Down In The Basement

It has become accepted wisdom that Exile On Main Street is the best Rolling Stones album, although it wasn't received as such at the time. It remains a bit of a hotch potch reflecting the infamous circumstances of its' recording in the basement of Keith Richards's mansion in the south of France. But the fullness of time have seen it benefitting from the lack of any concept or marketing conceit, it is simply a collection of songs reflecting the various influences on the band from blues, soul and rock through to country and even gospel. There are telling contributions from extra band members such as the horn section of Bobby Keys and Jim Horn, the contrasting piano styles of Ian Stewart and Nicky Hopkins and the organ of Billy Preston. It is probably the album that sees guitarist Mick Taylor at his most integrated into the band ( though it doesn't stop some of his solos being buried way down in the mix nor Mr Jagger rapping needlessly over the top of others ) He certainly is given his head on a storming version of Robert Johnson's Stop Breaking Down. Mick Jagger is just about the most mannered of rock singers but on this album he is in good voice and it is before he became something of a self parody. He also displays his harmonica skills on several tracks to good effect. "Keef" remains the beating heart of the band as always. On this anniversary release of the album there is a bonus disk which features a couple of alternate takes ( which prove the right choice was made originally ) an instrumental throwaway of no great value, a fascinating early incarnation of the song that became Tumbling Dice and six songs that could have sat happily on the original album if they had been selected ahead of any of those finally chosen.