Stones. Dirty Work. Song by song.

Wiki sez:
Dirty Work is the Rolling Stones' 18th British and 20th American studio album. It was released on 24 March 1986 on the Rolling Stones label by CBS Records. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the album was recorded during a period when relations between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards soured considerably, according to Richards' autobiography Life.

Recording
The sessions for Dirty Work, the first album under the Rolling Stones' recording contract with CBS Records, began in April 1985 in Paris, running for two months before breaking for a short spell. Mick Jagger had just released his first solo album, She's the Boss (1985), much to Richards' annoyance, since the latter's first priority was the Rolling Stones and he was stung that Jagger was pursuing a career as a pop star. Jagger was often absent from the Dirty Work sessions while Richards recorded with Ronnie Wood, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts; Jagger's vocal parts were added later on. The divide between Jagger and Richards was on public view on 13 July 1985, when Jagger performed a solo set at Live Aid while Richards and Wood supported Bob Dylan's set on acoustic guitars.

Charlie Watts' involvement in the recording sessions was also limited; in 1994 Watts told Ed Bradley on 60 Minutes that during the 1980s he had been addicted to heroin and alcohol. Steve Jordan and Anton Fig play drums on some tracks; Ronnie Wood plays drums on "Sleep Tonight". Jagger would later cite Watts' personal state as one of the reasons he vetoed a tour in support of Dirty Work in 1986, preferring to start work on his second album, Primitive Cool (1987).

Four of the album's eight original compositions are credited to Jagger/Richards/Wood and one to Jagger/Richards/Chuck Leavell. Only three are credited to Jagger/Richards, the lowest number on any Rolling Stones album since Out of Our Heads (1965). Dirty Work is the first Rolling Stones record to feature two tracks with Richards on lead vocals ("Too Rude" and "Sleep Tonight").

Following a further month of final recording in July and August 1985 (which saw guest appearances by Jimmy Page, Bobby Womack and Tom Waits), co-producer Steve Lillywhite supervised several weeks of mixing and the creation of 12-inch remixes. On 12 December, Ian Stewart, one of the Stones' founding members and their longtime pianist and road manager, died of a sudden heart attack at the age of 47. As a tribute, a hidden track of Stewart playing Big Bill Broonzy's "Key to the Highway" was added to close the album.

Outtakes and demo versions
Outtakes and demo versions from the Dirty Work sessions are available on various bootlegs, and include numbers like:

• "Strictly Memphis"
• "You're Too Much" (Keith Richards on vocal)
• "Treat Me Like a Fool" (Richards on vocal)
• "She Never Listens to Me" (Richards on vocal)
• "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" (Ivy Jo Hunter, Stevie Wonder)
• "Deep Love" (Richards on vocal)
• "What Am I Going to Do with Your Love"
• "Crushed Pearl" (Richards on vocal)

Artwork and packaging
The original vinyl release of Dirty Work came shrinkwrapped in dark red cellophane. Breaking with Rolling Stones tradition, Dirty Work was the first of their studio albums to contain a lyric sheet in the US, apparently at the insistence of then-distributor CBS Records. Also included was a comic strip, drawn by Mark Marek, called "Dirty Workout".

In 2005, Pitchfork Media included the album cover in their list of "The Worst Record Covers of All Time", with Brent DiCrescenzo saying that no other cover "goes so far to completely tarnish the reputation of a Valhalla-ensconced band while demonstrating the crushing awfulness of 1980s aesthetics".

Release and reception

In March 1986, the Rolling Stones' cover of "Harlem Shuffle" (their first lead single from a studio album not to be a Jagger/Richards original since the band's earliest days) was released to a receptive audience, reaching #13 in the UK and #5 in the US. The follow-up single "One Hit (To the Body)" was a US top 30 hit and featured a revealing video of Jagger and Richards seeming to trade blows.

Dirty Work was released a week after "Harlem Shuffle", reaching #4 in the UK and US (going platinum there), but the critical reaction was less than enthusiastic. Some reviewers felt the album was slight in places, with weak, generic songwriting from Richards and Wood and puzzlingly abrasive vocals from Jagger. Some felt Jagger was saving his best material for his solo records, though the critical reaction to those releases was muted as well. People named it one of the worst albums of 1986, denoting "The worst fears of the Baby Boomers come true: If the Stones are sounding this old and tired, what does it say about their original fans?"

However, in 1986, Robert Christgau called Dirty Work "a bracing and even challenging record [which] innovates without kowtowing to multi-platinum fashion or half-assed pretension. It's honest and makes you like it."In 2004, Stylus Magazine's "On Second Thoughts" feature assessed the album as "a tattered, embarrassed triumph, by far the most interesting Stones album since Some Girls at every level: lyrical, conceptual, instrumental."The re-evaluation of the album finds that despite its change of style to a then current 80s-style production and experimentation, the album features "the most venomous guitar sound of the Stones' career, and Jagger's most committed vocals."

Keith Richards said that songs on the album were structured so they could be played live with a view to touring to support the album, before Jagger decided he wasn't going to tour after all. (As aforementioned, Jagger later cited his concerns about Charlie's health for not doing so.) The only songs from Dirty Work to be played live are "One Hit (To the Body)" and "Harlem Shuffle," both performed on the Steel Wheels tour.

Dirty Work went on to sell close to 4 million copies worldwide, a good number considering the bad vibe around the band back then, with no tour support and lack of promotion from the band members.

The album produced a US Top 5 hit for the Rolling Stones, the cover of "Harlem Shuffle," and featured a number of guest appearances, including contributions by Tom Waits, Marku Ribas, Patti Scialfa, Bobby Womack, and Jimmy Page on "One Hit (To the Body)".

In 1994 Dirty Work was remastered and reissued by Virgin Records, and again in 2009 by Universal Music. It was released on SHM-SACD in 2011 by Universal Music Japan.

Track listing
Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "One Hit (To the Body)" Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood 4:44
2. "Fight" Jagger, Richards, Wood 3:09
3. "Harlem Shuffle" Bob Relf, Ernest Nelson 3:23
4. "Hold Back" Jagger, Richards 3:53
5. "Too Rude" Lindon Roberts 3:11
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Length
6. "Winning Ugly" Jagger, Richards 4:32
7. "Back to Zero" Jagger, Richards, Chuck Leavell 4:00
8. "Dirty Work" Jagger, Richards, Wood 3:53
9. "Had It with You" Jagger, Richards, Wood 3:19
10. "Sleep Tonight" Jagger, Richards 5:10
11. "Untitled hidden track" (uncredited excerpt from "Key to the Highway") 0:33
Note

• An unlisted and uncredited excerpt from "Key to the Highway" (Big Bill Broonzy, Charles Segar - 0:33) closes the album. It was played by Ian Stewart, who died a few months after recording sessions for the album had ended.

Personnel
The Rolling Stones

• Mick Jagger – lead and backing vocals, harmonica
• Keith Richards – electric and acoustic guitars, piano, backing vocals; lead vocals on "Too Rude" and "Sleep Tonight"
• Ronnie Wood – electric, acoustic and pedal steel guitar, tenor saxophone, backing vocals; drums on "Sleep Tonight"
• Bill Wyman – bass guitar, synthesizer
• Charlie Watts – drums

Additional personnel

• Chuck Leavell – keyboards
• Ivan Neville – backing vocals, bass guitar, organ, synthesizer
• Jimmy Page – electric guitar on "One Hit (To the Body)"
• Bobby Womack – backing vocals, electric guitar on "Back to Zero"
• Philippe Saisse – keyboards
• Anton Fig – shakers
• John Regan – bass guitar on "Winning Ugly"
• Dan Collette – trumpet
• Ian Stewart – piano
• Marku Ribas – percussion
• Jimmy Cliff, Don Covay, Beverly D'Angelo, Kirsty MacColl, Dolette McDonald, Janice Pendarvis, Patti Scialfa and Tom Waits – backing vocals

Production

• Engineered by Dave Jerden
• Additional engineer – Steve Parker
• Assistant engineers – Tom Crich, Mike Krowiak
• Recorded at Pathe Marconi Studios Paris
• Mixed at R.P.M. and Right Track Studios N.Y.C.
• Art direction and package design – Janet Perr
• Art direction and photography – Annie Leibovitz
• Inner sleeve artwork – Mark Marek

 

Ah, Dirty Work…my second favourite Stones album after Exile. Fittingly, they’re probably the two most Keith Richards influenced records they made. I like Dirty Work mainly because of the pissed off aggression of the material; arguably it’s probably the Stones’ “heaviest” album, not just in a rocking sense but for the pure attitude on display.

Is it an album for everybody, even dyed in the wool Stones fans? Probably not. But hell, given the circumstances in which the record was made we’re probably lucky to have it at all (I’m sure some would disagree on that score) and that despite the odds at the time –“World War III” as Keith described it- we still got, so far, another 32 years out of the Stones.

I first heard Dirty Work in 1989- as I recall it was one of the first Stones albums I heard, once again thanks to the Edmonton Public Library. Steel Wheels had yet to be released, as memory serves, but I remember seeing adverts on TV hyping the tour that used clips from the “One Hit To The Body” video, so when I heard the album I was like, “Oh, that song…” So, in context Dirty Work was only three years old at that point, their most “recent” album, so it was still fairly new- it’s funny to look back on that now 29 years later. I don’t think the album’s reputation has improved much…maybe we can finally fix that here!

As usual, let’s have some constructive criticisms here- don’t just barge into this discussion saying “This album/song sucks!” and leave it at that. Let’s have some reasons- intelligent ones.

 

"One Hit (To the Body)"

Single by The Rolling Stones
from the album Dirty Work
B-side "Fight"
Released 9 May 1986
Format CD, 7", 12"
Recorded January – October, 1985
Genre Rock, hard rock
Length 7" - 4:44, 12" - 7:00
Label Rolling Stones
Songwriter(s) Jagger/Richards/Wood
Producer(s) Steve Lillywhite
and The Glimmer Twins
The Rolling Stones singles chronology
"Harlem Shuffle"
(1986) "One Hit (To the Body)"
(1986) "Mixed Emotions"
(1989)
"One Hit (To the Body)" is the opening track to English rock band The Rolling Stones' 1986 album Dirty Work. The first Rolling Stones single to feature a Ron Wood co-writing credit with Jagger and Richards, it charted in the USA, Netherlands and Australia. Reaching number 80 in the UK, it was their poorest charting single at the time.

Recording
Credited to lead singer Mick Jagger, guitarist Keith Richards and guitarist Ron Wood, "One Hit (To the Body)" was largely the work of Richards and Wood. Both guitarists contributed heavily to Dirty Work overall, with Wood receiving credit alongside Jagger and Richards on another three songs. A sign of Wood's heavy contribution is the song's distinctive opening of an acoustic piece. Wood used Richards' own 1967 Martin D-18 to perform the jam in an attempt to come up with a proper electric riff, but the acoustic version remained. The band is known for their use of acoustic guitars to "shadow" their electric guitars; "Brown Sugar" is a prime example. Both Richards and Wood played electric, but the solo was provided by Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. Page's contribution was the result of a short studio session between him and Wood after Page's request to hear what the band was working on. Drummer Charlie Watts provides the song's driving beat as well as its notable cymbal opening, while Bill Wyman plays bass.

Backing vocals on the song were provided by Richards, Wood, Bobby Womack, Patti Scialfa, Don Covay, and producer Steve Lillywhite's wife Kirsty MacColl. Recording and re-recording lasted throughout much of 1985. Two locations used were the Pathé Marconi Studios in Paris and New York City's RPM Studios.

Release
"One Hit (To the Body)" was released as Dirty Work's second single on 16 May in the United Kingdom and 9 May in the United States with album mate "Fight" as its B-side. The single reached the top 30 in the US. Dirty Workhas long been known as the album produced at the height of Jagger and Richards' feud during the 1980s.

Music video
One of the song's most memorable features was the music video produced in support, directed by Russell Mulcahy. Featuring the Stones in a large warehouse set, the song's title is taken literally and both Jagger and Richards are seen trading mock blows whilst archive footage of actual boxing matches is cut in.

Remix
A remix of the song, called the "London Mix" (clocking at 7:00), was done by Steve Lillywhite and then released on the 12" single.

 

Interesting choice for an album to discuss;

I’ll post my review when I can

 

"One Hit" is my favourite song on the album, one of my favourite Stones opening tracks and one of my favourite Stones songs period. Very rarely did they rock as hard as this, I don't think, and the track totally sets the stage for the entire album. It's one of three -yes, three- tracks on Dirty Work all five Stones actually play on, even though if you blink you'll miss seeing Bill Wyman wielding the Steinberger bass in the video Keith seems to handle the electric rhythm parts, with Ronnie's acoustic holding down the fort. Jimmy Page plays lead...why? No idea, but it's not really a standout Jimmy Page solo, certainly nothing Ron or Keith couldn't have handled. Don't care...Mickey Mouse could have played the solo and I'd still think it was an awesome song.

The Stones deigned to play "One Hit" at some of the early Steel Wheels gigs, but based on the version I've heard from Vancouver it's pretty anemic compared to the studio take.

 

From the Time Is On Our Side site:
One Hit (to the Body)

Composers: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards & Ron Wood
Recording date: April-December 1985
Recording locations: Pathé Marconi Studios, Paris, France; RPM Studios & Right Track Studios, New York City
Producers: Steve Lillywhite & The Glimmer Twins Chief engineer: Dave Jerden
Performed onstage: 1989, 1995





Probable line-up:
Drums: Charlie Watts
Bass: Bill Wyman & John Regan
Acoustic guitars: Keith Richards & Ron Wood
Electric guitars: Keith Richards, Ron Wood (incl. slide) & Jimmy Page
Lead vocals: Mick Jagger
Background vocals: Keith Richards, Ron Wood, Bobby Womack, Don Covay, Patti Scialfa & Beverly D'Angelo
Keyboards: Chuck Leavell


You fell out of the clear blue sky
To the darkness below
The smell of your flesh excites me
My blood starts to flow, so help me God

You burst in in a blaze of light
You unzippered the dark
One kiss took my breath away
One look lights up the stars

And it's one hit to the body
It comes straight from the heart (straight from the heart)
One hit to the body
It sure went straight to the mark - so help me God

One more from the body
One more straight from the heart - yeah

It's one shot when you love me
One shot when you leave
I don't need no security
I just need me some peace

And it's one hit to the body
It comes straight from the heart (straight from the heart)
One voice calls out my name
It sure went straight to the mark (straight from the heart)

One punch and you knocked me down
You tore my defenses apart
One round took me out of the game
You did me some permanent harm

It took just one hit
You took just one hit

It ain't enough for me
It ain't enough for me (enough for me)
It ain't enough for me - it's hurting me, baby

Oh your love is just sweet addiction
I can't clean you out of my veins
It's a life long addiction
That has damaged my brain

It took just one hit to the body
To tear my defenses apart (straight from the heart)
One hit to the body
It sure went straight to the mark (straight from the heart)

One hit to the body
It comes straight from the heart (straight from the heart)
One hit to the body, to the body, to the body
It comes straight from the heart

One more from the body
One more straight from the heart (straight from the heart)
One more from the body
One more straight from the heart (straight from the heart)

That's all it took, that's all it took
Just one hit straight from the heart
So help me, so help me, so help me God
So help me, so help me now

One more from the body
One more straight from the heart (straight from the heart)
One more from the body
One more straight from the heart (straight from the heart)
One more from the body...



TrackTalk


Woody went out and played acoustic on the basic track. He was trying to come up with an electric guitar part, and it wasn't grooving enough, so he went out and started banging on the acoustic. Woody's really great at coming up with ideas like that.

- Dave Jerden, engineer

One Hit to the Body starts with Woody on acoustic guitar, Keith's 1967 (Martin) D-18. That sitarish drone during the verse is the National resophonic guitar.

- Alan Rogan, guitar technician

I was one acoustic (guitar), Ronnie was another, and then there's the 2 or 3 different electrics all coming in different places. I never, or I very rarely, use an overdub all the way through. I might do 3 different overdubs and 2 of them might be the same thing.

- Keith Richards, 1989

(Jimmy Page) rang me at the studio one night and said, How's it going? Do you mind if I come and hear how the album's going? I said, no, I didn't mind. He's a very shy guy. After he'd done that overdub on One Hit, he left the studio saying, I'm sorry, man, I'm sorry. I said, Don't apologize... you did all right!

- Ron Wood, 1986

 

One Hit is one of those 80s songs that isn't at all bad but is just so 80s sounding in its production. I'd love to hear a punchier mix of this.

 

I recently bought a used LP of this album. I was genuinely surprised about how vicious the music, vocals, and lyrics were. Surely this must be their most aggressive, meanest record they ever put out. You'd never know from the artwork alone.

 

I always thought Dirty Work had a lot of punch. The opening song certainly has a vicious vibe going on; somehow it reminds me a little bit of what Springsteen was doing at the time, reverb-y guitars and a sort of gritty urban jungle thing going on, but with more aggression and a total different mindset in terms of lyrics. Of course, Scialfa on backing vocals makes the similarities more clearer. Jagger's voice on this album is in top shape. Razor sharp!

 

I got the pre-recorded cassette as a gift from my parents when it came out. It was my first Stones album, and the only one I knew all the way for a very long time. Didn't make me a big fan, but I did like it and play it quite a bit.

 

I think it's safe to say that the cover design has a fair bit to do with the album's bad reputation. What the hell were the Stones thinking with that cover?!

First time I played Blue And Lonesome my wife said, "I don't think Mick has sung like this since Dirty Work." She meant it as a compliment.

 

Wish there was a way to listen to this on sacd or high res. Would be a great way to revisit the material.

The opening track is timeless.

Interesting to hear that the vinyl sounds good. It's worth picking up then?

 

Absolutely- I've only ever owned Dirty Work on vinyl, three different copies over the years, presumably all originals, sounds damned good!

 

"One Hit" is one of my favorite Stones tracks. I'm one of the few who really enjoys their post-Tattoo You output, and "One Hit" is the best song from it. Although I find Dirty Work to be quite flawed, this is the one track where everything totally works together for me. Mick's vocals suit the music, the lyrics are neither trying-too-hard stupid nor intolerably lazy (let's be real, you don't turn to the Stones for impeccable lyricism... well, not the later-period stuff, anyway), the riff is fantastic and a great way to kick off the album. Plus, we've got a mini-supergroup going on here. The Stones, Jimmy Page, and the writers of two of their best early tracks? Hell yeah! This song kicks off the album on all cylinders and you won't hear me saying a bad word about it. I like a lot of post-1981 Stones tracks, but nothing has come close to this one.

EDIT: I just discovered that I'm crazy for thinking that the intro to this song was weirdly syncopated. Turns out it simply starts off the beat. Funny! I thought the video on YouTube was an alternate mix when in reality I'm following a beat that doesn't exist.

 

Promo video

 

This should be the album version, right?

I think it's a great song. It creates a special kind of atmosphere. A good groove, a strong melody. I appreciate how the band managed to keep fresh and adapt to changing times but still at the same time maintain their own style.

 

I've always liked Dirty Work, despite its reputation.

 

Stones. Dirty Work. Song by song.


....Nah.

 

Yes. Love the album. Bought it when it came and still enjoy it. Underrated. Pay no attention to the naysayers.

One Hit is a Stones classic. Jimmy Page on guitar.

 

Yeah

 

Stones sacds, platinum cds and hr cds from Japan issued from 2011 and then 2014.
eg The Rolling Stones - Dirty Work

 

Dirty Work was one of the very last Rolling Stones albums I bought, when it took me all four years of high school to build my collection of their discography on CD. By the time I got to it, I was well-aware of its reputation as their worst album and I'm certain that reading many crushing reviews of it (as well as the cover art--which isn't a bad photograph...it's just those neon suits!) impacted my relationship with it, as well as my interest in digging in to it very deeply. I listened to it a bit in high school, decided I didn't care for it, and then really only ever returned to the singles.

It is only since joining this forum that I've noticed there is a tribe of Stones fans who really love this record and defend it. I'm a diehard fan and I love almost everything they've ever released but I was still clinging to a dislike for Dirty Work. The main reason being Mick's barking vocal style on the record. However, my recently completed Rolling Stones Single-By-Single thread educated me and opened my eyes about a number of things and one of its major impacts was getting me to really give this album a fair listen as an adult. And I find that there is much to enjoy on this record. I'm really looking forward to this thread, to continue my reevaluation of this album and to take me from a detractor to a fan!

"One Hit (to the Body)" had always been the exception to my dislike of the album. I've loved this song since first play. I think it's a well-recorded, well-performed, melodic and interesting rocker. Good performances from everyone, including Mr. Page, and a great lyric from Mick. I love that ringing acoustic guitar from Ronnie at the beginning and I've enjoyed the hell out of this song for years, putting it in playlists. It's a winner and a great way to start off the album.

Thanks for the thread and your continued support of Dirty Work, @ohnothimagen!

 

I know this is not a well loved LP but I happen to like it very much and "One Hit (to the Body)" is a great way to start off the LP.

 

I always liked Dirty Work. Yeah there are limits to that ("Back To Zero") but I always thought it was a good record. Part of that may be the dominance of the Keith/Woody alliance and that just fits into my taste a bit more. There is a layer of gut-bucket rock n roll at the bottom of most of the tracks. Some are more successful than others but I felt the ended strong with the last three songs.
"One Hit To The Body" is the pearl of the Keith/Woody songs on this record. I love the tempo, I love the sound which is not something I say about a lot of Eighties records. And Mick should be given credit for delivering on the vocal. This song is a slow creeper and it can be hypnotic with repeated airings. Sure there's a bit of Eighties gloss in the production but it's still a rockin' riff driving the whole thing.

 

i liked the album. i thought one hit was a great song also.
this was the last stones album i bought, but not because it was bad, because i had/have everything up to this point and i like lots of music, so this was as much as i needed. not sure why the album gets bagged, it's a good album