In the spring of 1971, nine years into their existence as the world’s greatest rock & roll band, the Rolling Stones learned to their great dismay that they were not only broke but would also have to leave England to avoid paying high British income tax. They decamped to the French Riviera and began recording their new album in the basement of Villa Nellcôte, Keith Richards‘ impressive mansion by the sea. The result was the Stones’ only double album, the classic Exile on Main Street. Rock out to this classic album!
270 Rolling Stones – Exile on Main Street

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One response to “270 Rolling Stones – Exile on Main Street”
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I think “Beatles or Stones?” as a personality test-type question is silly. The Rolling Stones are a great band but the Beatles are so far beyond the Stones that it’s not even a contest. I don’t agree with Paul McCartney saying the Stones were just a blues cover band, but I don’t think that’s completely wrong either. Not only am I not a big Stones fan, but I also have an intrinsic suspicion – bordering on full on dislike – for double albums. They are almost always just missed opportunities to make a really great single album. They are typically boring and self-indulgent and way too long. All that being said, this double album by The Rolling Stones is my favorite album of all time.
This album is what spinning out of control and coming apart at the seams sounds like. Fast and hard and joyous and raucous; and then decadent and lascivious and louche; and then exhausted and cynical and a paranoid bundle of nerves and depression; and finally transcendent. If you can’t get into this album then you have to ask yourself if you’ve ever even run a slight temperature in the funkhouse, much less had a full on fever up in that mother.
I also love albums with completely mundane origin stories. Started in London, then recorded over months In the basement of Keith’s villa in the south of France with a revolving door of contributors, then Mick leads overdubs in LA with a bunch of session musicians inspired by Aretha Franklin’s gospel singing. There is no overarching theme or plan. They were mostly just drunk or high or broke or running from the law or trying to cheat the taxman or their previous manager or the French police and these songs happened to be recorded at some point in that years long fiasco. This album should not be good. And it isn’t good and it certainly isn’t perfect, it’s just – to me – the greatest album of all time.
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