Customer Reviews

Main Offender

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Recorded with the same band that backed Keith Richards on 1988's "Talk Is Cheap", "Main Offender" is more of the same no-frills guitar-driven rock n' roll.
It's not quite as consistent as its predecessor, perhaps, but "Main Offender" offers a handful of really great, tough rock n' rollers, like the #3 single "Wicked As It Seems", the driving "Will But You Won't" and the low-key "Hate It When You Leave". The Rolling Stones should play more of this kind of straight-ahead unassuming rock n' roll.

The best songs here are tighter and more focused than the ones on "Talk Is Cheap", and Richards' vocals are some of his best on record...check out the lean, mean riff-rockers "Eileen" and "Runnin' Too Deep", two of his best songs. And the production is excellent, clear and uncluttered without being slick or glossy.
There is a bit of filler here, sure, but fans of the Human Riff will definitely find this album worth their while. Songs like "Words Of Wonder", "Demon" and "999" may not leap right out and grab you by the throat, but Keith Richards sings and plays as well as he ever did, and "Main Offender" will grow on you if you give it half a chance.

I bought this album long time ago when it came out. At first, I did not think much of it, and that Wicked as it seems has a real nice riff. However, this album really grew on me, as it is very subtle yet fundamental. Great guitar, great lyrics. I find it a great album to listen to, in the same way as exile on main street, when one goes through the struggles of life.

Although "Main Offender" to my ears is not as good as Keith's great "Talk is Cheap", at least he continues in that LP's classic-riff vein. If only the latest Stones albums were so true to their roots..."999" is a ferocious rocker, although I don't know what it's about. Don't tell me 999 is 666 upside down, I like to think it's about something else--someone write and enlighten me! "Wicked as it Seems" is dark, smoldering Keith, and "Eileen" is a good, catchy love song. Keith shows his love for reggae in "Words of Wonder", although I think it slows the LP down some, and "Yap Yap" ends side one at that leisurely pace. I wish there were more than 10 tracks, it would have given the LP more strength. "Hate it When You Leave" is a wonderful recreation of the Motown sound, and "Runnin' Too Deep" is a driving rocker that builds with intensity near the end. A fine sampler of Richards while he was waiting for Mick to get back to the Stones.

For the earlier writer, 999 is the code number for pharmeceutical heroin. That should shed some light on the "Don't Panic!" line in the middle of the song.
And one more thing; DOES ANYONE KNOW WHEN KEITH IS GONNA MAKE A NEW ALBUM!?!?!?!?!

I listened to this again after a few years without hearing it and I still love it. Order it now, Its worth it. I wish more people still made music like this.

There is no denying it Main Offender is understated and charming. Keith Richards is a passionate musician, quite possibly a genius, a guru of beautiful and soothing riffs, for instance Demon and Words of Wonder are particularly striking. This album also has a hard edge to it, his unique brand of blues-rock. Because of its authenticity and passion it puts crass brit-pop, grunge. etc to shame. I eagerly await its follow-up, if ever there is one.

If you are a Richards fan, and primarily if you are not, you need to listen to this album and all of the rest done with the Winos. This is bare nuckled rock and roll,how it should be. Almost 20 years after the albums, these are musical gems, particularly compared to what passes as Rock these days. Regardless of your view on the 'Stones, Keith Richards shows in these albums that he was and is the driving force behind the music that basically defined more than a generation of Rock. Sir Mick can sing(but not here, but Keith can play and sing wonderfully. His voice actually really got a lot better with age, and I prefer his vocalizations to a "Jagger" style. There are some "fillers" as noted before, but even those are better than anyone else is doing today. Although the albums did not get huge airplay when they came out originally, they certainly have gotten better with age. Any true Rock and Roller has to have these.

I would go to the Crossroads and trade today if I could have about 50% of what Keith can do.

Simply the greatest Stones-relates LP since Exile. I have no idea why this didn't sell truck loads.

More muscular than Talk is Cheap and voice in fine fettle, it's all still there: the space, the funk, gospel, reggae, Chuck Berry, Hi, Motown, open tunings and drone, Memphis and above all The Blues, The Weaving and The Roll.

I'd love to hear a real weep-into-your-beer country LP, covers would be fine from the classics to the newer greats like Richmond Fontaine's brilliant Post to Wire.

Keith boasts on "Wicked As It Seems" from Main Offender. The best album the Stones never made, it's better than anything they've put out in over a decade. Keith shows why his half of the Jagger-Richards tandem is the strongest with these ten solid tracks. The recent Stones' albums have suffered from excess, in that some of the weaker material isn't pared out, often to the detriment of the entire album. Conversely, this album is like a concise sucker-punch to the gut. Rockers like the explosive "999" and the sly "Wicked As It Seems" share space with the acoustic ballad "Demon", possibly the best such song since "Wild Horses". Keith's other influences shine here as well, most notably the Motown soul of "Hate It When You Leave" and the reggae number "Words of Wonder". "Eileen" is a spirited number in the manner of Happy". "Yap Yap" is a wry song about an overly-loquacious female friend. "Runnin Too Deep" and "Will But You Won't" are both riff heavy mid-tempo rockers.

Say what you will about Keith's voice, but it fits the material here in a way that a more polished instrument would not. Keith's band is both tight and loose all at the same time and brings a level of urgency to these songs that a Stones' album hasn't had for quite some time.

I was disappointed with this 2nd solo album from Keith, especially since his first TALK IS CHAEP and the LIVE AT THE HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM were such strong sets. Not as many great songs or lyrics. It shows Keith's lazy side, 'cause it could have been better. Same musicians as on the first. Sarah Dash is underutilized on this CD, appearing only on BODY TALK. Too bad ' cause her upfront vocals on TALK IS CHEAP and the LIVE CD's really brought out extra layers of needed soulfulness & excitement that made Keith's voice more listenable. Worth a listen, not really bad at all , but not that great.