Members Lee Flier Posted October 16, 2007 Members Share Posted October 16, 2007 Hey - notice that the "peak years" seem to coincide with Rick Taylors presence? He's a very different player when compared to Ron. You mean Mick Taylor? Well, lots of people say that, but if you're starting the "peak period" in 1968 with Beggars Banquet, it isn't true. Taylor didn't play at all on Beggars Banquet, and very little on Let It Bleed - Brian Jones died in the middle of their making Let It Bleed and barely played on any of it either, and Taylor joined only on a couple of songs. There are some guest spots from Ry Cooder on Let It Bleed, but the thing about Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed is that they really show Keith stepping to the fore. Both records have about a zillion layers of Keith! And it is clearly Keith taking the lead on the guitar arrangements. On Sticky Fingers and Exile, Mick Taylor was firmly established of course, but he also played on Goats Head Soup and It's Only Rock'n'Roll, and most people don't consider those part of the "peak period." This is not at all a knock on Taylor; he contributed awesome stuff to every record he appeared on IMO. But the common claim that the Stones hit their peak when he joined and it ended when he left is just plain wrong. He joined right in the middle of it, and much of the creative fire that fueled that period was from Keith. Keith was just coming up with incredibly inspired stuff then, well they all were, but so many of my "oh damn" moments on guitar were things that Keith wrote/played during that time: the solo on "Sympathy for the Devil", the layers of nasty guitars on "Stray Cat Blues," the beautiful acoustics on "Factory Girl" and "Prodigal Son", everything on "Midnight Rambler," the riff to "Brown Sugar" and "Can't You Hear Me Knocking"... "Tumbling Dice" and "Rocks Off" and "All Down the Line"... the swirling acoustic/slide stew on "Salt of the Earth"... the ominous intro and full on spooky solo on "Gimme Shelter"... ummm well I could go on and on and on. It's all Keith. Mick Taylor's biggest contributions to the Stones during the "peak period" were "Sway," "Moonlight Mile," and the end solo during the jam on "Can't You Hear Me Knocking." All great stuff to be sure... and he certainly played great for their live sets as you can hear on Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out and the numerous live bootlegs from the early 70's tours... but the majority of his standout recorded work was on Goats Head and Only RockNRoll really. Stuff like "Winter" and "Heartbreaker" and "Time Waits For No One"... really awesome, but very underrated as normally those records are considered "post-peak." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted October 16, 2007 Moderators Share Posted October 16, 2007 You mean Mick Taylor? Well, lots of people say that, but if you're starting the "peak period" in 1968 with Beggars Banquet, it isn't true. Taylor didn't play at all on Beggars Banquet, and very little on Let It Bleed - Brian Jones died in the middle of their making Let It Bleed and barely played on any of it either, and Taylor joined only on a couple of songs. There are some guest spots from Ry Cooder on Let It Bleed, but the thing about Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed is that they really show Keith stepping to the fore. Both records have about a zillion layers of Keith! And it is clearly Keith taking the lead on the guitar arrangements. On Sticky Fingers and Exile, Mick Taylor was firmly established of course, but he also played on Goats Head Soup and It's Only Rock'n'Roll, and most people don't consider those part of the "peak period." This is not at all a knock on Taylor; he contributed awesome stuff to every record he appeared on IMO. But the common claim that the Stones hit their peak when he joined and it ended when he left is just plain wrong. He joined in the middle of it, and much of the creative fire that fueled that period was from Keith. Keith was just plain coming up with incredibly inspired stuff then, well they all were, but so many of my "oh damn" moments on guitar were things that Keith wrote/played during that time: the solo on "Sympathy for the Devil", the layers of nasty guitars on "Stray Cat Blues," the beautiful acoustics on "Factory Girl" and "Prodigal Son", everything on "Midnight Rambler," the riff to "Brown Sugar" and "Can't You Hear Me Knocking"... "Tumbling Dice" and "Rocks Off"... the swirling acoustic/slide stew on "Salt of the Earth"... the ominous intro and full on spooky solo on "Gimme Shelter"... ummm well I could go on and on and on. It's all Keith. That is an incredibly informative post there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted October 16, 2007 Members Share Posted October 16, 2007 I just added to it, too. I can't help myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted October 16, 2007 Members Share Posted October 16, 2007 Oh geez, and how could I have neglected to mention the slammin' acoustic-guitars-recorded-thru-a-cassette-player-to-sound-electric riffs on "Jumpin Jack Flash" and "Street Fightin' Man"? Or the Nashville-strung acoustic on "Wild Horses"? Yep, more Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RadiationNation Posted October 16, 2007 Members Share Posted October 16, 2007 It's all pretty great up until Tattoo You. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted October 18, 2007 Members Share Posted October 18, 2007 If I had to choose three, it would be: 12 x 5Exile on Main StreetBeggar's Banquet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PFB Posted October 19, 2007 Members Share Posted October 19, 2007 I hear you on the "money grabbing" Stones stuff. I saw them on the Voodoo Lounge tour around '94, probably the worst concert I ever saw, to this day. I was a moderate Stones fan, until around '95 or '96 , when I first heard 'Exile On Main Street' at a Party (the whole album straight through). I was just amzed and mesmerised at the album as a whole. Country, Soul, Blues, Rockin songs - brilliant stuff I never even knew existed. They are a great band (obviously), but i think their Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Get Yer Ya Ya's, Sticky Fingers, Exile run is as good as any band has ever been in Rock. I am also a big fan of their 4 or 5 albums after that into the late 70s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HCarlH Posted October 19, 2007 Members Share Posted October 19, 2007 It's all pretty great up until Tattoo You. +1 After that, downhill except for Steel Wheels. 1975's Black and Blue was another dud. My first tour was in '81 on the Corporate Sellout Tour....I thought they were really OLD then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted October 19, 2007 Members Share Posted October 19, 2007 1975's Black and Blue was another dud. It was 1976. And ya know a lot of people say that it was a dud... but if you really go back and listen to that record there are maybe 2 or 3 songs that are just really, painfully awful. But if you take those out... geez, "Hand of Fate" is a great song, "Memory Motel", "Melody", "Crazy Mama"... most rock bands wouldn't kick those songs off their records I don't think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HCarlH Posted October 19, 2007 Members Share Posted October 19, 2007 It was 1976. And ya know a lot of people say that it was a dud... but if you really go back and listen to that record there are maybe 2 or 3 songs that are just really, painfully awful. But if you take those out... geez, "Hand of Fate" is a great song, "Memory Motel", "Melody", "Crazy Mama"... most rock bands wouldn't kick those songs off their records I don't think. Painfully awful tends to overshadow anything else. Harvey Mandel played the solos on Hot Stuff which is kinda cool and the tone is way cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted October 19, 2007 Members Share Posted October 19, 2007 Painfully awful tends to overshadow anything else. Ahhh, it's easy to skip over a couple of songs, and any album can have a song or two that you don't like. Doesn't mean the whole thing sucks. And really, "Hand of Fate" and "Memory Motel" are a couple of my favorites. Harvey Mandel played the solos on Hot Stuff which is kinda cool and the tone is way cool. You're right about that actually. A lot of people hate that song but I actually kind of like it, cuz yeah, the guitars are great, and it's got a great groove. Really, if you took "Fool To Cry" off that record there isn't a whole lot not to like. I still listen to it pretty often. Now Dirty Work... I never ever listen to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members treynolds Posted October 19, 2007 Members Share Posted October 19, 2007 In 1964 I was 10years old( man, am I old or what?) I saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show at my cousins house,she was a girl and older and i noticed how she reacted when she saw them even on TV.Then later that same year another cousin of mine that was a little older and pretty hip about music,( he also turned me on to James Brown) took me to a Rolling Stones concert at a now defunct amusement park in suburban Pittsburgh called West View Park.They didn't get a great crowd or reaction,but I remember clearly the sound ,the guitars and drums etc.(remember I was 10 yrs old) that moment was when I made the genius decision to learn guitar and be a musician. I was totally hooked(the first one is always free ya know) Thanks Keef.Anyhow I always have a soft spot for any Stones record new or old There is not one that doesn"t have a few gems on it ,and being an old fart myself I still always smile when they have a new release cause I just love the fact that they keep doin it. BTW guys thanks for detouring that great career I was destined for before I made music my goal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bob Keelan Posted October 23, 2007 Members Share Posted October 23, 2007 A guy who flys under the radar is Jimmy Miller who produced everything from Beggar's Banquet thru Goat's Head Soup. He was a drummer and added such vital stuff as the cowbell on Honky Tonk Women and the cool drums at the end of Tumbling Dice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted October 24, 2007 Members Share Posted October 24, 2007 Yeah Jimmy Miller was the man. He played drums on "You Can't Always Get What You Want," too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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