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**The Rolling Stones - GRRR!**
★★★★☆

When you've been the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band for five decades, how do you celebrate reaching your golden anniversary? If you're The Rolling Stones, you unleash GRRR! – a ferocious 50-track compilation that reads like a master class in rock and roll rebellion, spanning from their blues-soaked beginnings to their stadium-conquering twilight years.

While purists might argue that "Exile on Main St." remains their magnum opus – that sprawling, debauched double album recorded in a French villa basement while dodging tax authorities – GRRR! serves a different purpose entirely. Released in 2012 to commemorate half a century of mayhem, it's less about artistic cohesion and more about reminding the world why Mick, Keith, Charlie, and Ronnie (plus the ghosts of Brian Jones, Mick Taylor, and Bill Wyman) have outlasted virtually every band that dared challenge their throne.

The compilation smartly opens with "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," that primal scream of teenage frustration that Keith Richards allegedly dreamed up in his sleep in 1965. From there, it's a relentless parade of classics that defined not just the Stones' career, but rock music itself. "Paint It Black" still sounds like the soundtrack to the apocalypse, while "Gimme Shelter" – with Merry Clayton's spine-tingling vocals – captures the dark underbelly of the '60s counterculture better than any history book ever could.

What makes GRRR! particularly satisfying is how it traces the band's evolution from blues purists to rock innovators. The early tracks showcase their roots in Chicago blues and R&B, with covers like "Route 66" and "Not Fade Away" demonstrating their ability to channel Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly through a distinctly British filter. But it's when they hit their songwriting stride in the mid-'60s that things get truly electrifying.

The album's sequencing is masterful, weaving together obvious crowd-pleasers with deeper cuts that remind you of the Stones' incredible range. "Wild Horses" sits comfortably next to "Brown Sugar," while the country-tinged "Dead Flowers" flows seamlessly into the disco-influenced "Miss You." It's this chameleon-like ability to absorb and transform musical styles that has kept them relevant across multiple generations.

Naturally, the late '60s and early '70s material dominates the collection's strongest moments. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" builds from gospel whispers to orchestral bombast, while "Honky Tonk Women" remains one of the most irresistible bar-room anthems ever recorded. The inclusion of "Angie" and "Beast of Burden" shows their softer side, proving that beneath all the swagger and danger, the Stones could craft genuinely moving ballads.

The compilation also includes two new tracks – "Doom and Gloom" and "One More Shot" – that find the band in surprisingly vital form for septuagenarians. While they don't match the fire of their classic material, they're respectable additions that prove the Stones weren't content to simply coast on past glories.

If there's a weakness to GRRR!, it's the inevitable omissions that come with any greatest hits package. Where's "Moonlight Mile"? "Can't You Hear Me Knocking"? The inclusion of later-period tracks like "Love Is Strong" over stone-cold classics feels questionable, but these are minor quibbles with what is essentially an embarrassment of riches.

The Rolling Stones' legacy is secure – they've influenced everyone from Aerosmith to the Black Keys, and their tours continue to break attendance records worldwide. GRRR! serves as both a perfect entry point for newcomers and a nostalgic journey for longtime fans. It captures a band that transformed from scruffy London blues enthusiasts into global superstars without ever completely losing their dangerous edge.

More than just a compilation, GRRR! is a testament to longevity in an industry that chews up and spits out most artists before their third album. The Rolling Stones didn't just survive rock and roll – they helped define it, refine it, and prove that with enough talent, attitude, and pharmaceutical-grade stamina, you really can keep on rocking well into your seventies. As Keith