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Got some dirty work to do? Then, click on this link to go back to the main Rolling Stones page ... Turdy Werk
Overall Album Score: 5.8 out of 10 First of all, I suppose that I should mention that Dirty Work isn’t nearly as awful as I thought it would be. ( I thought this was going to be the worst thing I've ever listened to, or something ... but it's listenable, overall, I suppose.) Of course, by 1986, The Rolling Stones were faaaaaaaaarrrrr removed from their peak. And, I wish that somebody would tell me what possessed every respected 60s and 70s musician to go pop in the 80s! It must have been a curse from the Wicked Witch of the West. But, yes, this is oftentimes considered being the worst album in the Rolling Stones discography, and this is for good reason! And the reason is because it sucks! In my opinion, the most solid song on here is “Harlem Shuffle,” which has a toe-tapping enough of a groove to keep me happy throughout its entire duration. The rest of the songs range from passable to poo. And, with only one “good” song in it, what’s the bloody point of it all? Go give Let it Bleed a re-listen. Dirty Work will just depress you. Overall Album Score: 5.8 out of 10 (This has *got* to be the worst Rolling Stones album ever recorded, or at least I hope so. I’ve never seen these guys so crapped before. Dirty Work is for Stones completists only. And I doubt they listen to this too often.) Average Song Score: 6.5 (The songs here are not that good … especially when you compare it to the other stuff that these guys have done.) Album Tilt: 5.5 (A dull and disappointing album.) Artist Rating: 5.5 (Where’s the integrity? … Where’s the beef?) Track Reviews One Hit (To the Body) 7.5/10 The monotonous drum really ruins this one, but the riff that it’s based on ain’t that bad. Other than that, the energy of this shameless 80s pop number is all that’s keeping it afloat. (And the energy is really good, actually.) We just could do without the monotonous 80s drum machine. Fight 6/10 More drum machine + a sloppy performance from Mick Jagger = 6. This is a truly dull song, even though it seems to want to be like a regular hard-driven Stonesey Stones tune. That said, it’s not exactly a sinker, either. Harlem Shuffle 8.5/10 A REALLY GOOD GROOVE!!!! It proves that even in their relative moments of despair, The Stones were still able to rock-and-roll every once in a while. It’s disposable, to be certain, but it’s an enjoyable one for anyone who had bought this album by accident. Hold Back 4/10 Unlike the last track, “Hold Back” has an utterly deplorable groove (and an even more deplorable vocal performance from Jagger -- ick!) … not to mention that banal drum machine again. … Although, in this case, I like the drum machine. Anything that would drown out Jagger even slightly is a good thing. They should have ‘held back’ this one. Too Rude 5/10 This might have been too bad, but the production was so bloody awful that it hardly allowed any chance of that happening! This is such a dull song. Gr. The melody repeats too much, but with better production, this reggae type number would have been much more tolerable. (Those drums REALLY stink here.) Winning Ugly 6/10 Another hopelessly dull 80s number. It’s not annoying … it’s just dull. I fart on thy “Winning Ugly.” Back to Zero 7/10 The nice groove keeps this one afloat during its entire duration. Other than that, the song is not that good. Jagger turns in another sloppy performance. And I suppose The Stones forgot what instrumental innovation means. Oh well. Dirty Work 6.5/10 Boring, but not awful. It has a riff to work off of, and Keith is allowed to do some (frankly uninspired) noodling with his geeetarrrrrr. Mick still gives us poo singing, but that’s nothing new. Had it With You 7.5/10 The driving riff is the only reason for this song’s relative success. This bluesy song, nevertheless, still sports a rather terrible vocal performance from Jagger and this is still banal, frankly. Although, the drumming thankfully sounds real this time. Sleep Tonight 7/10 I don’t really like Keith Richard’s voice, either. He’s at least being more professional than Mick. The song here is alright. The melody needed quite a few more hooks in it. It also sounds like the instrumentals ought to have been more uplifting. But this is alright. (It ought to have been truncated at the three-minute mark.) Untitled A 32-second piano track. The best song on the album. Do you have any ripping comments about this album to send me here? Ya do? Then send 'em here! |
