On May 12th, 1972 the worlds greatest rock n roll band The Rolling Stones released their magnum opus Exile On Main St. It's hard to believe but the album was met with mix reviews at the time of release. Rolling Stone expressed disappointment saying the albums production was muddy and overpowering as it basically drained out Jagger's vocals. Since then and rightfully so, the album has been reappraised and is considered one of the bands best albums and is constantly ranked in the top 10 rock n roll albums list. The recording for Exile On Main started as far back as 1969 in England during sessions for their previous masterpiece Sticky Fingers and recording took place at a rented villa in the south of France named Nellcote as the band was living abroad due to tax exiles. The iconic album artwork is a reflection of the bands outlaw image with the blues as their weapon and accompanied by a joyful feeling of isolation and looking into the unknown future but with a grin. Not only is the band at their peak here, they are accompanied by legendary session musicians including the immortal Nicky Hopkins, saxophonist Bobby Keys and many more. The album is a juggernaut of many musical genres that including everything from rock, blues, country and even soul. "Torn and Frayed" was inspired by Keith's close friend Gram Parsons who influenced the Stones and to make them appreciate country and Americana music. The same influence can be heard in the country rock classic "Sweet Virginia". This landmark album also included concert staples "Happy" which has Keith on main vocal and the enduring "Tumbling Dice" which for my money is Keith Richards greatest open G tuning achievement. The album is also packed with deep cuts including "I Just Want to See His Face", "All Down The Line" and "Shine a Light". There is a song for almost everyone. In cinema, it''s no secret that Martin Scorsese is die hard Rolling Stones fan and would go on to direct the epic concert film Shine A Light which took place at the Beacon Theater in NYC. What's more is that Exile On Main St is used as a critical piece in Scorsese's Oscar winning masterpiece The Departed. Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) mails his psychiatrist Madolyn Madden (Vera Farmiga) incriminating evidence of corrupt Boston cop Collin Sullivan (Matt Damon) in a CD copy of this legendary album. Truly unique and only a master like Scorsese could pull it off. 50 Years on, this album is truly a masterpiece and the Stones were at their musical peak here. Granted, Some Girls and Tattoo You have their moments but the band truly were at their apex with Exile.
