Another pair of Rolling Stones albums as we head into the 90s, the decade of less echo and more grunge.
I have a more positive attitude about these two albums, but this period ushers in some changes for the band as they enter their fourth decade.
Let’s jump in.
Steel Wheels (1989)
The 1980s had not always been kind to the Stones with two underperforming albums and a major rift between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. With those problems in the rear view mirror, the Stones were positioned for a refresh ahead of a new decade.
Changes were however in the air. This would be the last album that Bill Wyman would appear, and the first album since Ian Stewart passed away. Chris Kimsey was asked back to co-produce with Jagger and Richards, so not every change was new.
Steel Wheels was recorded at AIR (Montserrat),The Hit Factory (New York City), The Palace of Ben Abbou (Tangier, Morocco); March – May, 1989.
Mick Jagger – lead vocals, backing vocals, guitar, harmonica, shakers, keyboards
Keith Richards – guitar, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, classical guitar, lead vocals, bicycle spokes
Ronnie Wood – guitar, bass guitar, acoustic bass, Dobro, backing vocals
Bill Wyman – bass guitar
Charlie Watts – drums
All tracks by Jagger/Richards except “Almost Hear You Sigh” co-written by Steve Jordan. Sorry, Woody not this time.
“Sad Sad Sad” 3:35 Still grungy in that Stones way, but Richards uses a more appealing riff than on the past couple of albums.
“Mixed Emotions” 4:38 Pretty good song, not a classic, but a solid choice for a single. The video is dreadful, too much preening by Jagger and Richards.
“Terrifying” 4:53 The best song on the album, hands down. This song does not sound like a Stones song; this reminds me of the old way they sculpted songs in the studio back in 70s. Very creative and well-produced.
“Hold on to Your Hat” 3:32 An intriguing song, fast and rough, Jagger shouting his vocals. The energy is familiar, but the tone of the guitar is something I’ve not heard from the Stones before.
“Hearts for Sale” 4:40 Another song that doesn’t remind you of the 1980s Stones. Again, the distorted guitar riff is very new. The guitar work everywhere in this song is cool.
“Blinded by Love” 4:37 Usually these country tinged ballads are time to advance to the next tune. This song is more genuine and less of a showpiece than they used to be. Instead of exaggerating the performance and sounding insincere, the song is performed in a manner where the focus is on the song, not the singer.
“Rock and a Hard Place” 5:25 A prototypical Stones single, sweetly rocking with a contemporary dance beat, designed to appeal to a broad audience. Bravo.
“Can’t Be Seen” 4:09 A terrific song for Richards to sing lead. A tantalizing riff and enjoyable swagger.
“Almost Hear You Sigh” 4:37 Achingly catchy ballad. The video is ridiculous, poor Keith looks to be suffering some gastric unpleasantness. Otherwise, a perfectly lovely song.
“Continental Drift” 5:14 One of the Stones most curious songs, certainly sounding like no other on this album. Featuring The Master Musicians of Jajouka, the song embraces Eastern music of Morocco.
“Break the Spell” 3:06 Okay, this might be almost as unlikely a Stones song. A traditional blues, very rootsy musical frame, with some twangy, walking bass sorts of affectations. You need a couple of listens just to absorb it.
“Slipping Away” 4:29 This would be the usual mid tempo Keith Richards ballad, except better. The music is a more complex melody and not just the usual three chords, giving it a more memorable presentation.
Chuck Leavell – organ, piano, keyboards, Wurlitzer
Matt Clifford – electric piano, piano, keyboards, clavinet, harmonium, percussion programming, orchestration, strings
Sarah Dash Lisa Fischer Bernard Fowler, Sonia Morgan, Tessa Niles – backing vocals
Luís Jardim – percussion
Phil Beer – mandolin, fiddle
The Kick Horns, Roddy Lorimer – horns
The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar Farafina – African-Moroccan instruments
Final thoughts
In my opinion, the best Stones album since the early 1970s. I need to listen to this album when I want to hear some quality Stones without skipping over tracks. Are these the best Stones songs ever, no, but a few are high on the list, but a superior album from start to finish.
Voodoo Lounge (1994)
Produced by Don Was, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Recorded at Ronnie Wood’s house, Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin; mixed and overdubbed at A&M Studios, Los Angeles, and Right Track Recording, NYC; September, 3 November – 11 December 1993
Mick Jagger – lead vocals, backing vocals, guitars, harmonica, percussion
Keith Richards – guitars, backing vocals, lead vocals, tambourine, bass guitar, piano
Ronnie Wood – guitars, pedal steel, lap steel, backing vocals
Charlie Watts – drums, tambourine
My first impression of this album was, this a step backwards. Overall, the sound is early 80s, similar song construction and sound to their recordings of that period. And, the song quality and creativity is generally weaker than Steel Wheels. What happened?
All songs written by Jagger/Richards. Sorry again, Woody!
The first three songs here are fairly generic and sound too similar to those Some Girls / Emotional Rescue / Tattoo You sessions. I’m skipping over them.
- “Love Is Strong” 3:46
- “You Got Me Rocking” 3:34
- “Sparks Will Fly” 3:14
- “The Worst” 2:24 The standard Richards slow, bluesy, heart-aching song. The acoustic guitar work is a nice change of pace.
- “New Faces” 2:50 Welcome back to the mid-60s and the harpsichord ballad. This is actually a pretty good song and another nice change of pace.
- “Moon Is Up” 3:41 I don’t know what this song is supposed to be, but I like it. Three songs in a row are different sounding and inviting.
- “Out of Tears” 5:25 Okay, the streak is four, four songs I recommend in a row. A very fine ballad, fresh and original.
- “I Go Wild” 4:19 A case of recycling your old riffs. It’s okay, if that’s all you want, but not what you need.
- “Brand New Car” 4:13 This song does nothing special for me. Background music.
- “Sweethearts Together” 4:46 A ballad that sounds like it’s from the early rock and roll days. They’ve written much better songs.
- “Suck on the Jugular” 4:26 What you get when you funkify your blues with some R&B.
- “Blinded by Rainbows” 4:33 Nice surprise, this ballad has heart, originality and is one you might want to hear again.
- “Baby Break It Down” 4:07 As an album track, this is a nice mid tempo song. The guitar work by Richards and Wood is worth the listen.
- “Thru and Thru” 5:59 One of the more gritty songs, it fits Richards lead vocal. It chugs along and builds, then it’s over.
- “Mean Disposition” 4:09 A retro rocker. Honky Tonk piano, Charlie beating the hell out of the drums, and Keith and Woody trading kicks.
Darryl Jones – bass guitar
Chuck Leavell – Wurlitzer piano, piano, harpsichord, harmonium, Hammond B-3 organ, backing vocals
Bernard Fowler – backing vocals
Frankie Gavin – fiddle, pennywhistle
Mark Isham – trumpet
Luís Jardim – percussion, shaker
Flaco Jimenez – accordion
Phil Jones – percussion
David McMurray – saxophone
Ivan Neville – backing vocals, Hammond B-3 organ
Benmont Tench – Hammond B-3 organ, Hammond C-3 organ, piano, accordion
Bobby Womack – backing vocals
Max Baca – bajo sexto
Lenny Castro – percussion
Pierre de Beauport – acoustic guitar
David Campbell – string arrangement
Final thoughts
Voodoo Lounge is not as good or as consistent as Steel Wheels. I still rank Voodoo Lounge better than the 1980s albums that preceded Steel Wheels. There are a few gems here, but also some riff-by-numbers songs that are album filler at best.
It was fun to listen to these two albums again.
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