Always been a fan of their music but never owned any of the albums. I was thinking of purchasing the following:

Beggars Banquet (1968)
Let It Bleed (1969)
Sticky Fingers (1971)
Exile On Main St. (1972)

Any other essentials I'm missing?

I could've sworn we had a topic on the Stones, but I couldn't find one, so kudos to you for finally starting one. Those four are definitely the most essential, and a good start. I've found myself getting in to a lot of their pre-Beggars albums and singles. Of the albums, Between the Buttons is probably the best. The most essential post-Exile albums are probably Goat's Head Soup, Some Girls, and Tattoo You.

Between the Buttons is my favorite Rolling Stones album period, but you cannot go wrong with any of their output from 1966 to 1972. Witness:

1966 - Aftermath; Got Live if You Want It (very good live album)
1967- Between the Buttons; Flowers (this isn't really an album, but it's fantastic); Their Satanic Majesties Request (this gets a bad rap, really it is quite stunning)
1968 - Beggar's Banquet
1970 - Get Your Ya-Ya's Out! (another good live album)
1971 - Sticky Fingers
1972 - Exile on Mainstreet
1969 - Let it Bleed

Quite a run, methinks.

The Rolling Stones might be my most favorite band of all time. If I had heard them first, before The Beatles, that might've been a fact.

That being said, I think they have a ton of essential albums. The four you listed are a great way to start. That was when they made their four, perfect albums, in a row.

I also love and consider essential:

1964 - s/t (England's Newest Hitmakers), 12 X 5
1965 - The Rolling Stones Now!, Out of Our Head
1966 - Aftermath
1967 - Between the Buttons, Flowers
1968 - Beggars Banquet
1969 - Let it Bleed
1971 - Sticky Fingers
1972 - Exile on Main St.
1978 - Some Girls
2005 - A Bigger Bang (a great album, overlooked by many. Clearly their best album in almost 30 years. If it had been released in the early 70s, it would be recalled as a classic)

quote:

Originally posted by Maximum Jack:
1970 - Get Your Ya-Ya's Out! (another good live album)

This album never fails to disappoint me. It should be good but, apart from Mick Taylor's jaw-dropping solo on "Sympathy for the Devil", I think it's pretty ordinary.

I've always loved Goats Head Soup best. But Tattoo You onward was more miss than hit for me.

Was there ever a decent Stones box set?

quote:

Originally posted by crazed:
Was there ever a decent Stones box set?

Not really, I love the Singles Collection: The London Years but it does not tell the whole story at all. I think it's a nice way to plug in the early years and then pick up the albums starting with Aftermath and finish with Tattoo You (if you really love the Stones) or with Exile (if you just want the definitive Stones).

The only one I can really speak for is Exile. Aaaaand everything that's been said about it is true. It's murky, and even the more poppy songs like "Rocks Off" and "Tumbling Dice" sound like album tracks, because it's got a real sense of cohesion throughout. I didn't mind the weariness so much because I was really jittery and everything seemed to have a lot more energy at the time, but I imagine it takes some getting used to coming off their 60's stuff, which would be why it got some mixed reviews at first. But there's a subtlety to it that I think is rewarding.

Jimmy Miller/Mick Taylor era is where it's at.

i would say the only essential albums are Beggar's through Exile. 40 Licks is a good compilation and would compliment those albums nicely.

I think you've got probably their four best albums on that list. Like eric, I also like their early stuff as well. I wouldn't really call any of it essential, though.

I'd have to agree that the four albums listed are really the essential Stones albums. There is no doubt in my mind that the 68-72 period is their creative pinnacle. To me Aftermath and Between the Buttons could comfortably belong on that list with Goats Head Soup on the cusp. Given their long careers, that means possibly calling 66-73 their sweetspot. I hesitate to include Satanic Majesties despite it fitting in the timeframe since it was too uneven.

I would say that Exile on Main Street is the most essential. I get the sense when listening to it that they were pushing the creative envelope but got everything right. So many bands try to get outside their comfort zone and fail e.g. U2's Rattle and Hum.

Obviously, if you want to "cheat" and get Hot Rocks (I assume that's still out there?), that would give you just about all the "essential" music that you needed.

But for the individual albums, I'm partial to "Sticky Fingers" followed by "Let it Bleed." "Some Girls" is also worth listening to. I know everybody loves "Exile on Main Street", but I never understood all the fuss for that one. I'm being blasphemous for sure, but with the exception of "Tumblin' Dice" and "Happy," I don't think there's much on there.

I've posted several times here that Exile has 4/5 cool singles, and all the other songs are weak remakes, so I'll hold up the banner too. I disagree about Some Girls. It's putrid. (OK, so I'm exaggerating to make a point...but it's an honest point.)

Well you’re both wrong; Exile on Main St. is simply superb and one of the top ten albums of all time—for me at least.

I like Exile, but I do think it's somewhat overrated. It certainly doesn't compare to Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, or Sticky Fingers.

I heard "The Last Time" in the local record store today for the first time in years. What a great song! I need to go back and listen to some of those early Stones albums.

Hey, I'm not telling others to NOT buy into the revisionist reviews of Crock of Shit, or, whatever the hell it's called, but the Stones, as hal said, have always been a singles band. Their best ALBUMS all came out pre-Exile but I think you should love the stones where you can. There are just many more places to love them.

The Stones are indeed a great singles band. I got "Let it Bleed" and was pretty let down - though I thought "Exile" was pretty great. Then I started listening to some singles like "Jumping Jack Flash" and "Paint It, Black" and I just realized - these guys are RIDICULOUS when it comes to one-song ass-kickingness.

I agree that the stones are a singles band and prefer the pre-exile records but there are many ways to start making a music collection so there are no wrong answers on this one.

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