Rolling Stones: Some Girls

Revisiting the Stones' Revival: MoFi's Some Girls Reissue

In the twilight of the 1970s, The Rolling Stones found themselves at a crossroads. Disco was ascending, punk was snarling at the establishment, and new wave was redefining rock's boundaries. It was against this backdrop that the band delivered their fourteenth studio album, Some Girls – a record that would become both a commercial juggernaut and a critical darling.

Released as the musical landscape shifted beneath their feet, Some Girls represented Mick Jagger taking creative control while Keith Richards grappled with legal troubles. Jagger, ever the cultural chameleon, absorbed the disco zeitgeist, infusing the band's signature swagger with contemporary rhythms – a direction he would explore further in subsequent solo ventures.

The album marked Ronnie Wood's official induction into the Stones' lineup after his contributions to previous records. Despite embracing new sounds, Some Girls paradoxically signaled a return to the raw, unfiltered energy that had defined their earlier work.

The commercial reception was emphatic: a number one position on Billboard's Top 200 and nearly six million copies sold by 2000, making it their bestselling American release. Singles like "Miss You" (which topped the charts), "Beast of Burden" (#8), and "Shattered" (#31) dominated AOR radio for decades.

Critics hailed Some Girls as the band's finest work since Exile on Main St., even earning a rare Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. The praise has endured, with Rolling Stone magazine enshrining it in their "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" – many highlighting the Stones' seamless integration of contemporary trends with their distinctive style, an approach they would revisit decades later with Hackney Diamonds.

In 1983, Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs included Some Girls in their prestigious Original Master Recording series. Stan Ricker mastered these editions using the Ortofon Cutting System at half-speed, pressing them on JVC's high-definition super vinyl.

The album's original packaging sparked controversy with its die-cut cover featuring female celebrities whose legal representatives promptly demanded changes. The revised sleeve removed the celebrity images, replacing them with band members' faces and a cheeky disclaimer: "PARDON OUR APPEARANCE - COVER UNDER RE-CONSTRUCTION."

The Vinyl Verdict
MoFi's reissue delivers mixed results sonically. While the pressing offers whisper-quiet backgrounds and meticulous packaging (a MoFi hallmark), the mastering exhibits some concerning characteristics. Exaggerated high frequencies create occasional sibilance absent from the original U.S. pressing. Additionally, the overall level is cut noticeably lower, requiring volume compensation to match the original release's impact.

For the discerning collector, these mastering choices raise questions about the reissue's value proposition, especially given MoFi's inconsistent track record with recent releases. While not without merit, this pressing ultimately falls short of the original's more balanced and authentic presentation of the Stones' disco-rock masterpiece. 💵

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