Critical Reaction to 'Some Girls': Sellout or Smart Pivot?

When Some Girls dropped in 1978, the Stones were in a weird spot. Punk had made them look like bloated dinosaurs, and disco was dominating the charts. So they did what they’d always done: sniffed the air and grabbed whatever felt dangerous. The result was a record that split critics down the middle — but not in the way you’d expect.

Rock purists were suspicious of the disco thump on “Miss You,” and some punk fans sneered at a band past its prime trying to sound hungry again. But the smarter take, even then, was that the Stones weren’t chasing trends — they were absorbing them. Some Girls didn’t sound like a sellout; it sounded like a band that remembered how to have fun. The punk energy gave Jagger’s sneer new teeth, and the disco beats gave the rhythm section a new pocket. Even Robert Christgau, usually harsh on later Stones, gave it an A- and called it their best since Exile.

If you read the old Rolling Stone review or NME from 1978, the word “compromise” pops up, but mostly from people who wanted the band to stay bitter and broken. Over time, the album has only gained stature. Now it’s widely considered their last great record — a smart, scrappy pivot that kept them relevant without groveling.