Which Is The Best Side of Exile?
Most longtime readers of this blog know that my favorite record of all time is Exile On Main Street.
Andy got me in a mood to listen to the Stones yesterday and when it was time to get in the shower and get ready for a night out with The Gotham Gal and friends, I wanted something uptempo. But I only had 15 minutes. I decided on Exile and then tried to figure out which side to play. I ended up with the fourth and final side;
"All Down the Line" (Jagger/Richards) - 3:49
"Stop Breaking Down" (Traditional) - 4:34
"Shine a Light" (Jagger/Richards) - 4:14
"Soul Survivor" (Jagger/Richards) - 3:49
I mostly listen to this record from start to finish and kick things off with the amazing first side;
"Rocks Off" (Jagger/Richards) - 4:31
"Rip This Joint" (Jagger/Richards) - 2:23
"Shake Your Hips" (Harpo) - 2:59
"Casino Boogie" (Jagger/Richards) - 3:33
"Tumbling Dice" (Jagger/Richards) - 3:45
So I started to think about this record in its original vinyl incarnation as a four sided double record and the question of which side was the best side popped into my head.
The second side is pretty amazing too;
"Sweet Virginia" (Jagger/Richards) - 4:25
"Torn and Frayed" (Jagger/Richards) - 4:17
"Sweet Black Angel" (Jagger/Richards) - 2:54
"Loving Cup" (Jagger/Richards) - 4:23
Which leaves the third size, anchored by Keith's anthem, Happy;
"Happy" (Jagger/Richards) - 3:04
"Turd on the Run" (Jagger/Richards) - 2:36
"Ventilator Blues" (Jagger/Richards/Taylor) - 3:24
"I Just Want to See His Face" (Jagger/Richards) - 2:52
"Let It Loose" (Jagger/Richards) - 5:16
I think if I could only listen to one side, I'd most often pick the fourth side, as I did last night. So I'll pick that one. If anyone else has an opinion, I am all ears.
Love em all, but side 2 would be on my desert island, if i could only pick one side...
Posted by: Andy | January 22, 2006 at 09:58 AM
Side 2. Hands down! :-)
On a desert island, i would take LET IT BLEED, though...
jh
Posted by: james haft | January 22, 2006 at 12:05 PM
Side 2, hands down!
On a desert island, though i would choose LET I BLEED.
jh
Posted by: james haft | January 22, 2006 at 12:07 PM
Side two is easily my favorite. Loving Cup and Torn and Frayed alone make that one of the best sides ever. Add Sweet Virginia to the mix and you've got something truly special.
Posted by: Kent | January 22, 2006 at 12:18 PM
A funny aside..
..So i put on Exile on Main Street and of course was going to head right to side 2...and of course i was accessing iTunes to play over my house system....and...it hit me...i ripped the music from my CDs and my son's generation will never know there was a side 2!!
it's sad in a way.
jh
Posted by: james haft | January 23, 2006 at 12:05 AM
"There is no Dark Side (of the moon), it's all dark, innit?"
If indeed I was forced to make this decision, I'd pick side two as well.
Posted by: Jackson | January 23, 2006 at 08:37 AM
This is a VERY tough question, probably more important than anything else discussed on this blog...
Each side offers cuts that I just cannot do without. Side 1: Tumblin Dice, Rip This Joint Side 2: Torn & Frayed, Lovin' Cup Side 3: Happy, Ventilator Blues Side 4: Shine a Light.
But, if we're talkin' Tom Hanks crashing into the ocean on a Fedex plane and in one of the packages that wash up on the island happens to be a record player with one side of Exile on the platter, I'm gonna go with side 2.
Don't ever ask me to do this again. It's a very tramatic experience to think about a world without all four sides of this record.
Posted by: Tony Alva | January 23, 2006 at 09:11 AM
It seems Side Two wins. My condolences to Tony's nearly broken brain. Indeed, Fred, debates like this one are difficult on us all.
It's funny though, because I bet both Sen. Biden and Se. Graham would concur that side two is the best.
Alito hates the Stones, though.
Posted by: jackson | January 24, 2006 at 11:50 AM