Exile on main street- What so good about it??

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akann

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I am not a huge fan of the stones, in fact I think that they are way overrated. Anyway, a couple of mates of mine who are both huge stones fans accused me of being narrow-minded and challenged me to listen to Exile. After three listens, I really think that it's a piece of crap, and I don't know for the life of me why people rate this album so highly!! The songs on a whole seem to lack melody , and the album itself isn't pushing boundaries the way the beatles' albums used to.

Honestly, I feel that u2 would be ripped apart if they released a record of this quality, but the stones seem to get away with it.

Am I missing something here?? Do I need to give it more time and let it grow on me?? I would be interested in knowing what other people think of it...
 
akann said:
I am not a huge fan of the stones, in fact I think that they are way overrated. Anyway, a couple of mates of mine who are both huge stones fans accused me of being narrow-minded and challenged me to listen to Exile. After three listens, I really think that it's a piece of crap, and I don't know for the life of me why people rate this album so highly!! The songs on a whole seem to lack melody , and the album itself isn't pushing boundaries the way the beatles' albums used to.

Honestly, I feel that u2 would be ripped apart if they released a record of this quality, but the stones seem to get away with it.

Am I missing something here?? Do I need to give it more time and let it grow on me?? I would be interested in knowing what other people think of it...
Click to expand...

if you don't like it, then you don't like it.
for me, it's THE reason that every stones album after it didn't seem as vital and great.
it's one of the best records i've ever heard.

are you missing something? i don't know.
but i know that without it, I would certainly be missing something.
 
akann said:
I am not a huge fan of the stones, in fact I think that they are way overrated. Anyway, a couple of mates of mine who are both huge stones fans accused me of being narrow-minded and challenged me to listen to Exile. After three listens, I really think that it's a piece of crap, and I don't know for the life of me why people rate this album so highly!! The songs on a whole seem to lack melody , and the album itself isn't pushing boundaries the way the beatles' albums used to.

Honestly, I feel that u2 would be ripped apart if they released a record of this quality, but the stones seem to get away with it.

Am I missing something here?? Do I need to give it more time and let it grow on me?? I would be interested in knowing what other people think of it...
Click to expand...

I think exactly the same way. I really can't "get" the stones too
 
Re: Re: Exile on main street- What so good about it??

MacPhistoPT said:


I think exactly the same way. I really can't "get" the stones too
Click to expand...

Agreed, just listened to it another time and am still not getting it.
 
All of you who don't "get" The Stones, have you listened to their "40 Licks" compilation, because that's really a nice....nah bloody awesome bunch of classics :rockon:.
 
U2Man said:
All of you who don't "get" The Stones, have you listened to their "40 Licks" compilation, because that's really a nice....nah bloody awesome bunch of classics :rockon:.
Click to expand...

I will download it of Bearshare right now...
 
U2Man said:
All of you who don't "get" The Stones, have you listened to their "40 Licks" compilation, because that's really a nice....nah bloody awesome bunch of classics :rockon:.
Click to expand...

:up: I agree with that 100%.
 
phanan said:
I prefer Sticky Fingers myself...

:shrug:
Click to expand...


:lol:


Ahem...

What's NOT to love about Exile...? It's so raw, has a ton of great bluesy stuff on it, a decent Keef song :)p), and Shine A Light, one of my favorite Stones songs ever.

I also am fascinated with the entire time period in which it was recorded. There was a book of photographs taken that was out a few years ago, but it was something ridiculous like $300 and a limited edition, so sadly I never got my hands on it, but how cool would that have been?
 
LarryMullen's_POPAngel said:



:lol:


Ahem...
Click to expand...


:shame:

What's NOT to love about Exile...? It's so raw, has a ton of great bluesy stuff on it, a decent Keef song :)p), and Shine A Light, one of my favorite Stones songs ever.

I also am fascinated with the entire time period in which it was recorded. There was a book of photographs taken that was out a few years ago, but it was something ridiculous like $300 and a limited edition, so sadly I never got my hands on it, but how cool would that have been?
Click to expand...

The stretch from Beggar's Banquet to Exile is one of the best run of albums by any group ever. Absolute brilliance...
 
akann said:
The songs on a whole seem to lack melody, and the album itself isn't pushing boundaries the way the beatles' albums used to.
Click to expand...
I like Exile very much, but it's definitely not one of the Stones' more accessible albums, and I find it kind of funny that your friends would pick that as the best choice to "convert" you. I'm not sure what you mean by saying the songs "lack melody," though--in the technical sense of that term, they certainly do have melodies; maybe you more have in mind the sort of thing where you can't hum them, the way you usually can with Beatles tunes? If so, that's really more a reflection of the heavy blues influence in the Stones' music, whereas the Beatles always wrote more in the classic pop vein--I guess you could describe the Stones as less "melodic" in that sense. But that's just a difference in genre, really; it has nothing to do with talent. As far as boundary-pushing, yeah, the Stones have never been known for bold experimentalism...but then neither are lots of other highly respected artists; again, that's not really a reflection on talent one way or the other.

No point in trying to force yourself to appreciate them if you just plain don't like the music, though...life's too short for that!
 
Exile is a blast.

It's the perfect Saturday nite record.

It's all about loose, swagger, pleasure, pain.

It's got a blues heart and a Rock 'N Roll soul.

And it's got tons of roll.

Rock is more about head banging. Up/down.

Roll is more about hip shaking. Left/right.

Exile is a blast.
 
Simply put, EOMS is where the Stones sound like real people. They're torn and frayed like the rest of us. The music sounds like they're just exposing raw nerves. There's nothing clean about that in real life and the 'messy' sounding mixes reflect that.

In contrast, most other Stones albums are very worked up in terms of their arrangements and full of performance. Jagger has always got to put on a show. Even on the studio albums.

EOMS is an exception, though. Alot of his vocals are kind of buried in the mix. It really suited the theme to do that instead of their typical up front and center vocal mixes.
 
yolland said:

I'm not sure what you mean by saying the songs "lack melody," though--in the technical sense of that term, they certainly do have melodies; maybe you more have in mind the sort of thing where you can't hum them, the way you usually can with Beatles tunes? If so, that's really more a reflection of the heavy blues influence in the Stones' music, whereas the Beatles always wrote more in the classic pop vein--I guess you could describe the Stones as less "melodic" in that sense. But that's just a difference in genre, really; it has nothing to do with talent.





I suppose I am after songs that I can hum to, but they also must have emotional depth to it. u2 passes the test with flying colours on both these counts and that's why I love them so much. Anyway, I guess it's just a difference in opinion, I will always judge songs without an obvious tune to it as being weak, and will look at the composers of such songs as being less talented.
Click to expand...
 
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LarryMullen's_POPAngel said:



, and Shine A Light,
Click to expand...


:drool:





akann, i get what you're saying about the lack of melody thing. i think this is the reason i skip over casion boogie and shake your hips to get from rip this joint to tumbling dice. i'm surpised a lot of the time when i find that deep down, i'm just a sucker for something that i can sing along to, something with hooks galore that will get stuck in my head. some of the really just bluesy stuff doesn't have that. but tell me that "torn and frayed" doesn't meet those requirements. that and at least half the album, actually. i'd give it another listen if i were you.
 
Rocks Off
Tumbling Dice
Sweet Virginia
Torn & Frayed
Happy
Shine a Light

:drool: :drool: :drool:

U2 could learn a thing or two from those songs.
 
it's a great album but I don't see why people say it's the "Stones' Best"

I personally enjoy Sticky Fingers, Let It Bleed, and Beggar's Banquet more.
 
I would have recommended Sticky Fingers as well for a new listener.

If you don't like it, you don't like it, and perhaps you're just not into bluesy stuff. Do you like early Zeppelin?

Anyway, I agree with phanan. Not even The Beatles put out 4 albums in a row that good. Each is a masterpiece. Exile is so highly regarded because of its ambition and length. For a double album, there's very little filler.

Oh yeah, and Tumbling Dice is one of the greatest songs ever recorded, although my personal favorite on the album is Loving Cup.
 
if you don't like the stones, then don't bother trying to judge the greatness of their albums

I think it's a brilliant album
 
LarryMullen's_POPAngel said:



:angel:


Most definitely... My dad is a major Stones fan, and had em all. I cut my teeth on those records, when I first got into rock and roll. :drool:
Click to expand...

I knew there was a reason I liked you!!!! You're my musical soul sister. :drool:

"Exile" IMO is one of the greatest non-U2 albums of all time. It's right up there with "Sticky Fingers." To me, the album is a great male psychology textbook. Since I have a hard time understanding male behavior, I just listen to the stories that Mick has to tell throughout this record. Mick does a fantastic job with this album at explaining some of the causes and affects of male behavior while pointing out their self-defense mechanisms to preserve their machismo. This makes things a little clearer for a naiive girl like me to understand; I'm more empathetic towards men and their good (and bad) behavior because of it.

According to "Exile," men are very good if not better at playing the same pouty game women play. You know the one...where they act all happy on the outside but are secretly crying on the inside. Sorry boys, "let it loose" Mick has outed you. Mick has outed the Prince Charmings you are all desperately trying to be but whom you hide due to male social pressures that force you to act like a chump.

You know, maybe if you let him loose we would let you have a little drink from our loving cups more often.

Just something to think about while you roll your tumbling dice.


:sexywink:
 
angel_of_L.A. said:


I knew there was a reason I liked you!!!! You're my musical soul sister. :drool:

"Exile" IMO is one of the greatest non-U2 albums of all time. It's right up there with "Sticky Fingers." To me, the album is a great male psychology textbook. Since I have a hard time understanding male behavior, I just listen to the stories that Mick has to tell throughout this record. Mick does a fantastic job with this album at explaining some of the causes and affects of male behavior while pointing out their self-defense mechanisms to preserve their machismo. This makes things a little clearer for a naiive girl like me to understand; I'm more empathetic towards men and their good (and bad) behavior because of it.

According to "Exile," men are very good if not better at playing the same pouty game women play. You know the one...where they act all happy on the outside but are secretly crying on the inside. Sorry boys, "let it loose" Mick has outed you. Mick has outed the Prince Charmings you are all desperately trying to be but whom you hide due to male social pressures that force you to act like a chump.

You know, maybe if you let him loose we would let you have a little drink from our loving cups more often.

Just something to think about while you roll your tumbling dice.


:sexywink:
Click to expand...


Excellent post, angel. :sexywink:

I think we need to meet, have some drinks, then spin some awesome records together. :drool:
 
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