They did rise to the occassion, but, sadly, it was their last hurrah, album-wise. Everyone still loves going to a Stones show. Proving you don’t have to stop playing just because you get older. But their albums since Some Girls have not been memorable. But, when you have the depth of good material the Stones have, you can coast for decades without putting out anything new. Such is the arc of most bands. Produce enough hits and most people don’t care about new music anymore. They just want to hear the hits.

Excellent essay.