Jan 7 - 18: Stones gather at London's Hit Factory Studio to record two bonus tracks for upcoming live album. The lyrics to one of the songs, "Highwire," allude to the crises in the Persian Gulf.

Jan 29 - 30: Keith produces two songs at Sorcerer Sound in New York for Johnnie Johnson's upcoming album on Elektra.

Feb 14: Mick flies to Atlanta to begin filming the movie Freejack, in which he plays a 21st Century bounty hunter. Emilio Estevez co-stars.

Mar 1: "Highwire" video shot at a Brooklyn armory with Mick, Keith, Ronnie, and Charlie on the scene (Bill is "unable" to attend). Julien Temple directs.

Mar 4: "Highwire"/"2000 Light Years From Home" ( a live version not on the album) released as the first U.S. single from upcoming album.

Apr 2: Sony release the live album, Flashpoint. It's the Stones' third LP with Sony and the fifth live album of their career.

Apr 3: Debut gig of the Charlie Watts Quintet at Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London, to herald the release of the Quintet's album From One Charlie.. Included with the disc is a reprint of Charlie's '64 book about Charlie Parker, Ode To A High Flying Bird.

Apr 10: Keith records a guest session with John Lee Hooker at San Francisco's Russian Hill Studio. The song, "Crawling King Snake," appears on Hooker's Mr.Lucky album later in the year.

May 2: At the Ivor Novello Awards conducted at London's Grosvenor House Hotel, the Stones are honored for their "Outstanding Contribution To British Music." Ronnie Wood and Bill Wyman are present to pick up trophies on behalf of the band.

May 21: Stones tape a video for the song "Sex Drive" at Twickenham Studios in London with director Julien Temple. The video is banned by MTV because of scenes featuring women in see-through cellophane dresses.

Oct 25: Band concert film Rolling Stones At The Max opens in eight theaters around the world. It was filmed in London, Berlin, and Turin, during their 1990 Urban Jungle tour. Because it was shot in the IMAX format (requiring it to be projected onto a special 100-foot wide screen), it can only be shown in about 100 theaters on earth.

Nov 19: The Stones sign with Virgin Records.

Dec 10: Virgin releases Keith Richards And The X-Pensive Winos Live At The Hollywood Palladium, December 15, 1988 on CD and video. They simultaneously release a box set (numbered and limited to 10,000 copies) containing both the CD, the video, and a photo booklet of Keith and the Winos.