One last song from the Foreign Tongues release cycle. The Rolling Stones really cleared out their clutter on this latest album release. Some all-time great moments from the Mick Jagger-fronted band. From covers of Amy Winehouse to collaborating with Robert Smith and Paul McCartney. Those latter moments don’t matter, really. It’s just people of interest who found themselves pottering around in the studio with Jagger, Ronnie Wood, and Keith Richards. Bad Luck Hideaway perseveres as a post-album release track. The Rolling Stones sure know how to milk a release cycle. Just look at their World Cup album variants. A shame to hear Foreign Tongues is so fantastic given the practice of its release is stomach-churning capitalism. Order another version of the album and get your greasy hands on a song which is chipped off the other releases for no other reason than scarcity. A manufactured buzz around a song which is good enough to survive on the hype which often comes from listening to great works.
With Richards on lead vocals, it’s hard not to fall in love with this one. The Rolling Stones offered Richards a chance to perform a few songs throughout and it makes a difference. This could have morphed somewhat into a de facto Jagger project with The Rolling Stones drafted in. But he never had the strength of a solo artist and has since become reliant on the Richards and Wood pairing. They keep him beating along well and with a chance to step back from that role on Bad Luck Hideaway, we’re given a chance to hear the impact of Richards as a vocalist, as well as an instrumentalist. Bonus tracks are a thing of the past, or at least they should be. The equivalent of burying a song on a CD as a secret. Jagger and Richards sharing vocal duties should not be some secret of Foreign Tongues. This is a wonderful duet from collaborators whose work has lasted decades now. That titular spot of isolation is a real treat to hear all about.
What it offers is a chance for reflection. It’s hardly like The Rolling Stones are given the chance to sneak off from the publicity and fascination that comes with being in one of the most recognised bands around. That impact is felt by Jagger and the band on and off stage, and what the band offers here is a capable, considerate listen. Catchy but repetitive and reliant on the title. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime to flesh out what this hideaway could be and what it means for a band always in the spotlight to retreat. This feels like one for the dedicated fan, but to freeze them out of listening without another financial investment in the band feels a tad cold from The Rolling Stones. Worth a listen, but it’s the checklist of what Bad Luck Hideaway offers that appeals most of all. Just like Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney featuring on a duet for the first-time ever, this bonus track hasn’t got quite enough momentum to make a difference.
Richards sounds a tad strange the longer this song goes on but it’s a nice message to hear from him and Jagger. It feels like surplus to requirement but at the same time a worthy song by The Rolling Stones. It’s better than some of Foreign Tongues‘ original tracks, that’s for sure. You can have too much of a good thing, that’s what the band proves here. Bad Luck Hideaway has the drifting essentials of modern-day music from The Rolling Stones but it feels closer in spirit to Hackney Diamonds. That middle-of-the-road sound that had the band feel for new music for the first time in over a decade is at play here. They honed their skills a little better on most of Foreign Tongues, and while Bad Luck Hideaway may have a sweet and cool premise to it, the execution of it falls slightly short.
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