As I was about to start writing this piece, the news came of Charlie Watts's death. I am not going to pretend that he was the best drummer in rock and roll - but he was fucking good. He was the original one. Besides, I have always rated "Get Off Of My Cloud" as one of the Stones' most perfect creations. That song is 95% Charlie Watts's incredible beat. Rest in peace.
There are many things you discover as you go through life. Surely one of them has to be that The Rolling Stones did not suck in the 80s. Well, they sometimes did - but their demise was not quite as bad as they say. What my ears are telling me is that in the 80s The Stones had one near-classic album, one average great album, one really good album, one mediocre album and one complete disaster. Considering how low classic rock bands had to stoop in the age of disco and drum machines, this is a decent ratio. The Rolling Stones in the 80s should not be feared. In fact, they are well worth discovering. As long as you do not expect "Tumbling Dice" or "Sympathy For The Devil".
The Rolling Stones entered the 80s having released Some Girls, their critically acclaimed 'comeback' album (I never really bought this - Black and Blue was just as good). They entered the 80s striving for relevance, and "Dance", the first song on Emotional Rescue, is a brilliant stab at disco - catchy, intelligent and really engaging. The rest of side A is intriguingly diverse (reggae, punk, 60s styled pop) but the songwriting is somewhat lacking. Side B, however, features three songs I absolutely love. "Down In The Hole" is blues with an edge and I could listen to it at full volume until my ears start to bleed. "Emotional Rescue" is of course a classic with Jagger's remarkable falsetto (a taste worth acquiring). Finally, "She's So Cold" is as great a Rolling Stones rocker as they have released since 1972. And there you have it - a really good Rolling Stones album with no visible lapses of taste.
Now Tattoo You is a different story. Other than the classic five (mine would be Sticky Fingers, Let It Bleed, Beggars Banquet, Between The Buttons and Exile On Main St.), Tattoo You is their best album. It just fucking is, and I could never understand why so many people overlook the sheer songwriting master class that they delivered here (oddly, most of these songs were leftovers from previous albums). The blistering "Start Me Up"? The infectious "Hang Fire"? The groovy "Slave"? The mysterious "Heaven"? The gorgeous "Waiting On A Friend?" They are all good. Even the Keith-sung "Little T&A" is a pleasant rock and roll throwaway. Maybe the album was a little out of time in the early 80s, maybe, but since when that defined quality?
Other than It's Only Rock And Roll, Undercover has to be the biggest sleeper in the Stones' catalogue. There are ten songs here, with nary a stinker. Even "Feel On Baby", their latest reggae experimentation, establishes a great groove and never loses it (I love the busy instrumentation). Other 'lesser' songs include "Wanna Hold You", a great catchy pop-rocker which could sound fairly generic were it not for the understated passion of Richards's vocals, and the anthemic and memorable "All The Way Down" (with a decent middle eight - hardly a regular feature on a Rolling Stones song). As for the (minor) classics, "Undercover Of The Night" is groovy funk with brilliant performance from Jagger, "She Was Hot" is, again, a superior Stones rocker with a great chorus, and "Too Much Blood", well, this one just has to be heard to be believed (a note to the faint-hearted: do not try to find out the true story behind this song). Now go and tell me why Voodoo Lounge is a better album.
Dirty Work is crap. It has the reputation of being the worst album by the Rolling Stones, and that is pretty much what it is. Clearly they did not want to do it, and it shows: non-existent songwriting, generic performances, soulless production. I count two saving graces: "One Hit (To The Body)" is a rip-roaring opener that gives you false hope, and the cover of "Harlem Shuffle" which offers some remnants of genuine energy and involvement. Download those, and forget the rest. They did not care - why should you?
The Stones ended the 80s with Steel Wheels, and while I do think it is a big improvement on Dirty Work (questionable achievement), I find very little about the album to get excited about. Other than the vaguely disco-ish "Terrifying", the first side is just this seamless mess of mediocrity that effectively and convincingly buries my interest in the whole thing. "Sad Sad Sad" is horribly generic and "Hearts for Sale" is one of their worst songs ever. Second side is a little better, but the lone classic arrives in the unlikely form of a Keith Richards ballad. "Slipping Away" has always sounded genuinely sad to me - but what a timeless melody. Too bad Keith Richards ballads would turn out so hookless and bland in the 90s.
The 80s did not break the Stones. They did not quite master that decade - but they never succumbed to it either. Dirty Work was not about the 80s. It may have been many things - but it was never quite the drum machine. And in the end, all that matters is the great music that was created, from "Dance" and all the way to "Slipping Away".
