By the end of the 70’s the Stones, for the first time since they debuted, found themselves with something to prove. Disco and punk had exploded into the mainstream and the music press was increasingly branding the stars of the 60’s and early 70’s as dinosaurs. The band hadn’t released a cultural milestone since 1972’s Exile on Main Street and the departure of guitarist Mick Taylor had left a hole in their sound, the distinctive brand of musical alchemy that he had brought to the band unable to be replicated by the parade of guest players featured on their albums since. Mick Jagger’s fascination with the cult of celebrity and frequent appearances in the tabloids had begun to tarnish the band’s outlaw image and Keith Richards’ arrest for possession in Canada saw him facing seven years in prison, throwing the future of the band into question. Somehow, instead of being the Stones’ death knell, Some Girls gave them their first classic album since Exile, returned them to cultural relevance and managed to crystallise all that had beset them into a fresh sound that kept their blues rock roots at its core. Miss You, the album’s monster hit, fused the pulsing groove of disco with the grinding blues harmonica and slinky guitar that was so key to the band’s sound. Beast of Burden saw the band pen their first hit ballad since Angie and Far Away Eyes revealed that the Stones could really play country music when they wanted to, albeit in a tongue in cheek way. The full time addition of ex-Faces guitarist Ron Wood revitalises the arrangements, his counter-rhythms and stinging lead fusing with Keith Richards’ playing to fill the album with luscious, full guitar textures. Some Girls was a huge hit, asserted that the Stones still had plenty to say and began a new chapter in the sordid history of the world’s greatest rock n’ roll band.
Pete Whelan 