29 in 2009 - The Rolling Stones: "Exile on Main St."

The Rolling Stones:  Exile on Main St.

Originally Released:  May 12, 1972

Genre:  Rock

Rating:  9 out of 10 Stars

First of all, Merry Christmas to all of you!  Secondly, thanks to me for nominating this album to be included in this series.  I did so due my relative unfamiliarity with The Rolling Stones, and my desire to hear more of their stuff.  Still, you guys voted it in, and I appreciate that as well.

My experience with The Stones is pretty much nonexistent.  I grew up during a time when the band was well past their prime, and so I always associated the band with a bunch of old rockers performing mediocre versions of what were probably great songs 30 years earlier, but more or less non-effective now.  I totally skipped out on that Super Bowl performance, as I did any time "Satisfaction" came on the radio.  I was blissfully unaware of how awesome this band was.

But you have to think, if a band's been around 50 years, they have to be doing something right (or at least to had done something right).  Honestly, if Exile was the only CD the band had ever made, that alone would qualify them as one of the greatest of all time.  It is, in every sense of the word, a perfect rock 'n' roll album.  And the crazy thing about this album, for me, is that I had never heard a single song from this record before this series.  Maybe "Rocks Off," but I can't say for sure.

With that in mind though, listening to an 18-song record is one hell of an undertaking.  I've listened to it 4 times through now, and I still don't think I'm able to fully-appreciate it yet.  On a superficial level alone, it's one of the best rock albums of all time!  That I can say with absolute assurance.  But anything deeper than that will have to be revealed to me over time.  In the interest of wrapping this year-long 29 in 2009 series up, I'm writing about it now, rather than a month from now. 

But from what I've heard so far...damn.

Verdict:  Classic