New reissue of Exile on Main Street

I just received the super deluxe edition and have been listening to it. Initial impressions are that the CDs have been cleaned up quite a bit. The guitars pop and Mick and Keith’s vocals are clearly out in front. They aren’t as murky as the Virgin remasters. Whether that’s a good thing or not is subject to debate. Bob Ludwig did the Virgin remasters, and I GREATLY prefer them to the latest batch of remasters from Universal, which are totally compressed and bright beyond belief. What a disappointment! But this “Exile” is different. It doesn’t sound really compressed, just cleaned up. Personally, I think the Ludwig remaster comes closest to the original intent, but this one allows you to see the instrumental interplay to a greater degree.

I also liked the bonus tracks. Not essential, certainly, but interesting nonetheless. The packaging of the super deluxe box is also really nice. I had to have it, as "Exile" is in my top five of best albums of all time.

Rockadanny:

It sounds like you might have the Ludwig remaster. When Virgin bought the Stones catalog, they initially remastered everything from "Sticky Fingers" up to "Tattoo You." (They later remastered "Undercover," "Dirty Work," and "Steel Wheels.") Ludwig did most of the remastering, and IMO did a great job. These latest remasters from Universal, though, are horrid: compressed to hell and piercingly bright. If you have the Virgin remasters, hold on to them.

Have to revise my initial impression of the CDs. Last night I played them on my just-assembled main system, which is MUCH more resolving than the system I initially played them on. The other posters are right: they ARE overly compressed and bright, much like the other Universal Stones remasters. What a disappointment, since I love the packaging and it probably will become a collector’s item in future years. I toyed with the idea of returning it, but then I got the bright idea of popping the 1994 Ludwig remaster into the deluxe packaging—and, voila, I’ve got the best of both worlds: a collectible deluxe box set AND a better remaster!

As a side note, with the Universal remaster, details pop out more, but they come at the expense of musicality and the ability to turn the music up with minimal compression. I’ll take the latter any old day.

"Exile" wasn't issued on SACD—just the Stones' pre–“Sticky Fingers” ABKO catalog.

Despite being made by a bunch of Englishmen, “Exile” is one of the best slices of Americana ever put down on wax, IMO. It was truly a masterpiece and—despite the group’s best efforts—an impossible act to follow.

As has been stated in this thread, one shouldn't minimize Gram Parsons' influence. It's in every grrove of the record.