The Rolling Stones has always served as a benchmark to measure other bands. Each of their albums exemplify their extraordinary talent, however, one album has always been my favorite—"Exile on Main Street".
"Exile on Main Street" was recorded over the course of four years, 1968-1972, primarily in France. The Rolling Stones had just broken away from their label and were facing heavy taxes in the home country, England. Rather than paying these taxes, the band fled to France to record a new album—exiled from the their home country.
This album is different from prior albums in that it explores more musical genres ranging from the gospel sounds of “Shine a Light” to the boogie sounds of “Rip this Joint” to the bluesy sounds of “Ventilator Blues.”
Though this album initially received mixed reviews, it has become known as one of the band’s best albums. Even though this music is almost four decades old, it still receives much radio play today.
The only flaw that could be found with this album is the sound quality. The vocals may seem to be sloppy and drowned out by the instruments compared to previous albums, however I believe the Stones were searching for this sound. Around this time, Mick Jagger, the band’s front man, was growing bored with the Rock n’ Roll genre and wanted to experiment. His vision was to reach out to other musical genres, relying on the distinctive sounds of these genres to provide substance to the songs.
One of the most powerful songs on the album is “Shine a Light.” This is THE gospel song on the album, bringing out the soul of the Stones. This song is riddles with lyrics referencing hard times and substance abuse. The Stones do a magnificent job at capturing the audience and telling a story that much of the band's audience could relate to. However, while pointing out these hard times, the Rolling Stones put a positive spin on the song, referencing God and his power to "shine a light." Very uplifting song, demonstrating the sheer genius the band possessed.
"Exile on Main Street" was recorded over the course of four years, 1968-1972, primarily in France. The Rolling Stones had just broken away from their label and were facing heavy taxes in the home country, England. Rather than paying these taxes, the band fled to France to record a new album—exiled from the their home country.
This album is different from prior albums in that it explores more musical genres ranging from the gospel sounds of “Shine a Light” to the boogie sounds of “Rip this Joint” to the bluesy sounds of “Ventilator Blues.”
Though this album initially received mixed reviews, it has become known as one of the band’s best albums. Even though this music is almost four decades old, it still receives much radio play today.
The only flaw that could be found with this album is the sound quality. The vocals may seem to be sloppy and drowned out by the instruments compared to previous albums, however I believe the Stones were searching for this sound. Around this time, Mick Jagger, the band’s front man, was growing bored with the Rock n’ Roll genre and wanted to experiment. His vision was to reach out to other musical genres, relying on the distinctive sounds of these genres to provide substance to the songs.
One of the most powerful songs on the album is “Shine a Light.” This is THE gospel song on the album, bringing out the soul of the Stones. This song is riddles with lyrics referencing hard times and substance abuse. The Stones do a magnificent job at capturing the audience and telling a story that much of the band's audience could relate to. However, while pointing out these hard times, the Rolling Stones put a positive spin on the song, referencing God and his power to "shine a light." Very uplifting song, demonstrating the sheer genius the band possessed.
One of the most underrated songs of the album is “Sweet Virginia.” Like several of their previous songs on other albums, this track is overflowing with drug references. However, like "Shine a Light," this song shows the listener both sides of the song. It tells the tale of these "sweet and bitter fruits," denoting the wonderful way drugs make you feel, but then going into cryptic details of their devestating consequences. Also similar to "Shine a Light," is the positive spin the band puts on the song through the chorus. This chorus basically tells the listener to break out of the prision that drugs built. This is my favorite lyrical track, however, I also found the saxophone solo to be very unique to the album, demonstrating the myriad of artistic talent the Stones’ possess.
The Rolling Stones helped define the Rock n' Roll genre. Their legacy lives on today, especially through "Exile on Main Street." This album is by far their best, their talent being exposed through the sheer creativity of their music.
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