Album Review - The Rolling Stones, Dirty Work (1986)

"Got to get into a fight, I can't get out of it." This"Winning Ugly" and "Had It With You."
line from the song "Fight" underscores theAside from these numbers, the album contains
atmosphere that permeates the Rolling Stones'solid, above-average tracks such as the
1986 release, Dirty Work. Noticeably less violentanti-nuclear war "Back To Zero," and the two
and less diverse musically than Undercover, Dirtytracks sung by Keith Richards: the Jimmy Cliff
Work is considerably angrier than its predecessorreggae collaboration "Too Rude" and the ballad
as it is was recorded at the height of Mick Jagger"Sleep Tonight" which is quite possibly the
and Keith Richards' public feud and features somecreepiest song, let alone ballad, the band ever
of Jagger's most abrasive vocals.recorded. The weakest track on the album
Right from the start with the intro track "One Hithappens to be the album's only Top Ten hit, a
(To The Body)" (which features Jimmy Page oncover of a Bob & Earl's "Harlem Shuffle." The
one of the guitars) the gloves are off and thevideo is kind of cool though. On a sad note, the
two dominant personalities in the band arealbum ends with a half-minute long snippet of a
swinging away, sometimes hitting themselves in1940 Charles Segar piano number entitled "Key
the process.To The Highway," which was originally a hidden
Allegedly Keith Richards and Ron Wood hadtrack and serves as a tribute to longtime Stones'
considerable input on the development andkeyboard and piano player Ian Stewart, who died
recording of the album as Mick Jagger was busyin 1985 of a heart attack at the age of 47.
promoting and recording his solo material, 1984'sThis is often regarded as the Stones' weakest
She's The Boss and his upcoming sophomorerelease and although it does sound like it was
effort 1987's Primitive Cool. Combine this factrecorded back in 1985 or 1986, it is a fairly solid
with the Jagger/Richards feud and you actuallyalbum that holds its own in the musical
have Jagger singing lyrics that are directed atatmosphere of its time. In other words, it could
himself, such as in the title track, "Hold Back,"have been a whole lot worse.