Forty years ago, the Rolling Stones decamped to the South of France, living as tax exiles as they recorded their tenth album.
The sessions became notorious for their bacchanalian excesses, taking place amidst a nine-month, non-stop cocktail party in a sprawling villa that had supposedly once been a headquarters for the Gestapo.
The result was a sprawling double album, Exile On Main Street, which has gone down in history as one of the band’s best.
Next week, they are re-releasing the record with 10 new tracks – including several recently rediscovered songs. An accompanying documentary, Stones In Exile, will premiere in Cannes, before screening on BBC One on Sunday, 23 May.
