Customer Reviews

Steel Wheels

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

After Mick Jagger's first solo album (she's the boss), after Dirty Work, the Stones got together and did a pretty good album.
Mixed Emotions and Rock and a Hard Place were the most immediate hits of that record. But they're not necessarily the best songs. Continental Drift is an expected piece from the Stones and one which testifies how broad they can be when they want to.
The best song in the album - recorded live in Stripped few years later and now a staple in most live performances by the Stones - is Slipping Away. It's a great great song. It's very basic and yet very intriguing. It's - possibly - a turning point in Keith Richards' songwriting. It opened a new line of songs -- Losing My Touch (in Forty Licks); The worst as well as thru and thru (voodoo lounge); thief in the night (bridges to babylon)--
that has expended the Stones'musical vocabulary.
It's a nice comeback.

It's almost as if Mick Jagger and Keith Richards sat down and wrote the songs for this album thinking "what is it that people want from a Stones album?".
They apparently decided that people want both the rockers, the ballads, and perhaps a bit of modest experimentalism ("Continental Drift"), and that's what "Steel Wheels" provides.

It opens with two tough rockers, "Sad, Sad, Sad" and "Mixed Emotions", followed by the somewhat less remarkable "Terrifying" and "Hold On To Your Hat", and the nice, bluesy "Hearts For Sale".
"Blinded By Love" is a lovely melody, a folkish, acoustic ballad with Phil Beer (who worked with the Fairport Convention, Mike Oldfield and the Albion Band among others) playing mandolin.
Then comes one of the six (!) singles that were lifted off "Steel Wheels", the ever-so-slightly disco-influenced "Rock And A Hard Place".

Keith Richards supplies the groovy, muscular rocker "Can't Be Seen", which sounds like something off one of his solo albums, and the fine, soulful ballad "Almost Hear You Sigh" is actually a Keith Richards-number as well, although Mick Jagger sings it. Richards is playing a classical Velasquez guitar, and suddenly breaks into a magnificent, if too short, classical guitar solo.
And finally, after the very African-sounding "Continental Drift" and the so-so "Break The Spell", another ballad, this time with the lead vocal done by Keith Richards himself: "Slipping Away" is one of the best songs Richards has penned, lyrically and musically, and one of the best vocal tracks he and his whiskey-soaked pipes have laid down as well.

"Steel Wheels" feels a lot like Keith Richards' album, probably in part because Richards already had some more or less finished material to work with, and his influence means that "Steel Wheels" rocks with a lot more sincerity than the two or three records that preceded it.
It has a few lesser tracks, but nothing is terrible, and there is a lot of good stuff here as well - dense, powerful rock n' roll from the only band who can seriously lay claim to the title "the World's greatest rock band".

This is the third release of "Steel Wheels" which was recorded as a digital album in the first place. This version is louder as most newer CD's are these days, but there really isn't any reason for someone who has enjoyed a previous release of this album to go rushing out to buy this release. That being said, "Steel Wheels" is a good album, not a great album but is a huge improvement over "Dirty Work" and surely better than the all-too conspicuous attempt to sound current, "Uundercover." It's also the last album that Bill Wyman served as a member of the band. The album opens with "Sad Sad Sad" a pretty standard Stones rocker. "Mixed Emotion" is the first single from the album often called "Mick's Demotion" given Keith Richiards plays a more central position in the band. Other noteworthy numbers include, "Terrifying" a song with latin jazz overtones. "Rock and a Hard Place" is another single with some fine Ronnie Wood guitar work. "Almost Hear You Sigh" is an incredible soulful ballad. Keith Richards' strongest number on the album is a fine Al Green tempo number, "Almost Hear You Sigh." About half the album is filler, but the good is very good not an essential Stones album but definitely worth it for Stones' fans and even a mediocre Stones album is better than most bands at their best because even the Stones' worst albums have at least a couple great tunes. "Steel Wheels" have more than a couple great ones.

This LP came in 1989, which is generally not considered the prime or peak period of the Stones. This is, however, one of their better efforts and certainly their best studio work from 1981 to present.
There are 2 GREAT Keith sung songs here- one a slow number "Slipping away" and the other a rocker "Can't be Seen". Jagger sings the rest and there's not a bad song in the batch. They even throw ina little Brian Jones tribute on "Continental Drift". Classic rock radio hasn't taken to this group of songs like some other Stones LPs but this is Rolling Stones at the top of their game.

This album is rock solid beginning to end. It doesn't have any huge mega-hits on it, but every song is excellent in its own way. The Keith Richards numbers really sparkle. Though 'Slippin' Away' is very popular and Keith plays in it concert frequently, the India-influenced 'Continental Drift' is a fascinating and way-different piece of Stones work--almost sounds like something George Harrison would have come up with. The drumming is excellent throughout as well, thanks to Charlie Watts. A recommended album for any Stones fan. If you are not a big Stones fan or Richards fan, this may be one you could pass over.
A fun album. Four stars.

Most people know the music, so in my reviews I try to give you data on the sessions and interesting facts connected with the songs and the album. Here we go:

Interesting notes include:
.....the title song Steel Wheels evolved into Rock And A Hard Place
.....the Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in the middle of the recording sessions for this album
.....the album sessions represented a renewal of the band by Mick and Keith...they wrote some of the songs on their hotel balcony by the ocean
.....Continental Drift includes recordings by the Master Musicians of Joujouka (Morocco) who had first been recorded by Brian Jones in 1967.

The Steel Wheels sessions occurred in 1989 in Barbados and on Montserrat in the West Indies. Final mixing was done at Olympic Sound in London between May 15 and June 29, 1989.
Jan 20 - Feb 13, 1989 at Blue Wave Studios in Barbados and Mar 29 - May 5, 1989 at Air Studios on Montserrat
.....Mixed Emotions (version 1)
.....Mixed Emotions (version 4)
.....Almost Hear You Sigh (version 1)
.....Terrifying (version 1)
.....Terrifying (version 2)
.....Terrifying (version 3)
.....Slipping Away
.....Sad Sad Sad
.....Hold On To Your Hat
.....Hearts For Sale
.....Blinded By Love
.....Can't Be Seen
.....Continental Drift (version 1)
.....Break The Spell
.....Rock And A Hard Place (version 1)
.....Rock And A Hard Place (version 2)
.....Rock And A Hard Place (version 3)
.....Rock And A Hard Place (version 4)

The Steel Wheels sessions produced a number of unreleased tracks, including Hell Hound On My Trail, Three Oceans, Ready Yourself. Giving It Up, Your Precious Love, Hang On Tonight, Hold On To Yourself, You've Got Some Nerve, Sweet Thing, When I Get To Thinking, Gangster's Moll, Hot Line

This information comes from "It's Only Rock And Roll: The Ultimate Guide To The Rolling Stones" by Karnbach and Bernson and from my own collection, with some of the notes from Davis' "Old Gods Almost Dead." Both books are available from amazon.com.

Steel Wheels is much maligned these days because of its polish I guess. Actually, there's some great songwriting to be found on such tracks like Almost Hear You Sigh, Slipping Away, Mixed Emotions, Hearts For Sale, etc.... There's also a spirit of adventure on Continental Drift and a burst of Exile On Main Street-like fury on Sad Sad Sad. All around, this is a wonderfully complete set from the latter day Stones. This is much better than any of the other latter day Stones post Undercover. Go ahead and give it try, it's worth the listen!

Recently, I was browsing in a record store; they were playing what I instantly recognized as a Stones recording--without understanding, at first, which one. I just knew it sounded great. Before I left, I figured out the song I loved so much was "Almost Hear You Sigh"--from "Steel Wheels."

Ten plus years after its release on vinyl, I bought the CD. It brought me back to where I was in '89-90 and the memory of how much I liked it. Over time, indeed, this wears well. It's as good as I remembered.

"Steel Wheels" is classic Stones and, without a doubt, my favorite recording since "Tatoo You." It has the trademark Stones rock n' roll hooks and riffs (Sad, Sad, Sad, Mixed Emotions), solid Charlie beat, a guitar lick that drips atmosphere (Hearts for Sale), one of the most beautiful of all Stones songs (Almost hear you Sigh) and one of Keith's best numbers, (Can't be Seen). All Stones albums have some toss-away songs but this comes as close to any as to not having any. Why this isn't univerally recognized as one of their all-time best, I do not understand. It rocks!

This is an excellent album. One hit after another on this CD. The Stones really had it all together on this one. The vocals and lyrics are great. The music is inspired and hard driving. The sound quality is superb. Keith Richards does a great job with his song I Just Can't Be Seen With You, which is one of my favorites off this album, along with the lite rocking Almost Hear You Sigh. Mixed Emotions and Rock And A Hard Place are stones classics. This is a very solid album with no album fillers.

Dirty Work redefined The Stones as the greatest arse kickin' rock band on the planet. Apparently too hard edged for some of our more tame listeners , like the previous reviewers , who prefer their tunes a bit more commercially accessible - Steel Wheels is a fantastic more pop oriented rock album which showcases the bands diversity .