Always wondered which direction the stones would have taken if this album had never been made when it was. Previous to this they hadnt produced an album for 3 years which at the time was thier longest layoff between new material, the album dirtywork was also shabby and not radio friendly,so not really condusive to attracting new fans, even undercover before that had many unreleasable songs to the mass public despite having a host of good songs on it.

I feel if the stones hant made steel wheels and instead made a rehash of something that resembled dirtywork they might have missed the boat commercially, possible missed attracting a new generation of fans and missed the opportunity to do the tours they had done since 1989, i know many of those tours have attracting much critisism but in my opinion they have helped to bring a new generation of stones fans together, they has helped to give the earlier songs more exposure, and they have performed songs that maybe havent been performed live for years or decades or even been played at all.


i just feel without steel wheels and the subsequent tour the band might have sunk without trace years ago and from todays perspective been almost forgotten by most.

what do the panel think.

I think so, and I appreciate SW very much - it's simply a good record, way better than its reputation, imo.

The prospect of making uber millions touring saved the band. They swept the animosity under the rug for the big pay out. Steel Wheels was pretty lackluster for a reforming album...

Regardless SW content SW itself and the tour was instrumental as it became the link between the Golden Era (when Stones still were musically waited by people and market) and the Vegas/Legend/Mith/Nostalgia/ subsequent tours (and records operating as an alibi for those tours). The bridge bewteen the Golden Era and the Business/Museum/Respectable/Legend Era. I love both by the way.

As I remember it, nobody gave a fvck about the album -it was the Stones getting back on the road with the biggest tour ever staged. That was all that counted.

Mathijs

I remember being very happy that the Rolling Stones were back to work in 1989 and I was glad that Mick and Keith appeared to enjoy their working relationship again. SW is very produced which for me was not my idea of my favorite rolling stones album but I went with the flow and enjoy the fact that SW meant that the Stones were back in the game. So yes the fact that they made SW "effortlessly" it seemed, saved the band.I don't listen to SW at all nowadays.
Rock and Roll,
Mops

Steel Wheels is the reason I got into the Stones. So thank God for Steel Wheels. I still enjoy the album. I agree that the sound is over-produced but that does not effect my love for it. I never got to see them live during the tour. I remember they seemed bigger than life to me at the time! Again, one of the reasons I was so drawn to them. In fact, I didn't see the Stones live until the No Security Tour.

Steel Wheels was a great album.

Waiting for the Stones in 1989 was no big deal, especially after the 1981 joke tour.

Waiting for the Stones in 2012 is turning out to be a big deal. Why? 90% of the topics is about that.

SW is a decent album, even if the mix is not perfect.

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whitem8
The prospect of making uber millions touring saved the band. They swept the animosity under the rug for the big pay out. Steel Wheels was pretty lackluster for a reforming album...

it had too much luster, but it lacked in general. and uber millions always beat animosity. hail to uber.

millions uber alles...

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StonesTod

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whitem8
The prospect of making uber millions touring saved the band. They swept the animosity under the rug for the big pay out. Steel Wheels was pretty lackluster for a reforming album...

it had too much luster, but it lacked in general. and uber millions always beat animosity. hail to uber.

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whitem8
millions uber alles...

Now I´m confused...

The SW tour ..not the album. Performing their greatest hits (well) with lavish staging and MTV/VH-1 in their pockets propelled the Stones. This gave them financial motivation to continue as a band.


IORR............but I like it!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-04 17:34 by sweet neo con.

No..

They really played well on this tour. The Vegas haters will blast it, but damn they played great. I was blown away - so much better than the 81 shows and I saw two of each.

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Shawn20
They really played well on this tour. The Vegas haters will blast it, but damn they played great.

i don't think anyone would argue the point that they played well on the tour. they all did. all 430 of them.

It was funny but we went to the Stones 1st show at it was played before
the album was even released...

Philly was packed and no new album..Everyone was just so excited to see and
hear the ROLLING STONES!!

The Stones saved themselves by playing!!

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Shawn20
They really played well on this tour. The Vegas haters will blast it, but damn they played great. I was blown away - so much better than the 81 shows and I saw two of each.

I'd agree with that. We got "Urban Jungle" over on this side of the pond.
Could have done without the silly inflatables.. but apart from that the shows were seriously good.

What I like abou this tour is they started playing the deep cuts. Play With fire, 2000 Light years, Ruby Tuesday, etc. Getting into their library. They couldn't of pulled that off in 78 or 81 because they were incapable.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-04 18:37 by More Hot Rocks.

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More Hot Rocks
They couldn't of pulled that off in 78 or 81 because they were incapable.

sorta like what happened with Let it Bleed, Time is on My Side, Under My Thumb and Down the Road Apiece? oh, wait...

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More Hot Rocks
What I like abou this tour is they started playing the deep cuts. Play With fire, 2000 Light years, Ruby Tuesday, etc. Getting into their library. They couldn't of pulled that off in 78 or 81 because they were incapable.

And they were incapable to play Rough Justice,Out of Control,Love Is Strong,Mixed Emotions,
Harlem Shuffle,She Was Hot back in 78 and 81.

Disappointing,somehow...

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shortfatfanny

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More Hot Rocks
What I like abou this tour is they started playing the deep cuts. Play With fire, 2000 Light years, Ruby Tuesday, etc. Getting into their library. They couldn't of pulled that off in 78 or 81 because they were incapable.

And they were incapable to play Rough Justice,Out of Control,Love Is Strong,Mixed Emotions,
Harlem Shuffle,She Was Hot back in 78 and 81.

Disappointing,somehow...

They were incapable of playing anything with complexity. yeah out of the songs you mentioned they couldn't pull off Out Of Control. And Love Is Strong wouldn't of been done in 2 minutes.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-04 20:21 by More Hot Rocks.

It was the first tour since '69 in which Mick decided to sing instead of shouting incoherently mangled words.

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Send It To me
It was the first tour since '69 in which Mick decided to sing instead of shouting incoherently mangled words.

but nobody mangled them better...incoherence is vastly underrated, too

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More Hot Rocks

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shortfatfanny

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More Hot Rocks
What I like abou this tour is they started playing the deep cuts. Play With fire, 2000 Light years, Ruby Tuesday, etc. Getting into their library. They couldn't of pulled that off in 78 or 81 because they were incapable.

And they were incapable to play Rough Justice,Out of Control,Love Is Strong,Mixed Emotions,
Harlem Shuffle,She Was Hot back in 78 and 81.

Disappointing,somehow...

They were incapable of playing anything with complexity. yeah out of the songs you mentioned they couldn't pull off Out Of Control. And Love Is Strong wouldn't of been done in 2 minutes.

Love Is Strong would´ve been done in 78 in.................1:58, I guess.

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Shawn20
They really played well on this tour. The Vegas haters will blast it, but damn they played great. I was blown away - so much better than the 81 shows and I saw two of each.

I disagree. Each 81 show was unique. The 89 tapes are like clones : you listened to one you listened to all of them. You can save some time by going straight to the Atlantic City PPV.

I pity the fans who attended 5 or 10 gigs in 1989. Their experience must have been like this :







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-04 22:14 by dcba.

SW is a great album. It sounds a bit dated now but 22 years ago it was very up to date. There are some great songs on it. I totally love Almost Hear You Sigh.

The tour was one of a kind. I have tons of good memories. I saw them 3 times on that tour and it was always a magic experience. At that point it was the biggest show I've ever seen and the Stones played very well and the backing musicians were a good addition to the sound. It all changed during the following tours and climaxed in the ABB tour. The Stones played like shit and the backing musicians became way too prominent.

In 90 they where perfect sounding. In 1982 they were magic, not perfect sounding, but defining what the Stones are all about.
If you where not there, you´re comment is as???

Vilhelm
Nordic Stones Vikings



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-04 23:01 by mickijaggeroo.

Keith tore it up on that tour, just off the heels of his first solo record and tour with the winos. Say what you want about it being a vegas act but
Keith's playing rose above the extras. Since, he's gradually became a background musician. Hasn't been the same since in my opinion.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-04 23:17 by shadooby.

It was certainly a tour that proved the band could still rock. It's funny to think about it now, but there were lots of "too old to rock" jokes going around.
Also looking back, we see it as the start of the Vegas era, but in the time it was something revolutionary, no one had ever seen anything like it.
Many people went expecting it to be a joke, lots left the concert blown away.
I saw the on 9/27/89 and they surprised the hell out of me.
I felt they had jumped a hurdle, proving they could still produce on stage.