atrium

I've been going back through their entire discography lately and wanted to know what the favorites are around here. This is going to be a looooong poll.

Decker

atrium

^ added a poll.

I had to leave Dirty Work and Bridges to Babylon off the list cause A.) I ran out of options and B.) I wanted an 'other' option. If you like those albums best (you're insane) or if you like a live album better than one of the studio cuts, the 'other' option is for you

Decker

Man, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile was a hell of a three album run. Up there with Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt Pepper,

atrium

You gotta throw Beggars Banquet (and The White Album) in there for a Big 4. Their 'back to basics' approach on BB saved them after the misfire of 'Their Satanic Majesties Request'.

I've been digging Some Girls a lot lately. It starts off with two killer tracks in 'Miss You' and 'When the Whip Comes Down', but really shines at the end with a one-two-three punch of 'Before They Make Me Run', 'Beast of Burden', 'Shattered'. Very few records end as strongly as that one does.

'Before They Make Me Run' might just be my favorite ever Keith song.

brainee

My vote is for Sticky Fingers, though this entire 4 album stretch is fantastic. For me, Sticky Fingers is all killer and no filler that shows off a lot of facets of the band: driving hard rock, great guitar riffs, blues, jamming, country, and a couple of their best ballads.

rw2516

Since this is about favorite, not best, Goats Head Soup. Followed by It's Only Rock 'n' Roll. I know they're not the best but they.ve always been my two favorites. They both have a different sound to them that's similar and for whatever reason it clicked with me. Only years later did I discover that Mick Taylor did a lot of writing on them (uncredited). Time Waits For No One, Heartbreaker, Fingerprint File, Dancing With Mr. D. "Can't You He Knocking" has always been a favorite and I later discovered Taylor helped write it too. "

In 1974 Ron Wood was working on his first solo album. He had several people helping him with it. Among them Jagger and George Harrison. Jagger didn't really have the time because Stones were working on new album. Wood and Jagger struck a deal. Mick would help Wood come up with a catchy lead off song if Wood would help with a song that Mick and Keith had but couldn't make work. Wood took what Mick and Keith were working on and wrote "It's Only Rock 'n Roll" (uncredited).

Paff

I went with Aftermath, though I could have just as easily gone with December's Children. I like 60's "party" Stones before they played up the blues angle a little more in the 70s. Don't get me wrong though; Let it Bleed and Sticky Fingers are damn excellent albums too. I have Exile, but that's one of those albums I think I really have to listen to in its entirety, and several times.

Mike86

Not their biggest fan but I do like Let It Bleed so I’ll go with that one.

Paff

Hey, did anyone hear Mick Jagger tell the story about one of those wild 70s celebrity parties he attended? He was stumbling around, went into the wrong room, and saw the publisher of Playboy magazine engaging in a sexual act with actor Dennis Weaver. And you know what he said?

[email protected]

Voted for 'Sticky Fingers', but 'Get Your Ya-Yas Out' might be my overall favorite.

Decker

Can't include The White Album because of Magical Mystery Tour.

Nick Danger

I don't understand the love for Exile on Main Street. When I read that they were all drunk the whole time they were making the album, I it suddenly made sense. To me it sounds like drunken guys phoning it in.

stvn1974

Exile gets my vote. To this day I can't understand 85% of what Jagger is singing, however.

Decker

Exile is a little like my favorite Elton John album : Tumbleweed Connection. Almost no hits, but still works because it's raw, authentic and cohesive as a single album.

Paff

You made me think of the late great comedian Bill Hicks, talking about going to a Stones' concert

Mick: I can't get no..........SATTFFFIISSSICCHHHHUUUUUUUUU

Bill Hicks: You can't get no what? Mick, we wanna help ya, but we gotta know what the fuck you're saying! Maybe Keith has some??

Eye Candy

Don't have a favorite album, but one of my favorite Stone's songs from the 80's is:

Rock And A Hard Place

kd5

I liked them most during their "psychedelic era", so.....Their Satanic Majesties Request. She's A Rainbow, 2000 Light Years From Home, what's not to like?

Decker

After answering this thread, I looked back at the albums. I would like to change my answer. As much as I enjoy Exile, holy shit is Let It Bleed an amazing album. Opens with Gimmie Shelter, includes Live With Me, Midnight Rambler, the title track and kinda,sorta version of Honkey Tonk Woman and closes with You Can’t Always Get What You Want. That collection of songs, by themselves, would be enough for a Hall of Fame career. Wonder why they didn’t include the normal version of Honkey Tonk Woman though.

rw2516

Honky Tonk Women was a non LP single. Only available on 45 RPM. Hot Rocks was the first time it appeared on an LP.

atrium

I prefer Between the Buttons for their psychedelic period, though its more of a pastoral psychedelic sound. Between the Buttons is the closest they ever got to sounding like The Kinks, but to me that album is flawless. Their Satanic Majesties Request is really dragged down by the long version of Sing This All Together, it's a black hole smack in the middle of the album. Still a a good album though.

Love in Vain deserves a mention as well, possibly the greatest blues cover they ever did (either that or Little Red Rooster). I'm not a huge fan of Country Honk though.


Beggars Banquet is a classic too, it's an amazing stylistic pivot from the psychedelia of 1967, that completely revels in its greasy, southern fried acoustic blues. Besides the obvious classics (Sympathy, Street Fighting Man), it's got some other amazing gems:

kd5

^ To be honest, I don't like every song of any of their albums, but I do like their older stuff best.

Hokeyboy

I always come back to Exile. That album opens me up every time.

Josh-da-man

Depends on the day, but I think my usual answer would be "Let it Bleed" with "Sticky Fingers" and "Tattoo You" coming in close seconds.

I've always had a soft spot for "Tattoo You" because it was my first exposure to the band when I was a kid. I remember "Start Me Up" and "Waiting on a Friend" from when I was a youngster, and then when I was in my twenties and started listening to the Stones, "Tattoo You," stood out for me. It's really interesting seeing them transition into the eighties. (Same with Bowie and "Let's Dance.")

atrium

I've always been very partial to the two ballads from Steel Wheels, 'Slipping Away' and especially 'Almost Hear You Sigh'