@@ViajealduendeTrue. Not to mention, Keef plays bass on several tracks, with the occasional Mick Taylor or Ronnie Wood playing bass in their respective eras. I think Bill’s magic was more prominent on stage. Listen to the bootlegs from the 1973 European Tour-he’s such an undersung rock bassist. For me, Darryl’s too polished and slick for their sound. I am also not a huge fan of Chuck Leavell.
One of the first digitally recorded albums. It sounds awful. Thin and brittle. Digital technology has goitten better since then but most digital recording from that era don't sound very good.
@@frankmarsh1159 yeah. The songs are good, but the sound is not great. It also has to do with the overproduction period of 1986-1992. A lot of stuff during that time sounds bad on cd, Vinyl, whatever. Guitars and drums were eq'd so shrill and piercing, lost all semblance of what the instruments should sound like. Traveling Wilburys was one of few late 80s albums, that actually sounded good.
I have a soft spot for Dirty Work - it was the Stones album that got me into their music. I went straight out and got Rewind and Rolled Gold and my life was changed forever.
LOL. Different strokes... Hearing "Not Fade Away" was my St. Paul on the road moment. Three months later I had a set of drums. Three months after that I was in a band.
A Bigger Bang is so over-saturated that I hardly can listen to it, could love the songs but this album should have a remaster (like Rush did with Vapor Trails).
The fact that even though I bought all these albums when they were released but barely remember anything from them makes it really tough to make a decision.
Thank you for this! I too, became a complete Stones nut in '81 after an older brother got me into a concert in Boulder Colorado. They've been my best friends since.
@@stevesutherland6232 thanks,! He was a paramedic and was assigned to the concert. This was when OD's were still commonplace at concerts. Mick threw carnations into the audience up high on a cherry picker! Wish I had caught one!
@@Viajealduende Wow! Really? October 3 and 4! Coincidentally, my brother in-laws sister was living in Santa Fe and was there too! You made my day ! I was 12 as well!
@@Viajealduende jeez! My mom went there in the 40's and my sister taught 8th grade there for 15 years! She just retired. Thanks so much for reaching out, so nice to find someone else who was there! Small World sometimes.
My personal ranking: 1. Some Girls (1978) 2. Exile on Main Street (1972) 3. Let It Bleed (1969) 4. Aftermath (1966) 5. Beggars Banquet (1968) 6. Between The Buttons (1967) 7. Sticky Fingers (1971) 8. Tattoo You (1981) 9. Emotional Rescue (1980) 10. 12 x 5 (1965) 11. Out of Our Heads (1966) 12. December’s Children (1965) 13. Goat’s Head Soup (1973) 14. It’s Only RocknRoll (1974) 15. Black & Blue (1976) 16. Voodoo Lounge (1994) 17. Hackney Diamonds (2023) 18. Steel Wheels (1989) 19. Rolling Stones Now (1965) 20. England’s Newest Hitmakers (1964) 21. Undercover (1983) 22. Dirty Work (1986) 23. Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967) 24. A Bigger Bang (2005) 25. Bridges To Babylon (1997) 26. Blue & Lonesome (2016)
Beggars' Banquet Let It Bleed Aftermath Rolling Stones Now Between The Buttons Out of Our Heads Some Girls December's children 12X5 Exile - An exasperating album. Could have been near the top with some pruning and editing. There are songs which start out great and then go on and on and on. There some songs which just aren't up to Stones standards. Tumbling Dice, Sweet Virginia, and Robert Johnson's Stop Breaking Down were master class. When it came out, most fans and critics considered it a good album but not nearly one of their best. Nowadays it's the best by acclamation (not mine). It did provide the backbone for a tour in which their performance level was about as good as it ever was (and I saw them six times starting in '64). That tour they were at the since blown up Rubber Bowl in Akron, Stevie Wonder opening. Second or third best show I ever took in.
After "Tattoo you" (which contained their last bona fide classic "Start me up") they never recorded anything of relevance again. Wouldn't hold it against them, 20 years of consistent, world-changing greatness is more than enough for any band...
Good question! I don't know the answer as I haven't given these albums a good enough listen. Why listen to any of the albums more than once or twice when you could listen to anything from 1968-1972? Furthermore, not that the Stones need another compilation, but it would be interesting to see if people could come up with a generally agreed upon "best of" from the last 41 years.
Hi Robert, here are my votes: 1. Beggars Banquet(1968) 2. Let It Bleed (1969) 3. Sticky Fingers (1971) 4. Tattoo You (1981) 5. Some Girls (1978) 6. Emotional Rescue (1980) 7. Exile on Main Street (1972) 8. Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967) 9. It’s Only Rock 'n' Roll (1974) 10. Black & Blue (1976) 11. Out of Our Heads (1966) 12. Goat’s Head Soup (1973) 13. Hackney Diamonds (2023) 14. Steel Wheels (1989) 15. Dirty Work (1986) 16. Aftermath (1966) 17. December’s Children (1965) 18. Bridges To Babylon (1997 19. Rolling Stones Now (1965) 20. 12 x 5 (1965) 21. Between The Buttons (1967) 22. England’s Newest Hitmakers (1964) 23. Voodoo Lounge (1994) 24. A Bigger Bang (2005) 25. Undercover (1983) 26. Blue & Lonesome (2016)
Tattoo You- the album where I paid attention to the Stones. My brother gave me a tour shirt for Christmas and I wore it out! What’s to follow? Let’s see. Undercover- an embarrassing cover. Stones use synthesizers and electric drums. She Was Hot was a fun video. Highlights include that and It Must Be Hell, though it’s a Soul Survivor rewrite. Low points are Feel On Baby and Too Much Blood. The video for the latter grossed me out. Dirty Work- we waited patiently for this. Harlem Shuffle was ok. A cute video. Had It With You is uncomfortably personal. Sleep Tonight is a highlight, a sweet tribute to Ian Stewart. Rest in peace, Stu. Steel Wheels- indeed a miracle we got this one. But it tried being all things to all people as with Blinded By Love. Mixed Emotions and Slipping Away are highlights. Voodoo Lounge- a little too much as you said. Love Is Strong has a nice harmonica riff. You Got Me Rocking has one of the most pretentious lyrics about a “butcher, cutting up meat.” And? However, Out Of Tears is a nice ballad. Anyone who’s been through a breakup could relate to it. Bridges To Babylon- tried to be a great album. We got a decent album. Saint Of Me has some good lyrics. It shows Mick knows the Christian faith but good luck making him that kind of man! Out Of Control worked better live with the trumpet riff. A Bigger Bang- I’ll have to go back and listen to it! But I got to see them live here! Blue And Lonesome- nice blues standards. But the voice of the world’s oldest teenager sounds a little raspy. Hackney Diamonds- I’ll have to hear the whole thing. Angry is pretty solid. Nice to hear Charlie and Bill, one last time. Rest in peace, Charlie. No one could play the drums like you. Be glad we still have Bill with us for now. Hope he enjoys his 90th birthday! That’s my review on the Ocho!
Greetings, fellow Portlander. Not sure why exactly, but I’ve been listening to a lot Stones lately. I can’t make any comments about their albums post-Dirty Work ‘cause I don’t remember ‘em well enough. And I can’t comment on Hackney Diamonds either ‘cause I haven’t listened to the newest outing of theirs at all... period (well, except from drunkenly watching a clip of that billboard music video with that young attractive woman in the convertible). I can say that I quite enjoy Dirty Work, though, and enjoy Undercover even more. Are either of these albums at the Sticky Fingers level of greatness? Ehhh, that’s obviously a stretch, but I still enjoy them nonetheless. And I greatly enjoy Black & Blue. Not sure why that’s as underrated as it is. Very befuddling, very befuddling 🤷♂️...
Super interesting. I'm a HUGE Stones fan, I know everything about them!!!! Personally, Undercover is one of the best Stones albums. It sound dark, weird and scary. I love it!! Lots of cool indie bands try to sound like that today. This album is underrated and is becoming increasingly popular among Stones fans. If I had to choose the worst, I'd say Dirty Works, it's very bad.
Never understood the bad reptation for Undercover. But, it's mostly from the "rock purists" who have trouble with it. It's one of their most lyrically disturbing records. I'm with you!
I love you all are big Undercover fans. I feel for all the heroism that Chris Kimsey did unifying that Tattoo You sound from several recording sessions over 7-8 years, he weirdly doesn't get as fresh a sound for Undercover. The songs feel "small" too me, somehow thin. I like some forgotten second-side songs a lot -- "All the Way Down" for Mick's under-breath ending to the lyric "I was Mr Cool just a snotty fool... like kids are now." That's funny. I wish Mick was more self-referential in his older years. I think Hackney's "Whole Wide World" talking about the London flat from way back is interesting -- and in an English accent! -- but then the chorus turns into an after-school special. Thanks for defending Undercover. I wanted so much to love it -- for it to be a legend when it came out.
@@ExileOnMyStreet Undercover was the last album on which the Stones sounded "Dangerous". On this album, the Stones have created an eerie, disquieting universe. A great Stones album! I'm glad to see that fans are slowly beginning to understand.
@@RobertsRecordCorner I totally understand when you say it feel small. It’s true. But not a problem for me. I’m open to a remix, like what they did for Goats Head Soup
@@RobertsRecordCorner It's likely the glossy production, Mick always wants to sound current so I can't really blame them for 1983, but I imagine a down and dirty mix of Undercover. I think people would view it differently.
Ha that reviewing of old RS magazine reviews was great. Reminds me of what they used to do when reviewing David Bowie's 80's and early nineties output. It was always "best album since Scary Monsters"
It's a tough question. A lot of these, while not my favorites, have really grown on me over the years. It's definitely not "Voodoo Lounge" or "Blue and Lonesome". Maybe it's "Dirty Work". And the cover doesn't really help it's case!
Totally, overproduced and the songs are lackluster. That late 80s production, is nails on a chalkboard to me. They redeemed themselves with Steel Wheels, not their best, but miles ahead of Dirty Work. My personal favorite is Satanic Majesties. Wasn't crazy about Undercover either
Imagine a new group today releasing an album like *Dirty work*.They would be the new sensation.And the same case would be with *Done with mirrors* by Aerosmith .Two great underrated albums
I'm glad to see you appreciate Hackney Diamonds - I agree, I was really impressed with it. A Bigger Bang is stronger than most folks remember - 'Laugh, I Nearly Died' is a standout. And yes, 'Dirty Work' gets the crown, I'm afraid.
I prefer Dirty Work to Bigger Bang. One Hit to The Body is enough to make it better. Hold Back, Too Rude, Sleep Tonight and Harlem Shuffle are good. The synth heavy Jagger tracks suck
Pretty much everything after Exile. I know Goat's Head, It's Only R&R & Black & Blue have their moments, but I always felt heroin was a bigger buzz than buzzing riffs to Keith during that period & it shows. Some Girls has some decent stuff, but it still feels like a band going thru the motions. Tattoo You's best songs were actually written years earlier & dredged up to fill some space. I'll probably get crucified for this, but I think they've been off the boil ever since Ron Wood joined. He probably kept them together as a social unit, but his musical input is generally pedestrian.
As a creative band, the Stones held on longer than most of their peers. The Who did not have an artistic triumph after Quadrophenia (1973), Zeppelin dropped off magnificently after Physical Graffiti (1975), The Kinks were far less interesting after Muswell Hillbillies (1971), and for many, the Stones tapered off after Some Girls (1978). Mind you, the Stones predated all of these bands.
The Ones went into a temporary decline in the late 1960s. Jumping Jack Flash got them going again. Mick Taylor finally sent them into truly great original music until he left. I last saw MT in a small club here in my town about 20 years ago. He had an audience of about a hundred people.!
@@sweetwilliam4199 But then again, Taylor had nothing to do with “Jumping Jack Flash,” Beggars Banquet (1968), and nearly all of Let it Bleed (1969). Thus, the Stones resurgence had more to do with producer Jimmy Miller, sideman Nicky Hopkins, the maturation of Mick and Keith’s songwriting, and Keith’s “rising to the occasion” amid Brian’s increasing futility. I love Taylor, and he transformed the band, especially as a live act, but their creative zenith was already in full throttle when he arrived.
It's a real challenge, will have to think hard about it. I'd love to see you do a deep dive on the way that RS reviewed Some Girls TWICE, the first one not a good review, the second one done by Wenner himself in order to "correct" this!
That cupcake made me hungry. Wow what a great video. Worst Stones album is Dirty Work. As a high school kid I was reeeally disappointed with it but anyone dissing Undercover is freakin nuts! It was original at the time and has 4-5 great songs.
Absolutely agree with you on Hackney Diamonds. It's the best since the great ones back in the 70's. It's punch in the gut filled with great rock songs wrapped in a sound that makes the music raunchy and bold.
Tja...ist so eine Sache mit "schlecht".... Es ist abhängig vom jeweiligen Gefühlszustand. Es gibt eine Menge Stones-Songs, die ich selten höre. Da sind ein paar Songs vom "Bigger Bang" Album, da ist das gesamte " Blue & Lonesome" Werk.Aber ein wirklich schlechtes Album kann ich nicht finden, weil ich auch immer wieder etwas Neues entdecke. Ich kann auch nicht sagen, welches für mich das beste Album ist, da Exile....Some Girls, Black and Blue...etc. nicht vergleichbar sind..... Die Bandbreite der Stones ist enorm.... vielleicht sind die 60 iger Jahre wirklich das BESTE, aber wie gesagt....es schwankt bei mir nach Gefühlszustand......
I have just watched the first five minutes and I have loved the Stones for about 35 years and I think you are SPOT ON! Happy to hear someone who know what he is talking about. The album covers from the late 80's and after are horrible! And they no longer sound that original... I like "Fight" from 1986 (but I think that one was re-recorded leftover from the Black & blue-sessions) and Too Tough from Undercover. Up until 1981 they were relevant. Lately I almost only listen to Black & Blue, Goats head soup and Tattoo you. BTW, Get Close reminds me a bit of Slave, in a positive way. Sounds good...
Dear Robert! Your work on this video to the worst album of The Rolling Stones (I do not vote 😉, there is none 🫶 - it depends on my mood which is the best album at that moment 🫶🫶🫶) is great, varied and made with love to The Rolling Stones! Thank you so much! But 😊 the albums Voodoo Lounge, Bridges To Babylon and A Bigger Bang - the Stones made a dream come true to me - are not too long to me! Every song I feel, you know?! And I'd miss even single song. My love to the Stones is great, since I was six years old ... so, I am a fan now for 47 years 🫶🫶🫶 I am still flashed by The Rolling Stones! Sending you many greeting from Hamburg, Germany! Thank you for your great work to made this video and your view on The Rolling Stones! All the best! Ines :>
Genuinely fantastic and balanced criticisms. Wish more folks approached a band's catalogue in this methodical of a manner. That said, I have a soft spot in my heart for Undercover. And I would put Their Satanic Majesties Request just behind Dirty Work at the bottom end of their catalogue. :)
Cool video. Tattoo You was the last Stones album I ever bought. I’ve always liked Almost Hear You Sigh from Steel Wheels. Love the background vocals which have an infectious quality.
Voodoo Lounge. There's some horrible Stones-by-numbers songs on it, as well as some really good songs that no-one talks about. 'You Got Me Rockin'' is by far my least favourite Stones single ever... and 'Love Is Strong' is one of my faves from the last 40 years.
Voodoo is so close to being a great album. If they put a little more effort in or went in another direction it would have been awesome. But, it's just another mediocre album. Bigger Bang is pretty decent. 👍
Those 8 that you've singled out, Mick likes to have something to sell other than concert tickets when they went on tour. He was an economics major, buy the album and the tee shirt. The Idea you had about cutting down VooDoo Lounge and BB is spot on mate 👍👍
Standing up for Dirty Work. 2 bad tracks in Hold Back and Fight, otherwise I like everything else. Satanic Majesties also great. 2 lame tracks, Sing This Song...1 and 2. Replace those with Dandelion and We Love You and you have a 5 star record. A Bigger Bang was the ONLY Rolling Stones record I listened to a few times, put away and never went back to. Hated Black and Blue when I first got it, but it has grown on me.
@@ac9559 I have had same feeling for years reg Satanic! We Love You/Dandelion greatly improves it. Also next song they made -- Child of the Moon -- would have been even better. Thanks for the comments
@@RobertsRecordCorner Excellent point. I love that song but I forget about it because it did not come out until 1968. It would have fit perfectly on Satanic Majesties as well. Thank you for the page, I love these discussions. In my mind the Stones had the best 10 year run of any band, 1965-1974. There was a time when even their scraps were brilliant. Jiving Sister Fanny is one of their best songs and they did not even bother to give it a proper release.
Dirty Work has grown on me and some excellent outtakes from it leaked a while back but it has three tracks I absolutely consider The Stones' nadir, Hold Back, Back to Zero (good lyrics but horrible production sinks it) and the album mix of Winning Ugly (I actually like the 12 inch NY mix, I'd like to hear a version that's like the NY Mix but shorter like the album version.)
i have to agree with that list. It just seems in the 80s and to a lesser extent the 90s, these artists of the 60s and early 70s struggled hard to be relevant though there were a few exceptions. (BTW thank you so much for not mentioning Jagger’s misadventure with David Bowie😆)
I think their last creative moments before running out of gas were through the middle 80’s. After that, it’s going through the motions. It’s also hard to sustain the kind of creativity they had through the late 60’s middle 70’s forever.
Big Stones fan but have to admit their music varies a lot especially their live performances -- can either be messy or brilliant Gotta love them anyway.
Great calculations with a perfectly logical conclusion, because you nailed it! Speaking for myself, when I was watching the first minute of the video, I immediately muttered "Dirty Work" to myself as their worst album when you posed the question. I'm glad I wasn't wrong on that all this time. 😎
Too Much Blood holds an awesome place in the Stone's timeline, as could double as a soundtrack or be looped into a night club. Ron follows the rolling rhythm perfectly; Keith charges up his reggae clicks like the latest car model. I was 16 at the Time, the whole IP hit home. "I wanna dance, I wanna Sing" takes us into the excitement of expressing one's self and caps it off by exploding into "I wanna bust up everything". The cumulative effect is affectations spinning out of control resulting in too much blood, an overdose? Or just a judgement on limits. At the time the video director had Mick and Keith play up their own overflowing tension on film. Keith excelled in his role as the villain and this video played the bad boy card for a new generation with its own new vices. Mick's Voice Over echoes Blade Runner's controversial Voice Over from a year earlier. So the voice over, straight leads, chorus, and even horns all have this song going long over a killer jungle beat through a transitional time. The song and video serve as a parody and a tribute to the Horror Movies of the day, but Mick sees through it all as he says " and have some fun." A favorite on a fun, but lessor known lp.
@@curtissmith8152 I love that you love this. I vastly prefer it to say Back to Zero. But I just wish the recording was not so thin. I tend to hate the Undercover mix on the whole. But Inlive your take on this. I used to like the song plenty. it haven't kept as charitable over the years
Cool video! I can't really vote as I haven't heard Bridges or Dirty Work (too afraid to, lol). I would say there's a great 10 track album in Vodoo Lounge and a great 12 track in Bigger Bang. Steel Wheels is just a bit boring imo, apart from the few tracks you highlighted. Hackney 💎 s is good, but the production is too clean, and Jagger's vocals are so good that you can't help wondering is it auto-tune or something similar. Although, I really like Depending On You and Sweet Sounds of Heaven. And yes, the Muddy Waters cover. They said at the time of HD's release that they had nearly enough tracks for another album, but who knows if we will ever see it. Stuart
@@suartgilmour4540 I hope they didn't use auto tune! I find Andrew Watt's touch a bit poppy -- like the repeated guitar overdub in the chorus of "Mess It Up" and all the ahhhh backing vocals. But HD surprised me so much I still feel particularly fond of it. Thanks for watching!
I am a huge Stones fan, the biggest there is. I can find even something on Dirty Work that I like and that's Had it With You. Great song, but I'm not particularly crazy about the rest of it. I actually love Undercover Voodoo Lounge and Bridges to Babylon
IMO there are three massive, distinct creativity/popularity peaks in the Stones long history, each coinciding with the very best efforts of Brian Jones (64-66), Mick Taylor (69-72) and Ronnie Wood (78-81). Each period has its own set of diehards, some of whom like to downplay the other times/members. I agree with others that, after 1981 they struggled to be relevant (sounding old and tired, with a few brilliant exceptional songs here and there). Tattoo You was the last great Stones album IMHO.
I finally (after decades) gave Undercover my full attention recently. It is actually a pretty good album (to me; not an argument against your own list). It has a lot of great rockers, like She Was Hot (man, I gotta revisit that ridiculous video). But I also like the dance-y songs like the title track and the uber-wacky Too Much Blood. They do the dance-y thing on those far better than on Miss You, IMO. I now have to get past the "let's dress up like the guys from Miami Vice to appeal to the kids" album cover and give Dirty Work my full attention. One Hit is honestly a damn good song. The designer of Blue & Lonesome: "Oh, we use too much blue, do we?"
You and I are the same age, and our Stones journey is very similar, although I largely ignored everything after 1981. Food for thought: the CD killed the Stones (and lots of other bands). Having to fill 65 minutes on a CD instead of 40 on an LP meant bands released a lot of crap to fill space and justify the cost of a CD vs an LP. Streaming and the ability to download songs one at a time isn’t helping the quality of music either.
Even on their worst albums, there's bound to be at least one track I enjoy. I agree that the hidden jewel on Dirty Work is Had It With You. Dirty Work also had Harlem Shuffle, which wasn't bad, and I also liked Keith's reggae tune, Too Rude. The rest of it? It's full of songs I honestly don't care to ever hear again. For that reason, I'd have to vote for Dirty Work as their worst ever. Undercover had Mick trying to pull the band in new directions - some of it worked, some of it didn't. The only song on it that I didn't mind hearing repeatedly was.... Pretty Beat Up. Undercover also loses some points with me because I really didn't like She Was Hot, and it's embarrassing video. So Undercover comes in at 2nd-to-worst for me. A Bigger Bang had some really good stuff, but there's one song on it I can't stand, and that's Rain Fell Down, which I think is stupid. Just for the presence of that song, A Bigger Bang is, for me, their 3rd-to-worst. Honorable mention as my 4th-to-worst is Their Satanic Majesties Request. As bad as Keith's heroin addiction may have gotten later, on Satanic Majesties it sounds like Mick and Keith were on too many drugs when they wrote the songs, and the rest of the band must have been too to agree to record them. But once again, I think this overall terrible album has two decent tracks - 2000 Light Years From Home and She's A Rainbow. It's all subjective. Overall, the Stones have gone against convention just by being around as long as they have, and whatever they do, I'll always give it a listen - knowing there's no guarantee whether I'll love it or think it's rubbish.
Every album is a gem for a stones nerd to me.. Even tho every album after Tattoo you went down the drain for my ears only at the time they were released cause i expected them to sound like their 70s work( immature thought at that time..) But all grew on me.. Pure gems now.
Hi Robert! I think Hackney Diamonds is a pretty good Album.Yes, Mick is very good on vocals. But when i Listen to all that new songs on it, nothing left for me when it ends. I miss the soul and coolness in the songs, like they used to do it. So afterwhile i do not think about it at all and left no place in my mind. I can hear it 3 times at all and that is enough for me. All other Albums in this period seems to me like much more important. The Message on the HD Album is in my opinion too much for being successful in every point. It had to be "good". I missed the r&b rawness of the Stones. I am Stones Fan since 1982. For this period this is my ranking: 1. Steel Wheels 2. Bridges to Babylon 3. Bagger Bang 4. Tattoo you 5. Voodoo Lounge 6. Dirty Work 7. Hackney Diamonds 8. Blue and Lonesome 😊Josef
They have such a body of work it’s pretty incredible. Different eras, different genres. I would never put this band down. They can’t all be classics (hits) and to be fair some of my favourites songs in general aren’t deemed as classics anyway! 🤷♂️
I share in the low opinion of Dirty Work, but I haven’t even listened to the post Wyman albums enough to even recall what they sound like and would have to check my shelves to be reminded of the titles.
This is a tough question only because i haven’t listened to their last 2 studio albums. ‘Bridges to Babylon’ was the last album i bought from them. I will say that ‘Steel Wheels’ is my favorite post ‘Tatoo You’ Stones album. Yes it’s a pure pop album but that was the heyday of MTV so every artist was tailoring their music to a pop sound. I think the height of classic rock was 1964-73. The introduction to the Beatles started it, then you just had masterpiece albums like St Pepper, Abbey Road, Tommy, Dark Side of the Moon, Led Zeppelin 2 and 4, Who’s Next, Quadrophenia, Sticky Fingers, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, The Doors, The Yes Album, Fragile, etc. Good lord that 10 year period will never be topped.
For me there are 4 areas that these albums can be in order form quality, there arent "worst" or bad albums in Stones cataloge (very good/good/almost good and the Dirty Work that can be Ok). All the rest of previously Stones albums for me are in another suoerior categories that can be listed from Excelent to Sublime albums (these last ones can be all the albums released from 68 to 72) 1. Steel Wheels 2. Voodoo Lounge 3. Hackney Diamonds ------------------------- 4. Undercover (not sound well? Can be, but is far better in songs cuts, lirycs than the next ones album that I ranked) ------------------------- 5. A Bigger Bang 6. Bridges To Babylon (After almost 20 years I still cant decide if it is better than A Bigger Bang or not) ------------------------- 7. Dirty Work Blue & Lonesome is not an original Stone album if songs, BUT, if I must to order this album, from the quality of the record and gest and other aspects can be listed in the zone of Undercover.
By 1976 at the age of 12 I had just about everything the stones had done up until them '50 LPs including comps and bootlegs, I was fanatical and collected for sleeves etc. Then Punk happened and after Some Girls I stopped buying their release's. For me everything before 'emotional rescue' was great never recorded a bad track. Still great live though.
I got to disagree. Tattoo you was a great album, but was not there last great album. 1989 steel wheels, and 1994 voodoo lounge where two great back to back albums by The Rolling Stones. Anyway, great video loved it.
I am only 1:52 into the video but the handwritten “Rolling stones situation” timeline with is design and use of colored pens, ✋✋I am all in and subscribed!! 🙌👏👏👍
interesting question..! what i have observed over 50 years of being a fan of the Stones, is that each new album is met with a degree of disappointment, criticism and hostility and the charge that 'it aint as good as - whatever'. 'Exile' is a case in point - panned on release and now held up as possibly their best. I remember being disappointed with 'Voodoo Lounge' but now absolutely love it ! It will be the same for Hackney Diamonds - like in 20 years people will say - 'oh that was a classic'. Its bizarre - i think it's possibly because we love them so much (RIP CW).
I would place “Undercover” at the TOP / No.1. Always loved that album. I remember being being excited for it to come out. I had just seen them at Hampton Coliseum in ‘81, was barely 15 years old. Was so dissapointed when they didn’t tour for Undercover. I was slso excited for Dirty Work to be released. Was a HS senior but then something changed…wasn’t the same. IDK….to me, seems like most of the albums since Undercover have dissapointed me as a whole. Saw them on several tours after ‘81 and it’s just TOO POLISHED. So, for me #1 is Undercover, #2 is a tie between Dirty Work & Steel Wheels. Everything else just shuffles between #3-#8. How’s that?? Like I said….”too polished”. And I absolutely do not like Mick’s voice anymore. Trying waaayyy too hard to sound like a 20 yr old pop star!
I've been pretty critical of Mick the past few decades, but I finally decided to give him a break. He is who he is. You never/rarely get much personal from his lyrics, and for him to be doing that -- trying that hard -- at 80 is pretty great. I never quite could get into Undercover the way you describe. I'd love them to break apart the album, work on the sound, and reassemble -- as (same producer) Chris Kimsey did to rescue the '70s scraps that led to Tattoo You. There's something a bit buried in the sound for me. I'm not an EQ expert, but I feel it's heavily mid in EQ. I don't know. Thanks for sharing!
You’re right…still doing it at his age is amazing. All of them for that matter. When Bill left it changed too, I think. Really when i think back about it…thank god for keith & ron’s solo albums. I think I turned to those for new material/sound from them. The “ new-polished Stones sound wasn’t doing it for me after the 80’s passed. Ya know, there’s some cool sounding material out there from the Undercover sessions that can be found. I wish they’d add that stuff to an Undercover re-issue.
Very good, Robert, as it's well reasoned. Agree with Dirty Work being the worst. I've never been out of love with Steel Wheels and don't have any fat (cup of tea track, where I can step away for five minutes). Next worst are Undercover, Bridges to Babylon, Bigger Bang (all the same level of tedium, pretty much). Then Blue and Lonesome in the middle. Hackney Diamonds is far from going through the motions, though I'd put Voodoo Lounge as a better album, simply edited to sides 1 and 2. We differ as I think Mick's solo stuff is very good, and Saint of Me is tiresome. Anything by Keith and the Winos is tremendous by the way. I agree that I thought we'd seen the last of the boys in any form after Tattoo You. Hence why Steel Wheels was the right album at the right time, robust enough to charge some very awesome tours, which I caught on three continents.
Bridges to Babylon is second position for me, Voodoo Lounge 3, Steel wheels 4, i'm agree with the rest..... on Hackney Diamonds, i love "get closed"..... Live by the sworld? yes, because he finish like It's only rock'n'roll ;-)
Woodoo Longue...no doubt 😊.. Dirty work is the opinion of rock critics. I don't appreciate it. it has tons of great songs! . "One Hit (To the Body)" ..."Harlem Shuffle" ..."Hold Back"... "Too Rude"......"Winning Ugly"... "Back to Zero"... " Sleep Tonight"
Look, I’m in my mid 30s appreciating the stones more than I ever have in my entire life, and I’ve been listening to them for 20 years. And now they’re one of my favorites of all time. I’m loving them more than when I first got into classic rock in my middle school years, but now they’re in my top 5 favorite bands of all time now despite my 25 year interest in rock from all eras. I expect nothing from the stones this late in their career, but they’ve earned that. “Angry” at least has a better riff than I’d expect from a band that late in the game,”.!The Stones’ longevity is amazing. At the same time, they’ve been a legacy act since 1981. But that’s completely okay. The Beatles get to be frozen in amber at their peak. But for the layman, life keeps going beyond your peak in life. And that’s why I prefer the stones now in my mid 30s vs the Beatles. Don’t get me wrong, The Beatles earned their spot for a reason. I’m just speaking from a pure subjectivity level.
I bet there's tons of unreleased stuff of the Hackney album with Charlie on drums. Just thinking of the ongoing rumours of a new studio album for years and then it comes with Charlie playing just three songs?
@@RobertsRecordCorner Who knows? After all, nothing lasts forever in this world, even the Stones will be history one day. Maybe the management will open up the archives then, when some time has passed. Remember the R'nR Circus ? Soon after that, Mick Taylor joined the band and there was no room for footage featuring Brian , a fact I can understand quite well. Although I've always liked the Stones, I can't say which is their worst album, just because I have not listened to them all😜 Some songs I like very much and I don' care too much about the rest. Thanks to the band for all the good times, I've seen them in 76, 82 and 2003.
Will Listen again and judge! Thank you! Dirty Work or Emotional Rescue? I'll be back with vote and IMO choice. I will say this I've always been a fan, fanatic of Stones! Ok My votes in.....was going to vote for Dirty Work but after listen to both Candidates Dirty Work for is not as bad as Emotional Rescue. So Emotional Rescue wins the worst Rolling Stones Album.with The tittle track being the worse Stones song! But That album still has gems, Indian Girl, Let Me Go, Down in the Hole and Where the Boys Go, IMO! Love the Stones and there is no bad Stones Album. Just personal ratings and Thats why there is Coke and Peosi". opinions!
VOTE: On the Worst Rolling Stones album of all time HERE.
forms.gle/Ro79Tyk4eEEdTNa5A
Undercover
Нямат лош албум.
You actually like the discustingly clean synthedic soulles sound of Hackney..It could have been an ok album.. But the producer totally f..d it up..
Probably Metamorphosis
Some people wld gripe if someone wld crap in their hat....
After Bill Wyman left I lost interest in the Stones, him and Charlie were the magic of their sound.
I agree
And what matters most :
After Mick Taylor left !!!
This is the real beginning of the ( long ) end.
The first coffin nail.
@@ViajealduendeTrue. Not to mention, Keef plays bass on several tracks, with the occasional Mick Taylor or Ronnie Wood playing bass in their respective eras. I think Bill’s magic was more prominent on stage. Listen to the bootlegs from the 1973 European Tour-he’s such an undersung rock bassist. For me, Darryl’s too polished and slick for their sound. I am also not a huge fan of Chuck Leavell.
I agree
Yes
'64 to '72 is basically all the Stones i need.. A smattering of songs after that but those eight years are essential
I still need 1973. I wonder how underrated Goat's Head Soup is, good album.
The Stones from 1969 to 1974 (Mick Taylor years ) are my favorite rock band ever !
Bro Goats Head Soup is better than anything from 1964-1967 I’m tired of the Goats Head Soup slander
A little tough. I call it at Tattoo You, anything after that is unlistenable
I'd extend it till '78 (some Girls) - Then smattering of tunes...
Steel wheels is a very cool album
the cuts with Moroccan music are cool
I like every song on it.
Absolutlly
One of the first digitally recorded albums.
It sounds awful. Thin and brittle.
Digital technology has goitten better since then but most digital recording from that era don't sound very good.
@@frankmarsh1159 yeah. The songs are good, but the sound is not great. It also has to do with the overproduction period of 1986-1992. A lot of stuff during that time sounds bad on cd, Vinyl, whatever. Guitars and drums were eq'd so shrill and piercing, lost all semblance of what the instruments should sound like. Traveling Wilburys was one of few late 80s albums, that actually sounded good.
Best Stones work was Sticky Fingers and most of Exile on Main Street. Stones fan since 1964.
It's the Rolling Stones. It's all great. What the hell, be grateful for any music they produce.
Syncofant!
I have a soft spot for Dirty Work - it was the Stones album that got me into their music. I went straight out and got Rewind and Rolled Gold and my life was changed forever.
LOL. Different strokes... Hearing "Not Fade Away" was my St. Paul on the road moment. Three months later I had a set of drums. Three months after that I was in a band.
'Dirty Work' - it's the only one I wish they'd never released.
@@MrNEILSUPERNAUT 🤔 Hey, hey, hey...
A Bigger Bang is so over-saturated that I hardly can listen to it, could love the songs but this album should have a remaster (like Rush did with Vapor Trails).
Steel Wheels, Voodoo Lounge, and Undercover were AWESOME!
The fact that even though I bought all these albums when they were released but barely remember anything from them makes it really tough to make a decision.
Top 5 1 Exile on main street
2 Sticky fingers
3 Let it bleed
4 Beggars banquet
5 Goats head soup.
Dirty Work as the album was everything wrong with music in the 80s
Nailed it!!!👍
Thank you for this! I too, became a complete Stones nut in '81 after an older brother got me into a concert in Boulder Colorado. They've been my best friends since.
What a fantastic cool brother ….wish I could have caught a show on that 81 tour. 🎸💥
@@stevesutherland6232 thanks,! He was a paramedic and was assigned to the concert. This was when OD's were still commonplace at concerts. Mick threw carnations into the audience up high on a cherry picker! Wish I had caught one!
I was at the Boulder show at 12 years old! It was my first Stones concert and my last day living in Boulder before moving back home to Santa Fe.
@@Viajealduende Wow! Really? October 3 and 4! Coincidentally, my brother in-laws sister was living in Santa Fe and was there too! You made my day ! I was 12 as well!
@@Viajealduende jeez! My mom went there in the 40's and my sister taught 8th grade there for 15 years! She just retired. Thanks so much for reaching out, so nice to find someone else who was there! Small World sometimes.
My personal ranking:
1. Some Girls (1978)
2. Exile on Main Street (1972)
3. Let It Bleed (1969)
4. Aftermath (1966)
5. Beggars Banquet (1968)
6. Between The Buttons (1967)
7. Sticky Fingers (1971)
8. Tattoo You (1981)
9. Emotional Rescue (1980)
10. 12 x 5 (1965)
11. Out of Our Heads (1966)
12. December’s Children (1965)
13. Goat’s Head Soup (1973)
14. It’s Only RocknRoll (1974)
15. Black & Blue (1976)
16. Voodoo Lounge (1994)
17. Hackney Diamonds (2023)
18. Steel Wheels (1989)
19. Rolling Stones Now (1965)
20. England’s Newest Hitmakers (1964)
21. Undercover (1983)
22. Dirty Work (1986)
23. Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967)
24. A Bigger Bang (2005)
25. Bridges To Babylon (1997)
26. Blue & Lonesome (2016)
I often have my Top 2, or 3, the same way. And I personally love seeing Emotional Rescue in the Top 10. Thanks for sharing.
Bro this shouldn’t be a video it’s like asking who your favorite kid is
Beggars' Banquet
Let It Bleed
Aftermath
Rolling Stones Now
Between The Buttons
Out of Our Heads
Some Girls
December's children
12X5
Exile - An exasperating album. Could have been near the top with some pruning and editing. There are songs which start out great and then go on and on and on. There some songs which just aren't up to Stones standards. Tumbling Dice, Sweet Virginia, and Robert Johnson's Stop Breaking Down were master class. When it came out, most fans and critics considered it a good album but not nearly one of their best. Nowadays it's the best by acclamation (not mine).
It did provide the backbone for a tour in which their performance level was about as good as it ever was (and I saw them six times starting in '64). That tour they were at the since blown up Rubber Bowl in Akron, Stevie Wonder opening. Second or third best show I ever took in.
Great listing.
@@bobgordon236 Thanks
know i missed the voting but think i would have picked the same, MAYBE switching 1 and 2, but maybe not, nice job w the video, hope alls good
@@adamp00799 thank you!
Dirty Work, NOT EVEN CLOSE !!!!!!
After "Tattoo you" (which contained their last bona fide classic "Start me up") they never recorded anything of relevance again. Wouldn't hold it against them, 20 years of consistent, world-changing greatness is more than enough for any band...
I became a huge Stones fan in 1983 after someone recommended I get Hot Rocks. Little did I know their best was all behind them
Great!!! A guy who likes he Rolling Stones must be respected!! Thank you Robert!! Ah!! most important, great video!!!
@@antoniodias4718 Thank you!
Good question! I don't know the answer as I haven't given these albums a good enough listen. Why listen to any of the albums more than once or twice when you could listen to anything from 1968-1972?
Furthermore, not that the Stones need another compilation, but it would be interesting to see if people could come up with a generally agreed upon "best of" from the last 41 years.
@@chrisdelisle3954 I think that is a bigger challenge, you're right
I quite like their later albums. Worst album: Dirty Work.
Hi Robert, here are my votes:
1. Beggars Banquet(1968)
2. Let It Bleed (1969)
3. Sticky Fingers (1971)
4. Tattoo You (1981)
5. Some Girls (1978)
6. Emotional Rescue (1980)
7. Exile on Main Street (1972)
8. Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967)
9. It’s Only Rock 'n' Roll (1974)
10. Black & Blue (1976)
11. Out of Our Heads (1966)
12. Goat’s Head Soup (1973)
13. Hackney Diamonds (2023)
14. Steel Wheels (1989)
15. Dirty Work (1986)
16. Aftermath (1966)
17. December’s Children (1965)
18. Bridges To Babylon (1997
19. Rolling Stones Now (1965)
20. 12 x 5 (1965)
21. Between The Buttons (1967)
22. England’s Newest Hitmakers (1964)
23. Voodoo Lounge (1994)
24. A Bigger Bang (2005)
25. Undercover (1983)
26. Blue & Lonesome (2016)
@@mgsberlin5067 Wow, so much to take in here. Emo over Exile, Satanic over so many. Love it.
ER better than EOMS?? Come on!!!
Dirty Work IS the worst, absolutely.
Loved how you ripped the rolling stones reviews. They called roxy musics flesh and blood banal, a classic i still listen to at least once a week.
Thanks! Huge fan of making fun of Rolling Stone AND of Roxy Music.
Tattoo You- the album where I paid attention to the Stones. My brother gave me a tour shirt for Christmas and I wore it out!
What’s to follow? Let’s see.
Undercover- an embarrassing cover. Stones use synthesizers and electric drums. She Was Hot was a fun video. Highlights include that and It Must Be Hell, though it’s a Soul Survivor rewrite. Low points are Feel On Baby and Too Much Blood. The video for the latter grossed me out.
Dirty Work- we waited patiently for this. Harlem Shuffle was ok. A cute video. Had It With You is uncomfortably personal. Sleep Tonight is a highlight, a sweet tribute to Ian Stewart. Rest in peace, Stu.
Steel Wheels- indeed a miracle we got this one. But it tried being all things to all people as with Blinded By Love. Mixed Emotions and Slipping Away are highlights.
Voodoo Lounge- a little too much as you said. Love Is Strong has a nice harmonica riff. You Got Me Rocking has one of the most pretentious lyrics about a “butcher, cutting up meat.” And? However, Out Of Tears is a nice ballad. Anyone who’s been through a breakup could relate to it.
Bridges To Babylon- tried to be a great album. We got a decent album. Saint Of Me has some good lyrics. It shows Mick knows the Christian faith but good luck making him that kind of man! Out Of Control worked better live with the trumpet riff.
A Bigger Bang- I’ll have to go back and listen to it! But I got to see them live here!
Blue And Lonesome- nice blues standards. But the voice of the world’s oldest teenager sounds a little raspy.
Hackney Diamonds- I’ll have to hear the whole thing. Angry is pretty solid. Nice to hear Charlie and Bill, one last time. Rest in peace, Charlie. No one could play the drums like you. Be glad we still have Bill with us for now. Hope he enjoys his 90th birthday!
That’s my review on the Ocho!
Also a big "Blinded By Love" fan by the way. Thanks for the notes!
Greetings, fellow Portlander. Not sure why exactly, but I’ve been listening to a lot Stones lately. I can’t make any comments about their albums post-Dirty Work ‘cause I don’t remember ‘em well enough. And I can’t comment on Hackney Diamonds either ‘cause I haven’t listened to the newest outing of theirs at all... period (well, except from drunkenly watching a clip of that billboard music video with that young attractive woman in the convertible). I can say that I quite enjoy Dirty Work, though, and enjoy Undercover even more. Are either of these albums at the Sticky Fingers level of greatness? Ehhh, that’s obviously a stretch, but I still enjoy them nonetheless. And I greatly enjoy Black & Blue. Not sure why that’s as underrated as it is. Very befuddling, very befuddling 🤷♂️...
Super interesting. I'm a HUGE Stones fan, I know everything about them!!!! Personally, Undercover is one of the best Stones albums. It sound dark, weird and scary. I love it!! Lots of cool indie bands try to sound like that today. This album is underrated and is becoming increasingly popular among Stones fans. If I had to choose the worst, I'd say Dirty Works, it's very bad.
Never understood the bad reptation for Undercover. But, it's mostly from the "rock purists" who have trouble with it. It's one of their most lyrically disturbing records. I'm with you!
I love you all are big Undercover fans. I feel for all the heroism that Chris Kimsey did unifying that Tattoo You sound from several recording sessions over 7-8 years, he weirdly doesn't get as fresh a sound for Undercover. The songs feel "small" too me, somehow thin. I like some forgotten second-side songs a lot -- "All the Way Down" for Mick's under-breath ending to the lyric "I was Mr Cool just a snotty fool... like kids are now." That's funny. I wish Mick was more self-referential in his older years. I think Hackney's "Whole Wide World" talking about the London flat from way back is interesting -- and in an English accent! -- but then the chorus turns into an after-school special. Thanks for defending Undercover. I wanted so much to love it -- for it to be a legend when it came out.
@@ExileOnMyStreet Undercover was the last album on which the Stones sounded "Dangerous". On this album, the Stones have created an eerie, disquieting universe. A great Stones album! I'm glad to see that fans are slowly beginning to understand.
@@RobertsRecordCorner I totally understand when you say it feel small. It’s true. But not a problem for me. I’m open to a remix, like what they did for Goats Head Soup
@@RobertsRecordCorner It's likely the glossy production, Mick always wants to sound current so I can't really blame them for 1983, but I imagine a down and dirty mix of Undercover. I think people would view it differently.
Ha that reviewing of old RS magazine reviews was great. Reminds me of what they used to do when reviewing David Bowie's 80's and early nineties output. It was always "best album since Scary Monsters"
And THAT is why I stopped reading and buying RS..many, many, many, many years ago. It's pretty much good for birdcage liner.....and nothing else.
It's a tough question. A lot of these, while not my favorites, have really grown on me over the years. It's definitely not "Voodoo Lounge" or "Blue and Lonesome". Maybe it's "Dirty Work". And the cover doesn't really help it's case!
Undoubtedly, "Dirty Work"...
Absolutely.
Easily their worst album cover, but there are lots of really great songs on it.
Totally, overproduced and the songs are lackluster. That late 80s production, is nails on a chalkboard to me. They redeemed themselves with Steel Wheels, not their best, but miles ahead of Dirty Work. My personal favorite is Satanic Majesties. Wasn't crazy about Undercover either
Yep - the Nadir for sure.
Harlem Shuffle is also the worst single ever.
Imagine a new group today releasing an album like *Dirty work*.They would be the new sensation.And the same case would be with *Done with mirrors* by Aerosmith .Two great underrated albums
I'm glad to see you appreciate Hackney Diamonds - I agree, I was really impressed with it. A Bigger Bang is stronger than most folks remember - 'Laugh, I Nearly Died' is a standout. And yes, 'Dirty Work' gets the crown, I'm afraid.
Bigger Bang is a decent album. Hackney is garbage. They're back to the bland and mediocre with Hackney.
@@petestaint8312I liked it, great album!
I prefer Dirty Work to Bigger Bang. One Hit to The Body is enough to make it better. Hold Back, Too Rude, Sleep Tonight and Harlem Shuffle are good. The synth heavy Jagger tracks suck
Pretty much everything after Exile. I know Goat's Head, It's Only R&R & Black & Blue have their moments, but I always felt heroin was a bigger buzz than buzzing riffs to Keith during that period & it shows. Some Girls has some decent stuff, but it still feels like a band going thru the motions. Tattoo You's best songs were actually written years earlier & dredged up to fill some space.
I'll probably get crucified for this, but I think they've been off the boil ever since Ron Wood joined. He probably kept them together as a social unit, but his musical input is generally pedestrian.
Totally agree.
Shattered might be favorite song by them...
As a creative band, the Stones held on longer than most of their peers. The Who did not have an artistic triumph after Quadrophenia (1973), Zeppelin dropped off magnificently after Physical Graffiti (1975), The Kinks were far less interesting after Muswell Hillbillies (1971), and for many, the Stones tapered off after Some Girls (1978). Mind you, the Stones predated all of these bands.
The Ones went into a temporary decline in the late 1960s. Jumping Jack Flash got them going again.
Mick Taylor finally sent them into truly great original music until he left.
I last saw MT in a small club here in my town about 20 years ago. He had an audience of about a hundred people.!
@@sweetwilliam4199 But then again, Taylor had nothing to do with “Jumping Jack Flash,” Beggars Banquet (1968), and nearly all of Let it Bleed (1969). Thus, the Stones resurgence had more to do with producer Jimmy Miller, sideman Nicky Hopkins, the maturation of Mick and Keith’s songwriting, and Keith’s “rising to the occasion” amid Brian’s increasing futility. I love Taylor, and he transformed the band, especially as a live act, but their creative zenith was already in full throttle when he arrived.
Tattoo You was their last gasp. Treading water ever since
It's a real challenge, will have to think hard about it. I'd love to see you do a deep dive on the way that RS reviewed Some Girls TWICE, the first one not a good review, the second one done by Wenner himself in order to "correct" this!
@@markstiggs4471 I didn't know this!
That cupcake made me hungry. Wow what a great video. Worst Stones album is Dirty Work. As a high school kid I was reeeally disappointed with it but anyone dissing Undercover is freakin nuts! It was original at the time and has 4-5 great songs.
@@WeGachaMetal Thank you! I must admit the cupcake looked better than it was!
Absolutely agree with you on Hackney Diamonds. It's the best since the great ones back in the 70's. It's punch in the gut filled with great rock songs wrapped in a sound that makes the music raunchy and bold.
Yeah, definitely Dirty Work!
Tja...ist so eine Sache mit "schlecht".... Es ist abhängig vom jeweiligen Gefühlszustand. Es gibt eine Menge Stones-Songs, die ich selten höre. Da sind ein paar Songs vom "Bigger Bang" Album, da ist das gesamte " Blue & Lonesome" Werk.Aber ein wirklich schlechtes Album kann ich nicht finden, weil ich auch immer wieder etwas Neues entdecke. Ich kann auch nicht sagen, welches für mich das beste Album ist, da Exile....Some Girls, Black and Blue...etc. nicht vergleichbar sind..... Die Bandbreite der Stones ist enorm.... vielleicht sind die 60 iger Jahre wirklich das BESTE, aber wie gesagt....es schwankt bei mir nach Gefühlszustand......
I have just watched the first five minutes and I have loved the Stones for about 35 years and I think you are SPOT ON! Happy to hear someone who know what he is talking about. The album covers from the late 80's and after are horrible! And they no longer sound that original... I like "Fight" from 1986 (but I think that one was re-recorded leftover from the Black & blue-sessions) and Too Tough from Undercover.
Up until 1981 they were relevant. Lately I almost only listen to Black & Blue, Goats head soup and Tattoo you.
BTW, Get Close reminds me a bit of Slave, in a positive way. Sounds good...
Dear Robert! Your work on this video to the worst album of The Rolling Stones (I do not vote 😉, there is none 🫶 - it depends on my mood which is the best album at that moment 🫶🫶🫶) is great, varied and made with love to The Rolling Stones! Thank you so much!
But 😊 the albums Voodoo Lounge, Bridges To Babylon and A Bigger Bang - the Stones made a dream come true to me - are not too long to me! Every song I feel, you know?! And I'd miss even single song. My love to the Stones is great, since I was six years old ... so, I am a fan now for 47 years 🫶🫶🫶 I am still flashed by The Rolling Stones! Sending you many greeting from Hamburg, Germany! Thank you for your great work to made this video and your view on The Rolling Stones! All the best! Ines :>
@@KeefMyRiffheart Thank you! I can't exaggerate how much the Stones have meant to me as well. Have a great day in Hamburg! Thanks for watching!
The Best: Let It Bleed
The Worst: Dirty Works
Genuinely fantastic and balanced criticisms. Wish more folks approached a band's catalogue in this methodical of a manner. That said, I have a soft spot in my heart for Undercover. And I would put Their Satanic Majesties Request just behind Dirty Work at the bottom end of their catalogue. :)
Cool video. Tattoo You was the last Stones album I ever bought. I’ve always liked Almost Hear You Sigh from Steel Wheels. Love the background vocals which have an infectious quality.
@@tomrobinson5776 Also like it. Feels like a Keith ballad to me.
Steel Wheels is great. Chock full of hidden gems amongst the hits.
The question is, have you bought any new records since 1978?
God, Let’s Work caused me to stop wearing my Stones t-shirts in Junior High….beyond embarrassing.
Voodoo Lounge. There's some horrible Stones-by-numbers songs on it, as well as some really good songs that no-one talks about. 'You Got Me Rockin'' is by far my least favourite Stones single ever... and 'Love Is Strong' is one of my faves from the last 40 years.
I feel the same about You Got Me Rocking -- I wonder if they had changed the lyrics it would have been a standout (for me)?
Voodoo is so close to being a great album. If they put a little more effort in or went in another direction it would have been awesome. But, it's just another mediocre album. Bigger Bang is pretty decent. 👍
The first two tracks use the same opening drum track. Definitely a sign they ran out of ideas.
@@benbrownjr.7626 agreed. The album was so close to being the best ever but it just missed the mark. Frustrating!
i would say emotional rescue is their worst..
but..since you have narrowed it down, i will say bridges to babylon...
great video..peace..
rocky
Those 8 that you've singled out, Mick likes to have something to sell other than concert tickets when they went on tour. He was an economics major, buy the album and the tee shirt. The Idea you had about cutting down VooDoo Lounge and BB is spot on mate 👍👍
Dirty Work no contest
Standing up for Dirty Work. 2 bad tracks in Hold Back and Fight, otherwise I like everything else. Satanic Majesties also great. 2 lame tracks, Sing This Song...1 and 2. Replace those with Dandelion and We Love You and you have a 5 star record. A Bigger Bang was the ONLY Rolling Stones record I listened to a few times, put away and never went back to. Hated Black and Blue when I first got it, but it has grown on me.
@@ac9559 I have had same feeling for years reg Satanic! We Love You/Dandelion greatly improves it. Also next song they made -- Child of the Moon -- would have been even better. Thanks for the comments
@@RobertsRecordCorner Excellent point. I love that song but I forget about it because it did not come out until 1968. It would have fit perfectly on Satanic Majesties as well. Thank you for the page, I love these discussions. In my mind the Stones had the best 10 year run of any band, 1965-1974. There was a time when even their scraps were brilliant. Jiving Sister Fanny is one of their best songs and they did not even bother to give it a proper release.
Always dug most of A Bigger Bang. Felt like their energy was really back
@@RobertsRecordCorner You have that right. Just like Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane belong on Sgt. Pepper
Dirty Work has grown on me and some excellent outtakes from it leaked a while back but it has three tracks I absolutely consider The Stones' nadir, Hold Back, Back to Zero (good lyrics but horrible production sinks it) and the album mix of Winning Ugly (I actually like the 12 inch NY mix, I'd like to hear a version that's like the NY Mix but shorter like the album version.)
The padres sadly disintegrated into dust those last two games vs the dodgers. A damn shame.
They really did, alas.
i have to agree with that list. It just seems in the 80s and to a lesser extent the 90s, these artists of the 60s and early 70s struggled hard to be relevant though there were a few exceptions.
(BTW thank you so much for not mentioning Jagger’s misadventure with David Bowie😆)
@@derekroberts6654 Ha! I thought about it!
Love your channel, you basically think and act the same way I do about the Stones. Keep up the great work.
I think their last creative moments before running out of gas were through the middle 80’s. After that, it’s going through the motions.
It’s also hard to sustain the kind of creativity they had through the late 60’s middle 70’s forever.
@@HectorMurrieta It seems hardest for bands vs solo performers. Are bands a game for youth?
Big Stones fan but have to admit their music varies a lot especially their live performances -- can either be messy or brilliant Gotta love them anyway.
Great calculations with a perfectly logical conclusion, because you nailed it! Speaking for myself, when I was watching the first minute of the video, I immediately muttered "Dirty Work" to myself as their worst album when you posed the question. I'm glad I wasn't wrong on that all this time. 😎
Another vote for Dirty work from me.
Why I knew that album would mentioned?😂
Too Much Blood holds an awesome place in the Stone's timeline, as could double as a soundtrack or be looped into a night club. Ron follows the rolling rhythm perfectly; Keith charges up his reggae clicks like the latest car model. I was 16 at the Time, the whole IP hit home. "I wanna dance, I wanna Sing" takes us into the excitement of expressing one's self and caps it off by exploding into "I wanna bust up everything". The cumulative effect is affectations spinning out of control resulting in too much blood, an overdose? Or just a judgement on limits. At the time the video director had Mick and Keith play up their own overflowing tension on film. Keith excelled in his role as the villain and this video played the bad boy card for a new generation with its own new vices. Mick's Voice Over echoes Blade Runner's controversial Voice Over from a year earlier. So the voice over, straight leads, chorus, and even horns all have this song going long over a killer jungle beat through a transitional time. The song and video serve as a parody and a tribute to the Horror Movies of the day, but Mick sees through it all as he says " and have some fun." A favorite on a fun, but lessor known lp.
@@curtissmith8152 I love that you love this. I vastly prefer it to say Back to Zero. But I just wish the recording was not so thin. I tend to hate the Undercover mix on the whole. But Inlive your take on this. I used to like the song plenty. it haven't kept as charitable over the years
If it’s not highly rated, it’s underrated.
Haha, good point!
Syncofant!
Cool video! I can't really vote as I haven't heard Bridges or Dirty Work (too afraid to, lol). I would say there's a great 10 track album in Vodoo Lounge and a great 12 track in Bigger Bang. Steel Wheels is just a bit boring imo, apart from the few tracks you highlighted. Hackney 💎 s is good, but the production is too clean, and Jagger's vocals are so good that you can't help wondering is it auto-tune or something similar. Although, I really like Depending On You and Sweet Sounds of Heaven. And yes, the Muddy Waters cover. They said at the time of HD's release that they had nearly enough tracks for another album, but who knows if we will ever see it. Stuart
@@suartgilmour4540 I hope they didn't use auto tune! I find Andrew Watt's touch a bit poppy -- like the repeated guitar overdub in the chorus of "Mess It Up" and all the ahhhh backing vocals. But HD surprised me so much I still feel particularly fond of it. Thanks for watching!
No autotune, but some pitch correction is used on Hackney Diamonds. Who cares, the songs are great.
I am a huge Stones fan, the biggest there is. I can find even something on Dirty Work that I like and that's Had it With You. Great song, but I'm not particularly crazy about the rest of it.
I actually love Undercover Voodoo Lounge and Bridges to Babylon
IMO there are three massive, distinct creativity/popularity peaks in the Stones long history, each coinciding with the very best efforts of Brian Jones (64-66), Mick Taylor (69-72) and Ronnie Wood (78-81). Each period has its own set of diehards, some of whom like to downplay the other times/members. I agree with others that, after 1981 they struggled to be relevant (sounding old and tired, with a few brilliant exceptional songs here and there). Tattoo You was the last great Stones album IMHO.
@@LeeHastie-vh3pi Well said. Hard to argue. I guess if you don't link it old w Taylor you could say 68-72. Thanks for the comment!
I finally (after decades) gave Undercover my full attention recently. It is actually a pretty good album (to me; not an argument against your own list). It has a lot of great rockers, like She Was Hot (man, I gotta revisit that ridiculous video). But I also like the dance-y songs like the title track and the uber-wacky Too Much Blood. They do the dance-y thing on those far better than on Miss You, IMO.
I now have to get past the "let's dress up like the guys from Miami Vice to appeal to the kids" album cover and give Dirty Work my full attention. One Hit is honestly a damn good song.
The designer of Blue & Lonesome: "Oh, we use too much blue, do we?"
@@JWD1992 Uber-wacky is a good way to put it. And why not? It can be fun when they try new things
Hi Robert, I just discover your page and... why this Quebec flag? I'm from Quebec and curious about it, thank you !
@@spectorfriend I've been a few times and got it there once. I needed something in the wall -- temporary place -- so thought Quebec is it!
@@RobertsRecordCorner ahahah , our flag is unique . Good pick !
the question has always been were they better on heroin or cocaine?
Great enjoyable video. Agree that Dirty Work is their worst album ever.
You and I are the same age, and our Stones journey is very similar, although I largely ignored everything after 1981. Food for thought: the CD killed the Stones (and lots of other bands). Having to fill 65 minutes on a CD instead of 40 on an LP meant bands released a lot of crap to fill space and justify the cost of a CD vs an LP. Streaming and the ability to download songs one at a time isn’t helping the quality of music either.
@@gravl1 I fully agree! I talk about a bit -- the Stones' newfound girth of CD era albums -- on y double album video even!
Even on their worst albums, there's bound to be at least one track I enjoy. I agree that the hidden jewel on Dirty Work is Had It With You. Dirty Work also had Harlem Shuffle, which wasn't bad, and I also liked Keith's reggae tune, Too Rude. The rest of it? It's full of songs I honestly don't care to ever hear again. For that reason, I'd have to vote for Dirty Work as their worst ever. Undercover had Mick trying to pull the band in new directions - some of it worked, some of it didn't. The only song on it that I didn't mind hearing repeatedly was.... Pretty Beat Up. Undercover also loses some points with me because I really didn't like She Was Hot, and it's embarrassing video. So Undercover comes in at 2nd-to-worst for me. A Bigger Bang had some really good stuff, but there's one song on it I can't stand, and that's Rain Fell Down, which I think is stupid. Just for the presence of that song, A Bigger Bang is, for me, their 3rd-to-worst. Honorable mention as my 4th-to-worst is Their Satanic Majesties Request. As bad as Keith's heroin addiction may have gotten later, on Satanic Majesties it sounds like Mick and Keith were on too many drugs when they wrote the songs, and the rest of the band must have been too to agree to record them. But once again, I think this overall terrible album has two decent tracks - 2000 Light Years From Home and She's A Rainbow. It's all subjective. Overall, the Stones have gone against convention just by being around as long as they have, and whatever they do, I'll always give it a listen - knowing there's no guarantee whether I'll love it or think it's rubbish.
Every album is a gem for a stones nerd to me..
Even tho every album after Tattoo you went down the drain for my ears only at the time they were released cause i expected them to sound like their 70s work( immature thought at that time..) But all grew on me.. Pure gems now.
Beggars Buffet, Mildly Bruised, and Goats Head Stock-Cube are all worth a listen.
Hi Robert!
I think Hackney Diamonds is a pretty good Album.Yes, Mick is very good on vocals. But when i Listen to all that new songs on it, nothing left for me when it ends. I miss the soul and coolness in the songs, like they used to do it. So afterwhile i do not think about it at all and left no place in my mind. I can hear it 3 times at all and that is enough for me. All other Albums in this period seems to me like much more important. The Message on the HD Album is in my opinion too much for being successful in every point. It had to be "good".
I missed the r&b rawness of the Stones.
I am Stones Fan since 1982.
For this period this is my ranking:
1. Steel Wheels
2. Bridges to Babylon
3. Bagger Bang
4. Tattoo you
5. Voodoo Lounge
6. Dirty Work
7. Hackney Diamonds
8. Blue and Lonesome
😊Josef
Dirty Work is the worst - it hasn't improved with time..
They have such a body of work it’s pretty incredible. Different eras, different genres. I would never put this band down. They can’t all be classics (hits) and to be fair some of my favourites songs in general aren’t deemed as classics anyway! 🤷♂️
I share in the low opinion of Dirty Work, but I haven’t even listened to the post Wyman albums enough to even recall what they sound like and would have to check my shelves to be reminded of the titles.
This is a tough question only because i haven’t listened to their last 2 studio albums. ‘Bridges to Babylon’ was the last album i bought from them.
I will say that ‘Steel Wheels’ is my favorite post ‘Tatoo You’ Stones album. Yes it’s a pure pop album but that was the heyday of MTV so every artist was tailoring their music to a pop sound.
I think the height of classic rock was 1964-73. The introduction to the Beatles started it, then you just had masterpiece albums like St Pepper, Abbey Road, Tommy, Dark Side of the Moon, Led Zeppelin 2 and 4, Who’s Next, Quadrophenia, Sticky Fingers, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, The Doors, The Yes Album, Fragile, etc. Good lord that 10 year period will never be topped.
I love your presentations and your speaking voice, great videos
For me there are 4 areas that these albums can be in order form quality, there arent "worst" or bad albums in Stones cataloge (very good/good/almost good and the Dirty Work that can be Ok). All the rest of previously Stones albums for me are in another suoerior categories that can be listed from Excelent to Sublime albums (these last ones can be all the albums released from 68 to 72)
1. Steel Wheels
2. Voodoo Lounge
3. Hackney Diamonds
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4. Undercover (not sound well? Can be, but is far better in songs cuts, lirycs than the next ones album that I ranked)
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5. A Bigger Bang
6. Bridges To Babylon (After almost 20 years I still cant decide if it is better than A Bigger Bang or not)
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7. Dirty Work
Blue & Lonesome is not an original Stone album if songs, BUT, if I must to order this album, from the quality of the record and gest and other aspects can be listed in the zone of Undercover.
By 1976 at the age of 12 I had just about everything the stones had done up until them '50 LPs including comps and bootlegs, I was fanatical and collected for sleeves etc. Then Punk happened and after Some Girls I stopped buying their release's. For me everything before 'emotional rescue' was great never recorded a bad track. Still great live though.
I agree with you, it's "Dirty Work". Such a disappointment at the time. And notice how even Rolling Stone magazine couldn't cover up how poor it is.
Jagger came off his solo release with Hard Woman
I agreed the best of the 8 is Hackney Diamond, follow by Steel Wheels.
Worst is Undercover, Dirty Work has One Hit which is one of my favorite
Great video!
Great topic!
Difficult question!
Dirty Work has One Hit to the Body, though. Insane that they produced that during such an unproductive period.
I got to disagree. Tattoo you was a great album, but was not there last great album. 1989 steel wheels, and 1994 voodoo lounge where two great back to back albums by The Rolling Stones. Anyway, great video loved it.
I am only 1:52 into the video but the handwritten “Rolling stones situation” timeline with is design and use of colored pens, ✋✋I am all in and subscribed!! 🙌👏👏👍
A Bigger Bang but still better than 98% of other artist’s work. Fan since 1964.
Spot on about Mick 's vocals in Angry
Best albums Beggars , Let it bleed and from later period Voodu lounge.Worst Dirty work
2 great songs from this era, "secret songs" as you call them: Too Tough from Undercover & Thief in the Night from Bridges.
interesting question..! what i have observed over 50 years of being a fan of the Stones, is that each new album is met with a degree of disappointment, criticism and hostility and the charge that 'it aint as good as - whatever'. 'Exile' is a case in point - panned on release and now held up as possibly their best. I remember being disappointed with 'Voodoo Lounge' but now absolutely love it ! It will be the same for Hackney Diamonds - like in 20 years people will say - 'oh that was a classic'. Its bizarre - i think it's possibly because we love them so much (RIP CW).
I am definitely thankful to have all of them! Thanks for the comment
Agree on Dirty Work but love that single “One Hit to the Body”….
I would place “Undercover” at the TOP / No.1. Always loved that album. I remember being being excited for it to come out. I had just seen them at Hampton Coliseum in ‘81, was barely 15 years old. Was so dissapointed when they didn’t tour for Undercover. I was slso excited for Dirty Work to be released. Was a HS senior but then something changed…wasn’t the same. IDK….to me, seems like most of the albums since Undercover have dissapointed me as a whole. Saw them on several tours after ‘81 and it’s just TOO POLISHED. So, for me #1 is Undercover, #2 is a tie between Dirty Work & Steel Wheels. Everything else just shuffles between #3-#8. How’s that?? Like I said….”too polished”. And I absolutely do not like Mick’s voice anymore. Trying waaayyy too hard to sound like a 20 yr old pop star!
I've been pretty critical of Mick the past few decades, but I finally decided to give him a break. He is who he is. You never/rarely get much personal from his lyrics, and for him to be doing that -- trying that hard -- at 80 is pretty great. I never quite could get into Undercover the way you describe. I'd love them to break apart the album, work on the sound, and reassemble -- as (same producer) Chris Kimsey did to rescue the '70s scraps that led to Tattoo You. There's something a bit buried in the sound for me. I'm not an EQ expert, but I feel it's heavily mid in EQ. I don't know. Thanks for sharing!
You’re right…still doing it at his age is amazing. All of them for that matter. When Bill left it changed too, I think. Really when i think back about it…thank god for keith & ron’s solo albums. I think I turned to those for new material/sound from them. The “ new-polished Stones sound wasn’t doing it for me after the 80’s passed. Ya know, there’s some cool sounding material out there from the Undercover sessions that can be found. I wish they’d add that stuff to an Undercover re-issue.
I love the Stones and while it's not bad, I just don't get into Blue & Lonesome. I think Undercover and Dirty Work are great fun.
Very good, Robert, as it's well reasoned. Agree with Dirty Work being the worst. I've never been out of love with Steel Wheels and don't have any fat (cup of tea track, where I can step away for five minutes).
Next worst are Undercover, Bridges to Babylon, Bigger Bang (all the same level of tedium, pretty much).
Then Blue and Lonesome in the middle.
Hackney Diamonds is far from going through the motions, though I'd put Voodoo Lounge as a better album, simply edited to sides 1 and 2.
We differ as I think Mick's solo stuff is very good, and Saint of Me is tiresome. Anything by Keith and the Winos is tremendous by the way.
I agree that I thought we'd seen the last of the boys in any form after Tattoo You. Hence why Steel Wheels was the right album at the right time, robust enough to charge some very awesome tours, which I caught on three continents.
Bridges to Babylon is second position for me, Voodoo Lounge 3, Steel wheels 4, i'm agree with the rest..... on Hackney Diamonds, i love "get closed"..... Live by the sworld? yes, because he finish like It's only rock'n'roll ;-)
Woodoo Longue...no doubt 😊..
Dirty work is the opinion of rock critics. I don't appreciate it. it has tons of great songs! . "One Hit (To the Body)" ..."Harlem Shuffle" ..."Hold Back"... "Too Rude"......"Winning Ugly"... "Back to Zero"... " Sleep Tonight"
Look, I’m in my mid 30s appreciating the stones more than I ever have in my entire life, and I’ve been listening to them for 20 years. And now they’re one of my favorites of all time. I’m loving them more than when I first got into classic rock in my middle school years, but now they’re in my top 5 favorite bands of all time now despite my 25 year interest in rock from all eras.
I expect nothing from the stones this late in their career, but they’ve earned that. “Angry” at least has a better riff than I’d expect from a band that late in the game,”.!The Stones’ longevity is amazing. At the same time, they’ve been a legacy act since 1981. But that’s completely okay.
The Beatles get to be frozen in amber at their peak. But for the layman, life keeps going beyond your peak in life. And that’s why I prefer the stones now in my mid 30s vs the Beatles.
Don’t get me wrong, The Beatles earned their spot for a reason. I’m just speaking from a pure subjectivity level.
I bet there's tons of unreleased stuff of the Hackney album with Charlie on drums. Just thinking of the ongoing rumours of a new studio album for years and then it comes with Charlie playing just three songs?
@@chiefmouser7 I believe you're right. Likely another new one coming by 2025-6 with a few Charlie cameos?
@@RobertsRecordCorner Who knows? After all, nothing lasts forever in this world, even the Stones will be history one day. Maybe the management will open up the archives then, when some time has passed. Remember the R'nR Circus ? Soon after that, Mick Taylor joined the band and there was no room for footage featuring Brian , a fact I can understand quite well.
Although I've always liked the Stones, I can't say which is their worst album, just because I have not listened to them all😜 Some songs I like very much and I don' care too much about the rest. Thanks to the band for all the good times, I've seen them in 76, 82 and 2003.
Will Listen again and judge! Thank you! Dirty Work or Emotional Rescue? I'll be back with vote and IMO choice. I will say this I've always been a fan, fanatic of Stones! Ok My votes in.....was going to vote for Dirty Work but after listen to both Candidates Dirty Work for is not as bad as Emotional Rescue. So Emotional Rescue wins the worst Rolling Stones Album.with The tittle track being the worse Stones song! But That album still has gems, Indian Girl, Let Me Go, Down in the Hole and Where the Boys Go, IMO! Love the Stones and there is no bad Stones Album. Just personal ratings and Thats why there is Coke and Peosi". opinions!
Everything after Exile was a let down but Expensive Winos are brilliant. Mick's BeeGees and Michael Jackson period did him for me.
Profanity 1964 If you see my little red rooster please drive him home ( meaning his manhood ) 1968 - Parachute women land on me tonight 😁