Posted by Mr. Ventilator on June 07, 1999 at 13:54:22:
In a previous post, Keno asked anguishedly (is that a word?) why he couldn't "see the light" on why Exile on Main Street is one of the great albums ever made.
In the spirit of joyful giving which permeates this board, I suggest we all help Keno. He's given so much to us, I say it's time we give something back! Let's Shine A Light and help Keno "see the light" on Exile..
As a start, I offer my top 10 reasons, in no particular order, why Exile is the greatest Rock/R&B album ever made:
1. Consistency of sound and quality. Every song sounds like it belongs.
2. Many great songs: Dice, Cup, Loose, Line, and of course Ventilator..
3. No weak songs at all.
4. Great lyrics, made better by the fact that they cannot be understood. The art is in the ambiguity..
5. Length. 18 songs on 1 disc. The advent of the CD has made listening to Exile a whole new experience. More than any other Stones record - actually any other record period - you can "get into" Exile.
6. Arrangemets. Flawless feel for the nuance of the music. Nothing is forced.
7. Great album cover.
8. Density. Every time I listen to this disc, I hear something new "buried" in the mix.
9. Feel. The sound is like you're sitting in a smoky blues bar. I used to think the sound quality on the album was poor, but now I think the murky sound enhances the ambiance of the music.
10. Art. Exile walks the razor's edge between energy and dissipation, creation and decay like no other record. It's like capturing a picture of a drop of water coming up from a fountain right at it's apex, just as it's losing the energy of its upward trajectory and succumbing to the power of gravity.
There - that was easy enough. C'mon folks, give till it hurts!