Guys, Exile on Main Street. Am I right? I know this says Ray’s Record Review, but for a minute can we let it be Ray’s Record Rant? Cause let’s be honest, what else new do I have to say about this album? Its all been said. Ok… so here we go!
Exile on Main Street, I remember hearing that it was one of the ultimate Rock and Roll albums ever. So, one day I got brave and went to the store to purchase the CD. I Opened the CD so carefully, yet with so much anticipation, put it in my CD player and basked in all of it’s Rock and Roll Majesty. That was the day of my Rock and Roll transfiguration! I knew and understood everything Rock and Roll… That is what I would like to tell you, unfortunately my story doesn’t go that way. I actually didn’t dig it. It was kind of let down… this wasn’t what I thought the pinnacle of Rock and Roll should be. I didn’t go back to the CD for a few months, but ultimately decided to try and bask in its glory again. Again, I just didn’t get it. Another two or three months went by… and maybe the stars had aligned in some way, or maybe I had been exposed to something else that helped me understand it, but that third time was definitely the charm for me. That day I finally got it. This was Rock and Roll.
That’s my story about buying the CD… quite a milestone, but this isn’t Ray’s CD Review/Rant.
I found this copy of the record several months into collecting records. And since it had slowly but steadily become one of my all time favorite albums, I had my eyes out for it.This particular copy I found on a brisk autumn morning at a flea market in Lake Park while on a yard sale/flea market excursion with my dad. Up until this point I had not spent over $2 on any record. You can come across some real gems at flea markets and yard sales for less that $2. On this particular day though I found a record that I had to have. This was the first copy of Exile I had ever actually seen on vinyl, and I needed it! So much so, that I was willing to pay the steep price the man was asking at the flea market. So I shelled out my $8, and history was made!
Since then, I have had many other memories made with this album. One more story. When I was on tour, we would usually stay up pretty late, get up pretty late, then drive and play shows late. every so often we would have a day where we had to drive much further, or had a strange day time concert, and we would have to wake up early… these were the worst days. But to make them better Justin Dansby (the drummer in the band I was playing in at the time) and I would wake up and blast Rocks Off (the first song on the album) it would get us going in a good way on those early mornings, and put us in such a good mood!
Since I haven’t talked much about the album itself. It is one of my Favorite Rolling Stones albums! It is a double vinyl! I Believe this album only had two “Hit” songs on it, Tumbling Dice (track 5) and Happy (track 10).
My stand out tracks/ Personal Favs (keep in mind, I Love all of them!)
1st Track – Rocks Off
2nd Track – Rip This Joint (seriously such a party)
6th Track – Sweet Virginia
12th Track – Ventilator Blues
17th Track – Shine a Light (we left for our honeymoon to this song!)
18th Track – Soul Survivor
I know, I know, this was the longest post ever on here…. I am long winded… but that was Ray’s Record Review #1.Have you ever listened to this album? If not check it out, if so, what is your favorite track!
Back Cover
Middle Fold Out
Vinyl Inserts 
Thanks for putting up with my rant guys! If you haven’t listened to Exile on Main Street, the best way is on vinyl, but if you don’t have a record player, just listen to it! its a great album!
– This is one of those bands that I have a vivid memory of seeing live just a few times. one of those times it was out in this field at a festival in Alabama during the summer. The sun was just going down, and it had been a great day of watching tons of amazing bands, but this was one of my favorites. I still listen to this band all the time, but I always think of that day when I do.
– Ok I know I said songs remind me of events, and this one is a little different than Twothirtyeight. This song reminds me of all the times I ever lived on the stage, played the guitar, and wanted to get paid. No responsibilities, just doing what I wanted. It was the best of times and the worst of times haha. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but I also wouldn’t go back.
– I was friends with Louis from Gasoline heart when he was doing a band called The Kick (a lot of you FL friends probably saw them play a lot). That band broke up and everyone was really sad, they were such a great live band to watch. Well I heard that Louis and Johnny (from Squad Five-0, who had also played for a while in The Kick) started a new band. My first opportunity to hear this new band was in 2005 at Cornerstone FL. It was another show where the sun was just setting (Note: If you ever want me to fall in love with your band make sure you play a festival and play as the sun is setting haha) they had a guy playing Hammond B3 and they played this song… wow… it was so good… It’s still my favorite Gasoline Heart song.
– Well my favorite movie for a long time was Almost Famous. There is a part in the movie where William (the main charagter) gets a stack of records from his sister who has left home, and a note. The note says “Burn a candle and listen to Tommy and you will see your future” I always loved that. So when we were staying in Ohio for a few days on tour I went out and bought the CD of Tommy (I had the vinyl, but you can’t listen to a vinyl on the road) So that night Justin Dansby our current drummer and I sat up, lit candles and listened to Tommy. Unfortunately we did not see our future, but it was a good time.
– This song makes me think of driving around with the windows down during the summer.
– This whole album is so good, and the whole album feels like summertime-feel-good-driving-with-the-windows-down music… but this track makes me remember summertimes so much more than the others.
– This album was like a theme album for tours. (not the themes on the album, just party music)
– This was our wake up jam every morning on tour! This song just gets me so pumped!