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The Rolling Stones | Some Girls

Universal
By MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER  |  November 22, 2011
3.0 3.0 Stars

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Hindsight demands each deluxe reissue of a Rolling Stones record be declared a masterpiece, despite the reality that for every flawless Let It Bleed there is a Steel Wheels stumble, with 1978's Some Girls falling somewhere in the middle of a spotty five-decade recording career. It came at a time of inner-turmoil. Keith Richards was facing jail for a Canadian heroin bust, defiantly detailed in his raucous outlaw theme "Before They Make Me Run." New styles of music were overtaking the late-'70s scene, namely punk and disco, neither of which were keen to welcome the Stones to the party. Mick Jagger crashed the latter genre, preening and posturing his way into Studio 54 with the instant mirrorball classic "Miss You." The postmodern take of "Shattered" is more camp than credible in retrospect, and "Far Away Eyes" fails at the tongue-in-cheek country that worked so well on Exile's "Sweet Virginia." Comparatively, tracks like the spirited "Respectable," the sneering "When the Whip Comes Down" and "Beast of Burden," (which runs neck and neck with "Wild Horses" as the supreme ballad by the band), are all worthy of classic distinction. "No Spare Parts," from the disc of extras, cements the period as Ronnie Wood's coming out party; on pedal-steel guitar he outshines the new vocals by Jagger, a questionable approach that nearly sabotages an otherwise solid abundance of outtakes. Much of the bonus material, like standouts "When You're Gone" and "Don't Be a Stranger," is as viable as what ended up on the original release. The sessions were wildly prolific, and the Stones mined its results for years to come, creating little else of value otherwise and entering the nostalgia-act phase of their career, effectively making Some Girls the last gasp of credible new music by the self-proclaimed World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band.
Related: The Rolling Stones | Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The Rolling Stones in Concert, Various Artists | Where the Action Is: Los Angeles Nuggets 1965 - 1968, Various Artists | Nippon Girls: Japanese Pop, Beat & Bossa Nova 1966–1970, More more >
  Topics: CD Reviews , Music, The Rolling Stones, The Rolling Stones,  More more >
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