Exile On Main St. Reissue

[Gospel Zone]

I don't think it's that easy...it's not like they had all the songs ready and were looking for a studio and were stuck with the sound. It all happened organically, they wrote and developed the songs as they were recording them in Keith's basement in France. It's too intertwined, the sound affected the development of the songs. The atomsphere of the album is the sum total of all.

Some of the songs: "Stop Breaking Down", "Shine A Light", "Sweet Virginia", and "Loving Cup" were leftover from Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers. I don't know what the word organically has to do with it....it's all music recorded on analog equipment....not food. Some of these people are over romanticizing about it when they don't seem to know the real story behind recording it. Not having all the songs ready was not unique to this album...that's the way they usually worked. What was unique about it was that they couldn't find a suitable studio and since they had the mobile unit that they already used to record at Mick Jagger's Stargroves estate they decided to record at Keith rented house. There were problems with the sound.....Mick didn't start taking it very seriously until Andy Johns started getting a sound.... they tried using other people to mix it and eventually called Andy Johns back to do the mix, which he did it one marathon session....and so on.

[ringoffire]

I say organic to mean that the sound they were getting and the development of the songs were not mutually exclusive. These songs developed over days and weeks and there is no way that the record would have wound up as the finished product it was had it not been developed in the environment it was recorded in. There is just no way to separate the two. The grit in the songs is in some measure a result of the grit in the recording process and environment.

[MadScreamingGallery]

One of my favorite rock albums of all time...its release coincided with my first Stones concert at MSG, a month or two later - a very, very exciting time. I remember how my friends and I romanticized what we imagined must have transpired at Nellcote...I still have dozens of clippings of articles and photos from that time.

Keith Richards: An 'Exile' In France

[Gospel Zone]

One of my favorite rock albums of all time...its release coincided with my first Stones concert at MSG, a month or two later - a very, very exciting time. I remember how my friends and I romanticized what we imagined must have transpired at Nellcote...I still have dozens of clippings of articles and photos from that time.

Keith Richards: An 'Exile' In France

I just played those 10 extra songs and and the new vocals suck big time. One of them even sounds more hip-hop than Exile. Mick listens to crap and it comes out in his own music. I would trade that other take of "All Down The Line" that was on the b-side of "Happy" for all of those ten extra songs.

[Gospel Zone]

I say organic to mean that the sound they were getting and the development of the songs were not mutually exclusive. These songs developed over days and weeks and there is no way that the record would have wound up as the finished product it was had it not been developed in the environment it was recorded in. There is just no way to separate the two. The grit in the songs is in some measure a result of the grit in the recording process and environment.

I'm sure that if they could have gotten a better sound, (technically), that they would have gone for it and it would still sound like the raunchy Stones that we know and love. I love what Don Was, I think it was, said in the new Rolling Stone: "Let It Bleed is easier to take". And Charlie seems to think the same as me about Micks new vocals on this, in that they sound like new vocals as opposed the way Mick sounded in 1971.

[Knebby]

Here's the new video for "Plunder My Soul":

http://video.virginradioitaly.it/tv/episode/view/id/545

What a joke, it sounds more like something from BIGGER BANG than Exile.

Gotta disagree - heard it on the radio yesterday and w'out thinking about the re-release, I was thinking - f**k how don't I know this Stones song? - it is so much better than what they write today!?!!

Bloody great song - well excited about whole thing now xx

[Knebby]

Hands up who gives a shit about the Stones after 1981?

*Both of my hands waving madly in the air, time after time after time.*

[ringoffire]

I'm sure that if they could have gotten a better sound, (technically), that they would have gone for it and it would still sound like the raunchy Stones that we know and love. I love what Don Was, I think it was, said in the new Rolling Stone: "Let It Bleed is easier to take". And Charlie seems to think the same as me about Micks new vocals on this, in that they sound like new vocals as opposed the way Mick sounded in 1971.

For me, "Let It Bleed" is easier to take, and I think that's my point. This thing is raunchy, from beginning to end, from inside to outside...purely a product of that time and place and all the attitude, frustration, pressure, dust, etc. If they could have gotten a better sound in a more stable environment, my point is that the whole thing would have been significantly different and not just the polish of the finished product.

That's why this remaster project is a tragedy. LEAVE IT THE WAY IT WAS. Of course Mick sounds different now, whoever thought this was a good idea is only in it to sell yet another version.

[Tripmender]

That's why this remaster project is a tragedy. LEAVE IT THE WAY IT WAS. Of course Mick sounds different now, whoever thought this was a good idea is only in it to sell yet another version.

Completely agree. I haven't heard the new songs, and won't be going out of my way to do so. However, the idea of overlaying lyrics and vocals written and recorded by an OLD MAN onto something recorded nearly 40 years ago seems to me to be the hideous, Frankenstein-esque action of a sadly misguided old fool.

Mona Lisa in a hoodie, if you ask me.

[FireOpal]

It's excellent, I've been listening to the "new" songs for 2 days straight now - great stuff! I especially love "So Divine". I want to see the DVD real bad.

P.S. the reason Mick and Keith* had to overdub some of the tracks is because a few did not have any vocals or lyrics whatsoever. So there. Stop grousing and enjoy the music! Heaven's sake ya'll...

*Mick Taylor also did a brief session last year, adding some guitar to "Plundered My Soul".

[Gospel Zone]

It's excellent, I've been listening to the "new" songs for 2 days straight now - great stuff! I especially love "So Divine". I want to see the DVD real bad.

P.S. the reason Mick and Keith* had to overdub some of the tracks is because a few did not have any vocals or lyrics whatsoever. So there. Stop grousing and enjoy the music! Heaven's sake ya'll...

*Mick Taylor also did a brief session last year, adding some guitar to "Plundered My Soul".

I'm a little suspicious about the Mick Taylor claim, because in an earlier issue of Rolling Stone Don Was just said that he would not deny rumors that Mick Taylor added some guitar....now, in the new issue, they say he did. Could they just be saying that for more sells.

[dazedcat]

It's excellent, I've been listening to the "new" songs for 2 days straight now - great stuff! I especially love "So Divine". I want to see the DVD real bad.

P.S. the reason Mick and Keith* had to overdub some of the tracks is because a few did not have any vocals or lyrics whatsoever. So there. Stop grousing and enjoy the music! Heaven's sake ya'll...

*Mick Taylor also did a brief session last year, adding some guitar to "Plundered My Soul

I'm surprised after listening to the bonus disc, I agree it is really really good. It's pretty obvious what got newly dubbed or added but really, with one exception it all holds pretty true to the original album. I just bought the bonus CD at the local Target, I'm not sure I need to hear the original LP digitally bled to hell by modern Ipod world standards.

I also have to agree with Gospel Zone though, there's so much more that could have been released here but........for the price it's worth the effort I think.

If some unknown-never-before-seen-the-light-of-day Zeppelin studio instrumental track had been found and Percy went in to add new vocals to it.........everyone here would be hailing it as artistic genius.

Good grief, just enjoy.

Regards;

[JTM]

I'm a little suspicious about the Mick Taylor claim, because in an earlier issue of Rolling Stone Don Was just said that he would not deny rumors that Mick Taylor added some guitar....now, in the new issue, they say he did. Could they just be saying that for more sells.

I too have my suspicons. Mick Taylor was interviewed few months ago and made no mention of working on any Stones material. To me the Slide Guitar on Plundered My Soul sounds like Ronnie Wood, i think it would be typical of Mick n Keef not to mention this and typical of Ronnie to let them get away with it because even after being in the band 35 years he's still the whiping boy.........Oh yeah, the ten tracks on the second disc should be in every Stones fans collection.......I have all the available unfinished bootleg versions of the reworked tracks and i'll take the newly overdubbed tracks over the boot versions anyday.................So to all you sceptics out there do yourself a favour and go out and by the new Exile... I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised...... PS. This weeks sales so far look like Exile might make Number 1 in the album charts.

[Zepaholic]

I too have my suspicons. Mick Taylor was interviewed few months ago and made no mention of working on any Stones material. To me the Slide Guitar on Plundered My Soul sounds like Ronnie Wood, i think it would be typical of Mick n Keef not to mention this and typical of Ronnie to let them get away with it because even after being in the band 35 years he's still the whiping boy.........Oh yeah, the ten tracks on the second disc should be in every Stones fans collection.......I have all the available unfinished bootleg versions of the reworked tracks and i'll take the newly overdubbed tracks over the boot versions anyday.................So to all you sceptics out there do yourself a favour and go out and by the new Exile... I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised...... PS. This weeks sales so far look like Exile might make Number 1 in the album charts.

^^^^Thanks for that.

I'll be purchasing this weekend and can't wait.

[Gospel Zone]

In the new issue of Rolling Stone magazine with the two collector's covers (one with Mick and the other with Keith) they talk about some of the problems with the sound and the mixing that I have talking about.

I saw the documentary last week and thought it was....so far so good. So I'm looking forward the the DVD with more footage that's coming out next month. The main thing I didn't like about it was at the beginning and at the end they showed a guy from Kings Of Leon, a guy from Black Eyed Peas, Jack White, Sheryl Crow....giving their input on the subject. I think this was done so the Stones fans will go out and buy their stuff and vice versa, but at least this was just at the beginning and at the end instead of continually breaking in with them through out the documentary.

[Gospel Zone]

I finally listened to the new remastered version of the original 18 songs and I think it's a vast improvement. On the Virgin issue the highs, like on the vocals, were shaved off so there was this annoying distortion, but it's not so much on the new version. They've done a good job on this remaster.

[kaiser]

I think it's great, the remastering & the bonus disc. The "new" songs, particularly the doctored ones, I have to say are really good. My only complaint with the doctored ones is maybe that they shouldn't have been on this disc but on their own seperate album ala "Tattoo You", which itself was just old songs doctored up. Mick Taylor plays on "Waiting On A Friend" & "Heaven" on that album & which shows how old those songs were as he was out of the band for 6 years at that point

[Gospel Zone]

I think it's great, the remastering & the bonus disc. The "new" songs, particularly the doctored ones, I have to say are really good. My only complaint with the doctored ones is maybe that they shouldn't have been on this disc but on their own seperate album ala "Tattoo You", which itself was just old songs doctored up. Mick Taylor plays on "Waiting On A Friend" & "Heaven" on that album & which shows how old those songs were as he was out of the band for 6 years at that point

By having them linked to Exile sort of limits what they have to choose from. If they ever do a Some Girls Deluxe Edition they are going to have a lot of songs to choose from. But I think this sort of thing would be better if they had someone who knows more about the Stones than Don Was apparently does (or even Mick Jagger). Ha,ha!

[Kashmir96]

this album is amazing . its really bluesy .its a must have . thats coming from a fourteen year old classic rock fan who cant stand most of todays music

[Wolfman]

I got it Friday and at first thought it was overrated. It's really growing on me now. Not sure if it's the greatest R&R album though that some "experts" claim it is. This album has a little bit of everything that makes the Stones so great. It's kinda like their PG.