steel wheels = 1st album of the vegas era = one of the 1st nails in the coffin of their legacy

Steel Wheels is their last great album, with only a couple clunkers. No, it didn't save the band. They lost Bill and they were never the same again in the studio.

I don't quite understand the question, because a group as big as the Stones, who are truly at the very top in terms of their legacy in such a historical context, actually aren't likely to ever be in such a critical position, with regard to the need for them to be saved. 'Steel Wheels', in a sense, received over enthusiastic reviews simply because it was great to see them back, and patching things up, so to speak. Hindsight, i think, has shown the album to have been fairly mediocre, yet despite an almost sterile eighties sound, there were enough examples at hand to remind fans of the greatness of the Stones at the peak, even if after initial listens a lot of these songs actually fell rather flat. The opener 'Sad Sad Sad' on its own evokes 'Exile On Main Street' style Stones within the horns etc. even if that proves pretty much a mirage in a very brief period. The 89 tour was actually the essential component in giving the Stones a little more contemporary status, where the band still proved they could put on a show, even if the set up proved somewhat rather different in terms of a raw rock 'n' roll sounding approach. 89 was the beginning of the era of big business for the Stones, corporate branding and all, and where the original Stones spark finally died.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-11-05 09:01 by Edward Twining.

The tour, the hooplah, and 'reunion' eclipsed the actual album.
The album itself, and the music have only come to be taken seriously (by me) since the ALTERNATE STEEL WHEELS was put out. The 'dirty mixes'.

Actually, there are some great songs on the album - way more than on the albums later to come. The sound is dated today, of course because of the production.

Songs like SSS, ME, Terrifying, Hearts For Sale, AHYS, Continental Drift, Break The Spell and Slipping Away were more than I dared to hope for at the time.

Good album, bad production, imo.

SW was a good album and a great tour even though it was the very beginning of the vegas era, and yes they played great with a great set list IMO

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DandelionPowderman
Actually, there are some great songs on the album - way more than on the albums later to come. The sound is dated today, of course because of the production.

Songs like SSS, ME, Terrifying, Hearts For Sale, AHYS, Continental Drift, Break The Spell and Slipping Away were more than I dared to hope for at the time.

Good album, bad production, imo.

Exactly. And then once the alternate version came out, it totally revolutionized my view of that album.

was nice to hear the early mixes and outtakes - gazza brought me an early copy at our cabbage patch pre-show party in london. have to say, that after years of salivating over hearing the stones' take on precious love for years, i was very underwhelmed when i heard it...so much for saliva....

I quite like For Your Precious Love, should have been on the album along with Fancyman Blues which is a terrfic tune.

Pete.

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dcba

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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 :

I agree with you that the 89 shows were clones - they were certainly more consistent, but consistent at a very HIGH level. The performances were professional, not drunken excesses of a very famous garage band. If you prefer the 81 attitude - great. I'll take the quality of the 89 tour over the "tude" of the 81 every time.

they put something into this tour, yes. but the SW lp is lackluster, has a bad sound and mediocre songs (most of them)

I love Steel Wheels. That was almost as magic an autumn as Tattoo You made Stones fever in '81. I was so excited that they were back and I finally had a chance to see them. I prefer the '81 tour, but I'll live the rest of my life not being able to say that I was actually there for that one. I wish I had been.

In '89, the big monster presentation was revolutionary. It was new. The deep cuts were very cool, and, very importantly, they still had Bill Wyman. Not all the time during the show, but a lot of the time, they still sounded like the Stones, because he was there.

Back to the record. I listened to it endlessly when it came out, and did for a few years. It wasn't a disappointment to me at all and if someone put it on at a party I would love it. I adore "Terrifying", "Hold on to your Hat" and "Break the Spell". "Slipping Away" is a step above those gems, "Mixed Emotions" and "Rock and a Hard Place" haven't aged well, but they sure sounded great when they came out, and I think "Almost Hear You Sigh" is absolutely one of the greatest tracks they've ever put out. There are some clunkers, but the good stuff is worth waiting for.Not a masterpiece all the way through by any stretch, but the good stuff is very good.

I would undoubtedly answer Yes. After 2 mediocre and insipid albums which proved a no-direction way, the Montserrat LP delivered what was expected from The Stones at that times. Simple and direct songs which pleased a large audience. The gathering was sucessful both musically and audience-wise. The onwards Tour provided with songs played as they were released : who cannot remember the Paint It Black version with Keith on the slide. Vocals from Mick were just terrific. More important, the impulse was there. The Max DVD is the testimony. In their 3 concerts in Paris, the audience topped 180,000. Unseen before. But Bill left...

NO........

The last song that saved the Stones was "Start Me Up" if they didn't released this song they would have probably a lot of less fans.

Bit negative today but I also don't like Steel Wheels (must be the age)

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Mathijs
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

And all the beer you could drink for I would think was quite cheap then compared to now.

The Only Song that stands out on SW is Almost Hear You Sigh. Slipping Away is almost there, its better live.

Mixed Emotions is an ok song, but an odd choice for a single...I'm afraid it's the precursor to such paint by numbers songs, as Don't Stop.