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Tyler: “Sweet Black Angel,” Peter. How do you feel about it?

Clearly no match for John and Yoko’s Angela Davis anthem.

Peter: Oh, God. That was awful. “Sweet Black Angel,” on the other hand, is terrific. I think it’s rightly regarded as one of the Stones most beloved deep cuts. It’s got a great West Indian rhythm, under a country/blues ballad (I learned that from Wikipedia). It’s really nice. Love it.

Tyler: It’s universal, in its way.

We talk a lot of shit about Black And Blue, but it isn’t as execrable as Some Time In New York City.

Peter: That’s true.

Wow, Wikipedia also claims, “‘Sweet Black Angel’ was performed live by the Stones only once, in Fort Worth on 24 June 1972.”

Tyler: I wondered whether they’d ever tried it out onstage.

Peter: It’s a good tune! Maybe it’s hard to play live.

Tyler: Might need a spare percussionist.

Peter: It’s true.

Strap a pair of cymbals between Mick’s knees, and have him wear a washboard as a shirt. Problem solved.

Tyler: The Mick strut would be interesting with cymbals involved.

Peter: It would be amazing. That’s just science.

Next up is “Loving Cup.” It’s another gem, Tyler. This album is something else.

Tyler: I adore “Loving Cup.” It’s a stunner.

Peter: Apparently Phish cover it quite regularly. So, if you like when good things are ruined, you can check that out.

Tyler: Oh my! Loom compatriot Johnny Chicago will have your head!

Peter: I kid! It’s a zinger!

Tyler: Johnny told me ages ago that Phish do cover this one. Going back to Exile with that knowledge actually enhanced the track for me. If you pay attention to “Loving Cup,” it leaps out at you. Beautiful.

Peter: I love Keith’s vocals on it.

Tyler: It’s another one where, somehow, you buy Mick’s heartfelt yearning.

Peter: His vocals are so raw on Exile. He’s hollerin’!

Tyler: Remember how furious he sounds throughout Dirty Work? Exile > Dirty Work > Black And Blue.

Peter: He did sound angry on Dirty Work. It was weird. But, still, it’s better than B&B.

Tyler: I wanna add, I dog on Mick’s emotional authenticity at times. He’s just got such a reputation as, I dunno. Composed.

Listening to tracks like “Loving Cup” or, say, “Moonlight Mile” or even their cover of “Just My Imagination,” I find myself enchanted by earnest Jagger. It feels special.

Peter: Yeah, I think it’s on the next one, Goat’s Head Soup, where Mick starts to do the more campy, put-on voices. If only we could go back in time and kill baby Hitler but also post a Western Union telegram to be delivered to Mick in 1972, telling him not to do the voices.

Tyler: Well, no Mick voices on “Loving Cup!” And no Mick lead vocal on our next track, a signature singular song from Keith.

Peter: Keith wrote and cut this at Nellcôte, in an afternoon, waiting for the rest of the band to show up. Keith plays the guitar and bass, Jimmy Miller’s on the drums, and Bobby Keys is playing maracas. They overdubbed some stuff later, but still. Pretty cool origin story.

Tyler: It’s just so very Keith. He needs a love to keep him happy. Put this in the Hall of Fame with “You Got The Silver” and “Before They Make Me Run.”

Peter: Yeah, those are the top three, I reckon.

Tyler: Imagine “Happy” sung by Mick. Trainwreck.

I mean, it just wouldn’t play.

Peter: Maybe if he did it in a campy Keef voice? “Happy” was the second single off Exile. It hit number 22. It’s the only Keith-sung Stones single to chart.

Tyler: It’s not a hit, not in a classically-Stones manner. Does that make sense? Something about Keith’s songs feels at home on an album, surrounded by bangers, a unexpected and welcome respite from frontman swagger. On the radio, that effect is lost.

Peter: Yeah, it’s a different thing when Keith’s driving the bus.

Tyler: Keith might not be able to outdo Toonces behind the wheel.

Peter: He really can drive! Just not very well!

Tyler: Next: “Turd On The Run!” I hate the title, but the song is absolutely baller.

Peter: It’s not a good title!

Great tune, though. You’re correct.

It sounds like a jam that got turned into a song, but it’s such a banger, they really should have thought harder about the title.

Tyler: I’m fairly certain that I’ve left it off of mixes and playlists due to the title alone. Can’t have that dirty guff sullying the innocence of my chosen music!

What was the band that did “Flood?” Radio-friendly half-Christian jams. That’s my wheelhouse.

Peter: Jars of Clay!

I’ve seen them live, and, believe it or not, they were really great.

I only knew the one song, but still.

Tyler: Well, we agree that “Turd On The Run” is an absolute winner with a dum-dum name. Coming in hot right behind it is “Ventilator Blues.”

Now this is an example of Mick vamping to perfection.

Peter: His vocals are double tracked (a rarity on a Stones record), and it helps give them a little extra gravitas. I love this song. It’s very interesting musically. The rhythm is really odd. Charlie had trouble playing it.

This is the only Stones song Mick Taylor got a writing credit on that was released while he was in the band.

He wrote the riff.

Tyler: We’re in kind of a mini-suite with “Ventilator Blues” preceded by the quick “Turd On The Run” and followed by our next jam: “I Just Want To See His Face.” Mick gone Christian!

Peter: I love the way “Ventilator Blues” fades into “I Just Want to See His Face.” It feels so organic, even though it’s obviously a bit of studio trickery.

Tyler: “I Just Want…” enters the scene with an almost Creole flair.

It’s voodoo music about Jesus.

Peter: It’s that murky stew of Americana influences. Bill Janovitz put it well: “‘I Just Want to See His Face’ has the band exploring the music of America, specifically the country, blues, folk, and soul of the South … [it] sounds ancient and from another planet; a swampy, stompy gospel song that was recorded to intentionally sound as if it is a field recording document of a long-ago church basement revival meeting.”

Tyler: It works. Perhaps it shouldn’t, but it sure does.

Peter: I hate to sound like a broken record, but I love it. It’s one of my favorite tracks on Exile.

But, also, I should point out, it’s oddly confrontational for a gospel-style track. Mick doesn’t want to talk about Jesus, he just wants to see His face. It’s almost a taunt. If God exists, then let’s see it, that sort of thing.

Tyler: That’s fascinating. And rather true, by my reckoning.

Peter: With the voodoo undercurrent you mentioned, it is indeed a spicy stew.

Also, it’s a lo-fi viiibe.

Tyler: They were kind of good at everything if they gave it enough gas. Remarkable.

Flash forward a few years from Exile and the Stones are staring down both disco and punk. What do they release? “Miss You” followed by “When The Whip Comes Down” to open Some Girls. They could adapt.

Peter: It’s true.

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