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Source Material: The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street

by Mike McGuirk

Recently, I stumbled upon this clip of The Rolling Stones in the studio, presumably from one of the many, many Exile on Main St. sessions, as they are working out "Tumbling Dice." Maybe they're getting ready to go on tour -- who cares. I'd never seen or heard of this footage, and I can't stop watching it. Not only does it sound loose in that way the best rock music sounds, but they finish the song and then play it again, a hair slower, literally grinding it out. It rules. Also, I always forget that Mick Jagger was an incredible singer/frontman back in the day. Even his hair is perfect here.

Where did this video come from? I have this theory that after Keith's book came out, some little turd said to Mick, "You're just some old dude. You were never cool." And Mick was like, "Actually, I have this footage of me being the coolest dude on the planet," and then had one of his 5,000 servants upload that video to YouTube.

As far as Exile on Main St. goes, the Stones' monumental 1972 double album combines the sacred moves of Chuck Berry, '50s gospel, New Orleans R&B/blues, Delta blues, country music, hard drugs and sub-optimal recording conditions. The result is pretty much the last word on blues-based '60s/'70s rock music, or, really, plain old rock 'n' roll.

The 10 albums below were either referenced outright by the Stones on Exile or can be heard in the horn charts, sweaty rhythm section (Charlie Watts is really, really, really good on this one; if you get bored with Mick and Keith, you can always just listen to Charlie) and innumerable awesome guitar parts (the end of "Tumbling Dice," the chorus of "Torn and Frayed," all of "Happy"). Dr. John and The Flamin' Groovies are included because, while they have no peers here, if the Stones were trying to emulate anybody, it was likely those two. First, the Groovies were the only band besides the Stones that could play Chuck Berry without sounding like they were trying to get the party started at a wedding (usually). And Dr. John's Gris Gris, while at the root tied to ancient music, was an entirely new way to deliver it and practically speaks its own language.

Which is basically the idea behind Exile. It's all been said before, just not this like this, with everything that came before it jumbled up and crashed out, yet perfectly blended -- anything but willy-nilly. One glaring omission is Elvis Presley's Sun Sessions CD, the music of which not only had a huge effect on Keith Richards (he has said as much in interviews), but also on Mick's singing (everybody tried to be Elvis). But Rhapsody doesn't have the rights to it.

That said, this list could be 50 albums long; this is just a start. Honestly, to attempt a comprehensive list would be like taking a course in rock 'n 'roll, which isn't exactly the idea here: The point is to play this music loud and jump around your room, starting with "Rocks Off." Okay, have fun.

Chuck Berry Is On Top

Chuck Berry

Released in 1959 and boasting eight timeless hit singles, it's nearly inconceivable that someone could put a record as good as Berry Is On Top. Sure -- there are collections that have more of his hits, but this one has a really good cover. Plus it's got the rare, totally weird Italian rocker "Anthony Boy" and the even rarer, less weird "Blues For Hawaiians."

New Orleans Piano

Professor Longhair

Definitive versions of the definitive New Orleans blues piano giant's repertoire, New Orleans Piano features the easy brilliance of Professor Longhair's playing and singing captured with all the warmth of music from the '50s, eternally marked by the perfectly muffled recording techniques of the time. The whistling intro to "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" and the mid-tempo barrelhouse roll of "Tipitina" alone are bedrock moments in American music, but everything on this collection of early Atlantic singles and alternate takes (all from either 1949 or 1953) is must hear.

Satan Is Real

The Louvin Brothers

One of the most infamous country gospel albums, Satan Is Real found some fans just on the strength of the kitschy album art. But what's even stranger is that the Louvin Brothers, also famous for such brutal murder ballads as "Knoxville Girl," could preach on the phonographic pulpit with perfect harmonies like "The Christian Life" (later covered by the Byrds) and "There's A Higher Power," a knee-slapping honky-tonk song. The eerie and cool title track was covered by Hank Williams III on 2006's Straight To Hell.

Coast Along With The Coasters

The Coasters

One of the great things about the Coasters (and there are many) is that even though these songs were written amid the sanitized paranoia of the '50s, when they sing the word "glass" in "What About Us" you can't help but expect them to rhyme it with some kind of "ass" joke. They don't, but they just about do. Coasting has two of this monumental band's most brilliant songs, the surreal rocker "Run Red Run" and the Tex Avery-inspired "Little Egypt."

Moanin' In The Moonlight/Howlin' Wolf

Howlin' Wolf

The opening half of this set of Wolf's first two albums features the uptown classics "Spoonful," "Red Rooster," and "Wang Dang Doodle." These are great songs, to be sure. But in the second half, it's the creeping paranoia of Wolf's voice; the slippery, satanic guitar work of Willie Johnson, and the sweatiness of it all that's really going to tattoo your brain.

The Best Of Dorothy Love Coates & The Original...

Dorothy Love Coates

With Dorothy Love Coates' lung-busting power, superb piano playing courtesy of one Evelyn Starks, and backing singers who each has her own distinctive style, The Original Gospel Harmonettes were an oft-imitated gospel group in the burgeoning scene of the '50s. This collection gives a good illustration of why, from the Coates-written classic "Ninety-Nine and a Half" to the blown-out intensity of "These Are They" to the possibly most rocking gospel song ever, "Get Away Jordan." The Harmonettes essentially define this golden age of gospel that was a major influence on rock 'n' roll.

Teenage Head

The Flamin' Groovies

Legendarily called a better record than Sticky Fingers by the Stones themselves, Teenage Head is one of the few moments everything came together for this doomed band. They refrained from punching each other just long enough to get it recorded, and you can get through almost the entire album before the consistency goes out the window and they're tossing some crappy six-minute cover of a '50s song recorded at 5 A.M. in your face. "High Flyin' Baby" hits on Beefheart, "Whiskey Woman" sounds fantastic coming out of a jukebox and "Yesterday's Numbers" is just brilliant.

The Best Of Slim Harpo

Slim Harpo

Slim Harpo's bluesy combination of R&B, pop and country found favor with such luminaries as the Rolling Stones, Them and the Kinks, all of whom covered Harpo originals at some point in their careers. With gems like "I'm A King Bee," "Raining In My Heart" and "Te Ni Nee Ni Nu," The Best Of Slim Harpo ably scratches the surface of the Louisiana bluesman's catalog

King Of The Delta Blues Singers (Volume 2)

Robert Johnson

It's incredible that Robert Johnson's music remains as complex, pained and creepy today as the day it was recorded. The Delta bluesman's influence on loner, satanic and doomed artist imagery, in both blues and rock 'n' roll, is incalculable, and this record is a major starting point for anyone interested in the blues.

Gris Gris

Dr. John

Mac Rebennack added atmospheric voodoo vibes and twisted psych-rock flourishes to his New Orleans R&B piano sound and invented Dr. John in the process. The good doctor has had a long, worthwhile run but this classic debut is still a career highlight (though bayou acid trips like "Croker Courtbullion" get bested by the slow boiling, amazing "I Walk on Guilded Splinters").