Listening to the podcast now. Just struck me: an album graced with those freakish, carnival types containing music recorded in the basement of a house where most of the band were living together, making music for fun...sound a bit familiar? I always thought that the after-the-fact packaging for The Basement Tapes should have looked a bit more like Exile On Main Street.

Not heard the podcast yet, but here goes.

Exile On Main Street is probably my favourite album, and I can recall how I came to it, and how I came to love it.

In the late 1970s, Paul Gambaccini produced a book called "Critics' Choice: The Top 200 Albums". This invited Christgau, Marcus, Marsh, Bob Harris, Mark P from Sniffin' Glue, you name them, to submit their top ten albums, which The Great Gambo then ran his sliderule over and produced a list.

I was just starting out with music and the music press and so all young and impressionable. I was fascinated with this book, poring over most Saturdays in our local bookshop, as it was the first time (lists are everywhere now, but I don't recall so many then) that The Canon had been laid out for me, with pointers for stuff to listen to, an idea of a pecking order (Sergeant Pepper was top album, surprise, surprise) and at least as fascinating was what seemed like perverse decisions. Which brings us to Exile On Main Street.

Exile was (if memory serves) Number 7. This seemed puzzling : why was it above Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Beggar's Banquet, all of which had much more famous stuff on it ? Exile only had Tumbling Dice, which was hardly Satisfaction. Added to which I knew that by then Exile had taken a bit of a kicking when it came out. Plus, was it not true that most double albums were, by definition, overblown and indulgent ? So, what was so special about this album ?

Well, this book did offer the critics space to justify their nominations (here is Robert Christgau's http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/list/gambaccini-78.php though it does not exactly illustrate my point re. Exile), which did attempt explain their enthusiasms. At least two had it as their choice for Number 1.

So I borrow it from my local record library, and don't get on with it at all. It seems so strange and murky. Where are the hits ? Why can't I tell what Jagger is singing ? Why is that song called Turd On The Run ? But I borrow it again, and again, and slowly it starts to bend me to its will. I found that some of my favourite records puzzled me at first (first Clash album, Astral Weeks, loads of jazz) but many of those that have stayed with me required a bit of mark, and Exile is the prime example of this.

The whole business of lists and The Canon can be become self-reinforcing, so the next list has lots of the usual suspects, but for Exile, it did work for me.

I have been listening to this album for about twenty years; and have tried and tried to like it as much as the critics do. I was always in agreement with Fraser's "Not as good as Sticky Fingers" (or, for that matter, Let It Bleed) opinion. I loved the first half and 'Shine A Light', but I thought the rest was just flabby filler. Until about three months ago: I was driving through North London on the first sunny day of the year, and it just clicked. Songs that had left me cold for two decades - 'Turd On The Run', 'Let It Loose', 'Soul Survivor', 'All Down The Line' - just leapt out at me; and finally, I felt I would no longer say of this album that it should have been half the length.

But David Hepworth's right. It's more about the sound than the songs.

I enjoy Exile On Main Street as an album. If you're feeling out of sorts it’ll put the swagger back in your step.

I like to think that I stayed true to the record’s elegantly wasted spirit earlier today when I listened to it at modest volume on my iPod, while queuing up in Waitrose to exchange a damaged table lamp.

...or does that picture look like someone's favourite niece has popped in to make sure they have enough Old Holborn and Werthers Originals to keep them going through the bank holiday weekend?

album as are most of the Stones albums and like most Stones albums there's a lot of filler........except 'Between The Buttons' which is all killer.

not the Stone Roses second album then?

is the greatest record I've ever heard.

I know sweeping generalisations are a feature of Word Magazine but for Fraser to say it only has one good track is frankly absurd. Listen to Loving Cup, it's a stone cold masterpiece and one of the best things they have ever done.

It did take me a while to realise it, but it really is their best album and, for me, the best rock album I've ever heard.

And, yes, it is chockful of great songs, Tumbling Dice, Sweet Virginia, Torn and Frayed, Loving Cup, Happy, Ventilator Blues, Let it Loose, All Down the Line and Shine a Light are all up there with the very best The Stones or anybody else can offer.

Also I, for one, am glad that they finished the original Plundered My Soul out take. It's pretty awesome and the best thing they've released in at least a couple of deacdes.

Not supporting New Zealand then Fraser?

..the only good song on "Exile" dear Fraser.
I know this is all subjective, but among the wooly, stoned murk there is a plethora of gold..
"Sweet Virginia" "Loving Cup" "Happy" (C'mon.."Happy"!)"Shine A Light" (The Stones' second greatest song)and the absolutely peerless "Ventilator Blues"

..a few years back..he came up to my knee.
Spoke to him for a few minutes, nice chap..didn't understand a word he said.
Having said that "It's My Life, Baby" and "Hoodoo Man Blues" are two of my faves..only Junior knew how to restrain Buddy.

1) watched the BBC doc to see what all the fuss is about exile on main street. Firstly thought the doc was a bit dull, bitty and oddly pasted together is there alonger version where the stones appear? As to the album the music from the doc didn't spark any interest which is odd as most of BEEB's music docs at least show why album was important even if it's not for me. I do like tumbling dice though.

2) OH and Fraser I make my own ice cream too! Quite often actually the hit of last summer was condensed milk and rhubarb! Tend not to make custard based ones but all over your sorbets and granitas, grapefruit and campari is particular favourite!

I was out last week with The Boy, who took me to his favourite pub in Huddersfield, The Parish.

Whilst enjoying a remarkably good burger, Matt told me about the chef's recent culinary experiments.

He was offering samples of jelly to the patrons, the other week, to be swirled into a new flavour of ice cream he was working on.

The jelly was made out of Red Bull.

The ice cream? Jagermeister flavour.

So...if the idea of Jagermeister ice cream, with Red Bull jelly, takes your fancy, then I commend The Parish in Huddersfield. They have some good bands on too, by all accounts.

Oh - and as far as Exile is concerned, it's been on steady rotation in Waring Towers since the reissue came out.

And in this, as in so many other things rockular, Mr Carty of this parish is again bang on the money.

...can be a bit of a pain, but I recommend a pot of yoghurt mixed with lemon curd, in the freezer for a couple of hours (no longer). Dead easy and tasty as hell.

I agree broadly with the sentiment expressed by Frazer that their best albums have Mick Taylor on, but I would include Beggar's Banquet and Let It Bleed on that prime period, and he didn't play on BB and only on two tracks on LIB. The real common factor is Jimmy Miller, who doesn't seem to get the credit he deserves.

Admission time - it has taken me 40 years to really appreciate Exile!Maybe it didn't help that it was a double album, but following right after Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers it just seemed a bit of a lo-fi mess with no standout tracks, and I ended up never playing it. Now, revisiting it, it is suddenly revealed as a matchless masterpiece and I GET IT NOW...!!

But I can't see how to play this week's effort. The RSS feed is pointing to the podcast with Neil Hannon.

Is it me?

Thanks for a great listen. I was on a train between Copenhagen and Hundested on Friday and due to some coincidences (recently subscribed to the podcast having listened on pc for some time, downloading an album the day before), found this on my iPod.

Never been a fan of the stones but the background stories were great and this thread means I'll seek out exile, would never go near SATC2 but review made me laugh.

My tuppence...

The usual comments about this album have always surprised me: no real tunes? mixed-down vocals? murky sound?

I don't know. Maybe it's because it was one of the first Stones albums I bought (after Hot Rocks and Sticky Fingers) but I just always heard it as a great sounding album full of great tunes, no murkiness at all.

My first impression (which has remained) is that it sounds like the band effortlessly at the top of their game. I realise there was probably a lot more effort (and luck) involved, but it just sounds like the band are chucking out hit after hit, riff after riff, most of which are at least the equal of their classics. I like the first half best, with all the rockers like Rip This Joint and Turd On The Run. But the second half is weighted with all the gospel stuff, sounds all decadent and "the morning after". A great sequence of songs.

There is a tangible dip in quality with the next album, Goats Head Soup. That's when they went cabaret.

but cracked me up:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/fbi-uncovers-plot-to-sex-and-the-city-2...

According to agents, the FBI first heard rumors of the plot in August of last year, when Internet chatter picked up from People magazine's website was found to contain several red flags, including repeated mentions of "the girls throwing on their high heels one last time."

By late October, operatives had uncovered a crude plot device, the details of which they would not reveal for fear of alarming an already-tense public. They also came across several script pages hinting that the fabulous foursome would be traveling to Abu Dhabi for a week of decadence, glamour, and no-limit fun. No action was taken at that time, however, because investigators believed the likelihood of anyone carrying out a plot based on such a flimsy premise was "preposterous at best."

The FBI now admits it was wrong.