Some Girls: The Album That Saved The Rolling Stones

Some Girls represents the moment the Rolling Stones reclaimed their rock throne.

The year 1978 was a turning point for the band.

Critics had started calling them dinosaurs of a dying age.

Punk rock was exploding in London and New York.

Disco was dominating the dance floors across the globe.

The band needed a record that felt modern and dangerous.

They found that energy in the grit of Manhattan.

You can see how they compared to earlier works like The Rolling Stones debut.

Mick Jagger drew inspiration from the city’s nightlife.

Keith Richards was dealing with legal trouble in Toronto.

The result was a lean and hungry collection of songs.

It remains their best-selling studio album in the United States.

The Gritty Evolution of Some Girls

The production of Some Girls was a return to basics.

They moved away from the lush sounds of the mid-seventies.

The previous record Black and Blue was a transitional phase.

For this project they ditched the guest horn sections.

They focused on the core quintet of musicians.

The members of the Rolling Stones were finally a stable unit.

This was the first full album for guitarist Ron Wood.

His chemistry with Keith Richards was instant and electric.

They developed a “weaving” guitar style that defined their sound.

Neither player was strictly a lead or rhythm guitarist.

They swapped roles constantly within every single track.

This interplay gave the music a raw and jagged edge.

It felt much more like a garage band than a stadium act.

The sessions in Paris were incredibly productive for the group.

They recorded over fifty songs during these studio dates.

Many of these tracks ended up on later albums like Tattoo You.

The band was playing with a renewed sense of urgency.

They knew they had to prove their relevance once again.

Manhattan Streets and Studio Magic

The album captures the decaying beauty of 1970s New York.

The city was bankrupt and filled with creative chaos.

You can hear the influence of the Bowery and Harlem.

Jagger was frequently seen at the legendary Studio 54.

He wanted to incorporate the four-on-the-floor disco beat.

The 70s were a decade of massive musical shifts.

Some Girls managed to bridge the gap between genres.

It was a rock record that you could actually dance to.

This approach is most evident on the smash hit Miss You.

The song features a hypnotic bass line by Bill Wyman.

It also showcases the soulful harmonica of Sugar Blue.

Jagger found the harmonica player busking on the Paris streets.

That spontaneity is what makes the album feel so alive.

They were not over-thinking the arrangements this time around.

They were simply capturing a mood and a moment in time.

The lyrics are often cynical and deeply urban.

They deal with the greed and sex of the big city.

It is a far cry from the flower power of the sixties.

This was the sound of survival in the concrete jungle.

The Rhythm of a New Era

Charlie Watts provided the backbone for these new experiments.

His drumming was precise yet incredibly swingy and loose.

He adapted perfectly to the faster tempos of the punk era.

Songs like Respectable and Lies show off his incredible speed.

The band was playing louder and faster than they had in years.

Even Mick Jagger started playing more rhythm guitar on tracks.

This created a triple-guitar assault on several major songs.

The sound was dense and aggressive but never cluttered.

It was a stark contrast to the polished Let It Bleed era.

The band was finally having fun in the studio again.

You can hear the joy in their loose cover of the Temptations.

Just My Imagination was transformed into a tough rock anthem.

It became a staple of their live shows for decades after.

The band also dipped their toes into country music parody.

Far Away Eyes features a hilarious vocal performance from Mick.

Ron Wood adds some beautiful pedal steel guitar work here.

It shows the band never lost their sense of humor.

They could mock the very culture they helped to create.

The Cultural Impact of Some Girls

The release caused immediate controversy due to its cover art.

The original design used the faces of several famous celebrities.

Lucille Ball and Farrah Fawcett were not amused by the inclusion.

Legal threats forced the band to redesign the sleeve quickly.

The new version removed the starlets and added apologies.

Despite the drama the album soared to the top of the charts.

It was their only record to get a Grammy nod for Album of the Year.

This success proved that the Stones were still the biggest band.

They had outlasted their peers and adapted to the new world.

You can watch some of their 1978 energy in this classic video clip.

It captures the band at a peak of their physical powers.

Jagger was a whirlwind of movement on the 1978 tour.

The album redefined what a veteran rock band could achieve.

It set the template for their stadium-filling future tours.

Critics at the time were almost unanimous in their praise.

A famous Rolling Stone review noted their incredible comeback.

They had successfully navigated the treacherous waters of 1978.

The record remains a favorite among hardcore fans today.

Track by Track Masterpieces

Beast of Burden is perhaps the most soulful track they ever cut.

Keith Richards wrote it as a thank you to his partner Mick.

It features some of the best guitar interplay in rock history.

The vocals are tender yet filled with a classic blues swagger.

Then there is the frantic closing track called Shattered.

It is a love letter to the chaos of Manhattan life.

The lyrics are half-spoken and filled with street-wise poetry.

It perfectly bookends the disco-inflected opening of the record.

Before They Make Me Run is Keith’s definitive outlaw anthem.

He sings about his brush with the law in Toronto.

It is a song about moving forward and never looking back.

The entire album feels like a cohesive statement of intent.

They were not going to go quietly into the night.

They were going to keep playing until the wheels fell off.

You can find more detailed thoughts in our album reviews section.

This record remains the high-water mark of their later career.

It is the sound of a band rediscoverng their own magic.

Every fan of guitar music needs this in their collection.

Some Girls is the definitive proof of the band’s immortality.

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