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Rating: It must be said that when faced with any Rolling Stones album from the first half of the '70s, one must literally kneel in adoration; before this album, one must make sacrifices to the "Gods of Rock."
"Exile On Main Street" stands as a milestone in the now forty-year-long career of the Stones. The grand opening is entrusted to "Rocks Off," a powerful riff to which the brass section and a simply superb guitar interweaving are added. Then follows a rapid rock'n'roll "Rip this Joint" and a hypnotic blues à la John Lee Hooker with Jagger's captivating voice: "Shake your Hips." Once again, a rock'n'roll "Casino Boogie," in which, however, the seductive backing vocals of Richards begin to be felt, accompanying Jagger's voice for most of the album.
And so we arrive at a great piece "Tumbling Dice": great riff, catchy melody, fabulous Taylor slide solo, and choirs that wrap it all in a very "warm" atmosphere. The needle keeps moving, and here are three acoustic ballads that follow one another: "Sweet Virginia," "Torn and Frayed," and "Sweet Black Angel"; through them, one understands Keith Richards' ability to do great things with an acoustic guitar in hand.
Now it's "Loving Cup"'s turn: a classic Stones ballad marked by piano, background acoustic guitar, and electric guitar in the foreground adorning the accompaniment; here Jagger's voice truly reaches its peak. After that, the powerful rock of "Happy" with Richards on vocals, the country-ballad "Turd on the Run," the captivating and bluesy riff of "Ventilator Blues," the insignificant, yet in context, respectful "I Just Want To See His Face."
We reach the album's closing part: "Let it Loose" is a splendid ballad with melancholic tones, "All Down The Line" an energetic rock with choirs playing their (great) part, the Robert Johnson cover "Stop Breaking Down" here reinterpreted in a very 70's key. The album closes with the overwhelming ballad "Shine a Light," resulting from perfect cohesion between Richards and Taylor, and finally the great riff of "Soul Survivor," where the heavy influence of Keith Richards can be felt, dominating the entire album.
Simply a masterpiece, one of the most significant albums in Rock history.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Rip This Joint (02:23)
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)
Mama says yes, Papa says no,
Make up you mind 'cause I gotta go.
I'm gonna raise hell at the Union Hall,
Drive myself right over the wall.
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul,
Round and round and round we go.
Roll this joint, gonna get down low,
Start my starter, gonna stop the show.
Oh, yeah!
Mister President, Mister Immigration Man,
Let me in, sweetie, to your fair land.
I'm Tampa bound and Memphis too,
Short Fat Fanny is on the loose.
Dig that sound on the radio,
Then slip it right across into Buffalo.
Dick and Pat in ole D.C.,
Well they're gonna hold some shit for me.
Ying yang, you're my thing,
Oh, now, baby, won't you hear me sing.
Flip Flop, fit to drop,
Come on baby, won't you let it rock?
Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah!
From San Jose down to Santa Fe,
Kiss me quick, baby, won'tcha make my day.
Down to New Orleans with the Dixie Dean,
'Cross to Dallas, Texas with the Butter Queen.
Rip this joint, gonna rip yours too,
Some brand new steps and some weight to lose.
Gonna roll this joint, gonna get down low,
Round and round and round we'll go.
Wham, Bham, Birmingham, Alabam' don't give a damn.
Little Rock fit to drop.
Ah, let it rock.
03 Shake Your Hips (02:59)
(James Moore)
I wanna tell you 'bout a dance
that's goin' around
everybody's doin' it
from the grownups down
Don't move your head
don't move your hands
don't move your lips
just shake your hips
Do the hip shake, babe
do the hip shake, babe
shake your hip, babe
shake your hip, babe
What you don't know
don't be afraid
just listen to me
and do what I say
Don't move your head
don't move your hands
don't move your lips
just shake your hips
Do the hip shake, babe
do the hip shake, babe
shake your hip, babe
shake your hip, babe
well ain't that easy
Well, I met a little girl
in a country town
she said, "What do you know
there's Slim Harpo!"
Didn't move her head
didn't move her hands
didn't move her lips
just shook her hips
Do the hip shake, babe
do the hip shake, babe
shake your hip, babe
shake your hip, babe
well ain't that easy
04 Casino Boogie (03:33)
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)
No good, can't speak, wound up, no sleep.
Sky diver insider her, skip rope, stunt flyer.
Wounded lover, got no time on hand.
One last cycle, thrill freak Uncle Sam.
Pause for bus'ness, hope you'll understand.
Judge and jury walk out hand in hand.
Dietrich movies, close up boogies,
Kissing cunt in Cannes.
Grotesque music, million dollar sad.
Got no tactics, got no time on hand.
Left shoe shuffle, right shoe muffle,
Sinking in the sand.
Fade out freedom, steaming heat on,
Watch that hat in black.
Finger twitching, got no time on hand.
05 Tumbling Dice (03:45)
Women think I'm tasty, but they're always tryin' to waste me
And make me burn the candle right down
But baby, baby, don't need no jewels in my crown
'Cause all you women is low down gamblers
Cheatin' like I don't know how
But baby, I go crazy, there's fever in the funk house now
This low down bitchin' got my poor feet a-itchin'
You know you know the deuce is still wild
Baby, can't stay
You got to roll me and call me the tumblin' dice
Always in a hurry, I never stop to worry
Don't you see the time flashin' by
Honey, got no money, I'm all sixes and sevens and nines
Say now, baby, I'm the rank outsider
You can be my partner in crime
Baby, can't stay
You got to roll me and call me the tumblin'
Roll me and call me the tumblin' dice
Oh my my my, I'm the lone crap shooter
Playin' the field every night
Baby, can't stay
You got to roll me and call me the tumblin'
Roll me and call me the tumblin' dice
Got to roll me
Got to roll me
Got to roll me
Got to roll me
Got to roll me
Got to roll me
Got to roll me
Keep on rolling
Got to roll me
Keep on rolling
Got to roll me
Keep on rolling
Got to roll me
Got to roll me
Got to roll me
Got to roll me
Got to roll me
Got to roll me
Got to roll me
Got to roll me
Got to roll me
06 Sweet Virginia (04:25)
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)
Wadin' through the waste stormy winter,
And there's not a friend to help you through.
Tryin' to stop the waves behind your eyeballs,
Drop your reds, drop your greens and blues.
Thank you for your wine, California,
Thank you for your sweet and bitter fruits.
Yes I got the desert in my toenail
And I hid the speed inside my shoe.
But come on, come on down Sweet Virginia,
Come on, honey child, I beg of you.
Come on, come on down, you got it in ya.
Got to scrape the shit right off you shoes.
I want you to come on, come on down Sweet Virginia,
I want you come on, honey child, I beg of you. .
I want you come on, honey child you got it in you.
Got to scrape that shit right off you shoes.
But come on, come on down Sweet Virginia,
Come on, come on down, I beg of you.
Come on, come on down, you got it in you.
Got to scrape that shit right off you shoes.
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Other reviews
By RingoStarfish
Exile after repeated listens finally begins to reveal itself in its greatness, which seems all improvised, playful, unconscious.
Jagger is the red thread of this complex sonic and human puzzle, the storyteller who reveals what was and what it has become.
By j&r
The greatness of this album lies precisely in its total formal imperfection, in the frantic, disorderly, and chaotic way it came to light.
Exile on Main Street is the strongest example of total symbiotic fusion between life and music.
By currahee72
A warm, dense, raw, anarchic, and uncontrolled album.
An album seductive, nonchalant, and seminal that shows the wild and proletarian side of rock.
By woodstock
Because inside here there's rock, all of it, and I don’t care if anyone says otherwise.
Probably, even in moments like these, a record can save your life.
