25 years since the much-maligned 'Dirty Work' opus of 1986, we probably don't need a 25th Anniv. Reissue though, even though there are a host of outtakes from those sessions.

Always a least-favourite Stones album among fans, I revisited it over the last few days and actually enjoyed it (some of it). Nowhere at all near the high standards the Stones themselves had set of course, but also not as near as I thought to the utterly howlingly bad album it's often portrayed to be.

Keef's songs I have always really enjoyed on this one - 'Too Rude' with it's echoey production and Jimmy Cliff/Keef duet has always been a favourite o' mine from this album. Same with 'Sleep Tonight' - never quite reaches the heights of other Keef tracks,'Slipping Away' for example, but a good ballad nonetheless.

'One Hit' - love it! Even 'Harlem Shuffle' and 'Had it With you I think have that Stones groove to 'em.

That leaves the dregs - 'Hold Back' is still woeful^ 'Winning Ugly' though catchy sounds like a EuroVision hopeful. And 'Back to Zero' - perhaps should have been saved as a Mick solo B-Side?

'Fight' I'm not sure about - it never quite gells but it does have something.

25th Anniversary of 'Dirty Work' - maybe time to upgrade it's status from dogs dinner to halfway acceptable..or not?

I mostly agree with your assessment, Ireland. Nonetheless, I, for one, would totally go for a re-issue of any album with an extra disc of unreleased material... even if the album is the dreaded Dirty Work.

It's what happens after a dogs dinner

...always a good album for me......

It's just one big ugly album. There really isn't anything good about this one. It could have been so much better, with Strictly Memphis and such, but this album just is one ugly turd.

Mathijs

one hit is awesome

And here I thought was going to be some kind of official announcement that they were recalling all copies of the album and deleting it from their back catalogue!

25years after one of the most brilliant albums in their hsitory..yes I do think so!

I don't understand the intense dislike for this album from people on this board. We're all big Stones fans after all. I do understand the history and it was never one of my favorites but nowadays any DW song that plays on shuffle sounds good and fine. Sure, the production is dated and it's a product of it's times but which album isn't? Now that they're all dated it fits in fine with all their other songs. Also, in the last few years I've started to feel like DW sounds just like Undercover part 2. Not really much different, better or worse. Play 'em back to back & they're almost the same album. Or an excellent double album with a lot of musical variety (like Exile, gasp!). And yeah, Zero & Winning used to make me cringe a little, but now in the big picture I don't mind them or any other experimental or 'different type' song.

A lot of songs sounding better then what they did from Steels Wheels till aBB

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Sleep Tonight, Dirty Work, Harlem Shuffle, One Hit, and Too Rude are all decent tracks. I don't remember anything else being much good on that album. The singing is aweful, the album cover is awefull. I'd actually like to hear the album rerecorded with Keith singing and playing the songs on acoustic so I can see what he was imagining. I really don't want to hear Winning Ugly, Back to Zero or Hold Back though in any form.

Love it! I like it better than any Stones album that came after. They are playing pissed off. Alot of emotion......unlike their next group of studio albums.

I totally agrree with NICOS. To me, Steel Wheels to me was total fluff and BS. I would rather have a pissed off group of Stones than semi-comatose , emotionless Stones who are painting by numbers.

I hate to admit it but Back to Zero is a pretty good groove. The bass line is cool. I know it gets bashed as Mick's attemot at Peter Gabriel but I still like it.
Too Rude is fun. I love Fight. JJF with a knife! The guitars are awesome. Hold Back is a pretty off beat groove too.

And I don't care what people say but Had It With You is a fun song. Again, MJ sounds pissed and listening to RW and KR do Can't Cut the Mustard makes hearing it more fun. They are singing pissed off too.

Grooves are not songs. Guitar sounds are not songs. Drum sounds are not songs. They had to resort to a cover for the single (and it was ok). Most of the rest of the LP was either warmed-over mediocrity or outright dreadful. Thankfully, Ron Wood's drumming career was limited to this brief experiment.

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Also, in the last few years I've started to feel like DW sounds just like Undercover part 2. Not really much different, better or worse. Play 'em back to back & they're almost the same album. Or an excellent double album with a lot of musical variety (like Exile, gasp!).

I don't hate either album, but Undercover has many more strengths than Dirty Work, with a more truly adventurous sound. Nothing on Dirty Work has as dense a mix as the prime cuts on Undercover. The more successful tracks on Dirty Work are the more stripped down ones, that spite the production; on Undercover, it's the reverse.

I can't stand the echo-ey guitar sound on Undercover. If it sounded more "live" it would have the edge over Dirty Work, but then again, the drums sound terrible on Dirty Work. As far as songwriting goes, Undercover gets the edge. Both records leave something to be desired, namely Don Was. Yes, I said it. I feel dirty.

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Sipuncula
I can't stand the echo-ey guitar sound on Undercover. If it sounded more "live" it would have the edge over Dirty Work, but then again, the drums sound terrible on Dirty Work. As far as songwriting goes, Undercover gets the edge. Both records leave something to be desired, namely Don Was. Yes, I said it. I feel dirty.

They both sound gimmicky and of their time. And it was not a great time to be of. Slight nod to Undercover though, because the songs are a little better.

Yeah, just what I've been waiting for a 25th anniversary edition of Dirty Work with extra bonus shit....

Worse still: a 25th anniversary edition with an extra CD of leftovers and a DVD with a 5.1 surround mix of the album proper (for those who want even more echo).

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Cafaro


I hate to admit it but Back to Zero is a pretty good groove. The bass line is cool. I know it gets bashed as Mick's attemot at Peter Gabriel but I still like it.

can you develop this story?

I must admit - apart from Rolled Gold- this was my first stones album. Dont play it as much as ya yas or exile, but I havent forgotten it.