The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street (1972)
The raw bluesy feel that informs even the acoustic songs on this album really appeals to me. I know that this was their signature sound, but here it's been refined, usually to co-exist with more jazz based instrumentation. This gives entirely different overtones to songs such as "Rocks Off" and "Sweet Virginia". Somehow, despite its considerable running time, the album never begins to drag, even the filler ("I Just Want to See His Face", "Let It Loose") isn't generic enough to be completely pointless. The record does step out of its safety zone from time to time, usually with fantastic results. For example: "Loving Cup" is a delicious piano ballad, and "Torn and Frayed" is an oddly melodic acoustic romp. I basically just love this album, atypically buried vocals aside.