How 'Exile on Main St.' Went from Critic-Snubbed Oddity to Fan-Voted Best Album

When Exile on Main St. dropped in 1972, most critics shrugged. They called it muddy, bloated, even sloppy—a step down from Sticky Fingers. Rolling Stone gave it a lukewarm review, and the album barely cracked the US top 10. Fast-forward fifty years, and it regularly wins fan polls as the Stones’ best record