The Rolling Stones – Steel Wheels Review

Just about every album from Black and Blue onwards is some sort of return to form for The Rolling Stones. If it were not a commercial success, it was an underrated gem, and if neither of those applied, it was a chance to hear the band on better terms than their previous studio experience. Steel Wheels is as big a return to form as it gets for the band, who could have released an album where they forgot to put the songs on, and it’d be a better experience than Dirty Work. Frontman Mick Jagger learns his lesson. No more pursuing pop music under The Rolling Stones’ name. It leads to Keith Richards fronting a short-lived group which, had he continued on that bit longer, may have actually eclipsed anything The Rolling Stones put out in the 1980s. Steel Wheels would knock on into Voodoo Lounge and, as is the case for the band’s peers in the ‘80s, all they had to do was survive the decade of disco.  

That they do, and they come through scathed and wounded by the experience. Steel Wheels is a response to the group’s disastrous attempt at capturing the mood of the charts, rather than making it themselves. An alliterative rule of three kicks off Steel Wheels, with Sad Sad Sad a far looser, lesser version of Shame Shame Shame from the Black and Blue tapes. At least the band are trying to reconnect with those blues rock ways after such a miserable time chasing the pop sound of the ‘80s. It’s that somewhat repetitive instrumental style which secures The Rolling Stones’ best work here. Keith Richards’ guitar riffs are crucial, as is Ronnie Wood. Their work and upbeat energy are what keep the group ticking over. A few hang-ups from Dirty Work with those piercing saxophone additions to Sad Sad Sad, but at least the band has moved on from the production of such an album. 

Steel Wheels lives and dies on its instrumental range. Jagger isn’t doing much lyrically and still sounds broken down by the pop-rock of the times. But instrumentally inspired work on Mixed Emotions keeps the song, and the album, alive. A few flashes of The Rolling Stones at their classy best, but never enough to overhaul the band. Those little moments are enough, though. Richards stands out best of all with some mesmerising guitar work. Irrespective of the quality is dedication from the group. You can hear the band are on the same page, however briefly, for the first time in years. Hold On to Your Hat is a little shaky but brilliant fun, filled with quality riffs and punchy, confident vocals. Steel Wheels is more important as an album of healing the rift between Jagger and Richards than anything else. They never lost step with one another instrumentally, but the three-year break preceding Steel Wheels had taken its toll.  

Tender, lighter moments break up those blues rock fundamentals, and just in time. Blinded By Love is a rarity from The Rolling Stones, and a brilliant song too. Predictable blues rock like Rock and a Hard Place is a tricky listen but, compared to the previous works of The Rolling Stones, it sounds frankly blissful. Steel Wheels may be far from the band’s best work, but it is the album that got them back on track. Fans may have a soft spot for Steel Wheels thanks to that and the return to blues rock roots, but it’s still somewhat short of the quality The Rolling Stones would dish out in their heyday. It falls apart in the latter moments as the band begins to experiment all too quickly with fresh styles and a new sound. Giving Steel Wheels some time to pull the band back together would have been nice, but there are no duds to be found. That is crucial here, though Steel Wheels remains a very listenable album that can never quite get its hooks in on a listener.