“E XILE stands apart from other Stones albums, even other Stones albums from that period,” says The War On Drugs’ Adam On Main St Granduciel. “It’s not just that it’s a double album. It’s not just the circumstances in which it was recorded. There’s something about it –a vibe, a feeling. It has such a sound. The horns, the R&B, the blues. I listen to Exile all the time and still get blown away by it.”
Released 50 years ago in May, Exile On Main St (working title: ‘Tropical Disease’) brought into focus the Stones’ gifts for music, myth-making and self-publicity in one fairly explosive package. On the run from the taxman, in April 1971 the Stones decamped to Villa Nellcôte – Keith Richards’ rented waterfront residence at Villefranche-sur-Mer on the Côte D’Azur – where, as a beautiful entourage socialised upstairs, the band alchemised their masterpiece in the mansion’s spacious basement.
“You can dive into the mythology of Exile, look at photos and imagine what it might have been like to have been there for a weekend,” says Kurt Vile. “What the days would have been like, and the nights, down in that murky basement, making music, hanging out with Gram Parsons. It’s pretty amazing.”
While the sessions at Nellcôte provided Exile with its source material and muggy atmosphere, the album was the result of several years’ worth of work, beginning at Olympic Studios in London during June 1969 and finishing with the overdubbing-andmixing sessions at Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, in March 1972. Despite the dark mythology of their problematic tax situation, the nocturnal lifestyles, break-ins and drug busts at Nellcôte,
Exile proved to be a testament to the band’s iron will. “It was about proving that it doesn’t matter what you throw at The Rolling Stones, we can come up with the goods,” Richards later told Uncut. “Exile is like a punk rock record,” says Royal Trux’s Jennifer Herrema. “It was a one-take situation for most all of the songs. I think that was important. Nothing had to be perfect – even though Exile is perfect! – and then they took it from France to LA to make it sparkle. The album artwork by Robert Frank features photos from his book The Americans… it all sums up ‘exile’ for the Stones. Like, where do we belong? Nowhere, but everywhere.”
The Stones were the world’s foremost rock’n’roll attraction when they made Exile. Enjoying a faultless run of albums since 1968’s Beggars Banquet, Exile’s predecessor, Sticky Fingers, had charted at No 1 across the world a few weeks after they reached France. Exile itself arrived on May 12, 1972 – and raced straight to No 1. A generous 18 tracks, incorporating rock, country, soul, blues and gospel, for all the murky atmospherics of Nellcôte, Exile dazzled.
“For a double album, there’s no there’s no filler on it,” says Cat Power. “Every track has merit. But it’s so well sequenced. It kicks in with ‘Rocks Off’, then into ‘Rip This Joint’, ‘Shake Your Hips’ and ‘Casino Boogie’ – wow, that’s a real strong opening run of songs.”
Exile, like Sticky Fingers, topped the album charts. After everything, it was a hopeful time for the Stones. New financial management, a lucrative deal with Atlantic and an American tour in the pipeline. As with so many Stones gambles, the brilliance of Exile made you wonder what all the rumpus was about.
Glamour twins: Keith and Mick at Nellcôte
DOMINIQUE TARLÉ
SIDE 1
1 ROCKS OFF
A classic Keith riff – open G tuning, of course –a crisp snare kick from Charlie, Mick drawls lasciviously, “Oh, yeah…” And we’re off.
STEVE WYNN, THE DREAM
SYNDICATE: Like all my favourite records, Exile creates an image of a time and place, where it feels like it all happened in one burst of inspiration. We all know it took forever to make, but it makes you feel like a voyeur, standing on tippy toes, looking in through a dirty window and seeing something go down in a weird way that you can’t quite fathom.
I first heard Exile when it came out –I guess I was about 12 years old. So the record meant a whole different thing to me as a kid than it has done as I’ve got older. I bought it for maybe two bucks at Wallachs Music City in Hollywood. When “Rocks Off” came out of the speakers, I thought, ‘What the hell is that?’ It was the most exciting thing I’d ever felt, whether I understood what was going on or not. It said, “Get ready, this is our world now. Adjust yourself accordingly.” What I love now about Exile and “Rocks Off” is that if you had any curiosity about what it’s like to be in The Rolling Stones, what it’s like to live this life, the lyrics to “Rocks Off” lay it all out. This is how we do it, this is our life. The whole record goes that way. If I’m getting ready to go out, this is what I play. Top volume, needle down, boom. You’re ready for anything.