My two favourite Stones albums are this and Sticky Fingers, released one after the other when the band were in a gold period creatively. The main recording for this album took place in a villa in the south of France when the exotic substances were flowing. This is a very sprawling album that feels like every idea they had was put on tape and put out.
I love the loose feel, and the blues (or their take on it) is oozing from every groove. I don’t think the Stones got any better after this. There is a huge southern influence throughout this album after the recording of last album at Muscle Shoals.
Tumbling Dice is an obvious choice for favourite track, but I’m going for Shine A Light as that slight gospel vibe suits the band so well, and I love Mick Taylor’s solo. It’s a shame Mick Taylor didn’t stick around as he was perfect for the band.
This type of album would never get made today, as bands are not given the freedom to explore and create like the bands were in the late sixties, early seventies.
9/10 from The Grooveman.
