ROLLING STONES Some Girls (Universal)
The 1970s started and ended with creative highs for the Rolling Stones. They began the decade with all-time classic Sticky Fingers and ended it with Some Girls, unarguably their best record with Ron Wood on guitar.
Exactly what clicked with Some Girls as opposed to the subsequent Emotional Rescue or the preceding Black And Blue (essentially a guitarist audition turned into an album) is debatable. Most agree the band was responding to the tensions that surrounded them, like Keith’s uncertain situation after his Toronto bust and the recent outbreak of punk and disco.
Whatever the reason, they nailed this album. There are no weak songs, and the extras on this reissue prove they had A-side material to spare. If you think Before They Make Me Run is one of Keith’s best, you need to hear We Had It All. Mick scorches on the Chuck Berry-style Claudine, country send-up Do You Think I Really Care? and the tropicali groove of Don’t Be A Stranger.
Top track: When The Whip Comes Down
Some Girls Super Deluxe $152.99 at HMV.
