It feels a little odd to say this but I’ve never really paid attention to the Rolling Stones as a musical group. As many people my age can attest, I’ve known about the Rolling Stones for as long as I can remember. They’ve been such a permanent fixture of my pop culture world that when it came down to it, I didn’t really need to pay attention to them. They were simply always around. In the same way that I give no thought to the song “Happy Birthday” until it’s time to sing it for someone, whenever I hear “Brown Sugar” or “Paint it Black” I simply notice that a Stones song is on and continue with my day. From the constant jokes about the drug use of Keith Richards to the spot-on Mike Meyers impression of Mick Jagger on Saturday Night Live, these were how I knew the Rolling Stones.

Over the last year or so I’ve been revisiting bands that I missed out on over the years and the classic rock of the 1960′s and 70′s has been a major focus for me. After hearing that Exile on Main St. was getting a re-issue along with some bonus content, I grabbed the album and gave it a good listen. Now, I not only understand why people call this the Rolling Stone’s masterpiece, I finally get why the Rolling Stones are a great band.

Exile on Main St is a curious album, to be sure. On one hand, it has the uneven quality that makes mastering engineers run for their faders and a few heavy duty compressors. On the other, it is full of such down to earth roots rock that you can’t help but feel a more polished album would have lacked the very heart and soul that makes Exile a masterpiece of rock and roll. The Rolling Stones’ music has always been described with adjectives such as “swagger” and “dirty”. Exile on Main St is the personification of this feeling and the dirt and attitude reach down to its very core. From the basement production elements to the rambling and gutsy songwriting, Exile becomes a testament to what makes the Rolling Stones great. It gets to the heart of what their music is all about. Exile on Main St. speaks.

Not every tune is golden and this is the least “radio single” filled Stones album that I can think of. In fact, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have both commented on how surprised they are that this album is as popular as it is. Taken on an individual song basis, it’s not hard to agree with them. However, it’s when the whole album is absorbed that the real brilliance is revealed. Young artists at the top of their creative game, producing music outside of the normal studio system for the first time in ages. It’s raw, full of anything goes and has that powerful glow that only true artistry can provide. Sometimes it’s difficult to see exactly where its coming from but you feel it when you step back and let it take you away. If there was ever an album that was done a disservice by our current iTunes inspired “one-track-at-a-time” world, this is it.

Originally released as a double album, the current reissue manages to pack all 18 original tracks onto one disc. Having never heard the original LP, I can’t comment on the quality of the re-master but I know that Exile on Main St. Sounds amazing overall. Some careful and heartfelt work went into making sure that everything could be heard in the mix while retaining the character of the original.

In addition to the main disc, a second disc is full of alternate takes and a few new songs that had been hiding out in Mick Jagger’s basement. The stand out track, for me, would have to be “Plundered My Soul” which has the fortune of a newly recorded vocal along with some new Richards guitar work. Far from feeling like a quick cash in, this song captures the spirit of the band from 1972 but adds the gusto of two performers with a lifetime of experience to bring to the table. It’s a stand-out track on the whole album, let alone the second disc.

Exile on Main St. is truly a great work and should be a part of any music fans collection. While I struggle to recommend it at the $30.00 price point many stores are charging, if you find it on sale or wait for a price drop, you can’t go wrong.