Was that an intentional effect or just a result of the size of the stage (their biggest ever?).

Great setlists and great energy in 89. And a very important - and successfull - tour for the band. But the sterile sound - and buried guitars/late 80's keyboards - gave the songs almost a robotic feeling. A very strange sound.

The warm and organic sound was back a couple of years later at the Voodoo Lounge tour.

It was just a sign of the Stones keeping up with modern trends.
Plenty of keyboards and polished sounds overall. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time but those tours and "Steel Wheels" sound incredibly dated now.
It's a shame because the playing is very good indeed. Plus it was the last tour with Wyman.


The Voodoo Lounge tour was a big improvement but it still sounded somewhat sterile. I can't quite put my finger on it but I still dislike the sound of the guitars and drums on that tour. The keyboards weren't as dominant as they were in 1989/90 but they still played too much of a part in the overall sound.

When they did the 4 club show in 1995 they really seemed to find their sound again. The guitars were loud and raw and the band sounded great again.

The SW and UJ tours sounded differently. The latter sounded cleaner, while shows like AC rocked hard. Many good UJ shows as well, like Seventh Of July, but the guitars are very clean.

Steel wheels sounded great.

I loved Steel Wheels! I was glad to see the band not doped up and sounding terrible. 1978 was awful, and 1981 not much better. Still love the boys don't get me wrong. The Stones are the greatest rock and roll band in the world! My favorite.

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IrisC
I loved Steel Wheels! I was glad to see the band not doped up and sounding terrible. 1978 was awful, and 1981 not much better. Still love the boys don't get me wrong. The Stones are the greatest rock and roll band in the world! My favorite.

if '78 was awful...I love awful

I seem to remember a lot media criticism for the '81/'82 tours - sloppy was the main adjective and too far removed from the original recordings.........(not from me though, yeah they screwed up a few songs but they can still do that now............................

I felt the SW / UJ shows were a bit of an answer to that, much more precise following of the studio versions..........

On the Voodoo Lounge tour they seemed to relax again but with the excercise of SW under their belts........of the 3 tours I did like VL best........



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2015-08-17 01:38 by EddieByword.

I thought the 2 Steel Wheels concerts I saw in L.A. sounded great. I'll admit they don't sound that smashing as an audio recording.

Listen to keith sing little t n a. In 81 then in 89 keith so much better in 89 he must a been doing a lot of coke on that tour. Which I think he was.

Steel Wheels the album was one of those 1980's casualties. Soulless slick production with a cheesy synth sound. Too crisp and no soul. The tour, where I saw them in Wisconsin, sounded spectacular. A fantastic sound system and very loud both of the nights I saw them. I enjoyed the show a lot, though I did think and do think now, it was bit polished. However, I do think it was a great resurrection for the band.

Charlie's kit never sounded better than in '89. His snare hasn't had the same "pop" since.

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Mel Belli
Charlie's kit never sounded better than in '89. His snare hasn't had the same "pop" since.

+1!

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IrisC
1978 was awful, and 1981 not much better.

I quite second that, yet the Some Girls Live in Texas and Hampton are their best DVDs, absolutely perfect. I also love the current (2014, 2015) sound. The guitars sound fantastic.
As for the Steel Wheels tour, I can only judge it from the recordings and like many people, I find the guitars too clean, but I like the shows anyway.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-08-17 11:01 by Happy24.

SW tour:





UJ tour:

I think that the concept of this tour was strongly influenced by Jagger's solo years. It should go with the clean polished Jackson-, Turner-, Prince-acts. As he didn't succeed solowise he transformed the polished sound into a Stones-like format. Otherwise the band would have been history I guess. Instead we had the begin of the Vegas decline ... What's better?

For them and for millions of people, better they carried on.

Despite the obvious polish etc of Steel Wheels tour, they had something to prove, were all playing well and gave great performances.

If they had sounded like they did on stage in 1981, they would have been laughed of the stage. They had to come to terms with what was in demand for both bookers, audience and other acts of the time. They had a lot to prove at this point and I think they succeded. Luckily for them, grunge came by, which could make them loosen up the sound a little.

I liked the sound on Steel Wheels although it spelt the end of the guitar driven sound of the previous outings (which I sumply worship). I did not much care for the production, especially the use of massive props which distracted from the music. In that sense I prefer Voodoo Lounge still a big production but no props such as those inflatable women etc.

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RobertJohnson
I think that the concept of this tour was strongly influenced by Jagger's solo years. It should go with the clean polished Jackson-, Turner-, Prince-acts. As he didn't succeed solowise he transformed the polished sound into a Stones-like format. Otherwise the band would have been history I guess. Instead we had the begin of the Vegas decline ... What's better?

Since the 26 years of decline lead to those amazing 2012-2015 shows, I am all for decline. And by the way, why does the "Vegas" thing has to be mentioned whenever the post 1989 Stones are discussed? I think it is mostly a cliché that most people follow without thinking. I think that the constant calling them a "Vegas act" became very "Vegas" They are a great band who more than 50 years into their careers put out (arguably) the best live rock'n'roll show on Earth.

The Stones a "Vegas"-act? Sorry, not enough glitter for that... although the 1989/90-costumes were rather weird... but nowadays they don´t wear costumes anymore...and where are the dancing girls? No Vegas-show without dancing girls!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-08-17 14:12 by HMS.

and where are the dancing girls?

....in da audience ....



ROCKMAN

Steel Wheels reminds me of the recent tour (I saw them in Orlando). The Stage configuration was senseless and not fan favorable.

On a day off work sightseeing in St Albans. Anyway they are still a magnificent band a force to be reckoned with.Keef played wonderfully during some of the SW and UJ performances. Running out of battery on phone

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vudicus
It was just a sign of the Stones keeping up with modern trends.
Plenty of keyboards and polished sounds overall. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time but those tours and "Steel Wheels" sound incredibly dated now.
It's a shame because the playing is very good indeed. Plus it was the last tour with Wyman.


The Voodoo Lounge tour was a big improvement but it still sounded somewhat sterile. I can't quite put my finger on it but I still dislike the sound of the guitars and drums on that tour. The keyboards weren't as dominant as they were in 1989/90 but they still played too much of a part in the overall sound.

When they did the 4 club show in 1995 they really seemed to find their sound again. The guitars were loud and raw and the band sounded great again.

Best review of 89/90 I have read, and spot on with my own opinions. I do understand that the tour was necessary. Mick seemed to need this tour more than anything to prove they could compete with the contemporary trends of the day, and to prove to the critics they could so a flawless show.

I believe it wasn’t until 95 when they started doing the Stripped shows when they finally became a cohesive “band” again, not reliant on Chuck.

Further to the point.... I find the 89/90 shows unlistenable and uunwatchable. Between the sterile thin sound and Mick's calculated moves, it was "The Stones on Ice" -- lifting Pete Townsend's description of The Who's 89 tour, which I also agree with.

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Kennedy

...I believe it wasn’t until 95 when they started doing the Stripped shows when they finally became a cohesive “band” again, not reliant on Chuck.

I would identify the date for this cohesion as 1993, with the shows of 1994 beginning the memorable decade-long high period.

.....

Olly.

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Olly

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Kennedy

...I believe it wasn’t until 95 when they started doing the Stripped shows when they finally became a cohesive “band” again, not reliant on Chuck.

I would identify the date for this cohesion as 1993, with the shows of 1994 beginning the memorable decade-long high period.

I respectfully disagree. I saw a number of the 94 shows here in the US, and I left each of them with the same feelings I had after the SW 89 shows. I remember being pleasantly shocked when the Stripped special aired in late 95 how different they sounded versus just one year prior. My suspicions were confirmed when they returned to the US in 97. Just a completely different vibe than 89 & 94.

You can't argue Keith had lost control when Jagger was fistfighting a blow up doll and imprisoned in a bouncy house jail...

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Kennedy
...I remember being pleasantly shocked when the Stripped special aired in late 95 how different they sounded versus just one year prior. My suspicions were confirmed when they returned to the US in 97. Just a completely different vibe than 89 & 94.

Interesting. I am far too young to have seen any of the Voodoo Lounge shows, although I am surprised that the sound would change more during a Tour (1994-1995) than between Tours (1990-1994).

.....

Olly.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-08-17 17:49 by Olly.

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Olly

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Kennedy
...I remember being pleasantly shocked when the Stripped special aired in late 95 how different they sounded versus just one year prior. My suspicions were confirmed when they returned to the US in 97. Just a completely different vibe than 89 & 94.

Interesting. I am far too young to have seen any of the Voodoo Lounge shows, although I am surprised that the sound would change more during a Tour (1994-1995) than between Tours (1990-1994).

That surprised me as well. I think something just clicked when they did those club shows in 95.