Only a peak-of-their-powers Stones could manage to overshadow one of their very greatest albums by surrounding it in their studio chronology with Let It Bleed and Exile on... read more

Only a peak-of-their-powers Stones could manage to overshadow one of their very greatest albums by surrounding it in their studio chronology with Let It Bleed and Exile on Main St.. Sticky Fingers, however, is anything but an also-ran. Offering some of the band's most inspired twists on their basic approach--"Sway," the midtempo rocker that would sound orchestral even without Paul Buckmaster's climactic string arrangement; the gorgeous closer "Moonlight Mile"--this also rocks like the demon they had lived to face another day after Altamont. And, as if to prove their minds were still as dirty as their music, its keynote is "Brown Sugar." --Rickey Wright (hide)

Before Keith Richards's bad habits took over for a time in the mid-'70s, his work ethic was quite high. Stories abound of the long, if somewhat off-schedule, hours... read more

Before Keith Richards's bad habits took over for a time in the mid-'70s, his work ethic was quite high. Stories abound of the long, if somewhat off-schedule, hours he spent working on this classic album in the basement of his home in France. Hanging together as much because of great songwriting ("Rocks Off," "Soul Survivor") as its fabled grungy atmosphere, Exile caps the Stones' great 1968-'72 run with a force that belies their supposed spiritual tiredness. What some of these songs are about is anybody's guess--Keith claims "Ventilator Blues" was inspired by a grate, while the song plays like an ode to a pistol--but that's just part of this album's hazy game. --Rickey Wright (hide)

The band that proclaimed itself "The Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the World" has long since represented rock's most overarching confluence of art and commerce--with a distinct... read more

The band that proclaimed itself "The Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the World" has long since represented rock's most overarching confluence of art and commerce--with a distinct emphasis on the latter in recent decades--a notion this 40-track, five-decade-spanning anthology can't completely escape. While this is the first anthology to gather hits from the band's entire career, it's the early tunes that highlight one of the Stones' central ironies: virtually their entire "bad boy" reputation was built working for The Man. That original '60s musical arc bounded from '50s rock and R&B revivalism ("Not Fade Away," "The Last Time") to anti-Mop Top aggression ("Satisfaction," "Get Off My Cloud," "19th Nervous Breakdown") to proto-goth cynicism ("Paint It Black," "Have You Seen Your Mother Baby") and psychedelic minstrelsy ("She's a Rainbow," "Ruby Tuesday") to the epitome of blues-based cock rock ("Street Fighting Man," "Jumpin' Jack Flash") in quick succession. Wresting control of their own destinies--and future copyrights--at the end of the '60s, they'd spend the next 30 years largely recycling their earlier incarnation ad infinitum--their music sprinkled with occasionally successful forays into contemporary club and disco fodder ("Some Girls," "Shattered")--and resting on their well-paid laurels. Unfortunately, the listless quartet of new tracks that flesh out this collection seems little more than another business deal to hype their 2002-03 world tour, with "Don't Stop" arguably the weakest in a long string of post-'80s Stones McSingles. If Jagger seems typically detached here, Keith Richards injects some welcome, craggy warmth into the closing barroom lament, "Losing My Touch." But it's also a performance that suggests his legendary band has become little more to him than "The Greatest Day Job in the World." --Jerry McCulley (hide)

One of the Stones' most beloved albums, 1969's Let It Bleed was a benchmark for several reasons. First, founding guitarist Brian Jones died during the recording process. Second,... read more

One of the Stones' most beloved albums, 1969's Let It Bleed was a benchmark for several reasons. First, founding guitarist Brian Jones died during the recording process. Second, the Stones take their last significant look at pure blues (Robert Johnson's spooky "Love in Vain") and country ("Country Honk," the two-stepping alter ego of "Honky-Tonk Women") before folding both styles into a cohesive rock & roll vision. Third, it contains some of the band's most eerie hits, such as the flame-enveloped "Gimme Shelter," the drug-reality anthem "Monkey Man," the epic "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and Mick Jagger's menacing "Midnight Rambler." --Steve Knopper (hide)

Few rock stars have played in the intersection of real life, image, and fans' imaginations as smartly (and comically) as Mick Jagger does on Some Girls. With the... read more

Few rock stars have played in the intersection of real life, image, and fans' imaginations as smartly (and comically) as Mick Jagger does on Some Girls. With the Stones again running at top pace, Jagger aims his gimlet eye at his and the boys' gossip-column lives (the Chuck Berryish "Respectable," the archly blues-wailing title track), his collapsing marriage (where was Bianca when Mick's pals were trying to hook him up with the "Puerto Rican girls who're just dyin' to meetchoo?) and the mores and modes of New York society in the Studio 54 era (practically everything here). Slot in Keith's lament "Before They Make Me Run," and this is one of the greatest Stones albums. --Rickey Wright (hide)

Beggars Banquet is among the Stones two or three greatest albums, so it's also among the very best rock & roll albums ever made. Though known for its... read more

Beggars Banquet is among the Stones two or three greatest albums, so it's also among the very best rock & roll albums ever made. Though known for its twin anthems of social decay, "Sympathy For The Devil" and "Street Fighting Man," it's actually the album's gritty yet beautiful acoustic country and country-blues numbers--"Dear Doctor," "Prodigal Son," "No Expectations," "Factory Girl"--that has helped Beggars stand up so effectively through the years--that and the fact that Keith Richard's lyrics here often come as close to sincerity as he's capable. When he sings "Let's drink to the hard working people," for once you almost believe him. --David Cantwell (hide)

For this 1966 album, one Stone asserted himself even more than Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who for the first time wrote all the album's songs. Brian Jones... read more

For this 1966 album, one Stone asserted himself even more than Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who for the first time wrote all the album's songs. Brian Jones is all over the opening "Paint It Black," which remains a dark classic more for its spooky sitar than for Jagger's dated psychedelia. Jones's marimba boosts the R&B-derived "Under My Thumb" and his harpsichord somehow makes the subject of "Lady Jane" more interesting. Though Charlie Watts's jazz-derived fills and Bill Wyman's bass continue growing into rock's greatest rhythm section, a disturbing misogyny creeps into Jagger's class-conscious lyrics, especially on "Under My Thumb," and "Stupid Girl." --Steve Knopper (hide)

This one misses a golden opportunity by not including "Get Off of My Cloud" ("Just 'cause you feel so good, d'ya have to drive me out of my... read more

This one misses a golden opportunity by not including "Get Off of My Cloud" ("Just 'cause you feel so good, d'ya have to drive me out of my head?"), but that's about the only mistake it makes. In the few months since the release of Now!, the Stones' sound had grown harder; even a ballad like O.V. Wright's "That's How Strong My Love Is" attains a rumble that'll make you think a big truck is driving by your house. When Jagger drawled, "Buzz a while," in the middle of the group's debut the year before, he probably had no idea what his boys were soon to make of that command: "The Last Time," "The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man," "Satisfaction." --Rickey Wright (hide)

Often viewed as the band's last great album, Tattoo You contributed one true classic, "Start Me Up," to the Stones' canon. The song, still used as a concert... read more

Often viewed as the band's last great album, Tattoo You contributed one true classic, "Start Me Up," to the Stones' canon. The song, still used as a concert finale, begins with a fat Keith Richards guitar riff and ends with a leering Mick Jagger murmuring about a woman who could "make a dead man come." The rest isn't as consistent as, say, "Sticky Fingers," but the fast-paced "Hang Fire," the surprisingly non-sexy "Waiting on a Friend," and Richards's "bitch"-filled "Little T&A" make this the Stones' best '80s release by far. Released in 1981, it was the right album at the right time, with strong singles just after MTV began. With typical savvy, the Stones maneuvered gently into the video age. --Steve Knopper (hide)

It's the rare greatest-hits album that takes on a life of its own. Generally, best-of collections are superceded by updated retrospectives. Hot Rocks is one of the rare... read more

It's the rare greatest-hits album that takes on a life of its own. Generally, best-of collections are superceded by updated retrospectives. Hot Rocks is one of the rare exceptions to the rule. Originally released in 1972, it instantly became the Stones intro of choice, elbowing aside Big Hits, High Tide and Green Grass and Through the Past Darkly. Why? It happened to hit the racks when Mick and company were at their creative peak. The 21 tracks found here represent seven years of dizzying growth. From "Time is on My Side" through "Satisfaction" and "Let's Spend the Night Together," on to Sticky Fingers's "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses," Hot Rocks never lets up. The likes of Sucking in the '70s and Jump Back come and go, but this Stones overview will not be moved. --Steven Stolder (hide)