Exile on Main Street – A Good Test for Grit and Grain

More reviews and commentaries for the music of The Rolling Stones

The best copies will tend to have the qualities we discuss below, and the more abundant these qualities are on any given pressing, the higher its grade will be.

Yes, it is a science, an empirical one, which can only be carried out by the use of strict protocols and controls, but it sure ain’t rocket science.

All you need is the system, the room, the records, the time and the will to do the painstaking critical listening required to carry out the task.

It can be done, but you could spend a lifetime meeting audiophiles of the vinyl persuasion and never run into a single one who has made the effort more than a handful of times.

To be honest, shootouts are a bitch. If you aren’t getting paid to do them the way we are, finding the motivation to devote the time and energy required to do them right — not to mention the piles of copies of each record you will need — is daunting to say the least.

So, back to the question: what to listen for?

  • Less grit – smoother and sweeter sound, something that is not easy to come by on Exile.
  • A bigger presentation – more size, more space for all the elements to occupy. The bigger the speakers you have to play this record the better.
  • More bass and tighter bass. This is fundamentally a pure rock record. It needs weight down low to rock the way Glyn Johns wanted it to.
  • Present, breathy vocals. A veiled midrange is the rule, not the exception.
  • Good top end extension to reproduce the harmonics of the instruments and details of the recording including the studio ambience.
  • Last but not least, balance. All the elements from top to bottom should be heard in harmony with each other. Take our word for it, assuming you haven’t played a pile of these yourself, balance is not that easy to find. Our best copies will have it though, of that there is no doubt.

Hot Stamper Stones Sound

This shootout is always a struggle, an uphill battle all the way. You’d have to find, clean and play a ton of copies to come up with four sides that can do this music justice. We’re sure that Stones fans and Hot Stamper die-hards are going to be very pleased with this copy.

Of course, Hot Stampers can only give you what’s on the tape. In this case, it’s some rude, crude, dirty rock & roll. That’s clearly what the Stones were going for here. In terms of audiophile appeal, Tea For The Tillerman this ain’t.

Exile On Main Street may have some of The Rolling Stones best music on it, but those looking for the best sounding Stones album should look in the direction of Sticky Fingers or Let It Bleed. They’re better recordings.

But this album is no slouch. It can be a bit gritty and grainy at times, but you gotta believe that’s the kind of sound the Stones heard in the booth and were totally cool with.

More on Exile

Want to find your own top quality copy?

Consider taking our moderately helpful advice concerning the pressings that tend to do the best in our shootouts.

Shootouts for a rock records such as this should be carried out:

This is the only way to hear the Stones right. You need big speakers and you need to have them playing good and loud in a properly treated room.

Exile on Main Street should sound its best this way:

Lastly, make sure it has the Artisan logo in the dead wax.

Further Reading

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