{{other uses}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox album | name = Talk Is Cheap | type = studio | artist = Keith Richards | cover = Talkischeap.jpg | alt = | released = 3 October 1988 | recorded = August 1987 – May 1988 | venue = | studio = Air, Montserrat; Le Studio, Morin-Heights, Quebec * The Hit Factory (New York City) | genre = {{hlist|Rock & roll|hard rock|roots rock|funk rock}} | length = 47:01 | label = Virgin | producer = {{hlist|Keith Richards|Steve Jordan}} | prev_title = | prev_year = | next_title = Live at the Hollywood Palladium, December 15, 1988 | next_year = 1991 }}
'''''Talk Is Cheap''''' is the debut solo album by English musician Keith Richards, the guitarist of the Rolling Stones, released in 1988. Recorded and released during a long-standing falling out with Mick Jagger, ''Talk Is Cheap'' received positive reviews upon its release.
==Background== Relations between Jagger and Richards had grown tense during the 1980s as they began to disagree on the musical direction of the band; "You Don't Move Me" would be written about their feud. The image-conscious Jagger was keen to follow the trends and keep the Rolling Stones current, while Richards wanted to preserve their reputation and roots. When Jagger was more interested in pursuing his solo career instead of touring for ''Dirty Work'' in 1986, Richards began a solo project for the first time.
Richards teamed up with Steve Jordan, who had worked on ''Dirty Work'' and eventually became the Rolling Stones' touring drummer following Charlie Watts' death in 2021, and the pair wrote several new songs. One of which, "Almost Hear You Sigh", would be placed on the Rolling Stones' ''Steel Wheels'' in 1989 (with lyric modifications by Jagger). Recording began in August 1987 at Le Studio in Morin Heights, Quebec, and continued sporadically until the following May with visits to Montserrat and Bermuda. In order to assert his independence further, Richards signed with Virgin Records, while the Rolling Stones were under contract to Sony Music (they followed him to Virgin in 1993).
The core of the band, called the X-Pensive Winos, consisted of Waddy Wachtel, Ivan Neville, Charley Drayton and Jordan, with many guest artists taking part in the recording, including Sarah Dash, Bootsy Collins, Maceo Parker, the Memphis Horns and Patti Scialfa, and the only musician from the Stones to appear, guitarist Mick Taylor.
A live version of "Make No Mistake" performed at the Hollywood Palladium was later featured in an episode of ''The Sopranos'' and on the 2001 soundtrack album'' The Sopranos: Peppers & Eggs: Music from the HBO Original Series''.
==Reception== {{Music ratings | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/talk-is-cheap-mw0000201052 |title=Talk Is Cheap – Keith Richards |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=14 January 2023 |last=Deming |first=Mark}}</ref> | rev2 = ''Blender'' | rev2score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Keith Richards: Talk Is Cheap |magazine=Blender |volume=5 |issue=3 |date=April 2006 |last=Rosen |first=Jody |author-link=Jody Rosen}}</ref> | rev3 = ''Chicago Tribune'' | rev3score = {{Rating|4|4}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2003-01-12-0301120070-story.html |title=Solo cuts |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=12 January 2003 |access-date=14 January 2023 |last=Thomas |first=John D.}}</ref> | rev4 = ''Los Angeles Times'' | rev4score = {{Rating|3.5|4}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-10-02-ca-4694-story.html |title=Keef Rolls Alone |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=2 October 1988 |access-date=14 January 2023 |last=Waller |first=Don |author-link=Don Waller}}</ref> | rev5 = ''NME'' | rev5score = 3/10<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Cheap and Nasty |magazine=NME |date=8 October 1988 |last=Staunton |first=Terry |page=44}}</ref> | rev6 = ''Q'' | rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Cherishable |magazine=Q |issue=26 |date=November 1988 |last=Snow |first=Mat |author-link=Mat Snow}}</ref> | rev7 = ''Record Collector'' | rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/album/talk-cheap-30th-anniversary |title=Hot Gossip |magazine=Record Collector |issue=491 |date=April 2019 |access-date=16 January 2023 |last=Needs |first=Kris |author-link=Kris Needs |pages=96–97}}</ref> | rev8 = ''Rolling Stone'' | rev8score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/talk-is-cheap-249719/ |title=Talk Is Cheap |magazine=Rolling Stone |issue=540 |date=1 December 1988 |access-date=14 January 2023 |last=Fricke |first=David |author-link=David Fricke}}</ref> | rev9 = ''Uncut'' | rev9score = 7/10<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/keith-richards-talk-cheap |title=Keith Richards – Talk Is Cheap |magazine=Uncut |issue=263 |date=April 2019 |access-date=16 January 2023 |last=Bonner |first=Michael |page=44 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330163138/https://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/keith-richards-talk-cheap |archive-date=30 March 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | rev10 = ''The Village Voice'' | rev10score = B+<ref>{{cite news |url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv1188-88.php |title=Christgau's Consumer Guide |newspaper=The Village Voice |date=22 November 1988 |access-date=14 January 2023 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau}}</ref> }} Released in October 1988, ''Talk Is Cheap'' was met with critical acclaim, with some reviews half-jokingly calling it the best Rolling Stones album in years. The ''Houston Chronicle'' noted that "if Richards can't sing and his songs are unexceptional, he co-opted those potential problems by providing these sessions with a looseness that borders on the feel of a demo tape, an ingenious antidote to the day's polished pop (why eight studios then?)."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Racine |first1=Marty |title=Talk Is Cheap Keith Richards Virgin |work=Houston Chronicle |date=16 October 1988 |department=Zest |page=11}}</ref> It peaked at No. 37<ref name="ukchart">{{cite web|title=KEITH RICHARDS {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/4358/keith-richards/|website=www.officialcharts.com|accessdate=13 November 2016}}</ref> in the UK and No. 24 in the US,<ref name="billboard">{{cite web|title=Keith Richards - Chart history {{!}} Billboard|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/305654/keith-richards/chart|website=www.billboard.com|accessdate=13 November 2016}}</ref> where it went gold.<ref name="riaa">{{cite web|title=Gold & Platinum - RIAA|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Keith%20Richards|website=RIAA|accessdate=13 November 2016}}</ref> Reflecting on the record in 2022, ''Far Out'' wrote, "Sometimes the popular opinion is the right one: ''Talk Is Cheap'' is the best of the solo albums, and it ranks with much of the best work The Rolling Stones put to tape."<ref name=farout>{{cite web|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-10-best-rolling-stones-solo-albums/|title=Ranking the 10 best Rolling Stones solo albums|date=April 17, 2022|website=Far Out}}</ref>
==Track listing== All tracks written by Keith Richards and Steve Jordan.
===Standard edition=== '''Side one''' #"Big Enough" – 3:17 #"Take It So Hard" – 3:11 #"Struggle" – 4:10 #"I Could Have Stood You Up" – 3:12 #"Make No Mistake" – 4:53 #"You Don't Move Me" – 4:48
'''Side two''' #"How I Wish" – 3:32 #"Rockawhile" – 4:38 #"Whip It Up" – 4:01 #"Locked Away" – 5:48 #"It Means a Lot" – 5:22
=== 2019 reissue bonus tracks === #"Blues Jam" (Keith Richards, Steve Jordan, Mick Taylor, Joey Spampinato, Johnnie Johnson, Chuck Leavell, Bobby Keys) – 4:39 #"My Babe" (Willie Dixon) – 3:13 #"Slim" (Richards, Jordan, Taylor, Spampinato, Johnson, Keys) – 10:18 #"Big Town Playboy" (Little Johnny Jones) – 4:19 #"Mark on Me" – 5:51 #"Brute Force" – 4:00 The 2019 reissue features six previously unreleased tracks.
==Personnel==
'''The X-Pensive Winos''' {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} *Keith Richards – lead vocals, guitar *Steve Jordan – drums, percussion, bass on "Take It So Hard", backing vocals *Sarah Dash – backing vocals, duet on "Make No Mistake" *Charley Drayton – bass guitar, drums on "Take It So Hard", backing vocals *Ivan Neville – piano, keyboards, backing vocals *Bobby Keys – tenor saxophone on "I Could Have Stood You Up" and "Whip It Up" *Waddy Wachtel – acoustic, electric, and slide guitar, production consultant, backing vocals
'''Additional musicians''' *Bootsy Collins – bass guitar on "Big Enough" *Michael Doucet – violin on "Locked Away" *Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural – accordion on "You Don't Move Me", "Rockawhile" and "Locked Away" *Johnnie Johnson – piano on "I Could Have Stood You Up" *Chuck Leavell – organ on "I Could Have Stood You Up" *Maceo Parker – alto saxophone on "Big Enough" *Joey Spampinato – bass guitar on "I Could Have Stood You Up" and "Rockawhile" *Mick Taylor – guitar on "I Could Have Stood You Up" *Bernie Worrell – organ on "Big Enough" and "You Don't Move Me", clavinet on "Make No Mistake" and "Rockawhile" *The Memphis Horns (Jimmi Kinnard, Andrew Love, Ben Cauley, Gary Topper, Jack Hale, James Mitchell) – horns on "Make No Mistake" *Patti Scialfa – backing vocals *Willie Mitchell – horn arrangements {{col-2}} '''Production''' *Keith Richards – producer *Steve Jordan – producer *Robert Berry – engineer, assistant engineer *Joe Blaney – engineer *David Dorn – engineer, assistant engineer *Richard Ealey – engineer, assistant engineer *Richard Moakes - engineer, assistant engineer *Joe Ferla – engineer *David Kennedy – engineer *Paul Milner – engineer, assistant engineer *Julio Pena – engineer, assistant engineer *Don Smith – engineer, mixing *Roger Talkov – engineer, assistant engineer *Joe Blaney – mixing *Greg Calbi – mastering *Sante D'Orazio - cover photography {{col-end}}
==Charts== ===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- !align="left"|Year !align="left"|Chart !align="left"|Position |- |align="left"|1988 |align="left"|UK Albums Chart<ref name="ukchart"/> |align="left"|37 |- |align="left"|1988 |align="left"|Australian (ARIA Charts)<ref>{{cite book|last=Ryan|first=Gavin|title=Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010|year=2011|publisher=Moonlight Publishing|location=Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia|edition=pdf}}</ref> |align="left"|15 |- |align="left"|1988 |align="left"|US ''Billboard'' 200<ref name="billboard"/> |align="left"|24 |- |align="left"|1989 |align="left"|US ''Billboard'' 200<ref name="billboard"/> |align="left"|54 |- |rowspan="2"|2019 |align="left"|Polish Albums (ZPAV)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://olis.onyx.pl/listy/index.asp?idlisty=1204&lang=en |title=Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart |publisher=ZPAV |accessdate=11 April 2019}}</ref> |align="left"|44 |- |align="left"|UK Albums Chart<ref name="ukchart"/> |align="left"|43 |}
==Certifications== {{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for ''Talk Is Cheap''}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Keith Richards|title=Talk Is Cheap|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1988|certyear=1988|access-date=23 August 2022}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Keith Richards|title=Talk Is Cheap|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1988|certyear=1989|access-date=23 August 2022}} {{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Keith Richards}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:1988 debut albums Category:Keith Richards albums Category:Virgin Records albums Category:Albums recorded at Le Studio