The Rolling Stones – Bridges To Babylon

The Rolling Stones – Bridges To Babylon

Bridges To Babylon is the 1997 studio album from "The Rolling Stones", their 21st British and 23rd American studio album. Released by Virgin Records in September 1997, it found Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts combining the band's established rock and blues foundations with a more contemporary production approach, drawing on collaborators including Don Was, The Dust Brothers and Rob Fraboni.

The album opens with the hard-driving "Flip The Switch" before moving into "Anybody Seen My Baby?", one of the defining tracks from the record. Built around a memorable chorus and polished late-1990s production, the song became a UK Top 30 single, reaching No. 22. Writing credits were shared by Jagger and Richards with k.d. lang and Ben Mink, following the similarity between its chorus and lang's "Constant Craving".

There is plenty of variety across the album. "Low Down" and "Already Over Me" lean towards bluesier Stones territory, while "Gunface" delivers a darker, more aggressive rock sound. Keith Richards takes the lead vocal on "You Don't Have To Mean It", a reggae-influenced track that adds another dimension to the album, while "Out Of Control" became a notable live favourite and blends blues-rock with more modern electronic production.

"Saint Of Me" provides another of the album's major rock moments, while "Might As Well Get Juiced" incorporates a distinctly electronic, groove-driven approach. The closing tracks return to more familiar Stones territory, with "Thief In The Night" featuring Keith Richards on vocals and "How Can I Stop" bringing the album to a reflective conclusion.

The album's production is particularly interesting from a collector's perspective. Rather than relying solely on the traditional Jagger/Richards and Glimmer Twins production partnership, Bridges To Babylon brought together a wider group of producers and musicians, including Don Was, The Dust Brothers, Danny Saber and Pierre de Beauport. Guest musicians include Waddy Wachtel, Billy Preston, Benmont Tench, Wayne Shorter and The Dust Brothers' collaborators, giving the record a noticeably broader sonic palette.

Bridges To Babylon reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 3 in the US, and was followed by the extensive Bridges To Babylon Tour. This 13-track CD contains the complete original album, including "Anybody Seen My Baby?", "Saint Of Me", "Out Of Control" and "How Can I Stop".

Tracklist

1. Flip The Switch – 3:28
2. Anybody Seen My Baby? – 4:31
3. Low Down – 4:26
4. Already Over Me – 5:24
5. Gunface – 5:02
6. You Don't Have To Mean It – 3:44
7. Out Of Control – 4:43
8. Saint Of Me – 5:15
9. Might As Well Get Juiced – 5:23
10. Always Suffering – 4:43
11. Too Tight – 3:33
12. Thief In The Night – 5:15
13. How Can I Stop – 6:54