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Some Girls is the fourteenth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 9 June 1978 by Rolling Stones Records. It was recorded in sessions held from October 1977 to February 1978 at Pathé Marconi Studios in Paris and produced by the band's chief songwriterslead vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards (credited as the Glimmer Twins)with Chris Kimsey engineering the recording.
By 1976, the Rolling Stones' popularity was in decline as the music industry was dominated by disco and newer rock bands. In addition, the punk rock movement was an emerging cultural force in the UK. Due to legal troubles surrounding Richards, Jagger is generally regarded as the principal creative force behind Some Girls. With him drawing influence from dance music, most notably disco, the recording sessions were highly productive, resulting in numerous outtakes that appeared on subsequent albums.
It was the first album to feature guitarist Ronnie Wood as a full-time member; Wood had contributed to some tracks on the band's prior two albums, It's Only Rock 'n Roll (1974) and Black and Blue (1976). With a stable lineup in place for the first time in several years, the album marked a return to basics for the Rolling Stones and did not feature many guest musicians, unlike many of their prior albums. Notable contributions to the album, however, come from blues harmonica player Sugar Blue on "Miss You" and the title track.
Despite controversy surrounding its cover artwork and lyrical content, Some Girls was a commercial success, peaking at number two on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart. It became the band's top-selling album in the United States, having been certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling six million copies by 2000 in the country. Several hit singles emerged from the album, which became rock radio staples for decades, including "Beast of Burden" (US number eight), "Shattered" (US number 31), "Respectable" (UK number 23), highlighted by "Miss You", which reached number one in the United States and number three in the UK.
Rebounding from the relative critical disappointment of Black and Blue, Some Girls was a critical success, with many reviewers calling it a classic return to form for the band and their best album since Exile on Main St. (1972). It became the only Rolling Stones album to be nominated for a Grammy Award in the Album of the Year category. Retrospectively, it has continued to receive acclaim, with many commending the band's ability to blend contemporary music trends with their older signature style. Some Girls is considered one of the band's finest records, and Rolling Stone has included it in their lists of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
On 7 February 1977, the Stones were scheduled to play El Mocambo in Toronto, Ontario; however, Keith Richards and his partner Anita Pallenberg were arrested for possession of heroin and suspected of drug trafficking. With the help of Jimmy Carter, who obtained visas, the pair was permitted to leave Canada so that Richards could undergo detoxification in the United States. During this time, Richards obtained a conditional visa for France and met the rest of the Stones in Paris to begin work on what became Some Girls. Facing the possibility of Richards receiving a seven-year sentence in Canada, Jagger and Richards both believed that the Stones might be forced to disband and that Some Girls could be the last album. During Richards' trial, the courtroom was filled with Stones fans and it became clear to reporters present that he would not be "sent to jail". Overseeing the trial, Judge Lloyd Graburn stated that while "heroin addicts should go to prison if they commit theft to support their habit, or make no effort to kick the habit...Richards was different. He made so much money as a rock star, he didn't need to steal, and his effort to remove himself from the drug culture was an example to others." Graburn issued Richards a one-year probation and ordered that he play a benefit concert for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind within six months; Graburn chose this sentencing option after speaking with a blind fan whom Richards had befriended years earlier and ensured her safe passage to and from concerts. Tickets were provided for free to the blind and other tickets were made available for sighted fans at regular price.
Later in February 1977, the Stones renewed their contract with Atlantic Records for US distribution, and out of patriotic feelings originating from this being the year of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee, signed with EMI for distribution to the rest of the world.
At least as important for the band's reinvigoration was the addition of Ronnie Wood to the lineup, as Some Girls was the first album recorded with him as a full member. Unlike the guitar style of Mick Taylor, Wood's guitar playing style meshed with that of Richards, and slide guitar playing became one of the band's hallmarks. His unconventional uses of the instrument featured prominently on Some Girls and he contributed to the writing process. Wood later recalled that working with the Stones was a different experience from with his former band the Faces, stating, "I had never worked so intensely before on a project." In addition, Jagger, who had learned to play guitar over the previous decade, contributed a third guitar part to many songs.
For the first time since 1968's Beggars Banquet, the core bandnow Jagger, Richards, Wood, Charlie Watts, and the main musicians on a Rolling Stones album, with few extra contributors. Ian McLagan, Wood's bandmate from the Faces, played keyboards, and harmonica player Sugar Blue contributed to several songs, in addition to saxophonist Mel Collins and Simon Kirke, who played percussion. The band decided not to use studio musicians, including Billy Preston and Nicky Hopkins, as Richards felt that while these musicians were "technically superior" they ultimately led the band into experimental territory and away from their basic sound. Jagger's guitar contributions caused the band's road manager, Ian Stewart, to be absent from many of the sessions, as he felt piano would be superfluous, making this a rare Rolling Stones album on which he did not appear.
Rehearsals for Some Girls began in October 1977 and lasted a month before recording commenced in November, breaking before Christmas and starting up again after New Year's before finishing in March 1978. Under their new British distribution contract with EMI (remaining with Warner Music Group in North America only), they were able to record at EMI's Pathé Marconi Studios in Paris, a venue at which they would record frequently for the next several years. Three studios were made available to the bandtwo large studios featuring high ceilings and 24-track recording capabilities and a more modest studio with 16-track capabilities. The band opted to use the latter as a rehearsal space, and despite Jagger wanting to move to the larger studios, opted to remain in the smaller one and use it for recording. According to Richards, songs were written on a day-by-day basis. The band ended up recording about 50 new songs, several of which turned up in altered forms on Emotional Rescue (1980) and Tattoo You (1981). Chris Kimsey was the engineer for the sessions. Kimsey's direct method of recording, together with the entrance of the then state-of-the-art Mesa/Boogie Mark I amplifiers instead of the Ampeg SVT line of amps, yielded a bright, direct, and aggressive guitar sound.
The album was quickly reissued with a redesigned cover that removed all the celebrities, whether they had complained or not. The celebrity images were replaced with black and punk-style garish colours with the phrase "Pardon our appearancecover under reconstruction". Jagger later apologised to Minnelli when he encountered her during a party at the famous discothèque Studio 54. The only celebrity whose face was not removed was former Beatle George Harrison. As with the original design, the colour schemes on the redesigned sleeves varied in different markets.
A third version of the album cover with the hand-drawn faces from the original Valmor ad was used on the 1986 CD reissue.
Some Girls was released on 9 June 1978, with the catalogue number CUN 39108 (UK) and COC 39108 (US). The record continued the band's commercial success. It spent 25 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number two the week of 24 June, being kept off the top spot by the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. It fared better in the US, peaking at number one on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart and spending 88 weeks on the chart. "Beast of Burden", backed by "When the Whip Comes Down", was released as the second single on 28 August 1978 in the US, where it reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. "Respectable", again backed by "When the Whip Comes Down", was released as the third single in the UK on 15 September, while "Shattered", backed by "Everything is Turning to Gold", appeared as the fourth and final single in the US on 29 November 1978. Both became Top 40 hits.
On 6 October 1978, Ertegun met with Reverend Jesse Jackson, then leader of Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) to discuss the lyric. The meeting ended with Jackson declaring the song to be a "racial insult" that "degrades blacks and women", threatening to boycott the record until a resolution was met. Ertegun concurred, saying, "It is not our wish to in any way demean, insult, or make less of the people without whom there would be no Atlantic Records." After discussing the matter with Atlantic officials, who considered censoring the line, Earl McGrath, president of Rolling Stones Records, released a statement on 12 October on behalf of the band:
The Stones' best album since Exile on Main St. is also their easiest since Let It Bleed or before. They haven't gone for a knockdown uptempo classic, a 'Brown Sugar' or 'Jumpin' Jack Flash'—just straight rock and roll unencumbered by horn sections or Billy Preston. Even Jagger takes a relatively direct approach, and if he retains any credibility for you after six years of dicking around, there should be no agonizing over whether you like this record, no waiting for tunes to kick in. Lyrically, there are some bad moments—especially on the title cut, which is too fucking indirect to suit me—but in general the abrasiveness seems personal, earned, unposed, and the vulnerability more genuine than ever. Also, the band is a real good one. Real good.In his review of the album for Rolling Stone in June 1978, Paul Nelson wrote that while Some Girls may have been the band's finest LP since its "certified masterpiece", Exile on Main St., "what I won't buy is that the two albums deserve to be mentioned in the same breath. ... Some Girls is like a marriage of convenience: when it works — which is often — it can be meaningful, memorable and quite moving, but it rarely sends the arrow straight through the heart." Fellow critic Dave Marsh was also negative towards the record, citing inconsistent song quality and band performances. Three months later, in September, Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner published his own review, rebutting that of Nelson. He heaped praise on the "Miss You" single, writing that the song "exemplifies the polish, power, and passion of the Stones", equalled 'Tumbling Dice' and 'Brown Sugar', and "may even set new standards for the band." At the end of the year, Rolling Stone named both the band and Some Girls their top artist and album of the year, respectively.
Writing for Circus magazine, Nick Tosches gave praise to the record, calling it their best in five years: "After five years, the rhythm is back, and satisfaction and shelter are once again just out of reach." He further wrote that Some Girls more than makes up for the group's prior works. After Black and Blue, Richard Riegel of Creem called Some Girls a return to "refreshingly kinetic rock 'n' roll". He further gave praise to Jagger's vocal performances and Wood's contributions on guitar. In Sounds, Peter Silverton spoke positively of the record, highlighting "Miss You" as the standout. He concluded: "Because they recorded so quickly (by their standards) they've achieved an immediacy on this which has been sorely lacking on their last few studio albums. It's far from great but it's certainly better than we had any right to expect after all these years." Kris Needs, in a review for ZigZag magazine, complimented the album's consistency when compared to its three predecessors. Needs further praised the lyrics as improvements over their prior works. NMEs Charles Shaar Murray gave the album a more mixed assessment. Although he agreed it was their finest work since Exile on Main St., he felt it was more a Jagger solo record than a proper Rolling Stones record, praising his singing and Watts's drumming. Nevertheless, he considered the production a step up from Black and Blue and gave high praise to "Shattered".
At the end of the year, Rolling Stone ranked Some Girls the best album of 1978. Other publications, including Sounds and NME, placed the album at numbers 4 and 18 in their respective lists of the year's best albums.
Yahoo! Music's Lÿndsey Parker described Some Girls as one of the band's "toughest, rawest, hookiest, cockiest, Stonesiest, most attitudinal albums ever". She further commented that it stands as one of few Stones albums to have "held up as sonically, and still sound as gritty and urban and sexy and just downright cool, as their 1978 disco/punk/country/blues masterwork". In The A.V. Club, Steven Hyden commented that the record was not a case of selling out, but rather showcased that the band "could pull off the old magic using some flashy new tricks". Hyden further praised Richards' guitar performance, particularly on "Beast of Burden" and "Before They Make Me Run", writing that he is "healthier and more prominent on Some Girls than on any Stones record since Exile On Main St." Matthew Fiander of PopMatters commented that after Exile on Main St., the Stones were beginning to feel "safe" and "comfortable". He writes that Goats Head Soup led to two records that weren't as innovative as their prior works. Upon the emergence of punk rock, Jagger led the band to create what he calls "the band's most impassioned and fiery record of the '70s" (excluding Sticky Fingers and Exile). Praising the band's performance, particularly Wood, Fiander writes: "What's so amazing about this album is that, though it dabbles in newer trends...it still feels very much like a Rolling Stones record, a fresh angle on their long-time loves of blues and rock and roll traditions."
Some Girls was re-issued on 21 November 2011 as a 2-CD deluxe edition, including twelve songs originally recorded during the two sessions for the album (with the exception of "Tallahassee Lassie" from August–September 1978 and "We Had It All" from 1979). A Super-Deluxe edition also included a DVD with live footage & promo videos, a 100-page book, five postcards, a poster, and a 7" 180-gram replica vinyl single of "Beast of Burden". Most of the backing tracks were recorded in Paris between October 1977 and March 1978 with mostly newly recorded vocals by Jagger, which were recorded sometime during 2010 and 2011. The album re-entered the charts at No. 58 in the UK and No. 46 in the US. "No Spare Parts" was released as a single on 13 November, which went to No. 2 on Billboard
In 2012, it was released by Universal Music Enterprises in a Japanese-only SHM-SACD version.
The Rolling Stones
Additional personnel
Additional personnel on 2011 bonus disc
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