Stones in Exile

Rolling Stones fans won't want to miss this documentary chronicling the making of the landmark Exile on Main Street, now regarded as one of rock's greatest works. Director Stephen Kijak managed to corral all the principals, including the musicians (mainstays Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Charlie Watts; then-members Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor; even Ron Wood, who wasn't in the band at the time), technical types (producer Jimmy Miller, photographer Dominique Tarle), spouses and hangers-on, and others, who collectively comment on the wonder of it all. Recollections vary, although considering the attendant debauchery, it's remarkable that anyone remembers anything. One thing they do agree on is that the initial Exile sessions were, as Jagger puts it, “fantastically disruptive.” It seems the Stones had been ignoring their finances, so when faced with an exorbitant tax bill, they left England and decamped for the south of France, where in Richards' villa in Villefranche-sur-Mer, the work began. Preserved in photos and a surprising amount of black-and-white footage (some of it from the little-seen Cocksucker Blues), the scene was chaotic—as were some of the songs, but mostly in a good way. Mick is dismissive (“boring … old recording sessions… . Who gives a shit?”), but most viewers will disagree. Presented in newly remastered Dolby Digital stereo, DVD extras include extended interviews and a featurette in which Jagger and Watts visit other spots where parts of the album were made. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Graham)