Emotional Rescue (1980)
1.Dance, Pt. 1
2.Summer Romance
3.Send it To Me
4.Let Me Go
5.Indian Girl
6.Where the Boys Go
7.Down in the Hole
8.Emotional Rescue
9.She's So Cold
10.All About You
Often overshadowed by its more acclaimed neighbours—Some Girls preceding it and Tattoo You arriving shortly after—Emotional Rescue remains one of the most underappreciated entries in the Stones’ latter-day catalogue. Emerging at the tail end of the band’s foray into disco and dance-inflected rock, it captures a group still willing to experiment with the prevailing sounds of the time, though with a somewhat more relaxed hand on the tiller.
The principal critique levelled at this album is that the band, while competent, rarely sound as if they’re fully engaged. There is craft, certainly, but not always commitment. The opening track, Dance Pt. 1, exemplifies this contradiction. Built on a taut, funky groove, it has all the makings of another Miss You—but it never quite takes flight. The architecture is sound, but the performance lacks urgency, that extra ounce of inspiration that transforms a good song into a great one.
The title track, Emotional Rescue, is the best-known cut and the closest the band came to replicating the commercial triumph of their earlier single. With Jagger wailing in falsetto and the rhythm section locked into a hypnotic pulse, it’s a peculiar and effective blend of detachment and drama. Nevertheless, like much of the album, it feels curiously restrained—as though the band had consciously decided not to push too hard.
Elsewhere, there are flashes of spontaneity. Where the Boys Go and Summer Romance are brisk and bright, shedding the polish in favour of something more immediate, while Send It to Me channels a vaguely reggae-inflected rhythm that, although far from essential, remains a charming diversion. The standout track, however, is She’s So Cold—a sneering, punk-tinged slice of vitriol that deserves far more recognition than it tends to receive. It remains one of their most direct and effective singles of the era.
As ever, Keith Richards closes proceedings with his now-customary solo turn. All About You is a weary, almost slurred meditation that many took to be about a failed romance—until Richards revealed it was inspired by his pet dalmatian. Lines like “I’m so sick and tired of hanging around with dogs like you / You’re the first to get blamed / Always the last bitch to get paid” walk a fine line between comedy and cruelty. Regardless of the intended subject, it’s a fascinating and strangely moving way to close the record.
The less successful moments arrive in the form of genre exercises that fall a little flat. Indian Girl attempts a country drawl but feels undercooked, while Down in the Hole channels the blues with appropriate grind but lacks distinction.
In total, Emotional Rescue is a record of contrasts—light and shadow, sweat and slouch. It does not match the sharpness of Some Girls nor the cohesion of Tattoo You, but it offers enough to warrant a reevaluation. While not a major statement, it is a competent and occasionally inspired document of a band weathering change, comfortably if not always compellingly.
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