Exile on Main St.

Exile on Main St.

by The Rolling Stones
Exile on Main St.

Exile on Main St.

by The Rolling Stones

CD(Remastered)

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Overview

Legendary as it may be, Exile on Main St. presents a challenge for deluxe remastered reissues. Much of its myth lies in its murk, how its dense, scuzzy sound is the quintessential portrait of rock stars in decadent isolation, the legend bleeding into its creation so thoroughly it is impossible, and unnecessary, to separate one from the other. Without this nearly tactile sound, Exile wouldn't be Exile, so remastering the record is a tricky business because it should not be too clean. The remaster on the 2010 reissue -- available in a myriad of editions containing variations of a single-disc remaster and a second disc expanded with ten unreleased tracks - doesn't quite avoid that trap. When "Rocks Off" kicks off the record, what was previously dulled like aged silver is now is too bright: Mick Jagger's vocals leap and the keyboards ring clearly. Because this is Exile on Main St., a record recorded in a decaying French mansion, it's impossible to scrape all the grime away from its layers, but the overall impression is that the original master tapes are now presented in high definition: it's possible to hear what most individual instruments are doing on each track, which may lead for a greater appreciation of the Stones' monumental musicianship, but it's somewhat at the expense of the album's mystique. Another pitfall in the plans for this deluxe expansion: there aren't a whole lot of completed unreleased songs. The Stones had a habit of working leftovers from the prior album into a finished product, sometimes taking years to complete a song -- a practice that resulted in great songs but not much left in the vaults. Which isn't to say there was nothing left behind from Exile's sessions: the Stones were living where they were recording, so they produced an enormous amount of music, working out the kinks in a song (represented here by alternate takes of "Loving Cup" and a Keith Richards-sung "Soul Survivor"), or wholly reworking an existing song as they did with the loose-limbed "Good Time Women," which was later revised as "Tumbling Dice." On occasion, they completed a song that didn't make the cut, such as "I'm Not Signifying," a heavily bootlegged shambolic blues that is just about as good as anything on the finished album, but usually they created instrumental beds designed to be completed later with vocals. In this particular case, a handful of these tracks were completed much, much later, with the band finishing up the songs some 38 years later for this deluxe edition. A great deal of attention was paid to making the new additions relatively seamless, with the band going so far as to bring in the long-departed guitarist Mick Taylor for some overdubs. If the end results don't quite feel as thick as Exile, they nevertheless do feel remarkably like the classic Taylor era. Apart from "Following the River" -- a drowsy piano ballad that tries to rouse itself to blues-gospel -- these are good, sometimes excellent songs, particularly the loose, hip-shaking "Dancing in the Light" and the charging "Plundered My Soul." At first it's hard not to stare at these hybrid tracks with skepticism, particularly because they're eating up room that could have been used for other alternate takes, or perhaps the instrumentals themselves, or the occasional bootlegged song that didn't make the cut, such as "Blood Red Wine," but once that suspicion fades, you're left with a handful of very good additions to the Stones songbook -- songs that don't hold a candle to Exile but are remarkable re-creations of Taylor-era rock & roll, songs that could easily have been slid onto It's Only Rock 'N Roll, when the group was easing into their grooves, confident that they were the greatest rock & roll band on earth. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date: 05/18/2010
Label: Universal
UPC: 0602527016405
Rank: 4555

Tracks

  1. Rocks Off
  2. Rip This Joint
  3. Shake Your Hips
  4. Casino Boogie
  5. Tumbling Dice
  6. Sweet Virginia
  7. Torn and Frayed
  8. Sweet Black Angel
  9. Loving Cup
  10. Happy
  11. Turd on the Run
  12. Ventilator Blues
  13. I Just Want to See His Face
  14. Let It Loose
  15. All Down the Line
  16. Stop Breaking Down
  17. Shine a Light
  18. Soul Survivor

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Rolling Stones   Primary Artist
Jack Price   Trumpet,Trombone
Bill Plummer   Double Bass,Standup Bass,Bass (Upright),Bass
Bill Wyman   Bass,Vocals,Keyboards,Synthesizer
Bobby Keys   Horn,Saxophone,Percussion
Cindy Mizelle   Vocals (Background)
Clydie King   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Tammi Lynn   Vocals (Background)
Joe Green   Vocals,Vocals (Background),Vocals (Background)
Dr. John   Organ,Vocals
Mac Rebennack   Vocals (Background)
Venetta Fields   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Kathi McDonald   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Nicky Hopkins   Piano,Keyboards
Mick Taylor   Bass,Guitar,Vocals
Jim Price   Horn,Organ,Piano,Trumpet,Trombone,Vibraphone
Billy Preston   Organ,Piano,Vocals,Keyboards
Keith Richards   Vocals (Background),Bass,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Lead Vocals,Guitar (Bass),Vocal Harmony,Piano (Electric),Guitar (Acoustic)
Charlie Watts   Drums
Lisa Fischer   Vocals (Background)
Merry Clayton   Vocals
Mick Jagger   Harp,Guitar,Vocals,Maracas,Harmonica,Keyboards,Percussion,Tambourine,Lead Vocals
Al Perkins   Guitar (Steel)
Jerry Kirkland   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Tammy Lann   Vocals
Vanetta Field   Vocals (Background)
Barry Plummer   Bass,Standup Bass,Bass (Upright)
B.B. Keys   Saxophone,Percussion
Shirley Goodman   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
M. Taylor   Bass,Guitar
Joe Green's Novelty Orchestra   Vocals (Background)
Amyl Nitrate   Marimba,Percussion
B. Preston   Organ,Piano
Norman Seeff   Director
Richard Washington   Marimba
Tamiya Lynn   Vocals (Background)
Jenny Kirkland   Vocals (Background)
Paul Buckmaster   Strings
Ian Stewart   Piano,Keyboards
Jimmy Miller   Drums,Percussion

Technical Credits

Glyn Johns   Audio Engineer,Engineer
Andy Johns   Audio Engineer,Engineer
Joe Zagarino   Engineer
Robert Leroy Johnson   Composer
Matt Clifford   Composer
Mick Taylor   Composer
Charlie Watts   Arranger
James Moore   Composer
Robert Johnson   Composer
Mick Jagger   Composer
Keith Richards   Composer
David Campbell   String Arrangements
Jeremy Gee   Engineer
John Van Hamersveld   Design
M. Taylor   Arranger
Norman Seeff   Design,Photography
John VanHammersveld   Design
Kendrew Lascelles   Story
Slim Harpo   Composer
Robert Frank   Concept,Cover Photo,Photography
Bob Ludwig   Digital Remastering
Jimmy Miller   Producer
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