I just gave Steel Wheels a listen, and it remains one of my all-time faves, top-five even.

It might have to do with the importance of the moment: Mick and Keith getting over the feud, the fantastic tours (with those great stage stages and the last with Bill), and some great new songs to feature on the tours.

Break the Spell is the only weak song, I think, and it's not even that bad.

I'm sure you all have other albums that you think don't get enough love, but this one does it for me.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024-08-09 12:46 by bv.

Agree on Steel Wheels, it's an amazing album.

My most listened to Stones albums are Bridges To Babylon, Undercover, Emotional Rescue and Black & Blue. I get why the "Big Four" are hailed as their peak but they're not go-to albums for me.

Steel Wheels is great...production a bit too sparkly but the songs are excellent and as with much of the stones catalogue, the deep cuts end up better over time than the selected "singles".

when I think of underrated, it's always black&blue that comes to my mind.

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falo01
when I think of underrated, it's always black&blue that comes to my mind.

Totally agree with this. It is also the best sounding of all their studio albums.

Steel Wheels is better than people give it credit for. Its certainly not Sticky Fingers, but I like 2/3 of the album. Never got into Terrifying, Hearts for Sale, Continental Drift and Break the Spell.

I firmly believe Their Satanic Majesties Request is underrated. Its a fantastic record besides Gomper and the long Sing This All Together. Same with Between The Buttons. Not a bad song in the bunch. I know Goats Head Soup is usually lost in the mix but also a terrific record. While its in the golden era, I also would say Its Only Rock And Roll album doesn't get enough credit, even though it gets a lot. But again, no real bad songs. And I still maintain A Bigger Bang is a fantastic album. Only one or two songs I really don't like in the bloat.

Between the Buttons, IORR, and Bridges to Babylon.

Bridges, Black and Blue, IORR and Goats, Their Majesties apart from the Sing This all together disaster, and Between the Buttons is a music suspended in a very strange medium of its own making - like the cover photo, which is so brilliant.

i wish i was a critical consumer
however i am not
anything i picked up over the last 43 years has been a joy and i go back to all of them once in a while
that reminds me that i should still pick up a steel wheels cd
i only have the vinyl

The records between Exile & SG, and Emotional Rescue. Side 2 of Tattoo You. B2B. Bigger Bang.

Who knows what "underrated" really means.

A possible definition could be albums that sold less than deserved.

Fine, but who should buy these "underrated" albums?

I would say, at least Stones fans.

Based on the tickets sold in recent world tours, I would say that there must be at least 2 million Stones fans around the world.

Based on the above, albums like Mocambo or Blue and Lonsome are two examples of certainly underrated albums.

C

I love the Little 3 - Goats, IORR, Black and Blue.

IORR suffers from a muddy mix.

I always thought Undercover was underrated. Lot of good stuff on that record.

Between the Buttons, Steel Wheels, Bridges to Babylon.

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liddas
Based on the above, albums like Mocambo or Blue and Lonsome are two examples of certainly underrated albums.

C

I feel like with those its more a result of just this era of releases doesn't yield much anymore. Everyone isn't as locked in or know about releases anymore, cause everyone is in their little silos. I don't think you could have a Sgt. Pepper's or something, at least in rock, that makes those kinds of waves. Taylor Swift can, but not many others. So those are a causality of the time they came out. If Mocambo came out in like the 90s, I think it would be seen much more favorably.

Which isn't to say your answer is wrong, but just that more recent releases have the additional hurdle that makes it harder to judge if it was really "underrated". I know true blue Stones fans that had no idea they put out the Mocambo show. There's just too much else online stealing focus in a way that didn't use to be the case.

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dkwalika
I just gave Steel Wheels a listen, and it remains one of my all-time faves, top-five even... Break the Spell is the only weak song, I think, and it's not even that bad.

You're probably right about it being underrated, but really? Top 5?? It suffers from not having a classic single too - I do like Mixed Emotions, but in comparison it is definitely one of their weakest lead singles, along with One Hit.

And give Break the Spell another listen! It's such a great bluesy groove with lovely harmonica that breaks in at just the right time. That track is probably underrated! It could be my favorite on the album.

BLACK N BLUE AND TATTOO YOU.
Both are well respected but I still think they are underrated.

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LeonidP

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dkwalika
I just gave Steel Wheels a listen, and it remains one of my all-time faves, top-five even... Break the Spell is the only weak song, I think, and it's not even that bad.

You're probably right about it being underrated, but really? Top 5?? It suffers from not having a classic single too - I do like Mixed Emotions, but in comparison it is definitely one of their weakest lead singles, along with One Hit.

And give Break the Spell another listen! It's such a great bluesy groove with lovely harmonica that breaks in at just the right time. That track is probably underrated! It could be my favorite on the album.

Break The Spell is the best track on STEEL WHEELS!

Underrated could be an option of things:

Wasn't critically ranked high enough

Wasn't critically loved/admired

Didn't sell as well as various others

Doesn't have the streaming numbers as high as others


In the US DIRTY WORK outsold EXILE. Worldwide it's considerably different.

Perhaps underrated could be viewed as undervalued - it's just not as good as $%&. But someone somewhere will like/love it, in some instances more than...

It's subjective. Does it matter that I listen to UNDERCOVER more than BEGGARS-EXILE?

Of course not.

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GasLightStreet

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LeonidP

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dkwalika
I just gave Steel Wheels a listen, and it remains one of my all-time faves, top-five even... Break the Spell is the only weak song, I think, and it's not even that bad.

You're probably right about it being underrated, but really? Top 5?? It suffers from not having a classic single too - I do like Mixed Emotions, but in comparison it is definitely one of their weakest lead singles, along with One Hit.

And give Break the Spell another listen! It's such a great bluesy groove with lovely harmonica that breaks in at just the right time. That track is probably underrated! It could be my favorite on the album.

Break The Spell is the best track on STEEL WHEELS!

Absolutely agree.

Is Steel Wheels one my favourite albums ? No

Is it an album that goes unplayed for months on end ? Yes

But from time to time I still get really into it and play it incessantly for a while.

I just wish the production had a bit more life and dynamics to it.

I'm a staunch believer that if A Bigger Bang had been 10-11 tracks, it would be in their top 10. There are some really strong, rocking tracks on that record. My trimmed down version would be:

1. Rough Justice
2. Dangerous Beauty
3. Let Me Down Slow
4. Rain Fall Down
5. This Place is Empty
6. It Won't Take Long
7. Back of My Hand
8. She Saw Me Coming
9. Driving Too Fast
10. Laugh, I Nearly Died
11. Infamy



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024-08-09 10:28 by SoulSurvivor1990.

Between the Buttons is, for me, one of the definite ‘underrated albums’ Jagger has ben dismissive of it, and a number of fans seem to not like it, particularly. For me, it’s a more pop-orientated, folk-like follow-up to Aftermath. It’s quirkiness and ‘English-feel’ perhaps make some feel less engaged with it; yet, that’s what draws me in: there’s simply no other Stones LP quite like it. It reminds me of the Kinks’ Face to Face and Something Else albums.

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RollingFreak

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liddas
Based on the above, albums like Mocambo or Blue and Lonsome are two examples of certainly underrated albums.

C

I feel like with those its more a result of just this era of releases doesn't yield much anymore. Everyone isn't as locked in or know about releases anymore, cause everyone is in their little silos. I don't think you could have a Sgt. Pepper's or something, at least in rock, that makes those kinds of waves. Taylor Swift can, but not many others. So those are a causality of the time they came out. If Mocambo came out in like the 90s, I think it would be seen much more favorably.

Which isn't to say your answer is wrong, but just that more recent releases have the additional hurdle that makes it harder to judge if it was really "underrated". I know true blue Stones fans that had no idea they put out the Mocambo show. There's just too much else online stealing focus in a way that didn't use to be the case.

You are 100% right that nowadays it is almost impossible for a release to gain a success that crosses generations and genres, and I think that even Taylor Swith couldn't do it (not in the way MAdonna or Michael Jackson could).

Yet I can't imagine an actual stones fan who is willing to spend big money to see them live, to spend time on an internet fan club, and is NOT curious to at least give a try to all the band's releases.

I can remember that when Brussels was released, the sales figures were lower even than IORR active accounts (based on the numbers that BV discloses every now and then)

How can that be possible?

How can there be albums by a band with the status of the Stones that sell so poorly?

How is it possible that only a small fraction of those who bought Tattoo You felt the itch to buy Black and Blue?

C

Dirty Work, with a little help from the 'Fully Finished' boot....

Side A
One Hit
Harlem Shuffle
Winning Ugly
Deep Love
Putty in Your hands

Side B
Strictly Memphis
Back to Zero
Dirty Work
Had it With You
Sleep Tonight

..makes a solid album IMHO

I like all their albums up to Bridges to Babylon...

I find Goats Head Soup disappointing; I like this album probably the least. And I almost never play their first couple of albums. They had great singles in the early days, but their albums only started to be great from Aftermath on.

Hugely underrated: Undercover.

Mathijs

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Big Al
Between the Buttons is, for me, one of the definite ‘underrated albums’ Jagger has ben dismissive of it, and a number of fans seem to not like it, particularly. For me, it’s a more pop-orientated, folk-like follow-up to Aftermath. It’s quirkiness and ‘English-feel’ perhaps make some feel less engaged with it; yet, that’s what draws me in: there’s simply no other Stones LP quite like it. It reminds me of the Kinks’ Face to Face and Something Else albums.

Agreed!

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DandelionPowderman

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Big Al
Between the Buttons is, for me, one of the definite ‘underrated albums’ Jagger has ben dismissive of it, and a number of fans seem to not like it, particularly. For me, it’s a more pop-orientated, folk-like follow-up to Aftermath. It’s quirkiness and ‘English-feel’ perhaps make some feel less engaged with it; yet, that’s what draws me in: there’s simply no other Stones LP quite like it. It reminds me of the Kinks’ Face to Face and Something Else albums.

Agreed!

Ditto,

I've posted those exact same thoughts and sentiments in the past re Buttons.

Their Satanic Majesties Request

great guitars, great songs...ok, apart from Sing This All Together(See What Happens)
sound wise it is excellent!

Citadel, In Another Land, 2000 Man....

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liddas
Who knows what "underrated" really means.

A possible definition could be albums that sold less than deserved.

Fine, but who should buy these "underrated" albums?

I would say, at least Stones fans.

Based on the tickets sold in recent world tours, I would say that there must be at least 2 million Stones fans around the world.

Based on the above, albums like Mocambo or Blue and Lonsome are two examples of certainly underrated albums.

C

Underrated by Stones' fans and music fans in general, I reckon Liddas.