The albums covered here are too long, too noisy and don't have much to say to me. Instead of exploring where they're coming from in the moment, the songs sound like they're written to formula. They lean heavily upon outside help, giving proceedings an anonymous, corporate vibe. Conversely, BLUE AND LONESOME is the only Stones album from this era that I own and enjoy. Rescued from having to come up with material of their own, the Stones focus on highlighting some pretty great covers. The whole thing is loose, well played, well paced and possesses an intimate studio ambience. The core group (including Leavell, Jones & Clifford) sound like they're jamming in the same room and the few guests (especially Clapton) compliment the sound. The big plus is Mick's committed performance: he's a strong harmonica player and his singing pays respect to the songs (instead of being "Mick Jagger", if that makes any sense). The concept of the band going back to their roots holds the whole thing together. It's the last full album with Charlie. BLUE AND LONESOME is neither a face-plant nor a try-to-hard product like the rest of the albums on this list.
Cool ranking series. I jumped ship after Tattoo You, but your rankings will be a fun watch
The albums covered here are too long, too noisy and don't have much to say to me. Instead of exploring where they're coming from in the moment, the songs sound like they're written to formula. They lean heavily upon outside help, giving proceedings an anonymous, corporate vibe.
Conversely, BLUE AND LONESOME is the only Stones album from this era that I own and enjoy. Rescued from having to come up with material of their own, the Stones focus on highlighting some pretty great covers. The whole thing is loose, well played, well paced and possesses an intimate studio ambience. The core group (including Leavell, Jones & Clifford) sound like they're jamming in the same room and the few guests (especially Clapton) compliment the sound. The big plus is Mick's committed performance: he's a strong harmonica player and his singing pays respect to the songs (instead of being "Mick Jagger", if that makes any sense). The concept of the band going back to their roots holds the whole thing together. It's the last full album with Charlie.
BLUE AND LONESOME is neither a face-plant nor a try-to-hard product like the rest of the albums on this list.
Ron Wood also? He's on Hackneyed Diamonds.
My bad….i still think of Wood as a new Stone….
You got me listening to Voodoo Lounge again, but it just keeps going and going.
LOL....it definitely could have used some editing.