March

‘Harlem Shuffle’

In a period that saw The Blues Brothers make white-folks-singing-black-music popular, the Stones had been more than 20 years ahead of their time; and Bob & Earl’s soul classic, ‘Harlem Shuffle’ was a song that Keith had wanted to get Mick to cover for years. When they finally did, Jagger entered the studio, did his vocal in two takes, and left, leaving Bobby Womack and Tom Waits to fill out backing vocals later. With a promo video that mixed live action with animation (courtesy of future Ren & Stimpy animator, John Kricfalusi), the single went to No. 5 in the US, and only No. 13 in the UK.

Dirty Work

Recorded while Jagger and Keith were at their most vitriolic (Keith’s songs like ‘Fight’, ‘Had It With You’ and ‘One Hit (To The Body)’ would say it all; Jagger made it clear that he was more interested in promoting his own album instead of recording with the Stones), Dirty Work was dedicated to Ian Stewart. Intended to be a return to rock roots, with co-production from the Glimmer Twins and legendary producer Steve Lillywhite, its embarrassing sleeve boasted the group in day-glo suits – and the music wasn’t much better. There were no real hits, the group weren’t functioning together at all, and Dirty Work fast became the worst Stones album ever.

Personalities | Introducing The Rolling Stones
Personalities | The Rolling Stones (1988) | Key Events