Day 266: The Rolling Stones – Emotional Rescue

There are some rock behemoths who I very much appreciate but rarely put on, and the Rolling Stones are probably number one on that list. It’s not like I’m never in the mood for them, for some reason I just never put them on, so today I thought I’d listen to an album of theirs that’s not one of the heavy hitters. I love the titular track from this album and I’ve probably never listened to it, so it’s time to explore the Disco Stones.

Album cover courtesy of Rolling Stones Records

I’m not going to waste time today introducing the band – if you’re enough of a music nerd to be reading this blog, you know who the Rolling Stones are, so let’s go straight to the album.

Emotional Rescue was released in 1980 during a time when Keith Richards was trying to clean up his act after being charged with heroin possession in Toronto, so the album is one where Mick Jagger had more creative input. It was released after their hit album Some Girls and features a similar post punk and disco-inspired sound, which Richards apparently hated.

Due to the album’s mid reputation, especially since it was sandwiched between the more popular Some Girls and Tattoo You, I didn’t necessarily have such high expectations, but the opener “Dance (Pt. 1)” did immediately raise them. The titular track is up there as one of my favourite songs by the band, “She’s So Cold” is the other stand-out on the record. Most of the rest is good – there aren’t any skips per se, “Where the Boys Go” is  the only song from the album that I actively did not like, with Jagger’s fake cockney accent and the grating lyrics.

Is it their best album? Obviously not, but it’s not unenjoyable either. I’m giving it a very reasonable 8.5/10 – if nothing else, it’s making me want to listen to some of their better stuff.