kissinc***incannes Wrote:
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> i really liked it alot when it came out, but it
> hasn't aged well with me. there's something too
> polite, mature about the sound of the album. the
> guitars are muted, Was thinks he's making a Bonnie
> Raitt album or something. He seemed to be trying
> to make his own version of Exile. For the sake of
> eclecticism he ignored great outtakes like Honest
> Man and for the sake of making it sound like some
> Adult Alternative recording he ignored some great
> groove tunes (which i remember he railed against
> in the RS interview at the time) like Make It Now.
> VL could've been a very adventurous album but
> instead they chose to make it a classicist, Stones
> retro release.

I agree. And I agree with Gazza who said it's a good album but could have been very good with some different choices.

Never one of my favourites but heard it today for the first time in years and was surprised how much i liked it. I think Love Is Strong is terrific. Brand New Car is almost a great song.

I totally flipped over VL when it came out and it was probably my most played Stones album for a good two years or so. Instant gratification. Whether or not that's because it can be viewed as Stones-By-Numbers (if you're cynical) or a pastiche of their whole career is something I need to ponder over a good listen and a bottle of vino. That said, a lot of albums that I love right off the bat don't really stand the test of time. And I definitely don't love VL like I used to. I still like it, of course, but it's in very light rotation these days.

Bridges took a while to grow on me but it finally hit me after a year or so just how good it was (much like Exile, actually - not comparing the two, by the way!), especially the more subtle moments like Thief/Stop and the very modern production twists here and there.

The verdict is still out on ABB. I haven't listened to it much over the last six months or so, yet I constantly have the songs running through my head. Which I can't say about the last two, so go figure.