More than six decades after they first plugged in together, The Rolling Stones remain one of the most enduring acts in music history. That longevity alone would be astonishing. But when you consider the chaos, heartbreak, and internal warfare they’ve survived over the years, it feels almost impossible.
Few periods tested the band more than the mid-1980s — specifically during the making of their 1986 album Dirty Work. What should have been another chapter in the Stones’ legendary run instead became a public display of tension, resentment, and creative division that nearly tore the group apart for good.
Mick Jagger vs. Keith Richards
At the heart of the conflict were the two men who had always powered the Stones: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
Their creative differences had always existed, but by the 1980s those differences had evolved into outright hostility. Jagger wanted the Stones to evolve with the times, leaning into contemporary production and dance-oriented rhythms that reflected the changing musical landscape. Richards, meanwhile, remained devoted to the raw blues-rock foundation that made the band famous in the first place.
The tension became impossible to ignore when Jagger released his first solo album, She’s The Boss, in 1985. Richards viewed the move as a betrayal, believing Jagger was prioritizing his own ambitions over the band. While Jagger handled promotion for his solo project, Richards was left frustrated and increasingly bitter.
By the time work began on Dirty Work, the partnership known as “The Glimmer Twins” was hanging by a thread.
A Broken Recording Process
With Jagger largely absent during the early sessions, Richards teamed up with guitarist Ronnie Wood to shape much of the album. Wood ended up earning four co-writing credits — a rare level of creative involvement for him within the Stones at that point.
But the sessions themselves were chaotic.
The band members were rarely all in the studio together at the same time. Drug problems, exhaustion, and personal conflicts hung over the project. Instead of sounding like a united band, the Stones often resembled five individuals pulling in different directions.
Then tragedy struck. Longtime Rolling Stones road manager and pianist Ian Stewart died suddenly during the album’s production. Stewart had been one of the band’s most trusted and stabilizing figures since their earliest days, and his death cast an even darker shadow over the sessions.
Dirty Work Hits the Shelves
Released in March 1986, Dirty Work arrived wrapped in bright neon suits and loud colors — a visual style that reflected the excesses of the decade as much as the fractured state of the band itself.
Critics were divided on the album. Some praised its energy and aggression, while others felt it sounded unfocused and emotionally cold. Still, it produced a pair of successful singles: the band’s cover of “Harlem Shuffle” and the hard-hitting original “One Hit (To The Body).”
Ironically, the music video for “One Hit (To The Body)” featured Jagger and Richards physically fighting onscreen — a little too close to reality for comfort.
No Tour, More Resentment
In most eras, a Rolling Stones album would be followed by a massive world tour. But after Dirty Work, that never happened.
Jagger decided against touring behind the record, a decision that deeply angered Richards. He had envisioned many of the songs as live material and saw the refusal to tour as another sign that Jagger no longer cared about the band.
For the next several years, the cold war between the two legends intensified. Both men released solo albums, and Richards even took direct aim at Jagger in the biting song “You Don’t Move Me.”
At that point, it genuinely seemed possible that the Rolling Stones might never work together again.
The Comeback That Saved the Stones
Thankfully, the story didn’t end with Dirty Work.
By 1989, Jagger and Richards found their way back to one another creatively and personally. The result was Steel Wheels, an album widely viewed as a return to form. More importantly, it restored the chemistry that had always made the Stones special.
The success of Steel Wheels — and the massive tour that followed — helped erase the bitterness of the Dirty Work era and reminded the world why the Rolling Stones had survived for so long in the first place.
In hindsight, Dirty Work may not rank among the band’s greatest albums musically. But historically, it remains one of their most fascinating records: a snapshot of a legendary band on the verge of collapse, somehow finding a way to endure.