This Stones era is one of my favorite of any band ever. "Let it Bleed," "Sticky Fingers," and "Exile..." Damn, that's hard to beat. You picked almost all my favorite tracks from Exile too. This is a great look at the band.

tHis is my fav era of stones, nearly all album are ace and the grooves are still in fashion.

Good work. Rocks Off kicks seven shades. But I do miss 'Wild Horses'.

Very cool.

yeah, I second all comments made....Exile on Main Street is amazing

Great era for a great band. I hear the new remasters sound much better than the older remasters - have you heard them? Although these are great tunes, my personal faves are the Who recordings you mention. PLEASE sign me up when you release the live tracks!

You know, the Stones would get alot more respect if they released this as a greatest hits comp. I would have included Brown Sugar and Moonlight Mile here. but I don't want to sound like I'm quibbling.

Some great selections Marc. You've inspired me to dig out my vinyl copy of Exile On Main Street. Now if I could only find it.

I listened to the Let It Bleed remaster, and it sounded pretty damn great. Made me wish I had one of those SACD units so I could really appreciate it. Still haven't bought any, though -- I think it was kinda cheap of them to forego any bonus tracks (just compare the Who reissues). I burned this mix off a series of bootlegs (known as the Mickboy remasters) which are remastered from Japanese import vinyl. Sound much better than the original cd's, though probably not quite as good as the new SACD releases.

Great stuff, of course, but I have to disagree on a few points: I think that 1) The Brian Jones era was pretty much the equal to this era (Aftermath, Beggars Banquet and the singles alone back up this claim); 2) Goats Head Soup is phenomenal, not mediocre; 3) They are *way* better than the Who during this period (save for Live at Leeds, maybe). Then again, the Stones are my second-favorite band of all-time through Tattoo You (although I'd exclude Black and Blue and Emotional Rescue from close listening). You also skipped a majority of my favorite tracks from this period: "Moonlight Mile" (which could be my favorite Stones song), "Torn & Frayed," "You Got the Silver," "Let It Bleed," "Wild Horses," "Let It Loose," "Coming Down Again," "Angie," and "Luxury," specifically, while including some of my *least* favorite songs from this period ("Fingerprint File," "Silver Train," "Bitch," and "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll"). Hats off, however, for taking the time to include "Shine a Light" (my *other* favorite Stones song), "Honky Tonk Women," "Monkey Man," "Loving Cup," "Rocks Off," "Tumbling Dice," and "Happy." I would hope/think you understand, however, that these comments are meant to start a discussion, not to attack your mix, which, as I said, can't really go far wrong with material like this.

No offense taken, Rob -- it's only rock & roll. Though I like most of the tracks you named from this period, I was going for a more upbeat mix, so that alone ruled out a bunch of 'em. Plus, I'm just not as big a fan of Stones ballads -- "Wild Horses" and "Angie" being the sort of songs that are fine on the radio, but I skip 'em when I play the albums. I don't discount the Jones era, particularly the singles (including even some of the psychedelic stuff, like "We Love You" and "Child of the Moon") -- but I don't listen to it nearly as often; some of the best Stones songs from the early days I've heard just way too many times to play voluntarily these days, and some is too dated for my taste. And while I couldn't really play favorites, I definitely disagree that the Stones were way better than the Who during this period -- Who's Next & Quad being a solid match for Sticky Fingers & Exile. I think Goat's Head is underrated (and even IOR&R is pretty good), but was still a pretty big stumble after Exile. Incidentally, felt inspired to dust off Black & Blue yesterday and confirmed that, yes, it still sucks (though I give 'em points for trying some new things).

Well, you know my aversion to Who's Next and Quadrophenia... ;-) And yeah, I just played Black & Blue two days ago and came to the same conclusion exactly (again). A couple of moments there *almost* work (notably "Memory Motel" and "Fool to Cry"), but wind up meandering too long to be great songs. It's odd that they picked the tracks that they picked for inclusion on that record, because a lot of stuff that turned up later (esp "Worried About You" and "Waiting on a Friend") was infinitely better. Btw, have you ever seen my four-volume Stones collection (With a smile on your face and terror in your eye)? I'm curious as to what you'd think about it.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Between the Buttons is one of my favorite Stones albums, as well (in support of the Brian Jones comment).

mick taylor was a great guitar player, i think that's well established, but who wrote the songs?! Mick Taylor just happened to join the Stones in their most productive period, that's all....

Oh yeah, what about Some Girls and Tattoo You?

I love it, but how is Mick Taylor in the video for IORR if he left the band before the title track was recorded? Heroin can bring out the best in some people.