The Rolling Stones Album Keith Richards Says Any Non-Stones Fan Should Start With

With over 20 studio albums under their belts, the Rolling Stones can’t guarantee which record of theirs will be the first one a new fan hears, but Keith Richards has some ideas for which record that should be. Indeed, with the unique exception of a debut album, artists have no control over how a new fan (or critic) will introduce themselves to their music.

Considering how different one album can be from the next, these first impressions can drastically alter someone’s perception of a band, even if the album is a sonic standalone compared to the rest of their discography. With this in mind, Richards made a compelling argument for which Rolling Stones album any non-fan should start with when diving into their lengthy repertoire.

The Rolling Stones Record Keith Richards Thinks You Should Start With

Some artists’ debuts continue to outshine their subsequent releases for the rest of their career. Other musicians don’t hit their stride until the third or fourth record. For Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, he had a surprising answer for which album non-Stones fans should start with when acquainting themselves with their catalog: Exile on Main Street. The British rock band released their tenth studio album in the spring of 1972 to less than enthusiastic reviews. Notably, the album features few of the classic tracks we typically associate with the Rolling Stones, like “Gimme Shelter” or “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” But, of course, Richards had his reasons.

In a 2014 interview with Classic Rock magazine, Richards pondered which Rolling Stones album a 14-year-old burgeoning rock lover should listen to first. “I’d say Exile on Main Street [because] it’s a double album, so there’s more range on it. But it also is the pointer. It’s amazing. We had to fight to put that one out, but eventually, everybody got it.”

The two lead singles off Exile on Main Street were “Tumbling Dice” and “Happy,” the latter of which featured Richards on lead vocals. (So, perhaps there’s a bit of ego involved in Richards’ introductory album pick.) Critical reception was lukewarm upon the album’s initial release. However, as Richards alluded to in his Classic Rock interview, public opinion ultimately shifted. Now, many consider Exile on Main Street to be a highly influential rock record, arguably one of the greatest of all time.

Not Everyone In The Band Would Agree With The Guitarist

When one considers how the Rolling Stones recorded Exile on Main Street, it is simultaneously unsurprising and a little baffling that it would be Keith Richards’ go-to pick for someone’s first introduction to the Stones. First, the band recorded the groundwork for the album at Richards’ rental villa in the south of France, Nellcôte. Consequently, much of the album’s production depended on Richards’ lackadaisical and inconsistent schedule, made so by his worsening substance abuse. According to frontman Mick Jagger, there was an irritating absence of discipline for this album.

Jagger once called Exile on Main Street “lousy” with “no concerted effort of intention. At the time, [producer] Jimmy Miller was not functioning properly. I had to finish the whole record myself because otherwise, there were just these drunks and junkies.” (Some of these “drunks and junkies” were the Stones crew, but others included a rotating guest list of fellow rockstars like John Lennon and Gram Parsons.) The rowdy energy of Nellcôte got the attention of French police, which prompted Richards to try and straighten up. After the band tracked the record’s bare bones, they overdubbed at Sunset Sound Recorders in Los Angeles.

While certainly not the first Rolling Stones album this writer would pick as someone’s first listen, there is merit to Richards’ suggestion. After all, one could describe the Rolling Stones and Exile on Main Street with the same three words—loose, instinctual, and raucous—and perhaps that’s reason enough to start there when exploring the Stones’ discography.

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