A victim of context rather than content, @therollingstones’ “Dirty Work’ album deserves long-overdue reappraisal.
The mid-80s was a time of intense turmoil for the Stones. @mickjagger and @officialkeef clashed over the band’s musical direction during the making of “Dirty Work’s” predecessor – 1983’s “Undercover” – and tensions were still simmering when recording began, with each band member working through a variety of personal issues. As Jagger later explained “You get difficult periods, and that was one of them.”
Helmed by producer Steve Lillywhite (U2, Simple Minds, XTC), the “Dirty Work” sessions nonetheless proceeded across the spring and summer of 1985, though the Stones were dealt a blow during the album’s mix down, when founding member and on-off pianist Ian Stewart suddenly died of a heart attack, aged just 47.
An integral part of many Stones classics, Stewart’s death shook the group, with Keith Richards later telling Rolling Stone, “The glue fell out of the whole setup. There’s not a lot of people who realize quite what a tower of strength he was and how important he was within the band.”
Despite – or perhaps because of – this turmoil, much of “Dirty Work” was imbued with a palpable edge that has ensured it’s aged rather better than history would have you believe. To Steve Lillywhite’s credit, his crisp production was devoid of the fussy studio techniques that have dated many mid-80s waxings, allowing the Stones to steam into rockers such as “One Hit (To The Body),” “Hold Back” and the suitably pugilistic-sounding “Fight” with conviction.
Elsewhere, as they had with “Undercover,”the Stones sought to broaden their sonic horizons, often with striking results. “Back To Zero” had an itchy, Talking Heads-esque feel, while the confident, politically aware “Winning Ugly” was a slice of funky, radio-friendly pop.
The most wonderful surprises on the album, though, were the two Keith Richards-fronted tracks: a wonderfully spacey, King Tubby-esque cover of Lindon Roberts’ reggae cut “Too Rude,” and the emotive ballad “Sleep Tonight,” which also featured Tom Waits on backing vocals and Ronnie Wood (temporarily) taking over from Charlie Watts on drums.
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