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Stoneage
"Let's Work" is not just "hilarious" it is Sir Michael's ode, or homage, to neoliberalism. And a late tribute to the Iron Lady. It is meant to be taken seriously, not as a joke. In a way his philosophy of life.

I think that we really do not know for sure whether this song lyrics is to be understood as a deliberate self-defining statement or a sentiment of one moment. My guess is the latter.

Over the years Mick has often peppered his lyrics
with the message of working ... forging forward ....



ROCKMAN

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VoodooLounge13

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ProfessorWolf

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Stoneage
"Let's Work" is not just "hilarious" it is Sir Michael's ode, or homage, to neoliberalism. And a late tribute to the Iron Lady. It is meant to be taken seriously, not as a joke. In a way his philosophy of life.

i know i know

but it's funnier than it is anything else

doesn't it just look like a fake music video made by snl?

the should have mick back on snl just to recreate this video

make up mick in the same clothes and hair and just recreate it shot by shot no need to exaggerate for greater comedic effect

trust me the audience will be rolling on the ground laughing themselves silly

you hear me lorne do it!

Holy Cow!! I'd never thought about that, but you're absolutely right! It IS like a skit from SNL!!! Wow. That is the perfect description for the video. And also, I just want to add that, overall, I, too, like ABB. There are a couple moments that I don't care for. Even SOL, I can tolerate it, though it does grate on me. I think Sweet NeoCon is perhaps the weakest of them all. I really don't think they've done a good political song since Highwire.

I am a little surprised that you don't consider "Blinded by Rainbows" as a quite good political song, as coming from an album that you appreciate much more than I do.

As another minority view, I myself see "Sweet NeoCon" as better than its rumour. I find it somewhat unfinished though.

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Witness

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VoodooLounge13

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ProfessorWolf

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Stoneage
"Let's Work" is not just "hilarious" it is Sir Michael's ode, or homage, to neoliberalism. And a late tribute to the Iron Lady. It is meant to be taken seriously, not as a joke. In a way his philosophy of life.

i know i know

but it's funnier than it is anything else

doesn't it just look like a fake music video made by snl?

the should have mick back on snl just to recreate this video

make up mick in the same clothes and hair and just recreate it shot by shot no need to exaggerate for greater comedic effect

trust me the audience will be rolling on the ground laughing themselves silly

you hear me lorne do it!

Holy Cow!! I'd never thought about that, but you're absolutely right! It IS like a skit from SNL!!! Wow. That is the perfect description for the video. And also, I just want to add that, overall, I, too, like ABB. There are a couple moments that I don't care for. Even SOL, I can tolerate it, though it does grate on me. I think Sweet NeoCon is perhaps the weakest of them all. I really don't think they've done a good political song since Highwire.

I am a little surprised that you don't consider "Blinded by Rainbows" as a quite good political song, as coming from an album that you appreciate much more than I do.

As another minority view, I myself see "Sweet NeoCon" as better than its rumour. I find it somewhat unfinished though.

well to be fair as a american i never really got what blinded by rainbows was about until i read about it

it was just this song with very odd lyrics for a while for me

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Witness

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VoodooLounge13

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ProfessorWolf

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Stoneage
"Let's Work" is not just "hilarious" it is Sir Michael's ode, or homage, to neoliberalism. And a late tribute to the Iron Lady. It is meant to be taken seriously, not as a joke. In a way his philosophy of life.

i know i know

but it's funnier than it is anything else

doesn't it just look like a fake music video made by snl?

the should have mick back on snl just to recreate this video

make up mick in the same clothes and hair and just recreate it shot by shot no need to exaggerate for greater comedic effect

trust me the audience will be rolling on the ground laughing themselves silly

you hear me lorne do it!

Holy Cow!! I'd never thought about that, but you're absolutely right! It IS like a skit from SNL!!! Wow. That is the perfect description for the video. And also, I just want to add that, overall, I, too, like ABB. There are a couple moments that I don't care for. Even SOL, I can tolerate it, though it does grate on me. I think Sweet NeoCon is perhaps the weakest of them all. I really don't think they've done a good political song since Highwire.

I am a little surprised that you don't consider "Blinded by Rainbows" as a quite good political song, as coming from an album that you appreciate much more than I do.

As another minority view, I myself see "Sweet NeoCon" as better than its rumour. I find it somewhat unfinished though.

I actually think of Blinded By Rainbows more of a song about social consciousness than political. It is absolutely stellar, and I do love it!!

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ProfessorWolf

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Witness

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VoodooLounge13

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ProfessorWolf

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Stoneage
"Let's Work" is not just "hilarious" it is Sir Michael's ode, or homage, to neoliberalism. And a late tribute to the Iron Lady. It is meant to be taken seriously, not as a joke. In a way his philosophy of life.

i know i know

but it's funnier than it is anything else

doesn't it just look like a fake music video made by snl?

the should have mick back on snl just to recreate this video

make up mick in the same clothes and hair and just recreate it shot by shot no need to exaggerate for greater comedic effect

trust me the audience will be rolling on the ground laughing themselves silly

you hear me lorne do it!

Holy Cow!! I'd never thought about that, but you're absolutely right! It IS like a skit from SNL!!! Wow. That is the perfect description for the video. And also, I just want to add that, overall, I, too, like ABB. There are a couple moments that I don't care for. Even SOL, I can tolerate it, though it does grate on me. I think Sweet NeoCon is perhaps the weakest of them all. I really don't think they've done a good political song since Highwire.

I am a little surprised that you don't consider "Blinded by Rainbows" as a quite good political song, as coming from an album that you appreciate much more than I do.

As another minority view, I myself see "Sweet NeoCon" as better than its rumour. I find it somewhat unfinished though.

well to be fair as a american i never really got what blinded by rainbows was about until i read about it

it was just this song with very odd lyrics for a while for me

I just looked this up myself, not knowing what you were referencing, and I had no idea that this was about the struggles in Northern Ireland at the time. I thought it was just a generalization on life as a whole - the disillusion of religion, the loss of hope for one's dreams, the disintegration into constant wars. It's a beautiful, gut wrenching song that is done so poignantly, and is a prime example of Mick at his best, lyrically, alluding to John Milton, and even the bible. Like days of old, lyrically, on this one.

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Hairball
While the original video version of Lets Work is "great", this version from a Dutch television show has it's own unique "qualities":





And then there's this "amazing" version from TOTP which I hadn't seen until today...bravo...





Watching and listening to these is a great way to lighten up the mood with some laughs, but think I've had my fill for the next 10 years or so...

Hoping a new album comes out some day...sooner rather than later...for the sake of the band and the fans...there's still a sliver of hope...

A total sham. Why bother with a drummer or two to just mime along to a singer's song that isn't even faking it right with a dead microphone? This is possibly what Keith grinds about all the time.

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Nikkei

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24FPS

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Nikkei
I consider "Eazy Sleazy" a flop. Not in a success sort of sense but because it was supposed to be societal commentary and as such it aged spectacularly badly in a very short time. It was wishful thinking.

It was very much a statement of it's time, Covid. No one else of high caliber put out a Covid song. Except Ghost Town, which is not as good as Easy Sleazy. I can still put it on and rock out harder than anything the Stones have put out since Rough Justice.

Clapton did but it wasn't the song people wanted to hear.

Well, when you suck you suck.

Alright.

Back on track!

New Stones album in... December of 2016.

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GasLightStreet
Alright.

Back on track!

New Stones album in... December of 2016.

Wrong decade... The year may be right, though.

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GasLightStreet

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Hairball
While the original video version of Lets Work is "great", this version from a Dutch television show has it's own unique "qualities":





And then there's this "amazing" version from TOTP which I hadn't seen until today...bravo...





Watching and listening to these is a great way to lighten up the mood with some laughs, but think I've had my fill for the next 10 years or so...

Hoping a new album comes out some day...sooner rather than later...for the sake of the band and the fans...there's still a sliver of hope...

A total sham. Why bother with a drummer or two to just mime along to a singer's song that isn't even faking it right with a dead microphone? This is possibly what Keith grinds about all the time.

Oh no, i can't un-watch this, what was he thinking after this, "Keith come back, i'm confused"

I was playing pool in my parents hotel with my mates when this came on the TV, my friends fell about laughing hysterically, i've never felt so embarrassed to be a Mick Stones fan in my life, thank God Mick grew out of it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-07-10 09:35 by keefriffhards.

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ProfessorWolf

ha ya cracked me up with that one

streets of love is the only track on a bigger bang i've come to dislike

though i like the live version

come to think of it i might be one of the only people here who actually likes a bigger bang

and as for let's work i love it not because it's good but because it's hilarious

how could anyone take the message of this song seriously coming from mick jagger

and he must of known that how could he not

no to me it's the hilarious follow up to dancing in the streets with bowie

never meant to be taken as a serious attempt at making music but an intentional joke

i mean i put on this video when i'm feeling blue and it always makes me laugh





that little wave he gives the camera at the beginning always kills me

it's like he's doing a crazy parody of himself

Maybe at the time, it was a message to Keith to get the Stones going again? Is he addressing him directly in that song?

A message to Keith to get the Stones going again? Who broke up the band? In 1987 Jagger was going all-in on his solo career. He even informed journalists not to ask question about The Stones.
As I said earlier; the song Let's Work is about Jagger's philosophy of life and his political stance. Not a joke or a hidden message to Keith. Take it or leave it.

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Stoneage
A message to Keith to get the Stones going again? Who broke up the band? In 1987 Jagger was going all-in on his solo career. He even informed journalists not to ask question about The Stones.
As I said earlier; the song Let's Work is about Jagger's philosophy of life and his political stance. Not a joke or a hidden message to Keith. Take it or leave it.

Along with the uneven Dirty Work and the sterilized Steel Wheels, this all was part of the dark ages of the Stones' history which began with Mick's She's the Boss album.
With the release of that dismal album (and the follow up Primitive Cool w/Lets Work), it's no wonder they butted heads and lost their way for so many years, and the ramifications are still being felt to this day.
There have been some decent tunes throughout the many years since '85, but they haven't really been on the same page aside from touring and raking in the money.
And the downward spiral all started with She's the Boss...

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-07-10 21:52 by Hairball.

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kuenzer

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ProfessorWolf

ha ya cracked me up with that one

streets of love is the only track on a bigger bang i've come to dislike

though i like the live version

come to think of it i might be one of the only people here who actually likes a bigger bang

and as for let's work i love it not because it's good but because it's hilarious

how could anyone take the message of this song seriously coming from mick jagger

and he must of known that how could he not

no to me it's the hilarious follow up to dancing in the streets with bowie

never meant to be taken as a serious attempt at making music but an intentional joke

i mean i put on this video when i'm feeling blue and it always makes me laugh





that little wave he gives the camera at the beginning always kills me

it's like he's doing a crazy parody of himself

Maybe at the time, it was a message to Keith to get the Stones going again? Is he addressing him directly in that song?

no mick's message to keith from that album was shoot off your mouth






Shoot Off Your Mouth
Song by Mick Jagger

You say you love me
Why do you always do me down down down?
I hit rock bottom
You gave me up without sound, sound, sound
But now I'm back in town and feeling mighty fit
I'm sick and tired of eating all your chicken shit
So keep on looking for me
Once I was lost but now I'm found, found, found
I was a rising star
You hitched your wagon next to mine, mine, mine
The sun was shining bright
I guess I never read the sign, sign, sign
Right at the moment that you saw my hand first slip
Just like a dirty rat you jumped the sinking ship
So keep on looking for me
Once I was lost but now I'm found, found, found
Find me in the palace
Find me on the street
Find me back in church
Right in my favourite seat
Now you're a notch on my gun
Who are you to shoot off your mouth?
Wild-eyed and crazy
I always threw my cash around, round, round
You put the boot in
Until the bottom fell right out, out, out
I turned around
You smell like Monday morning's fish
I can't get near enough to take a goodbye kiss
So keep on looking for me
Once I was lost but now I'm found, found, found
Find me in the movies
Right on the TV screen
Keep on searching for me
And you will hear me scream
Now you're a notch on my gun
Now you're a notch on my gun
Who are you to shoot off your mouth?
Shoot off your mouth
But now I'm back in town and feeling mighty fit
I'm sick and tired of eating all your chicken shit
So keep on looking for me
Once I was lost but now I'm found, found, found
Find me in the palace
Find me on the street
Find me back in church
Right in my favourite seat
Now you're a notch on my gun
Who are you to shoot off your mouth?
Shoot off your mouth
Shoot off your mouth
Shoot off your
Don't shoot, don't shoot, don't shoot
Don't shoot, don't shoot, don't shoot

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Stoneage
A message to Keith to get the Stones going again? Who broke up the band? In 1987 Jagger was going all-in on his solo career. He even informed journalists not to ask question about The Stones.
As I said earlier; the song Let's Work is about Jagger's philosophy of life and his political stance. Not a joke or a hidden message to Keith. Take it or leave it.

How do you know that "Let's Work" has such an overall defining character for Jagger ? Why not instead expressing a sentiment of one moment for him? After all, Mick Jagger is a rock personality, not a politician.

Let's Work is not a message aimed at Keith because that would be moronic. Mick knows Keith that well. If anything it was done not caring or oblivious what Keith would think or say about it.

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Nikkei
Let's Work is not a message aimed at Keith because that would be moronic. Mick knows Keith that well. If anything it was done not caring or oblivious what Keith would think or say about it.

Agreed, Mick had cut ties with Keith and the Stones, when there was talk of a tour to promote Dirty Work Mick said the Stones could barely walk across the road let alone tour.
Unbeknownst to us at that point Charlie too was in bad shape with drugs and possibly drink.

As time went on I've started to understand why Mick left the Stones, i think the trouble was it was a bit too late , Mick was seen as a dinosaur by the youth of that day in the mid 80's, the media press referring to him as a wrinkly rocker, Micks solo boat had already sailed before he began to leave the shore, and of course we mustn't forget you have to serve up the goods. Micks solo singles were never going to become huge successes , hence he made up with Keith in 89' after Mick had dried his hardest to be a respected solo artist like Bowie, Jackson, Henley, Plant etc.

Party doll has some lyrics .....maybe related with Keith's personal relation

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Hairball

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Stoneage
A message to Keith to get the Stones going again? Who broke up the band? In 1987 Jagger was going all-in on his solo career. He even informed journalists not to ask question about The Stones.
As I said earlier; the song Let's Work is about Jagger's philosophy of life and his political stance. Not a joke or a hidden message to Keith. Take it or leave it.

Along with the uneven Dirty Work and the sterilized Steel Wheels, this all was part of the dark ages of the Stones' history which began with Mick's She's the Boss album.
With the release of that dismal album (and the follow up Primitive Cool w/Lets Work), it's no wonder they butted heads and lost their way for so many years, and the ramifications are still being felt to this day.
There have been some decent tunes throughout the many years since '85, but they haven't really been on the same page aside from touring and raking in the money.
And the downward spiral all started with She's the Boss...

Sorry to say this, but your rant reads like your typical blame game and as such as immature drivel imo. How can a solo album start a downward spiral for a band? Isn't it more likely that Mick going solo was the result of an increasing creative and last, but not least, personal downward spiral within his band that started way earlier? Isn't Tattoo You the result of the fact that, although a major US tour was planned, they could not come up with any decent material for a new album so they had to dig out outtakes reaching back to 1973 to present new product they could tour on?

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keefriffhards

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Nikkei
Let's Work is not a message aimed at Keith because that would be moronic. Mick knows Keith that well. If anything it was done not caring or oblivious what Keith would think or say about it.

Agreed, Mick had cut ties with Keith and the Stones, when there was talk of a tour to promote Dirty Work Mick said the Stones could barely walk across the road let alone tour.
Unbeknownst to us at that point Charlie too was in bad shape with drugs and possibly drink.

As time went on I've started to understand why Mick left the Stones, i think the trouble was it was a bit too late , Mick was seen as a dinosaur by the youth of that day in the mid 80's, the media press referring to him as a wrinkly rocker, Micks solo boat had already sailed before he began to leave the shore, and of course we mustn't forget you have to serve up the goods. Micks solo singles were never going to become huge successes , hence he made up with Keith in 89' after Mick had dried his hardest to be a respected solo artist like Bowie, Jackson, Henley, Plant etc.

Eh, he gave it a shot. He was tired of the Stones. It was probably like trying to herd cats. You get weary of the other voices in the room. You want something new before you're too old to change. (Bill Wyman did it successfully.) All the cameras were on Mick. Footage of the group consisted of going to Mick, quick shots of the others, back to Mick. Everything was Mick, Mick, Mick. Well, maybe he wanted to cash in without having to split five ways. Or two ways with Keith for songwriting royalties.

Just grabbing some musicians and playing mostly hits you did with another band had been hit and miss. Okay for Sting, kind of. Not so great for Bruce Springsteen. It's a band for a reason. There's a reason something as innocuous as the bass player retiring altered the music irrevocably. It just didn't work for Mick. He tried. Acting didn't work out either. He tried. Which probably pissed him off when Keith was good in the Pirate movies.

Here's another "great" Mick solo tune to brighten the day...





While this type of tune might have it's rightful place in the world of Mick (just as Lets Work and others do),
I can only hope and pray this type of material never makes it anywhere near any new Stones album.
In a really twisted inexplainable way though, I do think there is something likeable about this tune...not aure what though...

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

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retired_dog

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Hairball

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Stoneage
A message to Keith to get the Stones going again? Who broke up the band? In 1987 Jagger was going all-in on his solo career. He even informed journalists not to ask question about The Stones.
As I said earlier; the song Let's Work is about Jagger's philosophy of life and his political stance. Not a joke or a hidden message to Keith. Take it or leave it.

Along with the uneven Dirty Work and the sterilized Steel Wheels, this all was part of the dark ages of the Stones' history which began with Mick's She's the Boss album.
With the release of that dismal album (and the follow up Primitive Cool w/Lets Work), it's no wonder they butted heads and lost their way for so many years, and the ramifications are still being felt to this day.
There have been some decent tunes throughout the many years since '85, but they haven't really been on the same page aside from touring and raking in the money.
And the downward spiral all started with She's the Boss...

Sorry to say this, but your rant reads like your typical blame game and as such as immature drivel imo. How can a solo album start a downward spiral for a band? Isn't it more likely that Mick going solo was the result of an increasing creative and last, but not least, personal downward spiral within his band that started way earlier? Isn't Tattoo You the result of the fact that, although a major US tour was planned, they could not come up with any decent material for a new album so they had to dig out outtakes reaching back to 1973 to present new product they could tour on?

But after Tattoo You came Undercover which was a damn fine album, but Mick was already laying out his solo plans for the future as the Stones became secondary to him, and it was the beginning of the end so to speak.

From Mick, 1983 (The dawning of WWIII):

"I could do all kinds of things. I could go very commercial - very, VERY commercial American pop. Or I could go for just ordinary, straight rock and roll, in an English way. Or I could mix it up: some very, you know, some HITS, and some things that are a bit more experimental, outside of this kind of mainstream rock. You could do some interesting things in that area. I have a lot of stuff. I think I'm gonna do it relatively soon".

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-07-11 02:08 by Hairball.

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retired_dog

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Hairball

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Stoneage
A message to Keith to get the Stones going again? Who broke up the band? In 1987 Jagger was going all-in on his solo career. He even informed journalists not to ask question about The Stones.
As I said earlier; the song Let's Work is about Jagger's philosophy of life and his political stance. Not a joke or a hidden message to Keith. Take it or leave it.

Along with the uneven Dirty Work and the sterilized Steel Wheels, this all was part of the dark ages of the Stones' history which began with Mick's She's the Boss album.
With the release of that dismal album (and the follow up Primitive Cool w/Lets Work), it's no wonder they butted heads and lost their way for so many years, and the ramifications are still being felt to this day.
There have been some decent tunes throughout the many years since '85, but they haven't really been on the same page aside from touring and raking in the money.
And the downward spiral all started with She's the Boss...

Sorry to say this, but your rant reads like your typical blame game and as such as immature drivel imo. How can a solo album start a downward spiral for a band? Isn't it more likely that Mick going solo was the result of an increasing creative and last, but not least, personal downward spiral within his band that started way earlier? Isn't Tattoo You the result of the fact that, although a major US tour was planned, they could not come up with any decent material for a new album so they had to dig out outtakes reaching back to 1973 to present new product they could tour on?

As I have suggested on more than one occasion before, I think that what was decisive, was a somewhat reserved reception to UNDERCOVER. For all the good quality that not only I, but a quite large minority on this site hear in that album, it is on the other hand a not so easily approachable album for new listeners (or lazy old ones). In that respect, in the same manner as EXILE ON MAIN STREET is not so easily approachable, whereas, in contrast, STICKY FINGERS is. And it was at new crossroads, when the Rolling Stones needed to renew their fanbase once again, like they had succeeded in doing several times before. But now with a somewhat demanding album. At the same time this was approximately during years when there was a significant split between a commercialized "overground" and several geographically separate scenes of "underground". Contributing to a difficult situation for the Stones to renew their fanbase with a less approachable studio album, even if a great one. In fact, their latest great album, probably their last great.

All these factors combined, I suppose led to the breakdown of the great continuity of the studio albums SOME GIRLS, EMOTIONAL RESCUE and UNDERCOVER. The vital thread was broken.

Undercover... a very good album, but not really a very great album as it's a bit uneven, hit or miss, though some might say it's eclectic and that's part of the charm.
Overall I'd say it's better than all albums that followed though with tracks like Too Much Blood, It Must Be Hell, the title track, She Was Hot...all great tunes imo.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

yeah i'm with hairball undercover good album not great not on par with exile, some girls

but on par (to me) with steel wheels thru blue & lonesome maybe a bit better but not one of the great stones albums

but great compared to what many of there 60's era contemporaries where putting out at the same time

i think most ordinary bands would be happy with a album as good as undercover

as for it not being an easy album to approach
yeah i agree but i think bridges to babylon is even more difficult to aproach (at least for me it was) and almost as good

and i'd be happy if they could create another album on par with those "good" albums

or maybe slightly better

but i in no way expect them make another exile
and i don't need them to either

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Hairball

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retired_dog

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Hairball

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Stoneage
A message to Keith to get the Stones going again? Who broke up the band? In 1987 Jagger was going all-in on his solo career. He even informed journalists not to ask question about The Stones.
As I said earlier; the song Let's Work is about Jagger's philosophy of life and his political stance. Not a joke or a hidden message to Keith. Take it or leave it.

Along with the uneven Dirty Work and the sterilized Steel Wheels, this all was part of the dark ages of the Stones' history which began with Mick's She's the Boss album.
With the release of that dismal album (and the follow up Primitive Cool w/Lets Work), it's no wonder they butted heads and lost their way for so many years, and the ramifications are still being felt to this day.
There have been some decent tunes throughout the many years since '85, but they haven't really been on the same page aside from touring and raking in the money.
And the downward spiral all started with She's the Boss...

Sorry to say this, but your rant reads like your typical blame game and as such as immature drivel imo. How can a solo album start a downward spiral for a band? Isn't it more likely that Mick going solo was the result of an increasing creative and last, but not least, personal downward spiral within his band that started way earlier? Isn't Tattoo You the result of the fact that, although a major US tour was planned, they could not come up with any decent material for a new album so they had to dig out outtakes reaching back to 1973 to present new product they could tour on?

But after Tattoo You came Undercover which was a damn fine album, but Mick was already laying out his solo plans for the future as the Stones became secondary to him, and it was the beginning of the end so to speak.

From Mick, 1983 (The dawning of WWIII):

"I could do all kinds of things. I could go very commercial - very, VERY commercial American pop. Or I could go for just ordinary, straight rock and roll, in an English way. Or I could mix it up: some very, you know, some HITS, and some things that are a bit more experimental, outside of this kind of mainstream rock. You could do some interesting things in that area. I have a lot of stuff. I think I'm gonna do it relatively soon".

I think it depends on where one actually pinpoints the beginning of the downwards spiral. For me, admittedly one of the "old guard" who has lived with Stones music since the mid-60's, it started right after Some Girls. Emotional Rescue may have been well produced and commercially successful, but the actual song material were half good to even excellent, but also half crap in my ears. I had started listening to The Clash (in particular London Calling released some months earlier), The Police, Patti Smith, Graham Parker, Dire Straits and other up and coming artists of the time and felt that with Emotional Rescue, the Stones were beginning to lose it - for me, a major disappointment after the refreshing Some Girls. Then, of course, came Tattoo You, that lifted my "Stones spirits" considerably (the fact that I knew some of the tracks from recent bootlegs did not bother me at all btw.). On to Undercover, for me once again a disppointing effort, like Emotional Rescue - half of the album good to excellent, but again another half crap.

Don't get me wrong, as a loyal Stones fan I tried hard to really like ER and UC as a whole and discover some "hidden values" not immediately accessible on first listen, but ultimately failed. To this very day. And all I can remember is that I was not alone with my reservation concerning these two albums. While later bootlegs indicated that ER could have been a much better, cohesive album considering the available outtakes (not to speak of the ones that got officially released in the meantime!), the available UC outtakes really makes one wonder how they've managed to complete an album at all.

Maybe Mick also felt that the Stones were beginning to lose it against their contemporary competitors, and the beginning creative battles with Keith as well as the general condition of certain band members made him decide that enough was enough and if there was a time to start on his own there was no better time than exactly then.

However, I think there's a little more to the whole story than just Mick demanding the full spotlight and wanting to cash in solely on his own.

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Hairball
Here's another "great" Mick solo tune to brighten the day...





While this type of tune might have it's rightful place in the world of Mick (just as Lets Work and others do),
I can only hope and pray this type of material never makes it anywhere near any new Stones album.
In a really twisted inexplainable way though, I do think there is something likeable about this tune...not aure what though...

I actually really enjoy Visions of Paradise. For me I think this is a prime example of Mick’s sappiness that actually works. Would it fit a Stone album? No but it was quite good on Goddess.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-07-11 06:52 by VoodooLounge13.

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VoodooLounge13

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Hairball
Here's another "great" Mick solo tune to brighten the day...





While this type of tune might have it's rightful place in the world of Mick (just as Lets Work and others do),
I can only hope and pray this type of material never makes it anywhere near any new Stones album.
In a really twisted inexplainable way though, I do think there is something likeable about this tune...not aure what though...

I actually really enjoy Visions of Paradise. For me I think this is a prime example of Mick’s snappiness that actually works. Would it fit a Stone album? No but it was quite good on Goddess.

"Mick’s snappiness"...I think that actually might be the Brenda in him...

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

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retired_dog

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Hairball

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retired_dog

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Hairball

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Stoneage
A message to Keith to get the Stones going again? Who broke up the band? In 1987 Jagger was going all-in on his solo career. He even informed journalists not to ask question about The Stones.
As I said earlier; the song Let's Work is about Jagger's philosophy of life and his political stance. Not a joke or a hidden message to Keith. Take it or leave it.

Along with the uneven Dirty Work and the sterilized Steel Wheels, this all was part of the dark ages of the Stones' history which began with Mick's She's the Boss album.
With the release of that dismal album (and the follow up Primitive Cool w/Lets Work), it's no wonder they butted heads and lost their way for so many years, and the ramifications are still being felt to this day.
There have been some decent tunes throughout the many years since '85, but they haven't really been on the same page aside from touring and raking in the money.
And the downward spiral all started with She's the Boss...

Sorry to say this, but your rant reads like your typical blame game and as such as immature drivel imo. How can a solo album start a downward spiral for a band? Isn't it more likely that Mick going solo was the result of an increasing creative and last, but not least, personal downward spiral within his band that started way earlier? Isn't Tattoo You the result of the fact that, although a major US tour was planned, they could not come up with any decent material for a new album so they had to dig out outtakes reaching back to 1973 to present new product they could tour on?

But after Tattoo You came Undercover which was a damn fine album, but Mick was already laying out his solo plans for the future as the Stones became secondary to him, and it was the beginning of the end so to speak.

From Mick, 1983 (The dawning of WWIII):

"I could do all kinds of things. I could go very commercial - very, VERY commercial American pop. Or I could go for just ordinary, straight rock and roll, in an English way. Or I could mix it up: some very, you know, some HITS, and some things that are a bit more experimental, outside of this kind of mainstream rock. You could do some interesting things in that area. I have a lot of stuff. I think I'm gonna do it relatively soon".

I think it depends on where one actually pinpoints the beginning of the downwards spiral. For me, admittedly one of the "old guard" who has lived with Stones music since the mid-60's, it started right after Some Girls. Emotional Rescue may have been well produced and commercially successful, but the actual song material were half good to even excellent, but also half crap in my ears. I had started listening to The Clash (in particular London Calling released some months earlier), The Police, Patti Smith, Graham Parker, Dire Straits and other up and coming artists of the time and felt that with Emotional Rescue, the Stones were beginning to lose it - for me, a major disappointment after the refreshing Some Girls. Then, of course, came Tattoo You, that lifted my "Stones spirits" considerably (the fact that I knew some of the tracks from recent bootlegs did not bother me at all btw.). On to Undercover, for me once again a disppointing effort, like Emotional Rescue - half of the album good to excellent, but again another half crap.

Don't get me wrong, as a loyal Stones fan I tried hard to really like ER and UC as a whole and discover some "hidden values" not immediately accessible on first listen, but ultimately failed. To this very day. And all I can remember is that I was not alone with my reservation concerning these two albums. While later bootlegs indicated that ER could have been a much better, cohesive album considering the available outtakes (not to speak of the ones that got officially released in the meantime!), the available UC outtakes really makes one wonder how they've managed to complete an album at all.

Maybe Mick also felt that the Stones were beginning to lose it against their contemporary competitors, and the beginning creative battles with Keith as well as the general condition of certain band members made him decide that enough was enough and if there was a time to start on his own there was no better time than exactly then.

However, I think there's a little more to the whole story than just Mick demanding the full spotlight and wanting to cash in solely on his own.

To another with start as listener in the middle of the 1960s, for me the challenge from other bands did not come from the acts you name, not even Clash. Instead those were most of all Joy Division / New Order, Birthday Party / Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and, besides, Bauhaus. Later on, also Sonic Youth. However, to me the Rolling Stones were still highest caliber for a few more studio releases. When I usually do not rank internally between approximately twelve great Rolling Stones albums over their career, still I think EMOTIONAL RESCUE and UNDERCOVER even a little better than SOME GIRLS. On the other hand, and I have learnt quite controversially here, to me TATTOO YOU is not among the great Stones album. - So my outlook on the Rolling Stones' studio output, considered in relation to other acts at different points in time, differs from yours to some extent.

And, as earlier said, to me it is the reception to UNDERCOVER, not its conception and creation, that breaks the wonderful thread they had had up to then.