Let it Bleed - Rolling Stones. Their best?

[Buffo]

Classic Album review in
http://www.threemonkeysonline.com suggests Let it Bleed as the Stones best:

Let It Bleed also represents a high-water mark in the song-writing partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards: Gimme Shelter, Let It Bleed, Midnight Rambler, Monkey Man and You Can’t Always Get What You Want are all certifiable classics. Blistering, awesome, elemental, spine tingling: you can take your pick from the superlatives.

What about Sticky Fingers - to my mind their best without a doubt.

[DarrenH]

Well, when I need a Stones fix it's the album I reach for most often. So if it were up to me then yes, it's thier best.

The period from '68 thru '72 was thier heyday.

Beggars Banquet thru Exile although Exile would be my least favorite from that period. And I'm not particularly fond of Get Yer Ya Ya's Out either.

Darren

[Ex Lion Tamer]

My vote would go to Beggars Banquet.

Looks like your Wings are going to have their hands full with The Flames. Joseph better be on his game in this series. If you ask me, The Sharks are coming out of the west...dare I say, to meet The Habs? Nah!

Go Habs Go!

[DarrenH]

I'm afraid you may be right. Joseph isn't the kinda goal tender that's gonna win Stanley. He's just not good enough. Detroit needs to go goalie shopping this summer.

I hope I'm wrong though. :D

Flames are riding a high. They started off shakey (first period) but improved dramatically as the game went on. I give them credit.

I didn't like that goalie obstruction penalty that was called on Draper in the 1st period though. It wiped out that Wings goal. I thought that was pretty ticky tacky.

Oh, just to stay on topic, Beggars Banquet is a fine album indeed. When the Stones remasters came out, Beggars and Bleed where the two I went for first.

Darren

[dean_martin]

I have to give the nod to Beggars Banquet. Side B of this album held the top spot in my favorite album sides list for a long time.

[MindGoneHaywire]

I sitll think Exile is their best, though the four from Beggar's up to that record represent their best period, by far, to me. There really aren't any clunkers on any of the four records, but Exile's the only one where I can make it through the entire album without being annoyed by a song I've heard a million times too many.

[Mr MidFi]

Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers are tied for tops on my list...depends on what day you ask me which is my favorite. Exile and Beggars Banquet are also way, way up there, just a microscopic notch below.

If you stuck a gun to my head right now and made me choose, I'd say Sticky Fingers is #1.

[Ex Lion Tamer]

I didn;t see the game, my daughter had a school concert, so I can't give an opinion on the play you mentioned. I do find that goalie interference is being called quite closely these playoffs.

Goalie shopping? Isn't Joseph under contract through next year? How 'bout Hasek, is he coming back? I bet you think Luongo would look pretty good in a Wings sweater, eh. I wonder if Florida would ever consider a trade. You know, I bet Montreal would listen to offers for Theodore, I think their back-up is about the best non-starter in the NHL. How 'bout Datsyuk & Dandenault for Theodore? :-)

And my token on-topic comment...When I got an SACD player Let It Bleed and Beggars Banquet were my first SACD purchases. Both obviously excellent albums.

[DarrenH]

Hasek won't be back. He was only under contract for this season and hardly played due to his groin injury. He just had surgery btw. Anyway, he even refused half his pay citing he felt that he didn't deserve it. He essentially told the team he was quitting.

Joseph is under contract for next year but keep in mind that Detroit wanted to trade him this year. Fortunately, they didn't do that what with Hasek quitting and all. Legace is a good back up but it was proven in the Nashville series that he just can't cut the mustard in the playoffs. He even admitted that the pressure got to him.

Luongo would be a good choice but I don't think Florida's ready to give him up. Not totally sold on Theodore either. He's not steady enough.

No way is Detroit gonna trade Datsyuk. Or Zetterberg. Those guys are the future for an already "old" team.

I should probably get on topic. I don't have an SACD player yet. Been thinking about it though. If I do get one you can bet Beggars and Bleed will be purchased.

Darren

[mad rhetorik]

For me, the hierarchy of 'Stones albums in terms of listening pleasure is as follows:

1. <b>Exile On Main Street</b>: This is one of my all-time favorite albums. Raw, bluesy, earthy, spiritual, gritty, decadent--this is the model for what a rock 'n' roll album should be.

2. <b>Let It Bleed</b>: This one <i>almost</i> ties with <b>Sticky Fingers</b>, but wins out on the strengths of the amazing "Gimme Shelter," "Midnight Rambler," "Monkey Man" and the cover of "Love In Vain." I also like the fact that the title sounds like a pisstake at the Fab Four's last album. I don't know whether it was intentional or not.

3. <b>Sticky Fingers</b>: Not quite as solid as <b>Let It Bleed</b>, but it's CLOSE. After all, any album with "Brown Sugar," "Sway," "Wild Horses," "Bi<a>tch," and "Sister Morphine" is pretty much guaranteed five stars in my book.

4. <b>Beggars' Banquet</b>: Eh, this one doesn't do as much for me as the other three. Some great songs on it, like "Street Fighting Man," "Stray Cat Blues," "Salt Of The Earth," and the second greatest 'Stones song ever "Sympathy For The Devil," but the other songs don't stand out as much. It's still a great release though.

Other 'Stones albums I like:

<b>Some Girls</b> (the 'Stones do disco, and it doesn't suck!)
<b>Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!</b> (great live performance, when they were still young and Keef wasn't nodding off on stage)
<b>Goat's Head Soup</b> (this one doesn't get much respect, but is a very good album by any standard)

[dld]

Let It Bleed , it contains my fav. Stones song, Gimme Shelter

Sticky Fingers next. Cool cover, and its got Can't You Hear Me Knocking. True greatness. opening guitar riff just tears paint off the walls (I say that in a good way).

Exile.

Beggars

other killer albums-

Some Girls.

Goats Head Soup (agree its way underrated)

Tatoo You

I'm a fan of Get Yer ya Yas out

Satanic Majesties Request

Flowers

Some of the greatest greatest hits packages ever.

I'm packing to head down to New Orleans for Jazzfest. Too jazzed up to linger. hope all have good weekends, and yer sports teams, except Sacramento PussyKings, all win.

[Davey]

Might be. Critical consensus generally puts Exile at the top, and that would probably have been my pick too up until maybe the mid 90s. More songs that I like than on any of their other albums. But I've always had a soft spot for Aftermath and some of the other early releases too, even though they generally weren't quite as consistent as the "big 4". But I had never owned a copy of Flowers, thinking it was just a redundant collection of odds and ends. That changed in the mid 90s when I picked up a nice early Decca vinyl copy and it really opened my ears to the early songs, literally. The sound quality was so much better than my US London copies and the songs all came more alive for me. That dulcimer in Lady Jane just sparkled, making it almost like a new song for me. Even though most of the songs suffered from radio overexposure when I was growing up, they still sounded fresh to me after the long absence. So that's my pick. Flowers. Maybe not exactly one of their "real" albums, but my favorite :)