I never liked Steel Wheels that much. When I relistened to it recently I thought it was better than I remembered, so I guess it’s okay, but it’s still a weaker Stones album.
Oh Mercy has better songs, and Daniel Lanois’ production is actually an asset. Alot of the other “return to form” albums by old rockers from that era actually sound pretty dated now.

Oh Mercy is interesting in that it sounds like what a good Dylan album from 1989 should sound like, but it doesn’t really feel like it belongs to a distinctive era of his career. He made it coming off of some dated sounding 80s albums, including two of his most hated albums, then made another one that everyone hates, then two albums of old folk songs, and then had a proper comeback with Time Out of Mind, that began a cohesive “late period.”