This came out in 2002 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Back when they really were the world’s greatest rock ’n’ roll band, The Rolling Stones used to go to the trouble of making a new album before a tour.
Nowadays, it seems they can barely muster the energy to write a few new songs to pad out a best-of set. Forty Licks, their umpteenth compilation, has 36 classics you already own — Satisfaction, Gimme Shelter, Wild Horses, Happy, Angie, Miss You, Shattered, etc., etc. — and four new tracks that they hope will prompt you to shell out for those old cuts one more time. There’s Don’t Stop, a country-rock throwaway; Keys To Your Love, a soul-pop ballad that lets Mick Jagger unleash his falsetto; Stealing My Heart, a lightly gritty downbeat rocker; and Losing My Touch, a gorgeous, smoky ballad delivered by the craggy-voiced Keith Richards. Of the four, it’s the only one that earns a legitimate spot on this disc — and the only one worth opening your wallet for. Otherwise, save your bucks for those concert tickets.
