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Sounding subdued, or at least more wary than most Stones albums, STICKY FINGERS' 1971 release betrayed the difficulties the band members were enduring. From Mick Jagger's breakup with the emotionally troubled Marianne Faithfull, to Keith Richards's concern about his newborn son Marlon, the band found themselves re-evaluating their lives, and this depth of emotion made it's way into the album. Be it in the terrifyingly spare "Sister Morphine" and "Moonlight Mile," or the near-dangerous, electrified "Can't You Hear Me Knocking," the songs on STICKY FINGERS are anything but innocent.

Pieced together from outtakes and much-labored-over songs, Sticky Fingers manages to have a loose, ramshackle ambience that belies both its origins and the dark undercurrents of the songs. It's a weary, drug-laden album -- well over half the songs explicitly mention drug use, while the others merely allude to it -- that never fades away, but it barely keeps afloat. Apart from the classic opener, "Brown Sugar" (a gleeful tune about slavery, interracial sex, and lost virginity, not necessarily in that order), the long workout "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" and the mean-spirited "Bitch," Sticky Fingers is a slow, bluesy affair, with a few country touches thrown in for good measure. The laid-back tone of the album gives ample room for new lead guitarist Mick Taylor to stretch out, particularly on the extended coda of "Can't You Hear Me Knocking." But the key to the album isn't the instrumental interplay -- although that is terrific -- it's the utter weariness of the songs. "Wild Horses" is their first nonironic stab at a country song, and it is a beautiful, heart-tugging masterpiece. Similarly, "I Got the Blues" is a ravished, late-night classic that ranks among their very best blues. "Sister Morphine" is a horrifying overdose tale, and "Moonlight Mile," with Paul Buckmaster's grandiose strings, is a perfect closure: sad, yearning, drug-addled, and beautiful. With its offhand mixture of decadence, roots music, and outright malevolence, Sticky Fingers set the tone for the rest of the decade for the Stones. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Performer	The Rolling Stones
Music genre	Rock
Music subgenre	Rock
Media format	CD
Original release date	1971-04-23
Edition	Standard Edition
Language	English
Is collectible	Y
Number of tracks	10
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Series title	The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers COMPACT DISCS Rmst, Reissue
Track listing	Brown Sugar, Sway, Wild Horses, Can't You Hear Me Knocking, You Gotta Move, Bitch, I Got the Blues, Sister Morphine, Dead Flowers, Moonlight Mile
Record label	Umvd Labels
Target audience	Adult
Composer	Mick Jagger, Keith Richards
Songwriter	Rolling Stones
Music producer	Jimmy Miller
Number in series	1
Occasion	All Occasion
Track name	Sister Morphine
Duration	46.25 min
Digital audio file format	CD
Music media format	CD
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N