Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards announces 30th anniversary solo reissue

26 January 2022, 11:54 | Updated: 14 September 2023, 08:07

Watch Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Jimmy Page discuss the new track 'Scarlet'

Keith Richards marks three decades since his second solo album Main Offender with a new reissue.

The Rolling Stones have released over 20 studio albums during their 60-year career.

In the very rare gaps between records, its two ever-presents Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have released surprisingly few solo LPs.

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Mick has just released four, the first being She's The Boss in 1985 and the last being 2001's Goddess in the Doorway.

For his part, Keith has only released three: 1988's Talk Is Cheap, 1992's Main Offender and 2015's Crosseyed Heart.

After the 2019 reissue of Talk Is Cheap, Keith has now announced a special 30th anniversary re-release of his second album Main Offender.

A variety of versions are available direct from Keith's website, ranging from a single-CD of the remastered album for £10 to a limited edition signed deluxe box-set for £300.

The Limited Edition Super-Deluxe Boxset includes an exclusive collector’s case, hand-numbered print of the original album cover portrait, the album pressed on smoke-coloured vinyl, an 88-page book with never-before-seen photos, reproductions of handwritten lyrics, reprinted essays from the album’s release, and reproduced promotional and tour materials from Keith's archive.

Main Offender is available from March 18 via BMG, and features Richards with his backing band the X-Pensive Winos.

The Winos featured Steve Jordan, who would go on to replace Charlie Watts in the Rolling Stones touring lineup, as well as guitarist Waddy Wachtel, bassist Charley Drayton, keyboard player Ivan Neville, singer Sarah Dash and backing vocalists Bernard Fowler and Babi Floyd.

"This is the second time around & the Winos are kind of developing – and if I can keep those guys together for as long as I can, it's one of the best bands in the world," read a statement from Richards.

"It's a very intriguing band and the potential is only just starting to show itself. If I hadn't have taken the Winos on the road, this record would probably have been totally different than it is."

Keith Richards - Wicked As It Seems - from Main Offender

He added: "I tried to avoid making too much sense on this record because to me that ambiguity and mystery, and a little provocation to make you think, is something far more powerful and more important than just wagging your finger and saying, 'I know what he's saying don’t do this, do that'.

"If you're a musician, silence is your canvas and you never want to fill-in the whole thing because then you've just covered it all... One of the most interesting parts about music is where you don't play."

As well as the album remastered by the original producer Steve Jordan, several of the editions include a bonus 12-track live disc called Winos Live In London '92.

Keith Richards - How I Wish (Live) (Official Lyric Video)

The show was recorded at the Town & Country Club in Kentish Town, London, and includes performances of Rolling Stones songs including 'Gimme Shelter'.

To mark the re-release of the album, Keith has unveiled a new lyric video for the live version of 'How I Wish'.

Last year, Richards released the live album X-Pensive Winos: Live at the Hollywood Palladium, which was recorded on December 15th, 1988.