Review Summary: The biggest proof that filler and unpolished production will never get in the way of a truly inspired, hard-hitting set of songs.
It’s possible that
Exile remains the most overrated and, at once, most underrated record the group has ever released; overrated in the sense that a large portion of people regard it as the finest of the band, but at the same time it is thought of by another equally large portion of people as a bloated, cacophonous mess. My opinion, though, lies in the middle of these two extreme points of view.
It is no secret that
Exile features a notable amount of filler that was uncharacteristic of the Stones’ previous releases. The fillers here range in quality, though; others are enjoyable, even if not breathtaking covers of old blues tunes like the riff-heavy boogie
Shake Your Hips by Slim Harpo or the groovy
Stop Breaking Down by Robert Johnson, which features a terrific harmonica performance from Jagger. Others are originals that also fall in the “fine, but not exceptional” category, namely
Casino Boogie and
Turd On The Run. The key to enjoying all these fine tunes is focusing on the natural interplay between the members of the group.
Unfortunately, there are some tunes that are less than just a good, rollicking time;
Sweet Black Angel, despite the solidly crafted melody, fails to move and thrill, while
I Just Want To See His Face is a misguided foray into hardcore gospel. It lacks any melody or structure and doesn’t resonate emotionally either; it is pointless, period. But worry not, fellow listener; it only gets better from here.
The better songs have enough variety in flavor and mood to guarantee a diverse listening experience; when dealing with rock, you will find the group creating sensual love songs in the vein of
Tumbling Dice, thunderous travelling stories like
Rip This Joint, joyful autobiographical vignettes a la
Happy or lively declarations of sexual insufficience during
Rocks Off. And if gritty energy is not your cup of tea, you can sit back, relax and enjoy the country numbers.
Sweet Virginia is one of the most poignant country songs the group ever recorded, full of gospelish backing vocals, delicate acoustic fills and a tear-inducing vocal performance from Mick. On the other hand,
Loving Cup is more tight, uplifting and not any less sincere, featuring terrific vocal harmonies from Mick and Keith.
Of course, the boys do not miss the opportunity to make their idols proud, as witnessed in the astonishing
Ventilator Blues. Watts is slow, subtle and textured in his rhythm playing, Taylor’s riff is pure dynamite, Mick is as powerful and menacing as he can be, while the dynamic sax section will crawl under your skin before you blink. As far as gospel goes, now, the penultimate
Shine A Light is as cathartic as they come. Mick’s sorrowful vocals, the plaintive piano chords, not to mention Taylor’s breathtaking solos, all contribute in making this a masterpiece of a tune. It’s simply terrific.
What did I leave out? Well, there’s more gospel in
Let It Loose, but other than the exquisite guitar figure of Keith, there’s little to impress me songwriting-wise; the vocal melody is underdeveloped, seeming more like a working hook than a complete composition brought to finish. The gospel-meets-rock-meets-country
Soul Survivor features yet another incredible guitar riff from Richards, but Mick’s melodies are again very rudimentary. These numbers are saved from the sincerity and authenticity they have in spades, of course, so they’re both solid.
Regarding the production of the record, it lacks seriously in the department of clarity; where previous “Golden Era” albums had every instrument mixed clearly and carefully,
Exile opts for a less accurate approach, as you will need to turn the volume loud enough to capture its sonic qualities. Of course, this is at the same time a curse and a blessing; yes, it sounds muffled compared to, say,
Bleed or
Fingers, but simultaneously creates an absolutely intoxicating atmosphere that exists only between the first notes of
Rocks Off and the last drum roll of
Soul Survivor.
Overall, the record’s inconsistency prevents it from climbing higher in the rating. Some tunes are underdeveloped, others are just good, others are useless, while some are overlong. On the other hand, the better songs here are among the finest of the period and, of course,
everything here is genuine and honest. It
is the weakest of the four “Golden Era” albums, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a milestone for rock music. And that’s enough.
