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45. “Winning Ugly”

From Dirty Work

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It’s one of the few songs on Dirty Work with something on its mind besides brute force, so “Winning Ugly” gets points for that. Mick Jagger bemoans the win-at-all-costs MO of the ME generation, drawing parallels between greedy businessmen and slick politicians. What a waste, Jagger seems to say, when “Beauty is staring me in the face.”

It’s too bad that the song is mired in the musical excess that marked the time period almost as much as the “Greed is good” ethos that the lyrics bemoan. The keyboards give the song the sheen of some of Jagger’s soundtrack work of that time period, but at no point does it seem like a Stones’ team effort.

Keith and the boys are essentially reduced to Jagger’s sidemen here, which is a waste of talent to the utmost degree. As a Mick solo effort it’s passable, but here it just reveals the growing chasm at the time between the two group leaders, which was as ugly as anything this song was deriding.

44. “Too Much Blood”

From Undercover

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A truly bizarre effort from Undercover, “Too Much Blood” finds Jagger doing a quasi-rap over skittery guitars, exotic percussion by Sly Dunbar, and horns that become a tad intrusive by song’s end. Sound-wise, it’s of a piece with what the band was trying to pull together on that 1983 album, with varying degrees of success.

What’s notable is what Jagger was rapping about. The first verse retells the highly publicized case of a man named Issei Sagawa who murdered and then ate his girlfriend in France. The second finds Mick musing about violent movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and how near to reality they are.

While the parallels may be less than subtle, it’s still a hoot to hear Mick shouting, “Don’t saw off me leg, don’t saw off me arm.” This song is just too wacko to condemn too much, but never seems like anything more than a novelty.

43. “Send It To Me”

From Emotional Rescue

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The lead character in this amusing little lark has very few standards for the mail-order bride he’s awaiting, such is his loneliness. At the end of the song, as the guitars drop away and it’s just Jagger improvising over Charlie Watts’ hiccuping beat, we find out that even Bubarians are welcome.

It’s a fun song, if completely inconsequential. The reggae beat is fine, and Ronnie Wood solos expertly to complement the interplay between Watts and Bill Wyman. In the end, though, “Send It To Me” seems like little more than the by-the-numbers reggae track needed to fill the quota on Emotional Rescue.

42. “Hold On To Your Hat”

From Steel Wheels

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This track off Steel Wheels comes at you hard and leaves subtlety behind. It’s as if the Stones wanted to remind everyone that, even though they were getting along, they also weren’t exactly touchy-feely. “Hold On To Your Hat” takes a sledgehammer to that notion.

There’s a little bit of Bo Diddley in the grinding rhythm and Jagger’s taunting lyrics. And even though it’s one of the least memorable numbers on what was a fine comeback album, there is still some good news to be had. The aggression in the music seems to be coming from a unified place directed outward, as opposed to the previous albums, when that aggression seemed to be directed at each other.

41. “No Use In Crying”

From Tattoo You

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Tattoo You was famously an album full of leftovers that miraculously came together. Alas, even though it has its charms, this song feels like one which the boys weren’t quite able to transform into something better.

Jagger advises a lover to give up any hope for reconciliation over a soulful, stuttering rhythm. It’s an attempt to recapture the magic of past soul-man glories from the band’s catalog, like “Time Is On My Side” or “I Got The Blues.” But, save for the sweet harmonies, it comes up short of those milestones. Yes, I know most songs do, but part of the Stones’ burden is having to live up to their own impossibly high standards.

40. “Too Tough”

From Undercover

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Not the best melody to speak of here, but some muscular guitars help to compensate on this grinder off Undercover. Mick gets in the ring for “twenty rounds” against a man-eating female, and promises to do the outlasting.

He gets off some pretty good lines along the way to eviscerate his opponent: “You were young and beautiful/Already without hope.” He also plays with the meaning of the word “tough,” comparing himself to a particularly unswallowable piece of meat. The song is a relatively hearty meal itself, albeit not one that you would remember once digested.

39. “Hearts For Sale”

From Steel Wheels

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The lyrics are a bit of a jumble and the music gets a tad repetitive, but at least some of the familiar swagger shines through on this track off Steel Wheels. The band also conjures up some uneasiness with the groove, like a full helping of the “nagging feeling” that Jagger sings about throughout the song.

Like much of Steel Wheels, the band seems to once again be relaxed and effortless on this track, which is quite a change from the pushing-a-heavy-rock-up-a-hill vibe prevalent throughout much of the 80’s. But the songwriting here certainly could have used some sprucing up to take full advantage of the improved mojo.

38. “Tie You Up (The Pain Of Love)”

From Undercover

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The title suggests something salacious, but the pain in question is more of the aching, longing kind. The band gets good and grimy musically though, as Ronnie Wood takes over on bass for a song. There is also a classic Stones’ bridge in the middle of things, full of their trademark harmonies which ooze desire.

As a whole, this is a more thought-out construction than some of the blunter attacks from that time period. Even though things get a bit herky-jerky, there is a gradual build-up to Jagger’s bellowing over a lone drum wallop. There are some subtle pleasures to be had, even if they’re not as extreme as the title promises.

37. “Dirty Work”

From Dirty Work

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This one had the makings of a classic, thanks to a frenzied pace and a nice sense of urgency and drama throughout. The band feels fully engaged on this track, which you can’t always say for the other songs on the album of the same name. Jagger snarls appropriately without overdoing it, the guitar-weaving between Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood is typically brilliant, and Charlie Watts unwaveringly keeps it all rolling before sprinting to the finish during the impressive breakdown.

As long as you focus on these positives, in addition to the catchy chorus, everything is hunky-dory. But the one-sided, clunky lyrics prevent the song from becoming something better. It’s just another aggressive diatribe on an album full of them; too bad, because there are flashes of something so much better within.

36. “Break The Spell”

From Steel Wheels

LISTEN HERE  

Although it ultimately feels like little more than a jam, it’s a seductive jam nonetheless, and also blissfully free of the sheen that made other parts of Steel Wheels feel a bit too mechanical. Ronnie Wood takes the bass on this one, and that main riff is a grabber.

The song sets you up for a big pay-off that never quite arrives; instead it’s content to lurk in the background of the consciousness. Maybe that’s apt though, as Jagger’s lyrics are suggestive and mysterious, full of portentous gypsies and ominous weather. “Break The Spell” is a bluesy, understated song whose main charm is how completely effortless it all sounds.

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