The best Rolling Stones album is Sticky Fingers.

[johnniegold]

Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out. One of their best and one of the best, if not the best live album of all-time. If we are speaking strictly studio album then I might have to go with... Let It Bleed.

[professorchaos]

While I prefer Exile, I think trying to compare say SF and Exile is a bit futile - it's apples and oranges. Both albums do what they do very well, but they're doing very different things.
I suppose of the big 4 Stones albums, my order would be:
1. Exile
2. Sticky Fingers
3. Beggars Banquet
4. Let it Bleed

Agreed. Exile isn't just one of the best Stones albums, it is one of the best albums. End of story.

There might be better albums, but I've listened to "Some Girls" more than any other Stones release.

1. Miss You
2. When The Whip Comes Down
3. Imagination
4. Some Girls
5. Lies
6. Far Away Eyes
7. Respectable
8. Before They Make me Run
9. Beast Of Burden
10. Shattered

Not too shabby!

Too true. Some Girls is a fun listen. "Before They Make Me Run" might be my favorite Keith Richards rock and roller.

Shall I post a thread on the best Beatles album?
Maybe toss one out there on Led Zeppelin??

Side one of Led Zeppelin IV. Or is it side one of Physical Graffiti?

[gegarrenton]

Shall I post a thread on the best Beatles album?
Maybe toss one out there on Led Zeppelin??

We'll be here for the next millenium on those!

[ouch]

Shall I post a thread on the best Beatles album?
Maybe toss one out there on Led Zeppelin??

I double dog dare ya.

[52131]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned 'Out of Our Heads'. You guys must all be youngsters.

[honed]

Let It Bleed is #1.

For the huge span of emotions.
Gimme Shelter ->Love in Vain -> Country Honk - -> ->

But really, from "Beggars" to "Exile" is an amazing body of work.
The only artist ever to beat that is Bob Dylan's 1964-65 albums.

[The Knize]

Let It Bleed is #1.

For the huge span of emotions.
Gimme Shelter ->Love in Vain -> Country Honk - -> ->

But really, from "Beggars" to "Exile" is an amazing body of work.
The only artist ever to beat that is Bob Dylan's 1964-65 albums.

After an excess of study, I think I am back to where I was back in the day with Beggars being my favorite lp among this amazing body of work.

I think what throws me off now about Let It Bleed at this point is "YCAGWYW." "Let It Bleed" does not seem all that great either and neither does "Got the Silver." I used to think "YCAGWYW" was wonderful. I truly wish I could hear it with fresh ears today. Every other cut on Let It Bleed seems sterling. Every cut on Beggars seems sterling. (One could argue about "Parachute Woman," I suppose.) Also, the last bits of Brian Jones. And Keith on bass on two important cuts!

<The only artist ever to beat that is Bob Dylan's 1964-65 albums.>

Arguably so. I am more a Rolling Stones man than a Beatles fan as some wag once put it, but one could easily argue that various strings of Beatles albums did similarly.

I also agree that "Ya, Yas" is a great album. Not exactly completely a live album, as it turns out, which is kind of disappointing. Really should be counted as a part of the "Beggars" to "Exile" amazing, seamless body of work.

And "Rubber Soul" is the Beatles best album. "Physical Graffiti," Zep's. <bg>

[nosedog]

I can't agree that the jam in "Knocking" is filler. Or if it is, I'll have more please.

[honed]

After an excess of study, I think I am back to where I was back in the day with Beggars being my favorite lp among this amazing body of work.

I think what throws me off now about Let It Bleed at this point is "YCAGWYW." "Let It Bleed" does not seem all that great either and neither does "Got the Silver." I used to think "YCAGWYW" was wonderful. I truly wish I could hear it with fresh ears today. Every other cut on Let It Bleed seems sterling. Every cut on Beggars seems sterling. (One could argue about "Parachute Woman," I suppose.) Also, the last bits of Brian Jones. And Keith on bass on two important cuts!

<The only artist ever to beat that is Bob Dylan's 1964-65 albums.>

Arguably so. I am more a Rolling Stones man than a Beatles fan as some wag once put it, but one could easily argue that various strings of Beatles albums did similarly.

I also agree that "Ya, Yas" is a great album. Not exactly completely a live album, as it turns out, which is kind of disappointing. Really should be counted as a part of the "Beggars" to "Exile" amazing, seamless body of work.

And "Rubber Soul" is the Beatles best album. "Physical Graffiti," Zep's. <bg>

YCAGWYW main strength is, to me, the intense tounge-in-cheek kick in the groin towards the whole hippie movement.
Plus it's a great song

[davros]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned 'Out of Our Heads'. You guys must all be youngsters.

One of my favourite Stones albums is the first one- best known to North Americans as 'England's Newest Hit Makers'. There's not much to it- 40 minutes of r&b covers- but it has this wonderful, visceral energy to it, and it sounds fantastic, at least on a thick mono vinyl copy. Never heard it on CD.

p.s. I'm an old fart at 34

[i.am.zed]

Don't know if I could narrow it down to just one favorite Stones album....Aftermath, Beggar's Banquet, Let it Bleed, SF, Exile, Some Girls, Tattoo You are all top notch classics. I will say the opening guitar riff on Can't you here me Knocking is in my top 5 of all time.

[gegarrenton]

Arguably so. I am more a Rolling Stones man than a Beatles fan as some wag once put it, but one could easily argue that various strings of Beatles albums did similarly.

Folks are either Stones people or Beatles people. I am a Stones guy all the way.

I will say the Beatles made some decent stuff once they started taking LSD and making serious music though. Sgt Peppers is prob my favorite album, or the white album.

[raisindot]

I think what throws me off now about Let It Bleed at this point is "YCAGWYW."... "Let It Bleed" does not seem all that great either and neither does "Got the Silver." I used to think "YCAGWYW" was wonderful. I truly wish I could hear it with fresh ears today. Every other cut on Let It Bleed seems sterling.

I dunno...while "Gimme Shelter" and "You Can't" may be the best starter/closer album combination of all time (I'd counter that the "Baba O'Riley/Won't Get Fooled Again" combination on Who's Next may be better), the filler stuff like "Country Honk," "Love in Vain" and the insipid lyrics of "Monkey Man" (despite the fantastic playing of the band) bring it down a bit. One of the most pleasing surprises about "You Can't" was finding out is was producer Jimmy Miller playing drums, since Charlie Watts wasn't able to play the complicated rhythm (apparently, anything without a 4/4 rhythm with a backbeat was beyond him. It took until "Moonlight Mile" on "Sticky Fingers" for him to actually be able to play a complicated rhythm.

[noelekal]

Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out. One of their best and one of the best, if not the best live album of all-time. If we are speaking strictly studio album then I might have to go with... Let It Bleed.

I gotta agree with johnniegold's choices.

The Stones can be great listening fun and I spin them on the stereo frequently but if I was stuck having to listen to only the Stones or the Beatles for all time, to the exclusion of all other music, it would definitely be the Beatles over the Stones. Being stuck listening to only the Rolling Stones would be a whipping.

[WesternModern]

Man...great thread!

Let It Bleed...I can just picture Charlie and Keith starring at and riffing off each other on "Monkey Man"--with Wyman on vibes! Besides, that groove on "Live With Me" is so cool.
12x5
Beggars Banquet
Exile

In the Beatles/ Stones argument........please see my icon.

[timj219]

When I was young and the records were fairly new I think I considered Sticky Fingers their best record. After decades of owning both I think exile is their best followed by sticky fingers. But who knows? Maybe another twenty years of listening will change my mind again.

[T-Dog]

Exile on Main Street. Not only is it my favorite, but Rolling Stone Magazine named it #7 in its top 500 albums of all time. (Let it Bleed was #32, Beggar's Banquet was #57, and Sticky Fingers was #63). You can't argue that Rolling Stone Magazine doesn't know anything about the Rolling Stones.

Quite seriously, top to bottom, it is one of the greatest recordings of all time, and I am not just limiting myself to rock music here. It's not just about the hits, because you're right, Sticky Fingers has plenty of hits. But hits can result from things like: a band's popularity, catchy lyrics, extensive radio airplay, or the hooks written into the music. What's amazing about Exile is its scope, its ambition, and its execution. It's a double album, and there's not a weak track in the lot. The songs blend together in a rich tapestry of rock and roll from its roots in the American South--which is amazing when you consider that the Stones were British (they were enamored with early American rock and blues, however).

Most of the album was recorded while the band was literally in "exile" from the taxes they owed in Britain, which gave them ample time to complete the work. It captures them at the height of their musical and songwriting ability (and at the height of their drug use as well). I personally suggest you listen to the album (preferably over and over again), in its entirety, when you truly have the time to appreciate the music. It builds on itself in a way that only a handful of albums ever did, creating its own musical soundscape: like Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, Van Morrison's Astral Weeks, or The Beatles White Album.

Tracks like: Sweet Black Angel (written about civil rights activist Angela Davis), I Just Want to See His Face, Let it Loose, and Shine a Light on You, although not hits, are simply stunning. (Mick's vocal performance on Shine a Light on You alone is worth the price of admission). The album is considered a milestone in rock and roll music, and I personally believe Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion I and II was an homage to the grandeur and the scope of the Stone's Exile.

[raisindot]

Exile on Main Street. Not only is it my favorite, but Rolling Stone Magazine named it #7 in its top 500 albums of all time......
Tracks like: Sweet Black Angel (written about civil rights activist Angela Davis), I Just Want to See His Face, Let it Loose, and Shine a Light on You, although not hits, are simply stunning. (Mick's vocal performance on Shine a Light on You alone is worth the price of admission).

I love debating the various merits of Stones albums. And while I absolutely love the best parts of Exile, I don't quite agree that it's their best album. I believe that, along with some of the best songs they ever recorded, there is a fair deal of filler on the album, and that's why I don't rank it as high as Beggars Banquet. I find most of side 2 other than "Loving Cup" to be uninteresting, and "I Just Want to See His Face" to be one of the worst songs they ever recorded. If they had made a single album featuring everything on side 1 except for "Hip Shake Blues" and took the best cuts from sides 3 and 4, one could've made a good argument for it being their best album.

And, despite the legends about all of it being recorded in Keith's basement in France, in fact a lot of the tracks were leftover cuts from other recording sessions.

[ORGANIC MAN]

Let it Bleed....monkey Man....ohh that brings me back to the front seat of my firebird...power braking the car to get enveloped in the smoke

[T-Dog]

And, despite the legends about all of it being recorded in Keith's basement in France, in fact a lot of the tracks were leftover cuts from other recording sessions.

Some of the tracks were, the majority were done in France, and still others were recorded in Los Angeles. If you listen to the album straight through, it starts off as just another good Stones album, then on track #6, Sweet Virginia, the entire feel of the recording changes: it takes a left-turn towards the American South and it never returns (I suspect this is where the new tracks recorded in France and L.A. actually begin, which should be easy to research). For me this is where the album really begins, and I will often skip the opening tracks when I listen to it. Seriously now, #7 on Rolling Stone Magazine's all time top 500 albums, that should mean something.