3. Sticky Fingers (1971)

Hey, do you know what is a truly great record? Sticky Fingers. It’s the Stones at the near height of their unstoppable brilliance, it’s got awesome cover art straight from the Warhol factory, and the songs kick all ass. Still not convinced? Well allow us to get remedial: The album starts with “Brown Sugar,” which is the hottest song about slave ownership ever written. Should you feel uncomfortable enjoying listening to it? You should. But if you don’t enjoy listening to “Brown Sugar” you probably don’t like music. From there the album proceeds with all manner of bluesy, drug-fueled meditations on love, lust, and, um, drugs. The energy that fuels tracks like “Bitch” and “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” could fuel a city block, while songs like “Wild Horses” exude a sympathy and sensitivity so nuanced it’s almost shocking to acknowledge that it is written by the same masterminds that brought you “Brown Sugar.” Sticky Fingers is one hit after the next, a near perfect exertion from a band at the peak of its powers, but somehow the overall feeling is one of sadness and despair, from the depressingly aching “Dead Flowers” to Mick’s painful closer “Moonlight Mile” — tracks steeped in regret so palpable that you cannot help but know the many rivers they have crossed. You just wish they could go back again. But they can’t go back. They can never go back.