A Greek Sunday paper ("Real News") recently began giving away Rolling Stones CD's, as premium. I own almost all of them, but I re-bought "Steel Wheels" (yes, the paper is also available in The Netherlands) because I had it on vinyl and a 54-minute LP inevitably suffers from inferior sound quality (my copy, at least, was mastered too low). Time to re-listen it, then. Back in '89, my reaction on hearing the LP for the first time was positive, as it hit me as being more interesting and less pop oriented than other RS albums of the era. With hindsight, it marks the beginning of climbing out of their 80's slump. Like its immediate predecessors, "Steel Wheels" tries to sound contemporary by employing a "clean" (try sterile) production and going for the kind of AOR rock played at the time by Huey Lewis and Bryan Adams. It is superior to them, thanks to the rekindling of the spark between the songwriting duo of Jagger and Richards - who had reportedly not been getting along for quite some time. It starts off with a "Sad Sad Sad", an up tempo song displaying rock chops rather than the usual pop. Lead single "Mixed Emotions" is a good rocker, but laden with a rather dated 80's sound. So is "Terrifying", the last single released from the album: It's obvious that the band was aiming for a new "Miss You", but the result sounded more like Robert Palmer fronting Foreigner. "Hold on to Your Hat" is comparatively better, a fast rock'n'roll number with hard rock guitar solos. "Hearts for Sale" may feature some good bluesy guitar licks but is otherwise a weak song, just like "Blinded by Love", the ballad that follows it. Second single "Rock And A Hard Place" is a soulful dance song, with horns, keyboards, backing vocals and guitars blending for once really well together."Can't Be Seen" is another typical 80's rocker, only this time sung by Keith Richards. "Almost Hear You Sigh" is a beautiful ballad with acoustic guitar, which was released as a single and even got a Grammy nomination at the time. "Continental Drift" sounds out of place here - and that is a good thing. It starts off with Moroccan wind instruments and percussion played by The Master Musicians of Jajouka. For those with a short memory, it's the group that former Stone Brian Jones discovered while on holidays in the desert, back in 1968. He recorded them and released their album through Rolling Stones Records, ushering the era of so-called World Music. I personally find the inclusion of this song very refreshing and the track comparable to Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" (without, of course, the massive riffs). Next up, there's "Break the Spell" a song with bluesy harmonica and a Tom Waits-influenced vocal that, unfortunately, seems to be missing something. Closer "Slipping Away" is a beautiful ballad proving that Keith Richards can be a warm and emotive singer. Final thoughts: The Rolling Stones had been flying on auto-pilot since 1977's "Some Girls". None of their albums after that date is essential listening. Like with so many classic rock groups, every new album is just an excuse to go on the road and from that point of view "Steel Wheels" was a huge success. The ensuing tour was attended by 6 million fans worldwide and grossed about $100 million (almost $190m in today's prices). The album on the other hand, although still an enjoyable listening experience, is a less successful affair that will appeal to completists and dedicated fans, only.
***** for Continental Drift
**** for Rock and a Hard Place, Almost Hear You Sigh, Slipping Away
*** for Sad Sad Sad, Mixed Emotions, Terrifying, Hold on to Your Hat, Can't Be Seen
** for Hearts for Sale, Blinded by Love, Break the Spell
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