Released 1989
Rolling Stones Records (originally)
Virgin Records (remastered)

Track Listing:

Sad Sad Sad
Mixed Emotions
Terrifying
Hold On To Your Hat
Hearts For Sale
Blinded By Love
Rock And A Hard Place
Can't Be Seen
Almost Hear You Sigh
Continental Drift
Break The Spell
Slipping Away

Review:

- 3 1/2 (out of five)

"Steel Wheels" marked the return of the Stones to being a cohesive band. This was the product of a reconciliation between Mick and Keith after many years of bad blood during the eighties. It's the first time since the late 70's that they sounded like a real band, and the product is good and encouraging. The album is uneven in parts. When it's good, it's really good, like the teriffic rockers "Mixed Emotions" and "Rock And A Hard Place," the tender "Slipping Away" (probably my favorite Keith song), and the powerful ballad "Almost Hear You Sigh." When it's bad, it's pretty bad. Most of the other rockers just go nowhere, like "Hold On To Your Hat" and "Hearts For Sale." "Continental Drift" is an interesting experiment with Moroccan rhythms, but it doesn't impress. A good but not great album.

This was the last studio album to feature Bill Wyman on bass. He laft the band soon after the Steel Wheels world tour ended in 1991 to settle down, marry a woman half his age and open a Stones-themed restaurant in London, Sticky Fingers.