Reviewing
      Guns
      n’
      Roses
      latest
      last
      week
      revived
      my
     
     
      interest
      in
      their
      most
      obvious
      comparison,
      The
      Roll-
     
     
      ing
      Stones.
      I
      hadn’t
      listened
      to
      them
      in
      quite
      some
     
     
      time,
      and
      it
      was
      quite
      refreshing
      after
      the
      sledge-
     
     
      hammer
      subtlety
      and
      lack
      of
      songwriting
      smarts
      of
     
     
      Guns
      n’
      Roses.
      Don’t
      make
      too
      much
      of
      this
      compari-
     
     
      son
      either,
      GnR
      aren’t
      even
      in
      the
      same
      area
      code
      as
     
     
      the
      Stones
      were.
      Also,
      I
      make
      quite
      a
      few
      criticisms
     
     
      here,
      but
      their
      only
      relative
      to
      the
      incredibly
      high
     
     
      level
      of
      quality
      the
      Stones
      were
      at
      at
      the
      time.
      Any-
     
     
      way,
      I
      had
      the
      urge
      to
      write
      about
      a
      great
      band,
      rather
     
     
      than
      a
      frustratingly
      unrealized
      and
      bombastic
      one.
      So
     
     
      here’s
      my
      list
      of
      the
      Rolling
      Stone’s
      five
      best
      al-
     
     
      bums,
      listed
      in
      chronological
      order.
      My
      picks
      areas
     
     
      safe
      as
      milk,
      but
      I
      can’t
      help
      that;
      the
      critics
      are
      :
     
     
      right.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Aftermath-
      A
      greatalbum
      butitdoeshave
      flaws:
      —
     
     
      ‘*Going
      Home’’
      isn’t
      interesting
      enough
      to
      warrant
      an
     
     
      eleven
      minute
      running
      time,
      the
      misogyny
      isstill
     
     
      present
      (‘‘Stupid
      Girl’’
      and
      ‘‘
      Under
      My
      Thumb’’),
     
     
      **Lady
      Jane’’
      is
      pompous,
      and
      there’s
      some
      needless
     
     
      instrumental
      experimentation.
      Also,
      the
      band
      isn’t
      as
     
     
      proficient
      as
      they'd
      laterbecome,
      Jagger’s
      voice
      isn’t
     
     
      as
      convincing,
      and
      the
      band’s
      playing
      isn’t
      as
      unified.
     
     
      Still,
      the
      songwriting
      is
      at
      an
      early
      peak,
      highlighted
     
     
      by
      ‘‘Paint
      It
      Black’’
      (I’m
      sick
      of
      that
      one).
      Somewhat
     
     
      overrated
      but
      still
      a
      very
      good
      album.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Beggars
      Banquet-
      An
      excellent
      album
      that
      many
      cite
     
     
      as
      their
      finest.
      Personally,
      I
      love
      this
      album,
      but
      I
     
     
      prefer
      the
      humanism
      that
      would
      emerge
      in
      their
      mu-
     
     
      sic.
      A
      rather
      threatening,
      sinister
      album
      in
      which
      the
     
     
      love
      songs
      sound
      like
      sick,
      warped
      jokes,
      and
      the
      rest
     
     
      is
      permeated
      with
      a
      dark
      side.
      Probably
      their
      most
     
     
      consistent
      album.
      The
      opener,
      ‘‘Sympathy
      forthe
     
     
      Devil’’,
      is
      one
      of
      their
      greatest
      songs.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Let
      It
      Bleed-
      The
      transition
      piece
      between
      the
      Londor
     
     
      years
      and
      the
      Atlantic
      years.
      Contains
      some
      of
      the
     
     
      Stone’s
      best
      music,
      most
      notably
      ‘‘Gimmie
      Shelter’’
     
     
      and
      ‘‘You
      Can’t
      Always
      Get
      What
      You
      Want’’.
      Not
     
     
      as
      consistent
      as
      Banquet,
      but
      I
      like
      the
      best
      here
      mor
     
     
      than
      the
      best
      on
      Banquet.
      Some
      of
      the
      stuffhere
      is
      —
     
     
      Just
      okay,
      and
      ‘Country
      Honk’’
      is
      lame
      compared
      to
     
     
      the
      original
      ‘‘
      Honky
      Tonk
      Women’’
      (another
      one
      tha
     
     
      I’ve
      heard
      once
      too
      often).
      Nonetheless,
      a
      great
     
     
      album.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sticky
      Fingers-
      My
      personal
      favorite
      probably
      be-
     
     
      cause
      it’s
      the
      first
      Stones’
      album
      I
      bought,
      and
      poss
     
     
      bly
      because
      it’s
      the
      band
      at
      their
      most
      restrained.
     
     
      Here
      they
      display
      a
      newfound
      mastery
      of
      the
      ballad
     
     
      (‘‘Sway’’,
      ‘‘
      Wild
      Horses’’,
      and
      *‘Moonlight
      Mile’”’
     
     
      are
      gorgeous),
      some
      beautiful
      string
      arrangements,
     
     
      and
      the
      eloquent
      guitar
      of
      new
      member,
      Mick
      Taylo:
     
     
      By
      this
      time
      the
      songwriting
      had
      entered
      the
      strato-
     
     
      sphere.
      There
      are
      weak
      spots:
      ‘‘
      You
      Gotta
      Move’’,
     
     
      like
      most
      of
      their
      straight
      blues
      turns,
      isn’t
      terribly
     
     
      interesting,
      ‘‘Can’t
      You
      Hear
      Me
      Knocking’’
      is
     
     
      fantastic
      for
      the
      first
      couple
      of
      minutes
      but
      it
      ends
      i
     
     
      a
      longwinded
      jam,
      and
      ‘*Dead
      Flowers’’,
      like
      most:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      their
      countryish
      songs,
      isn’t
      at
      the
      same
      level
      as
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      rest
      of
      the
      material:
      However,
      the
      rest
      of
      the
      album
     
     
      as
      good
      as
      any
      rockn’
      roll
      out
      there.
      The
      band
     
    

    
     
      reaches
      a
      new
      level
      of
      proficiency;
      while
      not
      slick,
     
     
      the
      music
      attains
      a
      balance
      between
      proficiency
      and
     
     
      imperfect
      perfection.
      This
      is
      music
      filled
      with
      pain
     
     
      compassion,
      and
      warmth.
      Pretty
      transcendant
      stuff.
     
     
      Exile
      On
      Main
      Street-
      My
      nonsentimental
      favorite.
     
     
      The
      Stones
      now
      go
      fora
      rootsier,
      less
      grand
      sound
     
     
      The
      ballads
      are
      more
      soul-based
      than
      the
      majestic
      ©
     
     
      balladry
      of
      Sticky,
      but
      are
      still
      just
      as
      powerful.
      T!
     
     
      country
      experiments
      reach
      fruitation,
      especially
      wi!
     
     
      ‘*Sweet
      Virginia’.
      The
      album
      also
      contains
      some
      ¢
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      X-P
      RESS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      October
      3,
      1991.