#302 The Best Album of 1989, Round 1 Match #57: Nirvana vs. The Rolling Stones
Hey folks!
Today’s Best Album of 1989 match is:
Nirvana, BLEACH
vs.
The Rolling Stones, STEEL WHEELS
To vote, follow this link to the Google Form. You will need a Google login to vote. If you can’t or won’t have one, let me know ASAP (either through this newsletter, my email [kentmbeeson@hey.com] or on the Best Album Brackets Bluesky account) and I’ll see what I can do.
We have one Designated Cheerleader today, and it’s for BLE— Nope! Psyche! It’s actually for STEEL WHEELS, it’s by Head Cheerleader @bsglaser.bsky.social and it’s very good! Give it a read!
Look, I'm voting for BLEACH in this round, as I assume many/most in the Best Album cohort are. But I want to pour one out for STEEL WHEELS, because it's worth a listen and a think. (And thanks to Rena MJ for starting me up with her call for a DC for this bound-to-lose record.)
Why STEEL WHEELS? Because if we're being honest, it's the end of The Rolling Stones. Yes, I know they're still an active(ish) concern in 2025 (and I know that Ian Stewart died in 1985, but that's a whole separate digression), but this is the last time they were arguably the same recording and live band that we think of as the Stones.
Most importantly, this is the end of Bill Wyman's tenure as the Stones' bassist. Sure, Brian Jones had been gone for a good long while, and his replacement had already been replaced by Ronnie Wood back in '76, so this is nowhere near the same band that recorded "Satisfaction" or any number of classic tracks. But Wyman held his bass almost like it was an upright and locked in so hard with drummer Charlie Watts for a quarter century that the band was unshakable and unbreakable, no matter who was playing guitar or singing or whatever. Wyman didn't die or find religion or anything--after STEEL WHEELS and the subsequent world tour, he'd simply had enough of being in a rock and roll band and retired. More blokes should try it.
STEEL WHEELS isn't STICKY FINGERS or BEGGARS BANQUET or even GOATS HEAD SOUP. This is no one's favorite Stones LP, nor even a top 10 in the catalog. But they also sound like The Rolling Stones here in a way that they never really would again. The guitars are weaving and sliding and rocking out. The rhythm section is swinging and charging ahead. And Mick is being Mick--say what you will, but he's one of the greatest rock and rock vocalists/front men to ever do it--full of blues brio and and bottomless rock energy.
I remember listening to the record when it came out, and it was fine. Plenty of critics had fun with the first single, "Mixed Emotions" ("Mick's Emotions," har har har...). Keith sang on 2 tracks, and gets the job done. It's fine.
But what I remember more is seeing the IMAX film of the STEEL WHEELS tour at the Franklin Institute in Philly. My dad, who wasn't really a rock fan and didn't go to concerts much, decided it was what we'd do for Father's Day. Maybe it was really for me? It's possible. But all these years later, I still have visceral memories of seeing the Stones on that giant screen with dozens of speakers blasting out their set of deathless classics. I guess there were some songs from STEEL WHEELS in the film? But it's "Start Me Up," "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "Sympathy for the Devil," et al, that I remember. This was a BAND that was LOCKED IN, all the gears and wheels turning at maximum power. Keith and Charlie, in particular, were grooving as hard as they could; Mick probably ran/danced the equivalent of a marathon without ever sounding winded or less than 110%. Yes, they were already "old" for rock and roll (and they weren't even that old yet!), but it was clear that they wanted to earn the self-appointed title of "Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World" every night, even if they were well past their 60s/70s prime.
After this, Wyman quit. And now Charlie's dead. And the other Stones are well into their late 70s/early 80s. The records and tours since have presented diminishing returns. They seem to want to do it forever, but time is undefeated--even this will end eventually.
STEEL WHEELS won't make it out of the first round, but it deserves a little of our attention and enough of our respect. The Rolling Stones set wheels in motion that plenty of bands are still riding on, and this record is a noteworthy stop on their (seemingly) endless road. Maybe track down the concert footage from the tour, just to see Mick, Keith, Ronnie, Bill, and Charlie doing the work that, for a time, made them the Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World.
Thank you, Brian!
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Yesterday, #46 Steve Reich, DIFFERENT TRAINS/ELECTRIC COUNTERPOINT defeated #83 Concrete Blonde, FREE, 83-39-2.
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Kent