GAMES: GameSpot | GameFAQs MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Music

Upcoming Release Calendar
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Music In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

64 A Camp
78 Akron/Family
73 Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women
74 Amazing Baby
62 Tori Amos
54 The Answer
74 Anti-Flag
74 Art Brut
71 Au Revoir Simone
65 Zee Avi
70 Bachelorette
77 Bat For Lashes
68 Big Business
76 Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses
67 Black Dice
57 Black Eyed Peas
74 Black Moth Super Rainbow
71 Blank Dogs
65 Booker T.
54 The Boxmasters
65 The Boy Least Likely To
74 Brakes [aka brakesbrakesbrakes]
68 British Sea Power
66 Jeff Buckley
75 Busdriver
59 Busta Rhymes
64 Cage The Elephant
82 Bill Callahan
80 Camera Obscura
68 Cam'ron
79 Casiotone For The Painfully Alone
58 Chester French
82 The Church
61 Ciara
72 Clues
69 The Coathangers
74 Jarvis Cocker
90 Leonard Cohen
70 Elvis Costello
66 Graham Coxon
76 Crippled Black Phoenix
71 The Crocodiles
69 Cryptacize
71 Crystal Antlers
56 The Crystal Method
69 Dananananaykroyd
76 Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse
71 De La Soul
77 Death Cab For Cutie
68 Deer Tick
81 Deerhunter
70 Depeche Mode
78 Dinosaur Jr.
85 Dirty Projectors
86 DJ Quik & Kurupt
77 Doves
68 Dredg
76 Bob Dylan
82 Steve Earle
70 Eels
62 El Grupo Nuevo de Omar Rodriguez Lopez
58 Eminem
60 Empire Of The Sun
54 The Enemy
67 Jeremy Enigk
68 Nathan Fake
85 The Felice Brothers
79 The Field
65 Fink
60 Fischerspooner
77 Flatlanders
62 Flo Rida
64 Franz Ferdinand
77 Gallows
72 Melody Gardot
59 Ginuwine
71 Golden Silvers
61 Gomez
69 Grand Duchy
73 Great Lake Swimmers
59 Great Northern
72 Green Day
86 Grizzly Bear
75 The Handsome Family
69 Ben Harper And Relentless7
75 PJ Harvey & John Parish
66 Heaven & Hell
85 Levon Helm
74 The Hold Steady
79 Patterson Hood
75 Jon Hopkins
82 The Horrors
69 Hanne Hukkelberg
74 Ida Maria
65 Immaculate Machine
75 The Intelligence
76 Iron & Wine
79 Isis
68 It Hugs Back
88 J Dilla aka Jay Dee
61 Jadakiss
86 Japandroids
61 Joan Of Arc
84 Joe Lovano Us Five
72 John Doe & The Sadies
70 Joker's Daughter
62 Jonas Brothers
53 Mike Jones
71 The Juan Maclean
76 Junior Boys
68 Kasabian
74 Diana Krall
56 Lady Sovereign
43 Ben Lee
68 The Lemonheads
76 Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard
77 Lindstrom & Prins Thomas
65 Little Boots
79 The Low Anthem
67 Jason Lytle
75 The Maccabees
76 Magik Markers
80 Major Lazer
70 Malajube
71 Manchester Orchestra
85 Manic Street Preachers
57 Marilyn Manson
66 The Mars Volta
68 Dave Matthews Band
62 Maximo Park
70 Meat Puppets
80 Method Man & Redman
77 Metric
75 Micachu & The Shapes
69 Chrisette Michele
76 Miike Snow
67 Mika Miko
75 Rhett Miller
49 Mims
72 Mr. Lif
72 Moby
78 Moderat
70 Mandy Moore
80 Mos Def
70 Bob Mould
74 Nadja
72 New York Dolls
72 Nite Jewel
67 NOFX
76 Noisettes
60 Paolo Nutini
67 Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band
74 Papercuts
76 Passion Pit
74 Peaches
71 Pet Shop Boys
68 Peter Bjorn And John
82 Phoenix
76 Pink Mountaintops
63 Placebo
66 Pomegranates
64 Iggy Pop
67 Prefuse 73
81 Ramblin' Jack Elliott
76 Rancid
54 Rascal Flatts
68 Lionel Richie
77 Alasdair Roberts
73 Rick Ross
55 Asher Roth
72 Savath & Savalas
61 Polly Scattergood
65 The Shortwave Set
60 Shout Out Out Out Out
66 Silversun Pickups
85 Todd Snider
78 Sonic Youth
72 The Soundcarriers
61 The Sounds
74 Regina Spektor
63 Spinal Tap
65 Spinnerette
81 St. Vincent
59 Still Flyin'
58 Street Sweeper Social Club
87 Sunn O)))
82 Sunset Rubdown
84 Super Furry Animals
74 Richard Swift
78 Taking Back Sunday
85 Tanya Morgan
81 Otis Taylor
71 Telekinesis
70 Telepathe
80 Thee Oh Sees
79 The Thermals
74 Rob Thomas
64 Thunderheist
74 Tiga
57 Tinted Windows
72 Tortoise
82 Allen Toussaint
71 Trembling Bells
69 Two Fingers
84 UGK
68 Keith Urban
71 John Vanderslice
85 The Vaselines
74 The Veils
73 Viva Voce
63 Patrick Watson
79 White Denim
77 White Rabbits
57 The Whitest Boy Alive
74 Wilco
80 Wildbirds & Peacedrums
78 Wolves In The Throne Room
65 The Wooden Birds
67 Wooden Shjips
81 Yeah Yeah Yeahs
70 Pete Yorn
93 Neil Young
60 Neil Young
72 Yusuf

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

 



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums

A Bigger Bang
by The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 73 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.6 out of 10
based on 22 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 63 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

Don Was co-produced the band's first new studio album in eight years. Keith Richards sings on two tracks.

LABEL: Virgin
RELEASE DATE: 06 September 2005
DISCS: 1 disc
GENRE(S): Rock

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
Uncut
There are some outstanding songs here, and Jagger turns in a series of performances that are their match, full of much defiant flouncing, strutting bitchiness, preening arrogance, snarling haughtiness and a typically provocative misogyny. [Album of the Month, Oct 2005, p.92]
91
Village Voice (Consumer Guide)
Despite its lack of an anthem to replace "Start Me Up," it certainly beats Tattoo You or anything else going back to Exile except Some Girls.
Read Full Review
90
Rolling Stone
A Bigger Bang is just a straight-up, damn fine Rolling Stones album, with no qualifiers or apologies necessary for the first time in a few decades.
Read Full Review
80
All Music Guide
A strong, engaging, cohesive Rolling Stones album that finds everybody in prime form.
Read Full Review
80
musicOMH.com
Though [A Bigger Bang] doesn't dare to place itself in the same hallowed halls as that Jimmy Miller-produced quartet of records between 1968 and 1972, it jostles justly and fairly with the best since.
Read Full Review
80
Dot Music
The Stones in 2005 sound fresh and re-invigorated.
Read Full Review
80
Blender
Without playing "best since" games, just say it ranks near the top of the eight [albums] they've manufactured since 1980. [Oct 2005, p.142]
75
Stylus Magazine
In its no-frills pleasures, A Bigger Bang recalls Some Girls and Emotional Rescue, two great meaningless albums.
Read Full Review
74
cokemachineglow
Here, they succeed just by doing what they do best, taking few chances, but sounding more comfortable in their own skin than they have in a very long time.
Read Full Review
70
The Onion (A.V. Club)
It's the best effort The Rolling Stones have produced in quite a while.
Read Full Review
70
Mojo
Though not without the odd turkey, it is arguably their most satisfying work since 1978's Some Girls. [Oct 2005, p.100]
70
The New York Times
On "A Bigger Bang," the Stones actually sound like they're having fun together, live in a studio somewhere. [4 Sep 2005]
70
Amazon.com
Some of their best work in nearly two decades.
Read Full Review
67
Entertainment Weekly
Instead of playing it slick, they've made their dirtiest, most homemade-sounding album since Some Girls.
Read Full Review
60
PopMatters
Review #1: Perhaps the best thing about the album is that it's the Stones sticking to what they know. [score=70]; Review #2: The riffs are generic, the melodies don't stick, and the lyrics are insipid. [score=50]
60
The Guardian
There's plenty of spirit here but, sadly, the songwriting runs out of puff long before the performances do, lending a hammy tone to the album's weaker moments.
Read Full Review
60
New Musical Express
So 'A Bigger Bang' is no masterpiece. As a loss leader to allow them to continue touring, it's not even as good as 'Don't Believe The Truth'. But it's the best record they were going to make, and a world with the Stones is better than one without them.
Read Full Review
60
Q Magazine
It blows hot and cold. [Oct 2005, p.110]
50
Drowned In Sound
Unfortunately, by stretching the album to an unnecessarily long 16 tracks, ‘A Bigger Bang’ suffers from its fair share of non-starting filler.
Read Full Review
40
Austin Chronicle
At 65 rocky minutes, the Stones' first studio album since 1997's Bridges to Babylon, and rootsiest since '94's Voodoo Lounge, could've been whambangthankyoumam at 40.
Read Full Review
40
Billboard
16 songs of stalwart Stones riffs that almost compensate for generally embarrassing lyrics. [10 Sep 2005]
40
Paste Magazine
The ideas quickly wear thin. [Dec 2005, p.107]

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this album is 7.6 (out of 10) based on 63 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

zach m gave it a9:
its good

Stéphanie V gave it a10:
Great album! Definately 1000% STONES, blows your mind! They've done it again the Rolling Stones made a abso-fucking-lutely magnificent album once more ! The lyrics sound great - good old Jagger/Richards teamwork :) - and the RIFFS & MUSIC what can I say bold as ever. Every single 21th century band can wrap up, go home and change their nappies 'cos the Rolling Stones are in town again; LEAN & Mean as ever...

Drew J gave it a10:
Rolling Stones still and will forever have what most bands going today can only dream about...straight through great ablum...The rest of modern rock has just got the shit kicked out of them by seventy year olds

Duck CD gave it a10:
This is a very fine album, heartfelt and fierce like all their best work, but also tender, generous and brave enough to expose wounds that would sound silly in younger mouths. While it's not as darkly bold as "Undercover," which remains way underrated, its songs sneak up on you over time. You don't even realize till Track 4 that you're back in deep Stones territory... and then it keeps going deeper.

Chuck S gave it a4:
Not much to say about this.........lots of songs but .the lyrics are juvenile without much imagination. The drums and guitars let you know right off its the Stones, however.

steve L gave it a6:
I find it a mixed bag. They can still write the riffs but the lyrics are a bit weak. Time to lose Don Was as producer and find someone willing to give orders rather than take them.

Beauforde P gave it a10:
This is the best rock album of 2005. The Stones reclaim the crown. There is some filler toward the end, but the body of this album is stunning in its eclecticism, range, and execution. Simply a breathtaking ride...the kind of album no other band in the world could make any more...or even dare try...except for the Stones.

Read more user comments...

Discuss this album in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: iPhone 3G | Fantasy Football | Moneywatch | Antivirus Software | Recipes | E3 2009

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use