Exile On Main Street [Reissue]
by
Exile On Main Street [Reissue] Image
Metascore
100

Universal acclaim - based on 7 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 168 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • 10
  • 9
  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
  • Summary: A reissue of the band's 1972 double album is long overdue, as Exile captures a time when they became one of the greatest rock-and-roll bands in the world.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Uncut
    100
    Exile itself remains the tour de force it's been since release in May '72. [Jun 2010, p.104]
    All this publication's reviews
  2. Q Magazine
    100
    Stick to the main text: until they invent time travel, there's no better way to inhale the decadent air of the early '70s. [Jun 210, p.137]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. Paste Magazine
    100
    We keep hearing that rock and roll is a feeling, right? The Stones inhabited that feeling seamlessly here, mainly because the murk fizzed and fused those seams together.
  4. Rolling Stone
    100
    It was a long haul to that nasty perfection — "Loving Cup" was first recorded in 1969; "Sweet Virginia" was a salty-country leftover from Sticky Fingers — and the outtakes unearthed and, in some cases, retouched for this reissue reveal more (not a lot but enough to be grateful for) about the process and detours
  5. Clash Music
    100
    Never bettered, this is the world’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll band’s crowning triumph. Own this!
  6. Pitchfork
    100
    If allowing Jagger to touch up those vocals was the price to pay to allow Exile receive the tribute it deserves, it's still a bargain.
  7. The A.V. Club
    83
    Everything that made it on the album--and much of what didn’t--belongs exactly where it is. (Yes, even the blazing but unfortunately named blues jam “Turd On The Run.”)

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 20
  3. Negative: 1 out of 20
  1. FraserH
    Jun 2, 2010
    10
    I was not alive when this album was released so can never understand what an impact it made on the music world at the time, but I would say I was not alive when this album was released so can never understand what an impact it made on the music world at the time, but I would say that this album is one of my favourite albums of all time and I never tire of listening to it.… Expand
  2. j30
    Jan 26, 2012
    10
    This is my favorite Rolling Stones album. You hear so many of their hits on the radio that you tend to forget how great their individualThis is my favorite Rolling Stones album. You hear so many of their hits on the radio that you tend to forget how great their individual albums are. Exile On Main Street reigns supreme.… Expand
  4. Fer65
    Mar 13, 2011
    10
    Entered the music store and found the reissue of a classic. Exile On Main Street. As a long time Stones fan, I grew up listening to BrownEntered the music store and found the reissue of a classic. Exile On Main Street. As a long time Stones fan, I grew up listening to Brown Sugar or Satisfaction, those classic hits. But found in Exile On Main Street the true roots of the Stones sound. Just few seconds into Rock Off opened my mind. An album to love, listen, love, and listen a bit more.… Expand
  5. RogerS
    May 31, 2010
    10
    This is the best there ever was, Sgt Peppers and the Beatles were over and London Calling and the Clash were yet to arrive. It is one of the This is the best there ever was, Sgt Peppers and the Beatles were over and London Calling and the Clash were yet to arrive. It is one of the most important parts of music and anyone needing an education will find this CD as his guide. Keith and Mick were never to reach this level again but like a rolling stone they kept going and gather no moss. You have to own this one.… Expand
  6. ThomasW
    May 29, 2010
    9
    A great album, but I've always been partial to Let it Bleed, a truly revolutionary album and I think the Stone's best.
  7. G-Phone
    Sep 7, 2010
    7
    I signed up expressly to voice my opinion on this particular remastering of Exile. Not that it matters; but, i was around when this LP wasI signed up expressly to voice my opinion on this particular remastering of Exile. Not that it matters; but, i was around when this LP was originally released. I owned a record store from 1969 until recently when I sold it to the managers. That gives me no particular qualification other than I lived in record stores from when i was a kid and that was a natural progression for me. This LP was the Stones best LP. The original release would, for me, earn an 11 on a ten scale. It was raw and Jagger's voice was treated a another instrument in the recoding and mix down of the album. The LP was more of a sound experience and feel. It was not necessary to know all the lyrics because a whole experience was the goal of the LP.

    The new mix brings Jagger's vocals, intentionally, to the forefront. To accomplish this, compression was also used to bring the sound into a certain range. This killed the dynamics of the original release. Much of the high and low ends were wiped out. Every song has the same range and eventually causes listener fatigue All this data reduction detracts from the music..This is all well and good if one is listening to an I-Pod or MP3. If you want to hear the music the way it was recorded, try the mid '90's Virgin reissue or the original vinyl. I am told that the vinyl of this reissue is better. As for the bonus material , most of it is alright. In some tracks , you can tell they were unfinished and finished for this project. I returned my CD for a refund. I am lucky enough to own the original vinyl and he Virgin reissue. This use of compression was even more of a disaster on the recent Beatles stereo reissues.    … Expand
  8. AbeCallard
    Jun 4, 2017
    3
    I believe the Stones are hugely overrated. Although they are very iconic and very influential, when ANALYZED, their music is extremelyI believe the Stones are hugely overrated. Although they are very iconic and very influential, when ANALYZED, their music is extremely repetitive, and musically boring. Take "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (I know it's not on this album)--it's literally the same chords and melody repeated for SEVEN MINUTES. And it's considered one of the greatest songs of all time.… Expand

See all 20 User Reviews

Related Articles

  1. Best of 2010, Music

    The Best Albums of 2010

    The Best Albums of 2010 Image
    Published: January 11, 2011
    Spoiler alert: Kanye West had the best-reviewed album of 2010. But which other releases impressed critics last year? We run down the 40 highest-scoring albums, and also examine the best releases of the year in various categories.
    More »

Current Music Releases

Full List »
94 Motomami - Rosalía
92 Ants From Up There - Black Country, New Road
89 Feeding the Machine - Binker & Moses
89 Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers - Kendrick Lamar
88 Dawn FM - The Weeknd
88 Forever on My Mind - Son House
87 Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You - Big Thief
87 Henki - Richard Dawson
87 This Is a Photograph - Kevin Morby
87 Forfolks - Jeff Parker
87 For You Who Are the Wronged - Kathryn Joseph
87 Live at the El Mocambo - The Rolling Stones
87 Summer at Land's End - The Reds, Pinks & Purples
87 Electricity - Ibibio Sound Machine
87 Wet Leg - Wet Leg
87 LIFE ON EARTH - Hurray for the Riff Raff
86 It's Almost Dry - Pusha T
86 Un Verano Sin Ti - Bad Bunny
86 A Light for Attracting Attention - The Smile
86 Diaspora Problems - Soul Glo
All Current Music »