I like BB and LIB alot too--and I like the Brian Jones stuff before that. Maybe more than Exile. Especially on the singles. Brian added something that never quite got replaced. Mick Taylor was a great lead player, but Brian (like George Harrison) was more like a sound-developer--he enhanced the songs to make them what they were--using a wide variety of instruments. "Paint it Black" without the sitar, "Under My Thumb" without the marimba (or vibes or whatever it is), all the mellotron he played with. That stuff just wouldn't be the same.
After Brian, there just isn't as much counterpoint in the songs. It's Keith running hell-for-leather, Mick preening and everybody keeping up. I think Exile is the best of this mode of the Stones.
There were three strong musical minds involved in the 60s Stones. The tension makes it into the music. The 70s and after are Mick and Keith's thing, for better or worse. I love Ronnie Wood, but when you take him on as you "lead guitar" player or second guitar, you're not really going to get much more than mini-Keith.