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April 2, 1991: Release of Flashpoint, the Rolling Stones’ fifth live album (recorded during the 1989 Steel Wheels and 1990 Urban Jungle tours)

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Released on April 2, 1991, Flashpoint captures The Rolling Stones at full stadium power while quietly marking the end of an era. Drawn from their massive 1989–90 world tours, the album blends global performances into a polished live snapshot, balancing raw energy with arena-sized precision. Yet beyond the hits lies a deeper story: the final recordings with Bill Wyman and a band navigating legacy and reinvention at once. With added studio tracks and later collectible extras, Flashpoint feels less like a definitive live statement and more like a time capsule—one that freezes the Stones between past dominance and an uncertain, evolving future.

SIDE A: 1. (Intro) Continental Drift/ 2. Start Me Up/ 3. Sad Sad Sad/ 4. Miss You/ 5. Ruby Tuesday/ 6. You Can’t Always Get What You Want/ 7. Factory Girl/ 8. Little Red Rooster
SIDE B: 1. Paint It, Black/ 2. Sympathy for the Devil/ 3. Brown Sugar/ 4. Jumpin’ Jack Flash/ 5. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction/ 6. Highwire/ 7. Sex Drive

*By Marcelo Sonaglioni

Flashpoint emerged from the Rolling Stones’ 1989 and 1990 world tours (known as the Steel Wheels Tour in the United States and Japan and the Urban Jungle Tour in Europe) The album features fifteen live tracks (including the introduction, an excerpt from Continental Drift) recorded at various concerts: in Clemson, South Carolina (Start Me Up, Can’t Be Seen, (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction); Atlantic City, New Jersey (Sad Sad Sad, Little Red Rooster with Eric Clapton); Jacksonville, Florida (Miss You, Rock and a Hard Place, You Can’t Always Get What You Want); Tokyo (Ruby Tuesday, Sympathy for the Devil, Jumpin’ Jack Flash); London (Factory Girl); Barcelona (Paint It Black) and Turin (Brown Sugar)

Two additional studio tracks, Highwire and Sex Drive were included in this “best of” compilation. These songs hold particular significance as they were the final recordings by Bill Wyman after over thirty years with the band. The Stones individually dropped by Olympic Studios and Metropolis Studios in London, England, for the mixing and overdubbing of the album in December and November of 1990. Released on April 2, 1991, Flashpoint was the Rolling Stones’ fifth live album, reaching number 6 on the UK charts and number 16 on the Billboard album charts. In France, it achieved double gold status, having sold over 200,000 copies.

Additionally, a 2-CD limited edition deluxe of the album titled Flashpoint + Collectibles including a second disc with rare never before released material was later issued in Europe.
Defending Flashpoint by comparing it to Love You Live or Still Life never quite made for a convincing argument—it may have been better, but that didn’t automatically make it essential. Still, its value shifted depending on context. When the Collectables CD first appeared, it held a unique attraction: it was the only place to find Fancy Man Blues.

For dedicated fans, that alone elevated its status. Beyond that, the release gathered a mix of live energy and bonus material, including extended 12″ versions that felt more like curiosities than necessities. While some listeners appreciated the expanded cuts, others found them excessive, especially in the case of Miss You. Over time, as more comprehensive compilations emerged, the exclusivity faded, and so did much of the album’s urgency—leaving it as a release more interesting for its moment than for lasting importance.

Collectibles disc: 1. Rock And A Hard Place II/ 2. Miss You IV/ 3. Cook Cook Blues/ 4. Everything Is Turning To Gold II/ 5. Winning Ugly VI/ 6. Beast Of Burden (live)/ 7. Fancy Man Blues/ 8. Harlem Shuffle VI/ 9. Wish I’d Never Met You/ 10. Mixed Emotions IV

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