"Emotional Rescue" is my penultimate Rolling Stones album (I only miss "Undercover" now, plus a couple of live albums and compilations). It was given away as premium with the Sunday paper and I thought I'd better get it at last. Until now it had escaped me, since it didn't feature any songs I knew and liked - other than the famous title track, which I had in countless compilations. And if that was the best song on, or even indicative of, the album, I could certainly do without it. As it turns out there were still decent Rolling Stones songs that I hadn't heard yet. Weird, because I grew up (later) in the 80's and "Emotional Rescue" was such a bit hit at its time - their first #1 on both sides of the Atlantic, for a very long time. You'd expect d.j.'s to be still playing more songs from the album on the radio after a few years. It followed the (commercial and critical) success of Some Girls, and they are obviously trying to replicate the formula, the title track being a blatant attempt to copy "Miss You" (as if one Stones disco single wasn't enough). Listen here, Mick, if I want to listen to disco I'll play ABBA or Boney M. My God, how did Keith put up with that bozo? What's that with the ridiculously high falsetto? And yet, despite myself, I like the song: blame Bobby Keys and his fantastic saxophone - an unsung hero that worked with the Stones for 45 years, up to his death a few months ago. I don't think he had his equal in rock - except maybe Clarence Clemons from the E-Street Band. The album opens with another disco number, "Dance Pt.1". I can't honestly say I hate it - the band falls into a nice groove - if it came out of the speakers of a club, I'd get up and dance to it. I also dig the weird bird noises (courtesy of rastaman Max Romeo, who also plays some percussive instruments throughout the record). Romeo also appears on the reggae-ish "Send It to Me", which has some tasty guitar licks by Keith and a disco chorus (you guessed it, another Mick tune). The lyrics are about someone ordering a mail order bride - I can't tell if Jagger is trying to sound lusty or funny when he sings "She could be Romanian, she could be Bulgarian, she could be Albanian...she could be the alien, just send it to me." Many a Greek man has sung that tune, believe me! Just watch the hilarious (and true) Sugartown movie... "Summer Romance" and "Let Me Go" are two competent rockers of the kind Jagger and Richards can write in their sleep. Nice solos, though! "Indian Girl" would be a typical Stones ballad if it wasn't for the Latin element (marimba, mariachi horns) and the unexpected lyrics: The Indian girl's family are communist rebels, off at war "shooting down planes with their M-16 and with laughter". The narrator seems to feel sorry for the girl but has nothing to say to her tales of hunger, rape and murder except that "Life just goes on and on getting harder and harder" or, in other words "Stop talking politics, you're making me uncomfortable". I've heard that one, a lot! "Where the Boys Go" is a nice surprise: high octane garage punk - who knew that the Stones could sound like the Undertones? Great girly backing vocals, too. "Down in the Hole" is the 3rd pleasant surprise in a row, the bluesiest Stones song for years - I officially like this record! "She’s So Cold" was the album's second single, a strong rocker with dump lyrics, hitting a spot between their own "Honky Tonk Women" and the Talking Heads' excursions into soul. "All About You" is a Keith Richards ballad. Like Dylan's, his voice is an imperfect instrument, but his emotive delivery does the song justice and closes the album on a nice bittersweet note. For the clip I chose one of the less known songs from the album because it's fun and, most importantly, shot with a "futuristic" thermographic camera (the same they used for the record cover) and you don't have to watch Jagger's ugly mug, making faces at the camera...
**** for Indian Girl, Where the Boys Go, Emotional Rescue, She’s So Cold
*** for Dance Pt. 1, Summer Romance, Send It to Me, Down In the Hole, All About You
** for Let Me Go
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