2/22/11 – Exile on Main Street (The Rolling Stones)
Mick Jagger is the perfect rock star. There's nobody more perfect than Jagger. He's rude, he's ugly-attractive, he's brilliant. The Rolling Stones are the perfect rock group -- they don't give a ****.- Elton John
I’m noticing a similarity in approaching this particular album to listening to Billie Holliday or The Beatles – while Exile on Main Street is a huge and influential album, the very things that made it innovative and groundbreaking are influential; to the point their influence has pervaded the mainstream to the point they seem mundane. This is a good album – perhaps a great album, but through today’s lens, I feel compelled to just dismiss it as a run of the mill early 70’s rock CD, and I feel I should know better than that. On the other hand, I’ve noticed that I have a tendency to over-accentuate what I like about any given album and gloss quickly over what I don’t enjoy as much, so maybe now’s a good time to start being a little more critical.
I appreciate the many influences found here – the elements of gospel-inspired soul, the rockabilly horns, the southern roots rock found in a few tunes, even a bit of latin jazz from time to time. I just feel others have done it all better. (Blood, Sweat and Tears, anyone?) At the root though, this is basic four-chord rock. Pardon me – some of it’s three chord rock, like “Torn and Frayed.” The dressings are changed from time to time but the substance (or lack thereof,) is consistently the same. Even the favorable reviews of the album refer to it as a “worn down, weary sound.” I would take that a step further – the sound is often lazy and/or sloppy. The horns aren’t as together as they should be, the mixing is muddy and unfocused. I fail to see the draw.
Since I’m at this point mercilessly ripping into this allegedly great album, I should probably point out that it contains no recognizable hit singles. No “Sympathy For the Devil,” or “Start Me Up,” no “Paint it Black,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” or “Brown Sugar.” Someone please tell me, why is this album so revered? What am I missing? Furthermore, what Stones should I be listening to instead? It’s like Coltrane’s A Love Supreme all over again; this album I had put on such a high pedestal, when it failed to deliver, I’m left asking “what’s wrong with my approach or palate that I don’t see what everybody else holds so dear?” Mabe it will be another Kurt Elling moment, and some time next month or a few years from now, it’ll click and I’ll recognize the genius… but I’m not there yet.
Tumblin' Dice, Sweet Virginia, and Happy are ALL as good or better songs that ones you listed. They are not, however, as commercial. Those tracks don't fit nicely onto a classic rock play list or a top 40 rotation. One song you mentioned as being a signature song, Brown Sugar, isn't close to the best track on Sticky Fingers - Dead Flowers and Wild Horses are far superior songs and tracks in every regard. Oh, unless you want the Stones to follow a formula to churn out hits for the masses.
ReplyDeleteWhile Exile isn't a perfect album, certainly not a Blood on the Tracks or even a Grievous Angel (though Gram was hanging out with them during the sessions), it's significant because the Stones DIDN'T include a pandering single. The sloppiness gives it character and the character makes it interesting.
Give it time and it will grow on you!
Thanks Sean - I was really hoping someone would answer this one; there are too many people who's opinions I trust and respect that sing the praises of this album for me to dismiss it. One of the unfortunate casualties of listening to and writing on an album a day, however, is that I don't get to spend a huge huge amount of time with each one to adequately give it time to sink in. There's a few records I've run across that fell into this category - Genesis' "Selling England By the Pound" being the first one that comes to mind. That being said, this one is currently in rotation in my car, with the hopes I'll grow into it. Thanks for the feedback!
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