In 1995, Mick Jagger told Rolling Stone of "Exile on Main Street": "It's a bit overrated, to be honest. Compared to 'Let It Bleed' and 'Beggars Banquet,' which I think are more of a piece, I don't see it's as thematic as the other two. I'm not saying it's not good. It doesn't contain as many outstanding songs as the previous two records. I think the playing's quite good. It's got a raw quality, but I don't think all around it's as good."
Interestingly, the making of the record has gone down in history as happening at the pinnacle of the band's drug abuse. Songs were often spontaneously written or recorded, and sessions lasted all night as the band and various other musicians, girlfriends, and hangers-on partied and hung out at the French Villa where the album was mostly recorded. According to what Jagger told Rolling Stone, even the producers and engineers were "out of it," and the whole thing was very disorganized. Yet those raw, bleary-eyed, mind-altered recording sessions created what many consider a masterpiece of rock 'n' roll.
In 2010, the Stones released a re-issue of "Exile on Main Street." By then, Jagger had a new outlook on the album. He told Rolling Stone that although it didn't have a lot of hit singles, he always respected the work, and "over the years a lot of the songs have been played on stage, and they've acquired another life."
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