Recorded in Keith Richards' French basement while the Stones hid from British tax collectors, Exile on Main St. sounds like it was made in a cave because it essentially was. The murky production that initially confused critics became its defining virtue: 18 tracks of blues, country, gospel and rock'n'roll bleeding into each other like a three-day bender you can't quite remember but refuse to regret.

What seemed like a mess in 1972 now sounds like the template for rock authenticity, all sweat and swagger with nothing polished away.