“Stones return to Street”

Posted: 24 May 2010 01:24 AM PDT

Posted By DARRYL STERDAN, QMI AGENCY

Posted 1 day ago

Time really was on their side with this one.

When The Rolling Stones releasedExile on Main St.in 1972, it was not universally beloved. Mostly (and infamously) recorded in the basement of Keith Richards' rented French chateau Nellcote, where the Stones had gathered after fleeing the British taxman, the sprawling, drug-fuelled double album divided critics and fans.

Some hailed the four freewheeling sides of rock, country, blues, soul and gospel as a raw, risky masterpiece. Others heard something as murky and impenetrable as its dank, subterranean birthplace. And while it topped the charts for months, it wasn't viewed as a high-water mark at the time.

Now, of course, everyone has come around. The publications that drubbed it have dubbed it a milestone. It is No. 7 onRolling Stone'slist of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Even Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots -- a guy who knows from dark, dangerous, drug-fuelled rock -- told meExile"epitifies the best of the Stones."

So it's no surprise the much-mythologized disc has just been given the full-blown reissue treatment. There are two editions around: A two-disc set with all 18 original tracks, plus 10 much-heralded bonus cuts; and a massive Super Deluxe Limited Version box with all that and plenty more. Going big? Here's what you get for your $140:

the rolling stones

exile on main st.: super deluxe limited edition

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Original Album

All 18 tracks -- includingRocks Off, Rip This Joint, Tumblin' Dice, Sweet Virginia, Torn and Frayed, Happy, Ventilator Blues, Loving Cup, All Down the LineandShine a Light-- in remastered form. I honestly can't tell this version from the 2005 remaster, but it's a step up from your dad's LPs. (Or is it? See below.)

Bonus Cuts

Great asExileis, this is the big selling point : Recently unearthed (and in some cases, newly completed) leftovers.

More than half the 10 cuts are strong:Pass the Wine (Sophia Loren)cooks up a funky jam;Plundered My Soulworks the sweet spot between rock and soul;I'm Not Signifyingshuffles to a sloppy blues;Following the Riveris a piano-gospel ballad;Dancing in the Lightbounces to a country-blues twang; and aSoul Survivordemo features Keith Richards on the mic. Lesser offerings includeSo Divine (Aladdin Story),which recyclesPaint It, Black;a sluggish version ofLoving Cup;theTumblin' DiceknockoffGood Time Women;and the 107-second surf-rock instrumentalTitle5.

Vinyl

Purists swear you must listen toExileon vinyl to fully appreciate the warmth and depth of Jimmy Miller's production. I think the real key is a great stereo. But if you buy into the vinyl solution, these audiophile-grade LPs are the way to go. All the original artwork is reproduced in a double-gatefold cover. Too bad bonus tracks aren't included.

DVD

The box claims the DVD containsStones in Exile, Ladies and Gentlemen ... The Rolling Stonesand others.

Awesome -- if it were true. Instead, you only get about 10 minutes of each. It's understandable the band would balk at including all the 1974 live movieLadies and Gentlemen(slated for DVD release this fall). But not including the fullExiledoc -- which has already aired on TV -- is a flat-out ripoff.

Book

A stylish 64-page hardcover tome with an essay on the album and photos from the recording sessions, along with pics from the band's 1972 tour and reproductions of posters, ads, souvenirs, press releases, backstage passes and more. It beats the heck out of the wee booklet in the smaller edition.

Postcards

The original album included a dozen postcards with pics of the band dressed up like gangsters. Four are reproduced here; the rest are pictured in the book.

darryl.sterdan@sunmedia.ca

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More reissued music

Not a Stones fan? Here are some other classic-rock reissue options:

Judas Priest British Steel:30th Anniversary Edition

. . . .

Cuts likeBreaking the Law helped forge Judas Priest's rep as metal gods.

Pity they didn't break a sweat for this reissue. BONUS POINTS: One outtake and a DVD of the band playing the disc in full last year.

Duran Duran

Duran Duran, Seven and the Ragged Tiger

Both:. . . . Arcadia

So Red the Rose

. . .

Hungry like the wolf for DD? Gorge Michael on these comprehensive mini-boxes of their first and third CD, plus the side project Arcadia. BONUS POINTS: Each includes a CD of outtakes and a DVD.

Big Audio Dynamite This is Big Audio Dynamite: Legacy Edition

. . . .

If you recall Mick Jones' experimental post-Clash collective, you're the target market for this 25th-anniversary revamp of their debut. BONUS POINTS: A CD of extended versions and remixes.

DVD New release

Monday, May 24, 2010