Even rock’s greatest legends have their rough patches — and for The Rolling Stones, one of the most fraught chapters came in the mid-1980s. Amid personal tensions, substance struggles and fraying relationships within the band, frontman Mick Jagger made an unusual decision: he refused to take one of their own albums on the road because he believed touring it would have been disastrous for the band’s future.
A Band on Shaky Ground
By the early 1980s, The Rolling Stones had already cemented decades of influence with classic albums and marathon world tours. But the decade also brought mounting strain. Interpersonal fractures — including frontman Mick Jagger turning his attention toward solo work and guitarist Keith Richards’ worsening heroin addiction — pushed relationships within the band to a breaking point.
At the heart of this turmoil was their 1986 album Dirty Work. Made under fraught circumstances, the record reflected the uneasy atmosphere behind the scenes. Long-time drummer Charlie Watts later described his own struggles during this period as a kind of mid-life crisis, and the collective tension ultimately shaped the vibe in the studio.
When it came time to consider a supporting tour for Dirty Work, Jagger balked. In later reflections, he called the idea of touring that album “a nightmare,” saying the band’s internal animosity and disagreements would have made a road show “the worst Rolling Stones tour.” He has maintained he was “100% right” in rejecting the plan — believing that pressing forward with a tour would have risked the band’s cohesion and potentially even its existence.
Richards was reportedly upset by Jagger’s refusal at the time, but in hindsight — and after years of reflection — even Richards recognized that the hiatus helped preserve the band’s longevity. The decision also broke with tradition: The Rolling Stones had long supported each studio album with extensive touring, so shelving a tour was practically unheard-of for the group.
Rather than risk burning out on the road after a divisive studio experience, The Rolling Stones chose to step back. The pause allowed tensions to ease and provided space for reflection — and it ultimately preceded one of the band’s most robust comebacks.
In 1989, they returned with Steel Wheels, an album that heralded a new era and helped repair fractured friendships within the band. That record also launched one of their largest world tours to date, symbolizing a recalibration after the turbulence of the mid-’80s.
Dirty Work remains one of the most contested chapters in The Rolling Stones’ vast catalogue. Critics and fans still debate its merits, and the band members themselves have offered mixed views over time. Yet Jagger’s refusal to tour behind the album is now seen less as an act of defeat and more as a strategic choice that helped preserve one of rock’s longest-running acts.
In retrospect, the episode demonstrates both the pressures of longevity in rock and the tough decisions needed to keep a legendary band from imploding. The Rolling Stones survived that strained period — and decades later, they continue to be talked about as one of the most enduring musical forces in history.
