Exile on Main St.
November 1, 2007
"Exile on Main St." by The Rolling Stones
Rolling Stones, 1972
In my mind at least, this is the last time the Rolling Stones really mattered. It's one of their most cohesive albums, a masterpiece of sustained energy and mood, a thick brew of rock, honky tonk and blues that sounds as if its coming out of a gin joint jukebox even when it's not. It opens with a blast of 1950's rock 'n' roll in the form of "Rocks Off" (which includes the classic expression of frustration, "I only get my rocks off while I'm sleeping") and doesn't let up from then on. The tempo might slow down, but the forward momentum remains. The songs seem to blend together at times into a single, ragged pastiche, but this only means that it rewards repeated listening. More than the sum of its songs, it stands as a testament to the albums as art. The music mines a vein of nostalgia so organic, that instead of seeming forced, it feels timeless.
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