Some Girls
Fourteenth studio album by the Rolling Stones, released in 1978.
Some Girls, the Rolling Stones' fourteenth studio album, came out on 9 June 1978 through Rolling Stones Records. The band recorded it between October 1977 and February 1978 at Pathé Marconi Studios in Paris. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards—billing themselves as the Glimmer Twins—produced the record, with Chris Kimsey handling engineering. For the first time in several years, the group had a steady lineup, and the album stripped things back, using very few guest musicians.
By 1976, the Rolling Stones were losing ground as disco and newer rock acts like Aerosmith and Kiss dominated the charts. In the UK, punk rock was making older 1960s artists seem outdated. The band hadn't put out a critically praised album since 1972's *Exile on Main St.* Legal trouble hit in February 1977, when Keith Richards and his partner Anita Pallenberg were arrested in Toronto for heroin possession and suspected trafficking. With help from Jimmy Carter, they got visas to leave Canada so Richards could detox in the US. He then received a conditional visa for France and joined the Stones in Paris to start work on what became *Some Girls*. Facing a possible seven-year sentence, both Jagger and Richards thought the band might break up and that this could be their last album. At Richards' trial, the courtroom filled with fans, and it became clear he wouldn't go to jail. Judge Lloyd Graburn noted that Richards, unlike other addicts, didn't need to steal and had made an effort to quit drugs. He gave Richards one year of probation and ordered him to play a benefit concert for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind within six months—a sentence inspired by a blind fan Richards had helped years earlier. Tickets for the concert were free for blind attendees, with regular-priced tickets for sighted fans. Later in February 1977, the Stones renewed their US distribution deal with Atlantic Records and, feeling patriotic during Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee year, signed with EMI for worldwide distribution.
Mick Jagger is widely seen as the main creative force behind *Some Girls*. Richards' legal troubles kept the band off the road in 1977, except for two Canadian shows in spring for the live album *Love You Live*. Jagger wrote "Miss You," "Lies," and "When the Whip Comes Down" by himself.
- Artist
- The Rolling Stones
- Release date
- 9 June 1978
- Label
- Rolling Stones Records
- Producer
- The Glimmer Twins (Mick Jagger and Keith Richards)
- Engineer
- Chris Kimsey
- Studio
- Pathé Marconi Studios, Paris
- Genre
- Rock, disco, punk-influenced
Lore & Background
By 1976, the Rolling Stones' popularity was in decline as the music industry was dominated by disco and newer rock bands, while punk rock was an emerging force in the UK. Legal troubles surrounding Keith Richards, who faced a possible seven-year sentence in Canada for heroin possession, led Mick Jagger to become the principal creative force behind Some Girls. Jagger drew influence from dance music, most notably disco, and cited New York City as a major inspiration. The recording sessions were highly productive, resulting in numerous outtakes that appeared on subsequent albums.
Some Girls 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. With a stable lineup in place, the core band—Jagger, Richards, Wood, Charlie Watts, and Bill Wyman—were the main musicians, with few extra contributors. Notable contributions came from blues harmonica player Sugar Blue on "Miss You" and the title track. The band recorded about 50 new songs, several of which turned up in altered forms on later albums.
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 & Tapes chart. It became the band's top-selling album in the United States, certified by the RIAA for selling six million copies by 2000. Hit singles included "Beast of Burden" (US number eight), "Shattered" (US number 31), "Respectable" (UK number 23), and "Miss You", which reached number one in the United States and number three in the UK.
Reader's Guide
Some Girls rebounded from the relative critical disappointment of Black and Blue, receiving acclaim as a classic return to form and the band's 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. The album is considered one of the band's finest records and has been included in Rolling Stone's lists of the '500 Greatest Albums of All Time'. Its success revitalized the Rolling Stones' career, demonstrating their adaptability in a changing musical landscape dominated by disco and punk. The album's direct, aggressive guitar sound, achieved through Chris Kimsey's engineering and the use of Mesa/Boogie Mark I amplifiers, marked a departure from earlier recordings. Some Girls remains a landmark in the band's discography, noted for its cohesive lineup and focused songwriting.
Did You Know?
- Some Girls was the first Rolling Stones album to feature Ronnie Wood as a full-time member.
- The album was recorded at Pathé Marconi Studios in Paris, a venue the band would use frequently for several years.
- Mick Jagger solely wrote the songs 'Miss You', 'Lies', and 'When the Whip Comes Down'.
- Keith Richards faced a possible seven-year prison sentence in Canada during the album's creation, but was ultimately given one year's probation and ordered to play a benefit concert.
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