Post Sticky Fingers Rolling Stones

[Adm.Kirk]

I'm a huge Stones fan and have been for many years. Post SF albums are a mixed bag. None are awful and some come close to the 68-72 peak of the band. Goats Head Soup, It's Only Rock and Roll and Black & Blue are probably the weakest albums. Hard for any band to keep up the kind of torrid pace the Stones were on from 68-72. Exile is one of the all time classics by any band. Stay away from the remastered version. I think it's too clean. The Stones need grit and the original album had plenty of it but the remaster is not as gritty and dirty as the album should be. Love You Live is essential for the El Mocambo performances. Some Girls is a monster album and the record that got me into the band. Emotional Rescue is vastly underrated as is Undercover and Dirty Work. DW's problem was Steve Lillywhite. He had no business in the producer's chair but many of the songs are quite good. One Hit (to the Body) is a classic tune. Tattoo You is a really great album and, arguably, the best album they made in the 80's. Still Life is a solid live record. Steel Wheels hasn't aged well for me but still a good record. Voodoo Lounge was too retro for it's own good despite some solid songs. Flashpoint was another very good live record as was Stripped. Stripped is a near classic. Bridges to Babylon is excellent. Lots of variety. A Bigger Bang is also strong and a great Charlie Watts record. The other live albums: No Security, Live Licks, Shine a Light and all of the bootleg series albums released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the band are all great representations of the Stones for the particular era in which they were recorded. Special mention should be given to Live in Texas '78, and Sweet Summer Sun. Both are very, very good.

Bill

[davis]

Let it Bleed was the last album I found musically valid.

hvad mener du med 'musically valid? I hope that's written correctly

[mogrooves]

For me the Stones were essentially a 60s group, peaking with Beggar's Banquet. LiB was good, as was SF, followed by the lesser-but-not bad Exile. All "musically valid".

[rcarlberg]

'The Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band In The World"? Define "greatest"....

[JJ88]

With the later albums, I like 'Steel Wheels' the best on a writing perspective but the shiny 80s production on things like 'Terrifying' has aged terribly. But in 'Mixed Emotions' and 'Almost Hear You Sigh' you have two of the best Stones tracks, I think. 'Continental Drift' has some questionable 80s sounds but it was an intriguing track. I like both of Keith's songs 'Can't Be Seen' and 'Slipping Away', and the ballad 'Blinded By Love' is very underrated. A good album, this one.

'A Bigger Bang' had a rougher, more live sound on the better songs. There's still a few on there I find overproduced like 'Rain Fall Down' and 'Streets Of Love'- neither of which do much for me (some fans like the former though). A few decent songs on there. There were six new songs in total on the compilations of this period, 'Forty Licks' and 'Grrr'.

[zravkapt]

Define "greatest"....

Not the best but better than the rest.

[Chris Kemp]

For me the Stones were essentially a 60s group, peaking with Beggar's Banquet. LiB was good, as was SF, followed by the lesser-but-not bad Exile. All "musically valid".

I agree with this entirely.

[davis]

What does 'musically valid' mean?

[Mister Triscuits]

'The Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band In The World"? Define "greatest"....

They meant "grayest."

[spellbound]

574-Rolling-Stones-Geriatric.jpg

[Mister Triscuits]

'Continental Drift' has some questionable 80s sounds but it was an intriguing track.

Kind of ironic, since I think it was intended as a throwback to the psychedelic Satanic Majesties era, just as "Blinded by Love" was a throwback to the folk-baroque "Lady Jane"/"Back Street Girl" sound.

There's still a few on there I find overproduced like 'Rain Fall Down' and 'Streets Of Love'- neither of which do much for me (some fans like the former though).

I love "Rain Fall Down"! It's probably my favorite song on the album, alongside "Rough Justice" and "Dangerous Beauty." I like that they tried something with a bit more contemporary "urban" feel to it without falling into the blackface shtick that they were sometimes guilty of. ("Luxury," anyone?) It is marred by a couple of really awful lyric lines, though.

[bob_32_116]

I actually seem to be one of the few people who prefer Mick Jagger as a solo artist to the band - at least the band as they are now. I still think "Just Another Night" is better than any Stones track since - let's say about 1975.

[Adm.Kirk]

I like Jagger's solo work too, however it has produced a dud or two. Remember "Let's Work" from the otherwise excellent Primitive Cool? That's an awful song, despite a good Jagger vocal.

Bill

[wideopenears]

I like the Stones best in their dirty, foggy, wasted bad-boy days--through Exile, and with a few bright spots afterwards.....later efforts seemed to be more "polished" and less grungy. There's something essential in the grunge of the best Stones albums.
Someone said "Grit," and I agree.

I think Zep is the best rock and roll band ever, but it's just an opinion....

[Jerjo]

Wandering Spirit was pretty good. If you took the best songs off this and the best off Richards' solo stuff you'd have a helluva Stones album.

My two Mick faves:

[GuitarGeek]

I've only heard the singles from Mick's solo records. If I remember correctly, he had Jeff Beck and Pete Townshend playing on some of those songs. And I remember the video for Hard Woman was one of the most expensive ever at the time, because of the uber-expensive computer animation that was used for it.

[grego]

His first two solo albums - She's the Boss, and Primitive Cool, are both good.