Which is the best Rolling Stones album?

this thread reminded i’d never listened to a full album by them, just best ofs and stuff. i like some of their songs and find others incredibly boring.

just listened to Beggar’s Banquet and Their Satanic Majesties Request. don’t think i’d heard much of the latter before, but had been meaning to check it out as i was intrigued by it being more psychedelic. was pretty good, other than the deliberately weirder tracks which just come off a bit dated, but the melodic stuff is really good. i knew the two biggies on BB but wasn’t sure what i’d think of the rest, thought i might get bored of the bluesy schtick. it’s definitely a less interesting record than Majesties but it’s mostly pretty solid. enjoyed.

still don’t really have any real desire to listen to any more though. can’t imagine sitting through the whole of Exile on Main Street. will return to these two a bit though and probably give Let it Bleed a go.

All of them are the best.

Probably essential even if you’re not much of a Stones fan, since it has all their non-album singles which is where their strengths really lie (not their albums so much).

Yeah, I’ve got this and it’s great.

I genuinely find all of the studio albums patchy, wouldn’t consider any to be classics. Their best songs are incredible, just not feeling the rest.

My favourite Stones song:

Although She’s A Rainbow, Play With Fire, Sympathy For The Devil, GImme Shelter and Paint It Black are all obviously brilliant.

And none of Keith’s tales of “Rock’n’Roll debauchery” intrigued you into checking out what they were putting to record at the time? Or was it just more of an off put?

(I’ve not read it by the way)

His rock and roll debauchery tales weren’t very interesting! It was how he wrote about playing an instrument that caught me. Those passages resonated with the musician part of me. It never made me want to listen to an album of theirs though.

Let It Bleed is well worth a go. As is Sticky Fingers.

Great tune, but from memory I don’t think it’s the Stones playing on it. Mick on vocals of course but I think he had to provide it for the ‘Performance’ soundtrack and ended up doing it with session musicians (Ry Cooder maybe).
Agree on the albums being patchy. The Singles Collection is superb, as is Hot Rocks.

Can’t you hear me knocking is just impossibly good - so much swagger

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I’d have to say the say The Best of Exile on Main Street. Don’t really think they’ve made any other solid classic albums. Too much filler on stuff like Sticky Fingers and Let It Bleed. This and Tumbling Dice are the best songs they ever recorded. Loose as fuck.

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Toss up between Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile. The two either side of that run are pretty damned good too.

Just read that Their Satanic Majesties Request is getting a 50th anniversary special edition?! I’m not sure how they’re justifying that, but hopefully it’ll mean fancy versions of Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed are on their way too.

If that means a nice remaster of She’s A Rainbow I’m all for it.

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I can’t really choose between those three - all stone-cold classics.

Beggars Banquet is great, but not quite up there with Bleed, Fingers and Exile.

Favourite Stones song:

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Let’s poll the ones that have been mooted.

Aftermath

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Their Satanic Majesties Request

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Beggars Banquet

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Let It Bleed

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Sticky Fingers

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Exile On Main St.

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