How 'Steel Wheels' Brought The Stones Back To Roots (And Chris Kimsey Made It Stick)

After the thin synths and aimless production of Dirty Work (1986) and the experimental detours of Undercover (1983), Steel Wheels (1989) was the band’s most deliberate “back to the garage” move since Some Girls. Jagger and Richards had just patched up a decade-long feud during the recording, and the truce meant they actually played together in the same room again—something that hadn’t happened properly on a Stones album in years. That live-off-the-floor approach was the whole point: no drum machines, no outside songwriters, just the five core members locking in on bluesy riffs and rockabilly swagger.

Chris Kimsey, who engineered or co-produced the band’s best-sounding 1970s and early-80s records (Some Girls, Emotional Rescue, Tattoo You), was brought back specifically to re-create that roomy, punchy, analog warmth. He pushed for multi-track tape, minimal overdubs, and the kind of microphone placement that kept Charlie Watts’ kick drum fat and Keith’s open-G strum ragged. The result was an album that sounded like the Stones had never left Muscle Shoals or Compass Point—even if the lyrics (written in the shadow of the 80s) occasionally felt more polished than the music.