Released in 1989, Steel Wheels is the Stones’ 19th record. Featuring some of the band’s best-loved work, the LP was released after a long period of silence. It had been several years since the Stones’ previous release, 1986’s Dirty Work, and in that time, tensions had grown between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Creative differences caused a near-constant butting of heads, leading Jagger and Richards to both strike off on their own and release solo albums. However, the Stones couldn’t be kept apart for long.

After Richards and Jagger released their solo efforts, Talk is Cheap and Primitive Cool, respectively, the Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The induction served as a reminder to the Stones’ two most influential members of all that they had accomplished and could still accomplish as a team. Thus, the Stones set out to work on what would eventually become Steel Wheels. 

Steel Wheels features numerous hits, including the highly personal “Mixed Emotions,” which directly alludes to the tension between Richards and Jagger. The two came back together to make music once again, but they used this particular song to acknowledge what they had been through in the years prior.

Years after the studio album’s release, the band proudly brings you Steel Wheels Live, a collection of recordings from the Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle tour in 1989. The live album features hits from multiple decades of the Stones’ discography. Kicking off with a raucous performance of “Start Me Up,” the album perfectly captures what it feels like to go to a Stones concert. Dripping with Jagger’s charisma and full of unbridled energy, listening to the record feels like being at that Atlantic City show in ‘89. To commemorate the iconic performance, pick up some Steel Wheels Live merch.