The Rolling Stones are one of the greatest rock bands of all time. For decades, they built their reputation on raw blues, gritty guitar riffs, and rebellious energy. Albums like Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St., and Let It Bleed helped define what rock music should sound like. But even a legendary band like the Stones had periods where things didn’t feel quite right. According to guitarist Keith Richards, the 1980s was one of those times.
By the late 1970s, The Rolling Stones had already secured their place in music history. They no longer needed to prove anything. However, the music world around them was changing fast. Disco, punk, new wave, and pop were dominating the charts. Instead of sticking closely to their blues-based roots, the band—especially lead singer Mick Jagger—began experimenting with sounds that felt more modern and commercial.
The first clear sign of this shift came with the 1980 album Emotional Rescue. While the album was successful and produced hit songs, Keith Richards was not happy with it. He felt that many of the tracks sounded more like pop or disco than true Rolling Stones music. To Richards, some songs didn’t belong on a Stones record at all. He believed they would have been better as solo material for Jagger or given to other artists.
As the decade went on, the problem only grew. Albums like Undercover (1983) and Dirty Work (1986) pushed even further away from the classic Stones sound. The music became more polished and overproduced, with heavy use of trendy styles and studio effects. For Richards, the band’s bluesy grit was disappearing. The Stones, once known for sounding dangerous and real, now felt like they were trying too hard to stay fashionable.
Behind the scenes, things were just as messy. Richards and Jagger were constantly clashing over creative control. Richards wanted the band to focus on guitars, blues, and rock fundamentals. Jagger, on the other hand, was interested in staying relevant in a changing market. He listened closely to current trends and wanted the Stones to compete with newer artists on the radio and MTV.
Richards was very open about his frustration. He famously said that albums like Emotional Rescue and Undercover were “calculations about the market,” not honest artistic statements. In his eyes, Jagger was chasing trends instead of trusting what made the Stones special in the first place. Richards didn’t hate experimentation—after all, the Stones had always explored different sounds—but he believed it had to come from a real place, not from trying to copy what was popular.
For many fans, the 1980s Stones albums feel uneven. While they contain strong songs, they lack the consistency and soul of the band’s classic work. Even today, Richards doesn’t rank these records alongside their greatest achievements.
Thankfully, the story doesn’t end there. In the 1990s, The Rolling Stones found their balance again. Albums like Voodoo Lounge showed a band reconnecting with its roots while still moving forward. Jagger and Richards learned to work together again, blending experimentation with tradition.
Looking back, the 1980s were a difficult but important chapter in the Rolling Stones’ history. They showed that even the biggest bands can lose their direction when they focus too much on trends. As Keith Richards made clear, staying true to your sound matters more than staying fashionable—and that lesson helped keep the Stones rolling for decades more.