Since their formation in 1962, The Rolling Stones emerged from the heart of London’s rhythm and blues scene, quickly becoming a defining force in the music industry. Comprising Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood, and past members, including the late Brian Jones and Bill Wyman, the Stones embody rock’s rebellious spirit.
While The Rolling Stones boast an array of albums, the consensus often deems Exile On Main St. as the pinnacle of their career. This record emerged during a turbulent phase for the band, marked by their status as tax exiles, compelling them to win back their fans’ favour with a resounding album.
The recording of Exile spanned various exotic locations globally, notably a villa in Nellcóte, France. This double album comprises 18 tracks yet maintains a captivating allure throughout its extended length. In a rare, revealing interview with Rolling Stone in 1995, Jagger provided candid insights into his career, delving into the public’s fascination with Exile, among other topics.
“It’s a bit overrated, to be honest,” he said. “Compared to Let It Bleed and Beggars Banquet, which I think are more of a piece, I don’t see it as thematic as the other two. I’m not saying it’s not good. It doesn’t contain as many outstanding songs as the previous two records.”
Although he isn’t the biggest fan of Exile, he did have some positive remarks about the release, adding: “I think it’s kind of sprawling, so that you can always find other little nugget things that you haven’t heard.”
Regarding songs he doesn’t like, Jagger always readily offers his opinions. In the same interview, Jagger expressed that Between the Buttons ranked among his least favourite albums. “Frank Zappa used to say he really liked it,” he recalled. “It’s a good record, but it was, unfortunately, rather spoiled. We recorded it in London on four-track machines. We bounced it back to do overdubs so many times; we lost the sound of a lot of it.”
Discussing the track, ‘Yesterday’s Papers’, Jagger said: “Yeah, the first song I ever wrote completely on my own for a Rolling Stones record. ‘My Obsession’, that’s a good one. They sounded so great, but then, later on, I was really disappointed with it. Isn’t ‘Ruby Tuesday’ on there or something? I don’t think the rest of the songs are that brilliant. ‘Ruby Tuesday’ is good. I think that’s a wonderful song.”
Jagger continued, explaining why he liked ‘Ruby Tuesday’. He said: “It’s just a nice melody, really. And a lovely lyric. Neither of which I wrote, but I always enjoy singing it. But I agree with you about the rest of the songs — I don’t think they’re there. I don’t think I thought they were very good at the time either.”
In other parts of the interview, Jagger drew comparisons between Between the Buttons and its 1967 successor, Their Satanic Majesties Request. “It’s not very good,” he said. “It had interesting things on it, but I don’t think any of the songs are very good. It’s a bit like Between the Buttons. It’s a sound experience, really, rather than a song experience. There’s two good songs on it: ‘She’s a Rainbow’ and ‘2000 Light Years From Home’. The rest of them are nonsense.”
