THE ROLLING STONES TOP 10 ALBUMS
With The Rolling Stonesโ upcoming release Blue & Lonesome, the bands first studio album in over a decade, weโve decided to celebrate this momentous occasion by ranking the bandsโ top ten studio albums.
10. Goats Head Soup (1973)
The Stonesโ follow up Exile on Main St. wasnโt a complete failure as some believe. Actually, Goats Head Soup is a more than enjoyable album, featuring hits like โAngieโ, โDoo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)โ, and the groovy album opener โDancing with Mr. Dโ. Is it as good as Exile or Sticky Fingers? No, but that being said Goats Head Soup is still a classic Rolling Stones LP and one that doesnโt nearly get enough credit.
Key tracks: โAngieโ, โDoo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)โ
9. Englandโs Newest Hitmakers (1964)
The Rolling Stones debut album features mostly covers of American Blues and R&B artists like Chuck Berry and Rufus Thomas. However, the most notable cover on the album is Buddy Hollyโs โNot Fade Awayโ which gave them their first Top Ten hit in the U.K. Despite the album mainly being comprised of cover material, we see the budding Jagger/Richards songwriting partnership coming together with the Phil Spector-like, โTell Meโ.
Key tracks: โNot Fade Awayโ, โTell Meโ
8. Between the Buttons (1967)
By 1967, The Stones had seemingly moved passed their Blues background for a hipper, pop sound. Between the Buttons is definitely the most British sounding album the band ever recorded. The Stones had been inspired by their fellow countrymen such as The Kinks and The Beatles who were creating marvelous pop albums by the late 1960s. Aside from the outside influences, Brian Jones was also a major influence as to why The Stones mid-60s output was so contemporary. On Between the Buttons he plays several instruments that were not typically used in Rock music including the recorder, Electric dulcimer and vibraphone.
Key Tracks: โRuby Tuesdayโ โLetโs Spend the Night Togetherโ
7. Out of Our Heads [UK Version] (1965)
Despite having more original material than their debut LP, Out of Our Heads sees The Rolling Stones mostly hiding behind R&B standards. However, the band seems much more confident here, giving the listener the illusion that they composed the entire album. On โMercy, Mercyโ Richards fuzzy guitar licks blow Don Cavoyโs original out of the water. However, on Out of Our Heads Jagger & Richards do take some writing credit on โGotta Get Awayโ, โIโm Freeโ, and โHeart of Stoneโ which would help put the band in same category as their British contemporaries, The Beatles.ย
Key Tracks: โMercy, Mercyโ, โHeart of Stoneโ
6. Let it Bleed (1969)
Released the same year as Woodstock, Let it Bleed is one of the first albums to take a second look at the hippie movement. Album opener, โGimme Shelterโ reflect the darkness of the late โ60s so well you can almost hear the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. โYou Canโt Always Get What You Wantโ also, ironically, would become the anthem for Baby Boomers around the world, who were hoping for a peaceful future that would never come. Let it Bleed is also the last album to feature Rolling Stones founder, Brian Jones, who died several months before the album was released.
Key Tracks: โGimme Shelterโ, โYou Got the Silverโ
5. Some Girls (1978)
By the late โ70s, The Rolling Stones were seen as yesterdayโs papers (pun intended). Their last two albums, Itโs Only Rock โn Roll and Black and Blue were both critical and commercial failures. The music scene had also changed and Jagger and Richards needed to change with it if they wanted to remain relevant. Disco artists like Chic and the Bee Gees and Punk acts like The Clash and Sex Pistols were what the new generation was listening to. The iconic songwriting duo soaked up the two modern mainstream genres and managed to combine them to create their last truly great album. Musically, Some Girls is probably the bandsโ most varied record. โMiss Youโ and โShatteredโ ooze New York City Disco, โWhen The Whip Comes Downsโ is Punky in a Rolling Stones way, and โFar Away Eyesโ and โBefore They Make Me Runโ display the bands affinity Country-Rock.
Key Tracks: โMiss Youโ, โBeast of Burdenโ
4. Aftermath [UK Version] (1966)
The first Stonesโ album to feature entirely original material, making Aftermath one of the most important records in the bandsโ discography. Aftermath is when the band slowly started breaking out of their Blues background (which they would return to on Beggars Banquet) and began bringing an English-folk element to their music. Tracks like โMotherโs Little Helperโ and โUnder My Thumbโ and the hit single โPaint it Blackโ (included on the US pressing) cemented The Rolling Stones place in history and made them as relevant to the โ60s as The Beatles and Bob Dylan.
Key tracks: โMotherโs Little Helperโ, โUnder My Thumbโ
3. Sticky Fingers (1971)
Hereโs where we get into the really good shit. If Sticky Fingers were in the discography of any other band (with the exception of The Fab Four), it would undoubtedly be crowned as their best album. However, since the it belongs to The Greatest Rock nโ Roll Band in the World, it will sadly be stuck in the number three spot. Recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama, you can almost feel the hot, humid, Southern weather on gritty tracks like โSwayโ and โDead Flowersโ. Sticky Fingers is the first album where the guitars are so boldly up front and not mixed down; a brilliant decision by producer Jimmy Miller as we see Richards and Mick Taylor at the peak of their powers. It is the beginning of one of the greatest guitar duos in rock history. Tracks like โBrown Sugarโ and โCanโt You Hear Me Knockingโ are among the best riffs in the bands arsenal. Hell, theyโre some of the best riffs of all time.
Key Tracks: โBrown Sugarโ, โDead Flowersโ
2. Beggars Banquet (1968)
After the dismal reviews of Their Satanic Majesties Request, it was clear that The Stones were not suited to be acid rockers. Beggars Banquet is without a doubt the bandsโ comeback album. It sees Jagger and Richards rediscovering their musical roots, American Blues and Country. The Stones drop the orchestration and sitars and other unusual instruments, opting for more traditional gear. โSympathy for the Devilโ and โStreet Fighting Manโ are โ60s classics, reflecting the darker and violent side of the decade. Richardsโ blistering guitar work combined with Jaggerโs brutally honest lyrics signify why Beggars Banquet is one of the most honest album of the 1960s.ย
Key Tracks: โSympathy for the Devilโ, โFactory Girlโ
1. Exile on Main St. (1972)
An almost clichรฉd pick for the number one spot, but the songs on Exile speak for themselves. After fleeing England due to tax purposes, The Stones set up shop in the Southern France. While some band members didnโt exactly love the new environment, it seemed that it got the best of their playing. Exile sounds as if it is one long jam session soaked in a Jack Daniels fuelled all-nighter. The Stones are loose, raw, and maybe even a little sloppy, but thatโs when the band is clearly at its best. Richardsโ infectious Open G grooves are at an all time high on tracks like โRocks Offโ, โRip This Jointโ and โTumbling Diceโ. There is also a sweet, tender side to The Stones here. โSweet Black Angelโ and โTorn and Frayedโ are a nice little interlude to an otherwise gritty album. Exile captures the entire sound of the extreme decadence early โ70s era Rolling Stones and itโs fucking brilliant. Not only is it the best Stonesโ LP, but itโs one of the greatest albums ever put to tape.
Key Tracks: โTumbling Diceโ, โHappyโ
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