The Rolling Stones entered 1968 trying to escape the varied arrests, drug charges, court cases, and fines that had plagued them for most of the previous year. The release of the Beggars Banquet album refocused attention on the band and its music (rather than their extracurricular activities) with such singles as “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Sympathy for the Devil.” For Brian Jones, sadly, 1968 marked the beginning of the end. A growing drug addiction led him to admit that he was incapable of performing, resulting in his divorce from the band. Jones drowned in his swimming pool the following year.

1980-1990

By the 1980s, some critics began viewing the Rolling Stones as has-beens … aging millionaires who had been at it for nearly 20 years and whose best work was behind them. Enter Tattoo You, a 1981 release that re-energized the band’s popularity and resulted in a #1 album. The Stones’ three-month American Tour 1981 was the biggest, longest, and most colorful production of their career and resulted in the 1982 live album, Still Life. The following year, in celebration of their 20th year in the business, Mick and the boys headed overseas for the European Tour 1982, their first tour there in six years.

Following various solo projects, the Stones released Steel Wheels in 1989, following it up with their Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour, which took them across North America, Japan, and Europe.