generally (live Midnight Rambler is a rare exception).
Also Side B feels to me a tad weaker than Side A, overall — one reason why I don’t rate SF as high as the other three.

Sticky Fingers, other than You Gotta Move is Perfect.Dear Doctor and Country Honk are not 5 star either.Good , not great. Honky Tonk Women and Jumpimg Jack Flash should have replaced them.Sticky Fingers is as great a collection of songs on one album they ever did.

For some reason, I Got The Blues has never quite clicked with me. I know that, objectively, it's a very good track; I just simply don't like it very much. It may be because it's so, so, slow.

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Taylor1
Sticky Fingers, other than You Gotta Move is Perfect.Dear Doctor and Country Honk are not 5 star either.Good , not great. Honky Tonk Women and Jumpimg Jack Flash should have replaced them.Sticky Fingers is as great a collection of songs on one album they ever did.

I find that Dear Doctor and Country Honk work fantastically well in transforming the Stones from a very English band to an eclectic, global band. Beggars and LIB are this strange mix of samba, psychedelic hard blues, country ballads, bluegrass, country rock, space rock, and singalongs. Both albums transformed the Stones into something global, something bigger than all of us.

Sticky Fingers in that sense is a much more modern record, much more produced and somewhat slick. You Gotta Move sticks out, like it is on outtake of Beggars. It fits on Beggars, or Exile, much more than on Fingers.

Exile is everything the big three have, but than completely unique Rolling Stones.

Mathijs

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Mathijs

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Taylor1
Sticky Fingers, other than You Gotta Move is Perfect.Dear Doctor and Country Honk are not 5 star either.Good , not great. Honky Tonk Women and Jumpimg Jack Flash should have replaced them.Sticky Fingers is as great a collection of songs on one album they ever did.

I find that Dear Doctor and Country Honk work fantastically well in transforming the Stones from a very English band to an eclectic, global band. Beggars and LIB are this strange mix of samba, psychedelic hard blues, country ballads, bluegrass, country rock, space rock, and singalongs. Both albums transformed the Stones into something global, something bigger than all of us.

Sticky Fingers in that sense is a much more modern record, much more produced and somewhat slick. You Gotta Move sticks out, like it is on outtake of Beggars. It fits on Beggars, or Exile, much more than on Fingers.

Exile is everything the big three have, but than completely unique Rolling Stones.

Mathijs

I have often thought of Sticky Fingers as being their most straight ahead, 'rock record' It's very '1971'

Isn’t this thread about the best album after Exile on Main Street?

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Mathijs
I find that Dear Doctor and Country Honk work fantastically well in transforming the Stones from a very English band to an eclectic, global band. Beggars and LIB are this strange mix of samba, psychedelic hard blues, country ballads, bluegrass, country rock, space rock, and singalongs. Both albums transformed the Stones into something global, something bigger than all of us.

Sticky Fingers in that sense is a much more modern record, much more produced and somewhat slick. You Gotta Move sticks out, like it is on outtake of Beggars. It fits on Beggars, or Exile, much more than on Fingers.

Exile is everything the big three have, but than completely unique Rolling Stones.

You Gotta Move sticking out or not, here I am in a total agreement with you, especially that Sticky Fingers is modern and somewhat slick (to cite Big Al’s expression, “very ‘1971’”)

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NashvilleBlues
Isn’t this thread about the best album after Exile on Main Street?

Great thread sometimes digresses

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NashvilleBlues
Isn’t this thread about the best album after Exile on Main Street?

So does the Record Store Day anniversary release of Hot Rocks count? If so, that’s my fave since Exile

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Mathijs

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skytrench
Total turd is harsh, it's like a precursor to the loose feel of Exile and GHS, compared to the tightness of Bitch or Brown Sugar. I like that bassdrum too.

If they would have used on Exile it would not have stuck out so much I think. I find it a turd because it's so out of place, so not in line with the rest of the album.

Mathijs

That’s the beauty. It’s an old timey blues. Sticky Fingers is essentially everything the Stones can do stylistically, and it’s an absolute masterpiece.

Beggars has some weird mixing on it and I find Salt of the Earth to be trite. It’s a great record overall; lots of Dylan influence I’d say.

Let it Bleed is fantastic, of course. Country Honk is kind of weak but I like it. I used to think it was filler, but I’ve stepped back from that opinion.

It’s sort of a Keith Richards and Friends album whereas I find Sticky Fingers to be more of a band album, and I prefer that. I think a lot of the Let It Bleed songs were elevated live (which is wild because they’re excellent as is), and Jagger said the same thing.

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snoopy2

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NashvilleBlues
Isn’t this thread about the best album after Exile on Main Street?

So does the Record Store Day anniversary release of Hot Rocks count? If so, that’s my fave since Exile

Sure, why not? Hope you’ve been doing well. Glad we got to meet at the Bob Dylan show!

Wait, now I’m OT.

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TravelinMan
Beggars has some weird mixing on it and I find Salt of the Earth to be trite. It’s a great record overall; lots of Dylan influence I’d say.

Let it Bleed is fantastic, of course. Country Honk is kind of weak but I like it. I used to think it was filler, but I’ve stepped back from that opinion.

It’s sort of a Keith Richards and Friends album whereas I find Sticky Fingers to be more of a band album, and I prefer that. I think a lot of the Let It Bleed songs were elevated live (which is wild because they’re excellent as is), and Jagger said the same thing.

I think Salt of the Earth is a great song

I believe that Some Girls is their best record after Exile. All the songs are great to me. It is very direct, eclectic, with a lot of energy and humor. It is surprising in 1978 to see the Rolling Stones going in that direction; so some people got disappointed. I got very excited with the Stones youthful attitude and their embrace of what was new in 1978. They questioned and reinvented themselves a little bit and as a result that record rocks better than the others.

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rollmops
I believe that Some Girls is their best record after Exile. All the songs are great to me. It is very direct, eclectic, with a lot of energy and humor. It is surprising in 1978 to see the Rolling Stones going in that direction; so some people got disappointed. I got very excited with the Stones youthful attitude and their embrace of what was new in 1978. They questioned and reinvented themselves a little bit and as a result that record rocks better than the others.

Agreed. One of the strengths that Stones used to have was that they reinvented themselves time and time again!