24. A Bigger Bang (2005)

Forever captive to the Rolling Stones’ previous achievements, A Bigger Bang is no embarrassment and would in fact qualify as a very fine Black Crowes release — no insult intended. Songs like the frenetic opener “Rough Justice” and the vituperative and desperate “Oh No, Not You Again” are energetic reminders of the special and unique power of the Stones working as a unit. Having said that, too much of the album’s 16-track, 64-minute running time fails to engage. The highlights of the record, coupled with the needlessly exorbitant running time, cause one to hearken back to the days when the band made records regularly and did not feel the need to festoon the rare release with every idea that might seem viable. We will likely never see those days again, and A Bigger Bang may just represent the Stones as we must come to love them.