Mick Jagger’s solo albumsBenedict (Viktor) Gombocz

She’s the Boss (1985) Mick Jagger’s debut solo album. When the Rolling Stones signed onto CBS Records in 1983, one of the

choices open to them was solo projects, and Jagger enthusiastically started working on She’s the Boss.

After Undercover’s release in November 1983, Jagger began arranging material for his first solo album, allowing the assistance of different musician peers in the studio when recording commenced in May 1984; those involved included Peter Townshend, Jeff Beck, Carlos Alomar, Herbie Hancock, and the Compass Point Allstars, while Jagger split production obligations with Bill Laswell and Nile Rodgers.

Keith Richards, Jagger’s longtime musical associate, was displeased that Jagger was pursuing solo work, believing that their band should both be each other’s top priority.

The increasing rift between Jagger and Richards publicly worsened in 1986, before they settled their disagreements a few years later.

Released 19 February 1985; it was preceded by its lead track “Just Another Night”.

Both the album and its first single became universal hits, with “Just Another Night” at #1 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and #12 on the U.S. pop chart; She’s the Boss itself went to #6 in the UK and #13 in the U.S., where it went platinum.

The subsequent single “Lucky in Love” became a top 40 U.S. hit. The music video for “Hard Woman” extensively exploited a

Crazycomputer for its simulation; that made it one of the most costly music videos made at the time.

The album’s success, impacted by Jagger’s solo appearance at Live Aid in July 1985 and his rush-recorded duo hit cover of “Dancing in the Street” with David Bowie, inspired Jagger to record a successor, Primitive Cool , which was released in 1987.

Even though it was initially issued by CBS, She’s the Boss was obtained and rereleased by Atlantic Records in 1993 after Jagger’s third album, Wandering Spirit, was released.

In 1986, Jamaican reggae singer Patrick Alley tried to file a suit against Jagger over “Just Another Night,” which Alley asserts he had recorded in 1979 and released on his 1982 album A Touch of Patrick Alley; Alley alleges that Sly Dunbar (who played drums on She’s the Boss) also played on the recording.

The case was settled in 1988, with Jagger saying “My reputation is really cleared. If you’re well known, people stand up and take shots at you.”

She’s the Boss – Track listing

1. “Lonely at the Top” (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) – 3:47 2. “1/2 a Loaf” – 4:59 3. “Running Out of Luck” – 4:15 4. “Turn the Girl Loose” – 3:53 5. “Hard Woman” – 4:24 6. “Just Another Night” – 5:15 7. “Lucky in Love” (Mick Jagger, Carlos Alomar) – 6:13 8. “Secrets” – 5:02 9. “She’s the Boss” (Mick Jagger, Carlos Alomar) – 5:15

• Tracks highlighted in orange are included on The Very Best of Mick Jagger.

Primitive Cool (1987) Second solo album by Mick Jagger, released 14

September 1987; it is my favourite MJ solo album.

As the successor of Jagger’s 1985 achievement and debut album She’s the Boss, Primitive Cool was a second effort by Mick to make him a solo star, being more determined.

On the contrary, commercial response was not nearly as positive as anticipated.

After Dirty Work’s release in March 1986, relations between Jagger and fellow Rolling Stone Keith Richards deteriorated after Jagger chose not to tour that album, in favour of beginning his second solo album.

Richards was in the media outspoken about his dissatisfaction, which Jagger responded to, likewise openly, writing “Kow Tow” and “Shoot Off Your Mouth” in reply to withering comments made about Jagger by Richards.

Undeterred, Jagger quickly started recording Primitive Cool, and recorded in the Netherlands and Barbados.

Teaming up with David A. Stewart and Keith Diamond in the producer’s spot, Jagger used Jeff Beck as the usual guitarist for the sessions, looking for consistency in the recordings.

Primitive Cool – Track listing

1. “Throwaway” – 5:03 2. “Let’s Work” (Mick Jagger, David A. Stewart) – 4:50 3. “Radio Control” – 3:56 4. “Say You Will” (Mick Jagger, David A. Stewart) – 5:07 5. “Primitive Cool” – 5:50 6. “Kow Tow” (Mick Jagger, David A. Stewart) – 4:55 7. “Shoot Off Your Mouth” – 3:35 8. “Peace for the Wicked” – 4:02 9. “Party Doll” – 5:20 10. “War Baby” – 6:39

• Tracks highlighted in yellow are included on The Very Best of Mick Jagger.

Wandering Spirit (1993) Third solo album by Mick Jagger, released 8

February 1993; it was his only solo album release in the 1990s.

Following the 1989 release of Steel Wheels, Jagger started composing new material for what would become Wandering Spirit.

In January 1992, after he hired Rick Rubin as co-producer, Jagger recorded the album in Los Angeles over the course of seven months until September 1992; this coincided with the making of Main Offender from Keith Richards.

Jagger kept the personality guests to a minimum on Wandering Spirit, with only Lenny Kravitz as a lead singer on Jagger’s cover of Bill Withers’ “Use Me” and bassist Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers on three songs.

Following the end of the Rolling Stones’ Song Music deal and their singing onto Virgin Records, Jagger signed with Atlantic Records (the same label that signed with the Stones in the 1970s) to issue what would be his only album with that label.

Wandering Spirit – Track listing 1. “Wired All Night” – 4:05 2. “Sweet Thing” – 4:19 3. “Out of Focus” – 4:36 4. “Don’t Tear Me Up” – 4:11 5. “Put Me in the Trash” (Mick Jagger, Jimmy Ripp) – 3:35 6. “Use Me” (Bill Withers) – 4:28 7. “Evening Gown” – 3:33 8. “Mother of a Man” – 4:18 9. “Think” (Lowman Pauling) – 2:59 10. “Wandering Spirit” – 4:18 11. “Hang On to Me Tonight” – 4:37 12. “I’ve Been Lonely for So Long” (Posie Knight, Jerry Weaver) – 3:29 13. “Angel in My Heart” – 3:24 14. “Handsome Molly” (Traditional) – 2:06

• Tracks highlighted in blue are included on The Very Best of Mick Jagger.

Goddess in the Doorway (2001) Mick Jagger’s fourth solo album, released 19 November 2001. As the latest offering from Jagger as a solo artist, it marked his first solo

release with Virgin Records, with whom he has been contracted as the lead singer of the Rolling Stones, since 1991.

Following the commercial success of the previous solo album, 1993’s Wandering Spirit, and the Rolling Stones’ Bridges to Babylon in 1997 and the extended Bridges to Babylon Tour, he started on demo material in 2000; he finally reached the studio in the spring of 2001.

While he chiefly teamed up with Marti Frederiksen and Matt Clifford, as producers, he also sanctioned the abilities of Lenny Kravitz and Wyclef Jean to assist in making Goddess in the Doorway.

Although the songs would in large part be written by Jagger, he attempted to work alongside other colleagues, including Kravitz and Rob Thomas, the lead vocalist of Matchbox Twenty; the recording sessions of several of the album’s songs were featured in the documentary Being Mick.

When recording was in progress, several of Jagger’s musician peers, such as Bono, Pete Townshend, Thomas, Kravitz, Jean and Joe Perry, each made inputs; in truth, Townshend was the inspiration for the album, and after he heard some of Jagger’s demos, Townshend told him that they did not sound like Rolling Stones songs and that Jagger should record them by himself.

Goddess in the Doorway was originally already finished by the end of the summer and the Kravitz-produced (and almost self-performed) “God Gave Me Everything” was chosen as the lead single that October.

Though that song did not become a big hit, Goddess in Doorway – with its mixture of various styles – was released the following month to among the strongest reviews Jagger had gotten – like his tenure with the Rolling Stones – in years, with Rolling Stone’s chief editor Jann Wenner conferring a five-star immediate classic rating on the album.

However, not everyone was as overenthusiastic; while the critical support for Goddess in the Doorway was satisfying for Jagger, it only reached #44 in the UK and #39 in the U.S.

Following the album’s release, he reunited with his band to work on Forty Licks and A Bigger Bang and to go on tour for the subsequent Licks and A Bigger Bang tours; in addition to his soundtrack album with David A. Stewart on Alfie in 2004, and the best of compilation The Very Best of Mick Jagger, released in 2007, Goddess in the Doorway is to date Jagger’s most recent solo album.

Goddess in the Doorway – Track listing

1. “Visions of Paradise” (Jagger, Rob Thomas, Matt Clifford) – 4:02 2. “Joy” (Jagger, Bono) – 4:41 3. “Dancing in the Starlight” – 4:06 4. “God Gave Me Everything” (Jagger, Lenny Kravitz) – 3:34 5. “Hide Away” – 4:31 6. “Don’t Call Me Up” – 5:14 7. “Goddess in the Doorway” (Jagger, Clifford) – 4:56 8. “Lucky Day” – 4:51 9. “Everybody Getting High” – 3:55 10. “Gun” (Jagger, Clifford) – 4:39 11. “Too Far Gone” – 4:34 12. “Brand New Set of Rules” – 7:39

• Includes a hidden song of lounge music after the track closes

Japanese version bonus song• 13. “If Things Could Be Different” – 4:49

“If Things Could Be Different” was also the B-side to “Visions of Paradise” in Europe and “Blue” – a 5:40 Mick Jagger composition – was the B-side of the European single “God Gave Me Everything” and the UK single “Visions of Paradise”.

Tracks highlighted in red appear on The Very Best of Mick Jagger.

Alfie (2004) Soundtrack album to the 2004

movie of the same name. Was produced and completed by

Mick Jagger and David A. Stewart, with input from Joss Stone, Sheryl Crow and Nadirah “Nadz” Seid.

The original 1966 movie, for which this was a rendition, likewise had a soundtrack album by Sonny Rollins.

Alfie – Track listing 1. “Old Habits Die Hard” – Mick Jagger and David A. Stewart; backing vocals by Kaya Jones

and Katy Perry 2. “Blind Leading the Blind (Live Acoustic Version)“ - Mick Jagger and David A. Stewart 3. “New York Hustle” - Mick Jagger and David A. Stewart 4. “Let’s Make It Up” - Mick Jagger and David A. Stewart 5. “Wicked Time” - Joss Stone and Nadirah “Nadz” Seid, featuring Mick Jagger 6. “Lonely Without You (This Christmas)” – Mick Jagger and Joss Stone 7. “Darkness of Your Love” – Gary “Mudbone” Cooper and David A. Stewart 8. “Jack the Lad” – Mick Jagger and David A. Stewart 9. “Oh Nikki” - Mick Jagger and David A. Stewart 10. “Blind Leading the Blind” – Mick Jagger and David A. Stewart 11. “Standing in the Rain” – Mick Jagger and David A. Stewart 12. “Counting the Days” – Mick Jagger and David A. Stewart 13. “Old Habits Reprise” – Mick Jagger and David A. Stewart 14. “Alfie” – Joss Stone 15. “Old Habits Die Hard” – Mick Jagger and David A. Stewart, featuring Sheryl Crow

Mick Jagger and David A. Stewart were awarded the BFCA Award, Golden Globe, Sierra Award and the World Soundtrack Award for “Old Habits Die Hard”.

Tracks highlighted in light green appear on The Very Best of Mick Jagger.

The Very Best of Mick Jagger (2007)

Compilation album that was released worldwide on 1 October 2007 and the following day in the U.S. on WEA/Rhino Records.

This 17-song issue is the first ever overview of Mick Jagger’s solo career.

The compilation includes singles, album songs, and group efforts with John Lennon, David Bowie, Bono, Lenny Kravitz, Peter Tosh, Ry Cooder, David A. Stewart and Jeff Beck, among other musicians.

Includes three never before issued tracks:

• “Too Many Cooks”, produced by John Lennon; recorded by Jagger in Los Angeles, in 1973. It features guitarists Danny Kortchmar and Jesse Ed Davis, keyboardist Al Kooper, bassist Jack Bruce, drummer Jim Keltner and, on backing vocals, singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson. Neither Lennon nor former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, who attended the session, appear on the song.

• “Checkin’ Up on My Baby”, recorded in 1992 with L.A. blues band The Red Devils.

• “Charmed Life”, recorded while Jagger was making Wandering Spirit with producer Rick Rubin. Jagger drafted it out (with his daughter Karis Jagger on backing vocals), but later decided the song did not fit well with the rest of that album; the version on Very Best was remixed by producer Ashley Beadle. The track was also issued as a preview single with a variety of remixes, reaching the Top 20 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Singles chart in early 2008.

A special version with the DVD was also issued with over 72 minutes of content, which included an extensive interview with Mick Jagger from early/mid 2007, nine videos, and extras.

Jagger has sponsored The Very Best of Mick Jagger with interviews, such as a special for Rolling Stone, a complete Q&A with fans on the BBC website, and television appearances; he additionally re-launched his website with audio, video, pictures, and more information about this collection and his solo work on the whole.

Debuted on the UK chart at #57 with sales of just about 4,000 copies and in the U.S. chart at #77, where it sold 11,846 during the first week.

The Very Best of Mick Jagger – Track listing

1. “God Gave Me Everything” (Mick Jagger, Lenny Kravitz) – 3:32 (2001)

2. “Put Me in the Trash” (Jagger, Jimmy Rip) – 3:34 (1993)

3. “Just Another Night” (Jagger) – 5:15 (1985) 4. “Don’t Tear Me Up” (Jagger) – 4:12 (1993) 5. “Charmed Life” (Jagger) – 3:35 (1992 & 2007) 6. “Sweet Thing” (Jagger) – 4:18 (1993) 7. “Old Habits Die Hard” (Jagger, David A. Stewart) –

4:24 (2004) 8. “Dancing in the Street” (with David Bowie) (Marvin

Gaye, Ivory Joe Hunter, William “Mickey” Stevenson) – 3:18 (1985)

9. “Too Many Cooks (Spoil the Soup)” (Angelo Bond, Ronald Dunbar, Edith Wayne) – 4:04 (1973)

10. “Memo from Turner” (Jagger, Keith Richards) – 4:03 (1970)

11. “Lucky in Love” (Jagger, Carlos Alomar) – 5:02 (1985)

12. “Let’s Work” (Jagger, David A. Stewart) – 4:44 (1987)

13. “Joy” (Jagger, Bono) – 4:40 (2001) 14. “Don’t Call Me Up” (Jagger) – 5:13 (2001) 15. “Checkin’ Up on My Baby” – 3:21 (1992) 16. “(You Got To Walk And) Don’t Look Back” (Smokey

Robinson, Ronnie White) – 5:17 (1978) 17. “Evening Gown” (Jagger) – 3:32 (1993)

Tracks highlighted in dark blue are previously unreleased songs.

DVD track listing • 1. “Interview With Mick Jagger” (2007) – 35:45• 2. “God Gave Me Everything” – 3:41• 3. “Just Another Night” – 4:58• 4. “Sweet Thing” – 4:15 • 5. “Let’s Work” – 4:08• 6. “Lucky in Love” – 4:54 • 7. “Don’t Tear Me Up” – 4:09• 8. “Dancing in the Street” – 2:57• 9. “Joy” (excerpt from the documentary Being

Mick) – 3:07• 10. “(You Got To Walk And) Don’t Look Back”

(Peter Tosh with Mick Jagger on Saturday Night Live, 1978) – 4:20

Digital Download bonus tracks• 1. “Charmed Life” (Ashley Beedle 12” Mix) – 6:20• 2. “Charmed Life” (Ashley Beedle 12” Dub) – 5:24• 3. “Everybody Knows About My Good Thing” –

4:37• 4. “Say You Will” (Instrumental Remix) – 5:32 • 5. “Lucky in Love” (Single Mix) – 4:52• 6. “Sweet Thing” (Funky Guitar Edit) – 4:22

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