“Janovitz, by widening and narrowing his lens at will much as the Stones themselves did with the music that inspired them, ultimately delivers a uniquely free-wheeling text that offers readers the equivalent of a fresh set of ears.” ―Harp Magazine
“Bill Janovitz’s riveting look at Exile on Main Street is a must-read, not just for diehard Stones fans, but for anyone in interested in rock ‘n roll, American roots music, the Sixties, and pop culture in the broadest sense. Janovitz combines the perspectives of historian, memoirist, critic, and fan in a concise appreciation of this monumental record; you’ll never think about the Rolling Stones in quite the same way again after reading it.” ―Tom Perrota
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Exile is exactly what rock & roll should sound like: a bunch of musicians playing a bunch of great songs in a room together, playing off of each other, musical communion, sounds bleeding into each other, snare drum rattling away even while not being hit, amps humming, bottles falling, feet shuffling, ghostly voices mumbling on and off-mike, whoops of excitement, shouts of encouragement, performances without a net, masks off, urgency. It is the kind of record that goes beyond the songs themselves to create a monolithic sense of atmosphere. It conveys a sense of time and place and spirit, yet it is timeless. Its influence is still heard today. Keith Richards has said, tongue in cheek, the record “was the first grunge record.”
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