Exile on Main Street

References

Exile on Main Street

album by the Rolling Stones

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 19, 2026

Quick Summary

Exile on Main St. is a 1972 double album by the Rolling Stones. It is often considered the band's creative peak, released between the iconic albums Sticky Fingers (1971) and Let It Bleed (1969).12

The album was recorded in the south of France amidst a chaotic environment fueled by drugs, with much of it laid down in the basement of a rented villa. Despite the circumstances, the album features 18 songs that explore the "seamy underbelly of America" through the Stones' love of blues. Standout tracks include "Rocks Off," "Tumbling Dice," and "Shine a Light". The album's making and its raw, blues-infused sound contributed to its legendary status in rock music history.21

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

the Rolling Stones
Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St.
…Flash” and the double album Exile on Main St. (1972) remains the Stones’ creative and iconic peak. The studio albums Let It Bleed (1969) and Sticky Fingers (1971) plus the in-concert Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! (1970) gave them the repertoire and image that still defines them and on which they…
Read More
…Flash” and the double album Exile on Main St. (1972) remains the Stones’ creative and iconic peak. The studio albums Let It Bleed (1969) and Sticky Fingers (1971) plus the in-concert Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! (1970) gave them the repertoire and image that still defines them and on which they…
Read More

the Flying Burrito Brothers
…on their seminal 1972 album Exile on Main St. and in such songs as “Dead Flowers.” Both the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Rolling Stones recorded the dreamy country-infused track “Wild Horses” on the albums Burrito Deluxe (1970) and Sticky Fingers (1971), respectively. (Although rumors abounded that Parsons penned the…
Read More
…on their seminal 1972 album Exile on Main St. and in such songs as “Dead Flowers.” Both the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Rolling Stones recorded the dreamy country-infused track “Wild Horses” on the albums Burrito Deluxe (1970) and Sticky Fingers (1971), respectively. (Although rumors abounded that Parsons penned the…
Read More

Billy Preston
Recording with the Beatles and solo success
…as Sticky Fingers (1971) and Exile on Main Street (1972), as well as on Sly and the Family Stone’s There’s a Riot Going On (1971). Seemingly everywhere in the early 1970s, Preston charted as a solo artist with the Grammy Award-winning instrumental “Outa-Space” (1972) and reached number one with “Will…
Read More
…as Sticky Fingers (1971) and Exile on Main Street (1972), as well as on Sly and the Family Stone’s There’s a Riot Going On (1971). Seemingly everywhere in the early 1970s, Preston charted as a solo artist with the Grammy Award-winning instrumental “Outa-Space” (1972) and reached number one with “Will…
Read More

Keith Richards
The Rolling Stones
… (1971); and the double album Exile on Main Street (1972). Later notable albums—such as Some Girls (1978), Tattoo You (1981), and Voodoo Lounge (1994)—produced additional hit songs (such as “Shattered” [1978] and “Start Me Up” [1981]); however, the quality of the music never matched that of the Rolling Stones’ peak…
Read More
… (1971); and the double album Exile on Main Street (1972). Later notable albums—such as Some Girls (1978), Tattoo You (1981), and Voodoo Lounge (1994)—produced additional hit songs (such as “Shattered” [1978] and “Start Me Up” [1981]); however, the quality of the music never matched that of the Rolling Stones’ peak…
Read More