his is the Stones at their most swaggering, soulful, and apocalyptic — a band right in the messy middle of growing up and burning out. From the opening gospel stomp of “Gimme Shelter,” it's clear this isn’t just another bluesy Stones record. It’s a siren song for the end of the ‘60s, soaked in dread and swagger. That haunting opening riff might be one of the greatest ever recorded — dark, dirty, and completely captivating. And when Merry Clayton wails that her voice is cracking on “rape, murder — it’s just a shot away,” it sounds like the world teetering off its axis. The album lurches between the decadent and the divine. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is the hymn of disillusioned youth dressed up in choirs and french horns, while “Midnight Rambler” creeps and struts like a blues monster with a knife in its boot. Even throwaways like “Country Honk” and “Live With Me” add colour to the grimy mosaic. Mick Jagger sneers, Keith Richards bleeds soul into every riff, and the whole thing feels like a band dancing on the edge of collapse — and loving it. A glorious, chaotic, blues-drenched masterpiece.