I am in a phase where I am fully embracing my deep love for this band. Honestly, there are few things in life that make me happier than this band. They are always there, like old friends, being their bad selves.
So I thought I'd take this survey:
What are your top five favorite Rolling Stones albums? Please put your list in order with your favorite at number 1.
Or you don't have to follow my rules, just make a list however long you'd like to make it.

My all time favorite Stones album would be Sticky Fingers. There's ballads, there's typical Stones hard rock, latin-ish ballads, country ballads... It's the ultimate Stones effort for me.

I also like Beggars Banket, Out of Our Heads (I rarely skip 2 or 3 songs, because they all sound the same to me...As I do for most early-Beatles albums), Exile from Main St, and The Rolling Stones.

[Edited 7/18/14 2:48am]

I go through phases with them too, their music is important and I like a lot of it. The fact I have the Keith Richards book and the one on Mick Jagger from last year also speaks volumes.

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Albums wise, I am definitely a fan of their earlier albums than their recent ones. Their golden period was actually the late 60s and early 70s. so here goes

1. Let it bleed 1969, blows everything away.

2. Exile on Main Street 1972 - Lots of bump and grind, gut wrenching rock here. Plus Jagger screams his guts out here too.

3. Sticky Fingers 1971 - More golden stuff, Bitch, Brown sugar etc.

4. Beggars Banquet 1968

5. Aftermath 1966 - I just love this whole album, Mothers little helper, Stupid Girl, Under my thumb, repellent lyrics but so well done. I think its actually better than the other 2 big 1966 Albums - Revolver and Pet Sounds.

Pretty much right in a row:

Between The Buttons

Beggar's Banquet

Let It Bleed

Sticky Fingers

So now do we complete the run with 1966's Aftermath, or with 1972's Exile On Main Street? I honestly can't decide. Both amazing albums, neither as amazing as any of those other four.

bobzilla77 said:

Pretty much right in a row:

Between The Buttons

Beggar's Banquet

Let It Bleed

Sticky Fingers

So now do we complete the run with 1966's Aftermath, or with 1972's Exile On Main Street? I honestly can't decide. Both amazing albums, neither as amazing as any of those other four.

Personally I would go for Exile, because in my opinion it is as amazing as the "Other four". But it depends on how you like your stones.

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If you like their more gutsy rock and roll sound go with exile, but if you really like their pop sound more, go with aftermath. Personally both of them make my list, but Exile is better as it has more depth and more in your face rock sound. Keith's guitar is going off a lot more than the plink a plunka chords of most of the mid 60s stuff.

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But it is hard to decide, as they are from different periods of music. Exile sounds like your avearge 70s rock album, whereas Aftermath is very good 60s pop edging into a more psychedelic and harder sound. Its like trying to choose 1999 over the Gold Experience, given how much rock music had evolved between 1966 and 1972.

1966 to 1968. Aftermath, Satanic Majesties and Beggar's Banquet. I may be the only fan who ranks Satanic Majesties among their very best albums.

[Edited 7/19/14 11:59am]

heartbeatocean said:

So interesting!!! It's only very recently that I decided to explore their albums as albums per se. I love so many of their songs but they have mostly come at me one by one through the ages, or through some compilations I have. I am surprised no one mentioned Some Girls. I recently got that album and it's pure gold from beginning to end. A really great, varied, yet consistent sound. Just ties together perfectly. I LOVE that phase of their stylings. Why is that not on the lists? And yes, the lyrics are repellent.

That is a pretty good album and probably their best between Exile and Voodoo Lounge. I really like most of the songs, Shattered and So Respectable especially and Beast of Burden is a very strong single. Jaggers voice is really on point there. I would easily put Some Girls in the Top 10 and I love that cover. I even like Miss You, some fairly convincing disco licks there, but with a Keef riff to let you know its the Stones.

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I think by repellent lyrics, are you referring to that line "Black girls like to get fucked all night". It was a bit of bad taste, but it was quyite clever too, remember the cover for the Beast of Burden single caused controversy as it showed a lion sitting on top a circus girl like it was fxxking her.

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Its very good compared to what came next, the pretty poor Emotional Rescue with its self indulgent cover track and a lot of discoy type stuff. I do like She's so cold though. Tattoo you is okay, but the rest of their 80s output was pretty forgettable until Steel Wheels.

Some Girls............

Exile on Main Street

Sticky Fingers

Let it Bleed

Beggars Banquet

Tattoo You

Adorecream said:

heartbeatocean said:

So interesting!!! It's only very recently that I decided to explore their albums as albums per se. I love so many of their songs but they have mostly come at me one by one through the ages, or through some compilations I have. I am surprised no one mentioned Some Girls. I recently got that album and it's pure gold from beginning to end. A really great, varied, yet consistent sound. Just ties together perfectly. I LOVE that phase of their stylings. Why is that not on the lists? And yes, the lyrics are repellent.

That is a pretty good album and probably their best between Exile and Voodoo Lounge. I really like most of the songs, Shattered and So Respectable especially and Beast of Burden is a very strong single. Jaggers voice is really on point there. I would easily put Some Girls in the Top 10 and I love that cover. I even like Miss You, some fairly convincing disco licks there, but with a Keef riff to let you know its the Stones.

.

I think by repellent lyrics, are you referring to that line "Black girls like to get fucked all night". It was a bit of bad taste, but it was quyite clever too, remember the cover for the Beast of Burden single caused controversy as it showed a lion sitting on top a circus girl like it was fxxking her.

.

Its very good compared to what came next, the pretty poor Emotional Rescue with its self indulgent cover track and a lot of discoy type stuff. I do like She's so cold though. Tattoo you is okay, but the rest of their 80s output was pretty forgettable until Steel Wheels.

Some Girls (the song) is especially full of offensive material. They are borderline mysogynists. But even though I'm against all that, I think it works for their act of being raunchy bad boys and I give them a pass. The lyrics are so OVER THE TOP -- Mick delivers them with a lot of exagerration and humor which I find rather hilarious. The later stuff is at least partly self aware in this sense, unlike the earlier stuff (i.e. Under My Thumb) which is delivered straight.

chriss said:

Some Girls............

it's pretty easy when it comes down to choosing the "best" RS albums, since they had dozens of great singles during the 63-65 early era, but not great albums, in my opinion (though many fans claim that 12x5 and Now! are masterpieces, I disagree), and after 1978 they have released many interesting songs or underrated classics songs, but not truly great albums (then again, many fans claim Tattoo You is a great album, it sure is, but a top5 ??? nah)

so, basically their best albums are the 68-72 poker (Beggar's Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street) plus the excellent Some Girls from '78

if this was a top8 I would have included Aftermath, Between the Buttons and the aforementioned Now!

I like "Miss You", the Rolling Stones disco track,

edit:

and I own the 12 inch vinyl - in mint condition......




[img:$uid]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v67/ecnirp2004/Billede0539_zpsed996c29.jpg[/img:$uid]


^ otherwise I prefer The Beatles, not Rolling Stones.


.. a bit off topic, sorry...

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[Edited 7/21/14 7:39am]

[Edited 7/21/14 7:39am]

In my opinion, not only Some Girls, but also Steel Wheels are up there with their best albums.

Thanks, dudes! now I know which albums to look for next to build the collection.

thedance said:

I like "Miss You", the Rolling Stones disco track,

edit:

and I own the 12 inch vinyl - in mint condition......




[img:$uid]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v67/ecnirp2004/Billede0539_zpsed996c29.jpg[/img:$uid]


^ otherwise I prefer The Beatles, not Rolling Stones.


.. a bit off topic, sorry...

.

[Edited 7/21/14 7:39am]

[Edited 7/21/14 7:39am]

very nice, would love to hear that, Miss You is such a groovy tune

I'm on the Rolling Stones side. Beatles are ok.

Javi said:

In my opinion, not only Some Girls, but also Steel Wheels are up there with their best albums.

I love Steel Wheels! (that was the tour I attended)

yay

heartbeatocean said:

thedance said:

I like "Miss You", the Rolling Stones disco track,

and I own the 12 inch vinyl - in mint condition......

very nice, would love to hear that, Miss You is such a groovy tune

I'm on the Rolling Stones side. Beatles are ok.

Here:

The 8:40 extended "disco" version.....

heartbeatocean said:

So interesting!!! It's only very recently that I decided to explore their albums as albums per se. I love so many of their songs but they have mostly come at me one by one through the ages, or through some compilations I have. I am surprised no one mentioned Some Girls. I recently got that album and it's pure gold from beginning to end. A really great, varied, yet consistent sound. Just ties together perfectly. I LOVE that phase of their stylings. Why is that not on the lists? And yes, the lyrics are repellent.

I have to include Some Girls in my top five not just because I love the songs but also for teen nostalgic value.

thedance, have you heard the cover of "Miss You" by fDeluxe? Really awesome stuff (or, as Jagger would put it, hot stuff):

http://www.youtube.com/wa...AUM2wh0aFQ

Javi said:

thedance, have you heard the cover of "Miss You" by fDeluxe? Really awesome stuff (or, as Jagger would put it, hot stuff):

http://www.youtube.com/wa...AUM2wh0aFQ

thanks to you Javi:

I like the music a lot, however the vocals not so much.

Thanks for posting the video.. unheard to me.....

Agree totally, Miss You really is good with showing Jagger's vocal stylings, his voice is perfect for the music, from the raspy delivery of the early blues styled songs (Posion Ivy, Little Red Rooster, The Last Time etc) to the falsetto on Miss you and Emotional Rescue (Where he sounds like Miss Piggy).

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Yeah they may be drug eaten, rotten dinosaurs, but they are the greatest rock and roll band of all times. Their longevity speaks volumes. And the number of great songs and albums they have released says a lot. These men are Gods.

Adorecream said:

Agree totally, Miss You really is good with showing Jagger's vocal stylings, his voice is perfect for the music, from the raspy delivery of the early blues styled songs (Posion Ivy, Little Red Rooster, The Last Time etc) to the falsetto on Miss you and Emotional Rescue (Where he sounds like Miss Piggy).

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Yeah they may be drug eaten, rotten dinosaurs, but they are the greatest rock and roll band of all times. Their longevity speaks volumes. And the number of great songs and albums they have released says a lot. These men are Gods.

It's true. And Mick Jagger is a performer without peer. I mean, he is really really great. This was a revelation to me when I saw him perform live. The only flaw is that he's so great, you have to dig deep and concentrate to hear all the weavings of the great music underneath. He's soooo distracting.