album's cover (even though
he’d only actually played on
a few of its tracks). Wood’s
selection made perfect sense,
as he was a British rock and
roller who fit in solidly
alongside Richards.
Richards’ arrest in Toronto
on drug charges, including
heroin possession, didn’t stop
them from playing their
scheduled club dates at
Toronto’s El Mocombo club,
excerpts from which
appeared on one side of the
double album Love You Live.
The fallout from the bust
would be 18 months of legal
limbo, as Richards faced up
to seven years in prison if
convicted. (He was ultimately
ordered to perform a benefit
concert for the blind as his
sentence.) Richards beat his
heroin addiction during this
period, “closing down the
laboratory,” in his words.
With Wood’s integration into
the lineup, and driven by the
insurgent challenge of punkrock, the Stones rebounded in
1978 with Some Girls, their
strongest effort since Exile
On Main St. The cover and
certain lyrics proved
controversial, with the title
track eliciting charges of
sexism, and the songs paid
heed to musical trends,
including unmistakably
Stonesy takes on disco
("Miss You") and punk-rock
("Shattered"). Some Girls
remains among the group’s
best-selling albums, having
been certified six times
platinum (6 million copies
sold) by the RIAA.
The Eighties saw the Stones
achieve their highest-charting
album (Tattoo You, Number
One for nine weeks in 1981)
but also take the longest
period between tours (eight
years). They kicked off the
decade with Emotional
Rescue, which included
straight-ahead rockers like
“She Was Hot,” as well as