Red Mosquito

Thanks! I always feel like I should have known all this all along.

Beggars Banquet - Holy crap! I mean I have heard this album dozens of times but never listening through the catalogue. It quite seriously blows away everything that came before it. The chemistry the band shares on Jigsaw Puzzle, Stray Cat Blues and Salt of the Earth is completely untouchable. The swagger is just perfect Stones throughout and exactly what you would want from them. Sympathy For the Devil probably got the most attention on this album (along with Street Fighting Man), and deservedly so, but even the filler is phenomenal. It’s fun to hear them tow the line between country western and this country blues sound in between getting knocked on the floor with the tracks already mentioned, and I am glad they could throw in something like Dear Doctor moderately straight faced. I can only imagine being a Stones fan in ‘68 and hearing this for the first few times. Nobody but their future selves could touch this level of magic and chemistry.

Let It Bleed - listening to this immediately back to back with Beggars Banquet and it’s just amazing that there’s absolutely no drop off. I’d have a real hard time having to choose between the two.

Again, the band’s chemistry is a whole level anyone else’s. They just sound so great from top to bottom. I’ve always preferred Country Honk to Honky Tonk Women...I just think it fits the song better. Now that I’ve discussed my least favorite track, Live With Me sneaks up as one of the best on the album - just exactly the definition of great Stones. Same with Monkey Man, which was mentioned a page back. Just pure awesomeness.

And of course they reach an even greater level on Midnight Rambler, which is probably a top 5 stones song for me. Just a perfect mix of blues and rock and a band playing off each other, getting lost, and then bringing it back. Got to mention one of the better Keef songs, You Got the Silver. I may at the end of the day prefer Happy, which is forthcoming, but this is right up there. This is such a great album. I could go on and on...

Sticky Fingers should be up next. Can't You Hear Me Knocking is a top ten guitar riff for me, and an all round amazing two guitar song. Love how the guitars are panned hard right and left. Really allows me to appreciate that neither guitar is derivative of the other.

Yeah it’s next. I saved it for tomorrow morning. It’s a top 10-15 album for me. Can’t wait to hear it again.

Edit: maybe better than that. Honestly don’t think I can pick between that and Exile on Main Street. They are two of my all time favorite albums. It’s going to be some good music on my headphones over the next few days.

Sticky Fingers is awesome.

Sway might be my favorite Stones song.

Captain Termite wrote:Sticky Fingers is awesome.

Sway might be my favorite Stones song.

Odd fact about Sway, Keith did not play guitar on it. He only contributed backing vocals.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sway_(Rol ... ones_song)

Sticky Fingers - sometimes the albums you love the most are the hardest to talk about, and you end up not knowing where to start. This one has it all and takes another step up from Let It Bleed and Beggars Banquet. It is simply one of the finest examples of a rock and roll album I can think of. They come out with a couple of great rock songs (Brown Sugar and Sway) that highlight that perfect balance and chemistry, then hit you with a near perfect ballad in Wild Horses. And then from there the album remains cohesive yet explores a ton of territory from straight blues (You Gotta Move and I Got the Blues), that sinister Stones sound (Sister Morphine), unlikely anthems (Dead Flowers and Moonlight Mile)...and then there’s two of the most awesome rock songs ever in Can You Hear Me Knockin, and Bitch that perfectly sum up what’s great about The Rolling Stones. This album is about as close to perfection as it gets. While I constantly have an internal debate that is endless deciding between this and Exile, if you asked me to play one of them only for someone who would like to get into The Rolling Stones, it’s probably this one that wins.

surfndestroy wrote:

Captain Termite wrote:Sticky Fingers is awesome.

Sway might be my favorite Stones song.

Odd fact about Sway, Keith did not play guitar on it. He only contributed backing vocals.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sway_(Rol ... ones_song)

Interesting. It says Jagger on rhythm guitar (and obviously Taylor on lead).

liebzz wrote:Sticky Fingers - sometimes the albums you love the most are the hardest to talk about, and you end up not knowing where to start. This one has it all and takes another step up from Let It Bleed and Beggars Banquet. It is simply one of the finest examples of a rock and roll album I can think of. They come out with a couple of great rock songs (Brown Sugar and Sway) that highlight that perfect balance and chemistry, then hit you with a near perfect ballad in Wild Horses. And then from there the album remains cohesive yet explores a ton of territory from straight blues (You Gotta Move and I Got the Blues), that sinister Stones sound (Sister Morphine), unlikely anthems (Dead Flowers and Moonlight Mile)...and then there’s two of the most awesome rock songs ever in Can You Hear Me Knockin, and Bitch that perfectly sum up what’s great about The Rolling Stones. This album is about as close to perfection as it gets. While I constantly have an internal debate that is endless deciding between this and Exile, if you asked me to play one of them only for someone who would like to get into The Rolling Stones, it’s probably this one that wins.

When I did this same catalog run some years ago I finished up and had that same debate, though I concluded with Sticky Fingers being my favorite (an superior) Stones record.

liebzz wrote:While I constantly have an internal debate that is endless deciding between this (Sticky Fingers) and Exile, if you asked me to play one of them only for someone who would like to get into The Rolling Stones, it’s probably this one that wins.

A little contrary but whatever. I feel Sticky Fingers is the better but usually prefer Exile. Exile has two runs of songs that I think that only the Stones of this era could ever come up with. The influences are all over the place and then present as Stones songs.

Tumbling Dice - Sweet Virginia - Torn and Frayed - Sweet Black Angel - Loving Cup - Happy. Fuck, this is just so good. When the harmonica comes in on Sweet Virginia, fuck me.

Let It Loose - All Down The Line - Stop Breaking Down - Shine A Light - Soul Survivor. Everything about Shine A Light blows me away. The keyboards (both piano and organ), the vocals, guitars. All of it is just so top notch.

Exile on Main Street - oh man, I really love this album. Gotta go with this one, though it’s close. I think surf’s comments hit the nail on the head but I would say the whole thing is just soup to nuts incredible. I think this Rolling Stones, right in this moment, is probably the best band ever. On All Down the Line I am pretty sure guitars were catching on fire. The gospel qualities on Shine a Light are spectacular. Let It Loose is just mind blowing. You’d expect some sort of track to set the mood to start an album, but the one-two punch of Rocks Off and Rock This Joint just knock you on your ass. Also noted on Sweet Virginia. I get that knock you over experience on Loving Cup in that riff and horn interplay. It really just draws you in. I’ve heard this album plenty of times but as you sort of build to this album starting from the beginning, the sheer greatness just naturally flowing out of this band at this moment is just incredible. I might add I have listed this as a top 10 all time album and this listen made it climb even further.

Keep going, I'm almost there.

I lie. Sway did it for me as always. That yell of Mick's after the solo is one of the best rec'd moments by anyone.

Maybe I could be educated but I am not sure there’s another 4 album run from Beggars Banquet through Exile. I think I have listened to a lot of albums by a lot of folks but it’s just one mind blowing experience after another. I could probably lump Goats Head Soup in there. I also love that album but I am not sure it’s quite up in this stratosphere. Granted I will let you know when I get there since it’s next, but hot damn, I get people complaining about late Stones but this is stuff that’s just incomparable.

I saw the stones play only one time . Seats sucked so we crawled around onto the mezzanine area where there was room

When I heard the intro to Sway, I fell down on the floor.

That was topped only by the band of Mexicans VenizUelans that lost their shits when "paint it black" was played. They loved that song alot more than I loved mine

Pms. I have all the U.S.-released stones albums up to undercover. And when I say albums I do mean albums , all bought at stores....including Metamorphosis that I found at a wood floor infested five and dime while flipping through boxes of album rejects on my way to watching E. T. at the movie theater . I was the coolest 13-year old in the world and I still am bammer

Goats Head Soup - another really solid album but not quite at the level of the previous four. That being said, Do Do Do Do Do (Heartbreaker) is one of their best classics, and Angie is pretty iconic so I don’t need to say much about that. The other gems that jump out are Dancing with Mr. D, the second half of 100 Years Ago, and really all the second half of the album. Star Star is fun and catchy and not anything I can play for my kids.

surfndestroy wrote:

liebzz wrote:Yeah, my first Stones music, other than what was on the radio, was Hot Rocks. I listened to that hundreds of times but never went back to listen to the full albums for decades. A few years ago I thought I should listen to the 68-78 era albums and bought them and listened nonstop. It isn’t until right now that I am starting from the beginning and working my way through. They are incredible.

I am really enjoying your reviews. I like when a user goes through an artist's full catalogue.

I am too. Thank you liebzz

It’s Only Rock N Roll - these excellent albums keep rolling along. This one feels a bit more poppy, and well, If You Really Want to Be My Friend was not for me. Elsewise, everything’s pretty solid here. The cover of Ain’t Too Proud to Beg is quite good like many of the covers from this time. Time Waits for No One is really good and the highlight for me, but also sticking out as highlights were Short and Curlies, Dance Little Sister, and the groove in Fingerprint File.

knee tunes wrote:

surfndestroy wrote:

liebzz wrote:Yeah, my first Stones music, other than what was on the radio, was Hot Rocks. I listened to that hundreds of times but never went back to listen to the full albums for decades. A few years ago I thought I should listen to the 68-78 era albums and bought them and listened nonstop. It isn’t until right now that I am starting from the beginning and working my way through. They are incredible.

I am really enjoying your reviews. I like when a user goes through an artist's full catalogue.

I am too. Thank you liebzz

Thank you! I am more glad that people haven’t asked me to shut the hell up already.