As it would happen, i just finished compiling a personal MP3 compilation covering their discography through the mid 80s. In assembling the mix, i pulled in various outtakes and singles (and b-sides) and buried them into the most appropriate album folder so some of those albums are artificially bloated, but still, representative of the era. The winnowing process took a few days but finally resulted in about 6 hours of music that fit onto a single CDR.
Looking over the tracklist today, i see a suprisingly healthy dose from 1964's 12 x 5, both 1965's ...Now & Out Of Our Minds, 1976's Black and Blue and, of all things, 1983's Tattoo You. The most fertile ground comes from 1965 where no less than three albums-worth of material amply covers their most defining period. At the end of the day, however, i can't help but nod to the refinement found in 1968 and 1969 (Let It Bleed) with my final vote going to Beggars Banquet (which is represented by numerous alternate, live, and various heretofore "lost" tracks -- but damn, how could two separate versions of "Memo to Turner" ever be wrong???).
― christoff, Wednesday, 23 May 2007 16:19 (sixteen years ago) link
this thing will finally close tomorrow.
― Bee OK, Wednesday, 30 May 2007 19:58 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm pretty sure the code just let me vote a second time in this poll. Exile a couple of weeks ago, The Rolling Stones Now! this time.
-- Rock Hardy, Wednesday, May 23, 2007 2:23 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Link
Yeah, I think I accidentally voted twice in a poll before, but I was drunk so I kept my mouth shut 'cause sometimes I don't remember too good, see? I'm also darn sure that I've voted in this poll before and was just now able to cast another vote (for Exile, if we're keeping count).
― kingkongvsgodzilla, Thursday, 31 May 2007 02:59 (sixteen years ago) link
I never felt like the Stones were a very good 'album band'... but I'm going to go with Satanic Majesty, which I think is the most consistent and a hugely underrated album. This one needs a critical re-evaluation.
― Richard Wood Johnson, Thursday, 31 May 2007 03:34 (sixteen years ago) link
Awesome, I just voted a third time! Whatever the code problem is, I'm all for this ballot-box stuffing.
― Rock Hardy, Thursday, 31 May 2007 03:38 (sixteen years ago) link
I voted Out Of Our Heads, since I played that one last, and quite enjoyed it.
― nicky lo-fi, Thursday, 31 May 2007 07:57 (sixteen years ago) link
Geir sez: "But even a failed psych album is better than a great rock'n'roll album"
*head explodes*
― Johnny Fever, Thursday, 31 May 2007 08:10 (sixteen years ago) link
Wow! Biggest (well, longest certainly) poll ever is coming home!
― Mark G, Thursday, 31 May 2007 08:22 (sixteen years ago) link
Stuff that ballot-box, y'all. I've voted at least three times so far.
― JN$OT, Thursday, 31 May 2007 08:28 (sixteen years ago) link
hey, that's my vote
― gabbneb, Thursday, 31 May 2007 09:33 (sixteen years ago) link
i went with exile in the end tho
― gabbneb, Thursday, 31 May 2007 09:34 (sixteen years ago) link
Between The Buttons (UK). I don't expect it to win.
― Dr.C, Thursday, 31 May 2007 11:42 (sixteen years ago) link
Several members have probably voted two or more times. I guess a long voting period is no good idea :)
― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 31 May 2007 12:18 (sixteen years ago) link
you can only vote once, surely?
― stevie, Thursday, 31 May 2007 12:20 (sixteen years ago) link
Depends on your cookie settings.
― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 31 May 2007 12:21 (sixteen years ago) link
Cheat!
― Tom D., Thursday, 31 May 2007 12:21 (sixteen years ago) link
OK, you talked me into it!
― Mark G, Thursday, 31 May 2007 19:48 (sixteen years ago) link
Well, for the longest ran poll, the largest quantity votes it seems.
And no great surprises, apart from a couple of no-voteds.
― Mark G, Thursday, 31 May 2007 23:05 (sixteen years ago) link
poor emotional rescue ;_;
― ghost rider, Thursday, 31 May 2007 23:09 (sixteen years ago) link
I believe so, yes.
― Mark G, Thursday, 31 May 2007 23:09 (sixteen years ago) link
Yay Dirty Work!
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Thursday, 31 May 2007 23:11 (sixteen years ago) link
haha Satanic Majesties scoring so high is hilarious (and I LIKE that album!)
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 31 May 2007 23:13 (sixteen years ago) link
GHS?? srsly?
― will, Thursday, 31 May 2007 23:17 (sixteen years ago) link
Goats Head Soup is great.
― Herman G. Neuname, Thursday, 31 May 2007 23:17 (sixteen years ago) link
i'm surprised beggars finished below goat's head soup
― M@tt He1ges0n, Thursday, 31 May 2007 23:18 (sixteen years ago) link
The Rolling Stones (England's Newest Hitmakers) (1964) 0 12 X 5 (1964) 0 Rolling Stones No. 2 (1965) 0 Out of Our Heads (1965) 1 The Rolling Stones, Now! (1965) 3 December's Children (And Everybody's) (1965) 2 Aftermath (1966) 13 Got Live If You Want It! (1966) 0 Between the Buttons UK (1967) 6 Between the Buttons US (1967) 2 Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967) 17 Flowers (1967) 1 Beggars Banquet (1968) 11 Let It Bleed (1969) 12 Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! (1970) 1 Sticky Fingers (1971) 28 Exile on Main St. (1972) 47 Goats Head Soup (1973) 12 It's Only Rock 'N Roll (1974) 0 Black and Blue (1976) 2 Some Girls (1978) 5 Emotional Rescue (1980) 0 Tattoo You (1981) 0 Undercover (1983) 0 Dirty Work (1986) 6 Steel Wheels (1989) 0 Voodoo Lounge (1994) 0 Bridges to Babylon (1997) 1 A Bigger Bang (2005) 1
One big crashdown in 1974!
― Mark G, Thursday, 31 May 2007 23:19 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm mean, it's ok and all, but for my money it's tied with B&B (I KNOW I KNOW ILM <3 B&B) for their worst of the 70's. I'll Take IORAR over either...
i'm surprised beggars finished below goat's head soup for real
― will, Thursday, 31 May 2007 23:22 (sixteen years ago) link
Emotional Rescue is totally under-valued. I take it xhuxk didn't vote in this one?
― will, Thursday, 31 May 2007 23:24 (sixteen years ago) link
These are pretty unpredictable results and really awful as well.
― sw00ds, Friday, 1 June 2007 00:09 (sixteen years ago) link
I love "Satanic", but I doubt you'll find a lot of Stones fans who'd rank it as their third best album :)
― Geir Hongro, Friday, 1 June 2007 01:25 (sixteen years ago) link
Yeah this is annoying, I like these polls and there's no way that TSMR beat Let It Bleed without cheaters...shame, shame, shame!
― iago g., Friday, 1 June 2007 02:16 (sixteen years ago) link
Why not? Let It Bleed is good, but I wouldn't say it's hands-down better than TSMR.
― Richard Wood Johnson, Friday, 1 June 2007 02:40 (sixteen years ago) link
man, u ppl stoopid
― Dr Morbius, Friday, 1 June 2007 03:11 (sixteen years ago) link
diebold'd
― rogermexico., Friday, 1 June 2007 03:51 (sixteen years ago) link
2 (or 3--I can't remember) of the Aftermath votes were from me. Something should really be done to make multiple voting from the same IP address more difficult, at the very least.
XP
Fess up, Alfred, all those Dirty Work votes were from you, no?
― JN$OT, Friday, 1 June 2007 06:11 (sixteen years ago) link
I think Stan maj is better than Let it bleed.
I could say it's because SMR is less cynical, more psyche and less crummy blues, but then it's MY FAVOURITE not necessarily about which one's the best.
Do a "best" poll, everyone'd vote "exile" probably.
― Mark G, Friday, 1 June 2007 06:37 (sixteen years ago) link
I don't find "Let It Bleed" particularly good, but it's way better than "Exile". If there is one album in the traditional canon that is underrated in this poll, then I would say "Beggar's Banquet" is the one. I mean, it contains "Sympathy For The Devil", "Street Fighting Man" and "No Expectations". Nuff said.
― Geir Hongro, Friday, 1 June 2007 07:52 (sixteen years ago) link
BB is seventh, that's hardly 'under-rated' considering how many there are here.
― Mark G, Friday, 1 June 2007 08:27 (sixteen years ago) link
BB is obviously a lot better than "Goat's Head Soup". Plus I would say it is better than all of their "classic" 1969-72 albums too.
― Geir Hongro, Friday, 1 June 2007 09:36 (sixteen years ago) link
isn't flowers technically a comp?
― davedestroybox, Friday, 1 June 2007 21:57 (sixteen years ago) link
Two, actually, and was quite prepared to accept bribes to vote some more.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 1 June 2007 22:09 (sixteen years ago) link
xp: so what, it rules
― sexyDancer, Friday, 1 June 2007 22:22 (sixteen years ago) link
There's contrarian votes all over ILX, so why all the fuss on this thread?
― Herman G. Neuname, Friday, 1 June 2007 22:26 (sixteen years ago) link
i want people to explain why they voted Goats Head Soup. grated i love this album but it not even remotely close to their best. these poll results are strange even for ILM. how the hell does Bridges to Babylon or A Bigger Bang even get one vote? but than i love the fact that Some Girls got five votes.
― Bee OK, Saturday, 2 June 2007 05:05 (sixteen years ago) link
Yeah, the Goats Head Soup fiends should out/explain themselves.
― JN$OT, Saturday, 2 June 2007 05:59 (sixteen years ago) link
"A Bigger Bang" was considered sort of a "return to form", but granted I'd expect those who named it so to still vote for something from the late 60s or early 70s.
― Geir Hongro, Saturday, 2 June 2007 18:02 (sixteen years ago) link
I can see with some of the 60s psych fans on this board that Their Satanic Majesties Request would get some votes, but not that many and Beggars Banquet being that low is really surprising. I think "No Expectations" is the best song that Jagger and Richards ever wrote.
― earlnash, Saturday, 2 June 2007 18:29 (sixteen years ago) link
holy 1965
― Brio, Wednesday, 16 June 2010 01:22 (thirteen years ago) link
Classic ILXOR poll - just the right mix of contrarianism and trendiness.
― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Wednesday, 16 June 2010 14:33 (thirteen years ago) link
just the right mix of contrarianism and trendiness
Should be the new board description for ILM
― The whine that winks back at you (KMS), Wednesday, 16 June 2010 16:14 (thirteen years ago) link