This was always a so so album for me but I have been spinning it a lot lately. It's much grittier than I remember--like the fade outs on Terrifying and Break the Spell. But more than that, this is an ass-kicking album for Charlie. In top form.

It's a great late period album. As came to happen more and more, the singles chosen weren't necessarily the best songs on the album.

It's a fantastic return from the mud of Undercover and Dirty Work. Better than anything else (new) they released in the 80s. (Tattoo You was only partially new.) It's the end of the Golden Age Stones. Everything after was harkening back to former greatness. It's a really mature Stones sound too, with some jazz thrown in. Slipping Away sounds like Keith saying goodbye to the whole Stones thing. In a sense it was.

Charlie is the only real saving grace for Steel Wheels which was a bit too mechanical and sterile production wise, but even his drum sound suffered a bit because of that.
Like Emotional Rescue (and the ER single), when I first heard Mixed Emotions as the first single prior to the album release, it sort of burst the bubble of anticipation.
Almost Hear You Sigh, Slipping Away, and maybe Terrifying are really the only decent tunes imo - the rest are cartoonesque shadows of former Stones greatness.

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

The great comeback of The Stones after the low point of their music.

well i love the album

especially continental drift which is one of my favorite stones tracks

and it should have been a single

also great are hold onto your hat, can't be seen and hearts for sale

but i prefer voodoo and think it's a better charlie album

also i would say it's better then dw but not undercover

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ProfessorWolf
also i would say it's better then dw but not undercover

I love Undercover, don't skip a track. Steel Wheels is excellent and I share the love of Continental Drift. A couple of tracks skippable most mostly a fab resurgence.

The 80s production mars it a bit.

Bad production .Along with IORR it’s their worst sounding albumIMO.Too much filler, Rock and a Hard Place, Hearts for sale, Terrifying, Can’t Be seen,Break the Spell are all subpar songs

Hold on to your hat just flat out rocks. Great album.

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ProfessorWolf
well i love the album

especially continental drift which is one of my favorite stones tracks

and it should have been a single

also great are hold onto your hat, can't be seen and hearts for sale

but i prefer voodoo and think it's a better charlie album

+1

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ProfessorWolf
also i would say it's better then dw but not undercover

I think I prefer the grit of DW to SW. But both are better than U IMO.

DDD recording .... .....



ROCKMAN

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Rockman
DDD recording .... .....

Always found it a bit strange how a CD that is DDD originally can be re released as digitally remastered.

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Taylor1
Bad production .Along with IORR it’s their worst sounding albumIMO.Too much filler, Rock and a Hard Place, Hearts for sale, Terrifying, Can’t Be seen,Break the Spell are all subpar songs

IORR sounds way better than SW.


Although I can't stand RAAHP, it's certainly not filler. Terrifying is not more filler than Hot Stuff. Hearts For Sale - what, you can't celebrate difference? It's just as vital as Fingerprint File or Memory Motel - oops, uh, Moonlight Mile.

Can't Be Seen - yes. Garbage. Pure trash. Belongs on DIRTY WORK with all the rest of the most trash the Stones have ever done.

Break The Spell - it's interesting. That's as far as it goes. It's nowhere as good as Fancyman Blues or however it's spelt.

Steel Wheels produced not 1 but 2 incredible classics. Slipping away, and one of my all time favorites Almost hear you sigh. Pounding beat from Charlie, and the classical Guitar. Absolutely beautiful, it sounds better in 2022...

When Mixed Emotions came out, I bought the 45, and the CD single, and watched MTV and even heard it on the radio.

DRIVING. Charlie was DRIVING the song. The guitars are just along for the ride.

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GasLightStreet
When Mixed Emotions came out, I bought the 45, and the CD single, and watched MTV and even heard it on the radio.

DRIVING. Charlie was DRIVING the song. The guitars are just along for the ride.

So you didn't get the cassingle...missed opportunity!

How some people here who loathe Steel Wheels entirely or for the most part at the same time populate the "New album for 2022?"-thread and beg for the release of new Stones music is funny to watch. How can one seriously expect that any new Stones originals could possibly surpass the material that's on Steel Wheels? Or is it just some kind of masochistic attitude?

Good album. Hold On To Your Hat is the only weak track.

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retired_dog
How some people here who loathe Steel Wheels entirely or for the most part at the same time populate the "New album for 2022?"-thread and beg for the release of new Stones music is funny to watch. How can one seriously expect that any new Stones originals could possibly surpass the material that's on Steel Wheels? Or is it just some kind of masochistic attitude?

It is interesting isn’t it. It’s as though they actually believe the Stones at this stage of the game can make an album that belongs in the catalog.
Steel wheels is a surprisingly good album when you listen to it present day.
That line about “ the production “just gets repeated over and over. It’s mixed about 50 times better than the records that followed it.
God bless them for thinking that Keith album was great, it was unlistenable.
Micks songs aren’t that good either but that’s where they are now.
Luckily even they know it.

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DandelionPowderman
Good album. Hold On To Your Hat is the only weak track.

I kinda like it. Like "Fight" or "Flip The Switch" it has that "hey let's give it all for 4 minutes".

A great Charlie Album?
Certainly I remember reading a 1990 Lloyd Cole interview where he "explained" after listening carefully to the drums, the snare beats the cymbals and they were so perfect, so in time that he came to the conclusion that, obviously, the band had sampled the drums.

Nope Lloyd it was just Charlie's genius.

Over all I like the album - I have a soft spot for it, since I became a fan when it came out. Charlie Watts certainly plays very well on it. Terrifying is great, it sounded very powerful and swinging when it was performed live.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-07-10 11:49 by windmelody.

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DGA35

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Rockman
DDD recording .... .....

Always found it a bit strange how a CD that is DDD originally can be re released as digitally remastered.

It means they redid or reworked the mastering, the last D-step of the proces. The first D though is probably why many people experience Steel Wheels as sounding sterile. It's not recorded analogue on tape.

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RnT

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DGA35

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Rockman
DDD recording .... .....

Always found it a bit strange how a CD that is DDD originally can be re released as digitally remastered.

It means they redid or reworked the mastering, the last D-step of the proces. The first D though is probably why many people experience Steel Wheels as sounding sterile. It's not recorded analogue on tape.

Funny, it's the thing I loved about the album upon first listen, just sounded so 'crisp and clean' which now is its achilles heel.

I did not know they ever played Terrifying live.

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treaclefingers

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DGA35

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Rockman
DDD recording .... .....

Always found it a bit strange how a CD that is DDD originally can be re released as digitally remastered.

It means they redid or reworked the mastering, the last D-step of the proces. The first D though is probably why many people experience Steel Wheels as sounding sterile. It's not recorded analogue on tape.

Funny, it's the thing I loved about the album upon first listen, just sounded so 'crisp and clean' which now is its achilles heel.

Yes! I remember that too! People's perspective on what sounds nice might change. On the other hand: our ears get used to changes in sound pretty fast.On Honk they put Mixed Emotions after Love is Strong (which contains a LOT of analogue warmth). I played it in the car and when Mixed Emotions started I thought WTF! After about 30 seconds though it sounded ok to me.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-07-10 18:24 by RnT.

Top three Stones album for me and one of my go-to albums along with Emotional Rescue and Black & Blue. Only skipper for me is Hold On To Your Hat, rest of the album is an absolute belter!

Mick's Demotion :-)

Count me on Team Hold On To Your Hat. I think it's a great rocker. I've always liked it.

I'm also glad to see Continental Drift getting some love. I remember reading reviews that just trashed it.