The Rolling Stones - 1974 to 1982

In order to look for replacements for Taylor, The Rolling Stones used the Munich recording sessions to hold auditions. A lot of well known guitarists including Peter Frampton, Rory Gallagher, Shuggie Otis and Jeff Beck were auditioned. Keith Richards and Mick Jagger really wanted the band to stay a British one and this is how we got to Ron Wood. He jammed with the Stones and everybody immediately realized that he is the one that will replace Taylor. Till then Wood played live with Richards and contributed to the recording of "It's Only Rock 'n Roll". In 1976 Black and Blue was released, an album that featured the contributions of every single person that auditioned, willingly or not. At the beginning Ron Wood declined the offer to join The Rolling Stones because of already being a member of The Faces but this changed and he committed to the band for their Tour of the Americas in 1975. The official joining happened in 1976 when the Faces dissolved. What is interesting is that Wood stayed on salary till Wyman left around 20 years later. That is when he started having a full partnership with the band and became a full member.

In 1977 The Rolling Stones launched a live album called Love You Live (which reached UK number 3 and US number 5), the first live album since 1970. Once again Keith Richards caused some problems as he was arrested as he was found with possessing hash residue and a burnt spoon when arriving in Canada. It was Anita Pallenberg that pleaded guilty and was eventually fined for this incident. The problem was that at the moment of arresting Pallenberg the police also found 22 grams of heroin in Richards' room so he was charged with importing narcotics in the country. The official outcome was that Keith Richards got the drugs after entering Canada and this did not stop the band from partying and keeping on doing shows. The entire case with the drugs went on for a year and the result was Richards receiving a suspended sentence and forced to play 2 concerts for free.

The Rolling Stones were popular in the first half of the seventies but record sales failed to meet expectations and critics were not happy in their reviews. The late seventies showed an age that was influenced by punk music and the band started to be considered as aging with a music that was irrelevant and stagnant. Eventually The Stones launched Some Girls (which reached UK number 2 and US number 1). This album included hits like "Miss You", "Far Away Eyes", "Shattered" and "Beast of Burden". The recordings were fast, simple and basically rock and roll, an answer to punk. This made it possible for the band to re-gain popularity among teenagers and this turned into an invitation at Saturday Night Live.

After the US Tour 1978, the group did not tour Europe the following year, breaking the routine of touring Europe every three years that the band had followed since 1967. The eighties marked a new commercial high and the release of Emotional Rescue (which reached number 1 in UK and US). The problem with the album is that Richards was more sober than ever and started wanting more control in the studio. This created conflicts with Mick Jagger.

1981 saw The Rolling Stones deciding to tour the US. This meant that there was not a lot of time to record and write a new album. On the other hand, the result was Tattoo You (which reached US number 1 and UK number 2). The album had some outtakes, like "Start Me Up". On the other hand the American Tour in 1981 was the biggest of the Stones and most colorful as it saw them playing from September 25 to December 19 and being the best grossing tour of the year. Part of the shows were recorded. This led to the live album Still Life, released in 1982. It only reached number 4 in the UK and 5 in US but was still successful among fans.

The middle of 1982 marked the 20th anniversary of The Rolling Stones and as celebration they went to Europe in the European Tour 1982, the first one in 6 years. It was basiclly a copy of the 1981 American Tour but they were joined by Chuck Leavell and the end of the year marked the signing of a 28 million dollar 4-album contract with CBS Records.

The Rolling Stones - 1969 to 1974

Two days after the death of Brian Jones, The Rolling Stones were planned to play a free concert in Hyde Park, London. They did the gig as a tribute to Jones and the first ever concert with Mick Taylor happened in front of around 250 thousand fans. All was filmed by a production team of Granada Television and was shown on TV as Stones in the Park. This show featured the debut of "Honky Tonk Women", recently released by the band. Stage Manager Sam Cutler introduced the Rolling Stones then as "the greatest rock & roll band in the world" and this label kept getting repeated in the entire 1969 tour and is even used today.

In December of the same year the band released "Let it Bleed", which reached number 1 in the UK and 3 in US. This was the last album of the sixties and featured tracks like "Midnight Rambler" and "Gimme Shelter". After the tour was over the band staged the Altamont Free Concert where the biker gang Hells Angels were used as security. The problem then was that a fan, Meredith Hunter, was stabbed and beaten to death by the Angels and the band was considered responsible although video footage released proved that Mick Jagger and the rest of the band tried to stop everything. In 1970 the next album, "Get Yer Ya-Yas Out!" was released and reached number 6 in US and 1 in UK. Critic Lester Bangs declared that album to be the best live album ever.

1970 saw the contracts with Decca Records and Allen Klein come to an end and the result was the band forming their own record company called Rolling Stones Records. March 1971 saw the release of "Sticky Fingers", an album that reached number one both in UK and US and marked the first ever album by the band under their own label. The album was highly successful and features two of the most well known tracks by The Rolling Stones: "Wild Horses" and "Brown Sugar". This album marked the band's entrance into a more blues influenced style and was actually the first band that featured a full release of Mick Taylor with the band.

After the album was released the Rolling Stones moved to the South of France at the advice of financial advisors. They used the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio in order to hold recording sessions in the basement of the Villa Nellcote, rented by Keith Richards. Everything was completed later on and combined with previous unrecorded tracks the result was "Exile on Main St.", released in May of 1972, an album that also reached number one in both US and UK. Critic Robert Christgau gave the album an A+ rating and at the moment "Exile on Main St." is considered to be one of the best ever albums by the Stones.

November 1972 saw the start for the recordings of the follow up album, "Goats Head Soup", another number one hit in US and UK, which was released in 1973. The album features worldwide hit "Angie" and "Waiting for a Friend", although the second one was only released later on, on the album "Tattoo You", eight years later. While making the record another legal battle started, one linked with drugs and dating to the band's stay in France. Jagger was convicted on drug charges in 1967 and 1970 and this made it hard for the band to fulfill their plans for the Pacific Tour in the early 1973 period. They were not allowed to play in Japan and were almost banned in Australia. The result was a European tour that avoided France in the months of September and October of 1973.

The following album was recorded in Musicland studios in Germany and was called "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll", an album that reached number 2 in UK and 1 in US. The album was not produced by Jimmy Miller due to drug abuse problems so the album was produced by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. Near the end of 1974 the band was facing difficult times as band members lived in various countries and there were some legal problems that made it hard to choose the tour locations. At the moment, Keith Richards did do drug abuse and this was affecting both productivity and creativity. Mick Taylor had some problems because he thought some of his contributions were not recognized and at the end of 1974 Taylor left the Rolling Stones. He stated in 1980:

"I was getting a bit fed up. I wanted to broaden my scope as a guitarist and do something else... I wasn't really composing songs or writing at that time. I was just beginning to write, and that influenced my decision... There are some people who can just ride along from crest to crest; they can ride along somebody else's success. And there are some people for whom that's not enough. It really wasn't enough for me."

The Rolling Stones - I Can't Get No Satisfaction

Released in 1965 on the “Out of Our Heads” album, “I can’t get No satisfaction” is a product of Keith Richards’ dreams while staying at the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater, Florida. He woke up with the guitar riff and the name of the song on his mind, he recorded them and then went back to sleep – it seems that besides the riff and the lyric, on the tape there was recorded also his snoring.

Richards was worried that the song resembled Martha and The Vandellas “Dancing in the street” and that the band could be sued. Fortunately this didn’t happen and the song became one of the most famous of all times, ranked for several times #1.

The Stones wanted to release the song first in the US and then, after 3 months in the UK only they could be there to support it. They left their British fans to grow on them more and more in that time so that when they come in the UK, they would receive it strongly.

Richards (1992): "It was the first (fuzztone box) Gibson made. I was screaming for more distortion: This riff's really gotta hang hard and long, and we burnt the amps up and turned the s--t up, and it still wasn't right. And then Ian Stewart went around the corner to Eli Wallach's Music City or something and came around with a distortion box. Try this. It was as off-hand as that. It was just from nowhere. I never got into the thing after that, either. It had a very limited use, but it was just the right time for that song."

Mick Jagger (1995): "People get very blase about their big hit. It was the song that really made the Rolling Stones, changed us from just another band into a huge, monster band. You always need one song. We weren't American, and America was a big thing and we always wanted to make it here. It was very impressive the way that song and the popularity of the band became a worldwide thing. It's a signature tune, really, rather than a great, classic painting, 'cause it's only like one thing - a kind of signature that everyone knows. It has a very catchy title. It has a very catchy guitar riff. It has a great guitar sound, which was original at that time. And it captures a spirit of the times, which is very important in those kinds of songs... Which was alienation. Or it's a bit more than that, maybe, but a kind of sexual alienation. Alienation's not quite the right word, but it's one word that would do."

Anybody Seen My Baby?

"Anybody Seen My Baby?" is one of the songs on the Bridges to Babylon album by the Rolling Stones, one of most famous Rock bands of all times. It was evolved in copyright scandal because of its similarity to Lang’s hit "Constant Craving" forcing Jagger and Richards to give him credit for the song. This seemed at the time the easiest way out of a lawsuit.

The stones used different musical influences to create this “Bridges to Babylon” song, such as hip-hop from Biz Markie. The band didn’t really cared for sampling so they didn’t do it a lot; actually “Anybody Seen My Baby” is one of few such song and the album that included it is the one of this kind. You can feel some R&B in the song made by Muhoberac’s bass but still remains a rock song - the electric guitars performed by Jagger, Richards and Wachtel are a statement cu that fact!

“Anybody Seen My Baby?" took a world tour in 2007 being sung by millions of people that considered it worthy to be #3 in European charts on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks. America was of course dazzled with it! If you already didn’t know, the character in the video is played by Angelina Jolie! She was supposed to be a stripper that leaves mid-performance to wander around in New York.

"Anybody Seen My Baby?" is the only song from the Babylonian album to get a place on the Rolling Stones’ 2002 career retrospective - Forty Liks. It is another statement of the Stones greatness to concur the world with their tones and riffs. They really succeeded to get the world wrapped around their finger and become its musical god for more than two decades!

And just because this is one of my favorite Rolling Stones track, here is the video of it:

The Rolling Stones - Between The Buttons

Released in 1967, Between the Buttons is the fifth UK and seventh US studio album by The Rolling Stones, following the great “Aftermath” album. it was a time of need for change when the Stones created this album: they were getting rid of R&B influences and other bands were releasing competitive albums that could minimize their success. They had to come up with something to keep their fans and gather more.

The Beetles come up with the “Revolver”, The Beach Boys had their “Pet Sounds” and Bob Dylan was singing “Blonde and Blonde”. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards had to catch their fans from leaving them for other bands and also come up with something to overtake the “Aftermath”. They inspired from a British pop band “The Kinks” and so “Between the Buttons” was born. Although after some time Jagger denounced the album, critics over time still considered it a valuable album for the Stones career and also a “curio”.

Reaching the top #3 in UK, “Between the Buttons” had some different versions for UK and US, just like “Aftermath”. The album was produced by Andrew Loog Oldham and issued on Decca Records, nowadays along with the “Let’s Spend the Night Toghether” and “Ruby Tuesday”. The fans and critics took the songs on the album quite well. In the US, things were better than in the UK, “Ruby Tuesday” going to #1 and pushing the whole album as #2 – a gold position.

Regarding the instruments used to create this album, Brian Jones used exotic instruments along the guitar: harmonica, trumpet, the banjo-ukulele. Another fact about the “Between the Buttons” is that it was the last produced by Andrew Loog Oldham because of some supposed arguments he had with the band members.

Although after its release it wasn’t all that astonishing, “Between the Buttons” is looked now as very valuable to the music industry and the band’s style. In 2003, it was ranked #355 in the Rolling Stones magazine in a top 500 greatest albums of all times.

The Rolling Stones Between 1965 and 1969

The first ever composition by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards that reached number one in UK was "The Last Time", recorded in early 1965. Then came the US version of the "Out of Our Heads" LP, which contained 7 original songs including "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", which became the first ever number one hit in US. It stayed on the top spot for 4 weeks while making the Rolling Stones known across the world. After a short time the Rolling Stones released another number one, "Get Off of My Cloud".

The first ever album that was composed by Richards and Jagger was Aftermath and it appeared in the late spring of 1966, reaching number 1 in UK and 2 in US. This album also marked the change in leadership of the band from Brian Jones to the songwriting duo. The version of the LP that was launched in US also included huge song "Paint it Black", "Going Home" and "Lady Jane".

This is where problems started to appear for the Rolling Stones as Brian Jones, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger started to be attacked by authorities in linking with illegal drug use. In 1967 police raided a party that was held at Keith RIchards' house. Both Richards and Jagger were charged with drug offences. COncerning the incident Richards declared in 2003:

"When we got busted at Redlands, it suddenly made us realize that this was a whole different ball game and that was when the fun stopped. Up until then it had been as though London existed in a beautiful space where you could do anything you wanted."

The Rolling Stones continued to grow though and the next album was Between the Buttons (number 3 in UK and 2 in US). Once again we had a special US version that included two huge Rolling Stones singles in "Let's Spend the Night Together" and one of my favorites, "Ruby Tuesday". One interesting moment was when the Stones performed on The Ed Sullivan Show but were forced to change the chorus to "Let's Spend Some Time Together" because of fear of censorship. This album was the last one that saw Oldham as manager of The Stones and in his biography he stated that he left the band because of shortage of money, forcing him to give his management contract to others. Mick Jagger said in 2003 about this moment:

"The reason Andrew left was because he thought that we weren't concentrating and that we were being childish. It was not a great moment really - and I would have thought it wasn't a great moment for Andrew either. There were a lot of distractions and you always need someone to focus you at that point, that was Andrew's job."

May 1967 saw Brian Jones arrested for possession of cannabis. He got off with just a fine but he needed to seek professional help. June 27 of the same year saw Richards and Jagger convicted and then jailed. After an editorial critical on the convictions in The Times, titled "Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?", Richards got off on an appeal and Jagger had a conditional discharge. When they were released the band recorded "We love You", as a thank you addressed to the fans that have shown their loyalty during the trials.

In December of 1967 The Rolling Stones released "Their Satanic Majesties Request" (which reached number 3 in UK and 2 in US), being released shortly after The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". The album was hard to record as Jones, Richards and Jagger kept getting in and out of jail. Mick Jagger really loved the psychedelic sound of the album but few of the tracks on it have been played live. It was also the first album that was produced by the band.

The early 1968 period saw The Rolling Stones with a new manager in Allen Klein. The first months of the year were spent recording for the next album and the result was "Jumpin' Jack Flash", which was released in May 1968. This song lead to the launch of the next album, "Beggars Banquet" (which reached number 5 in US and 3 in UK). This album was a return to the blues roots of the band with the help of producer Jimmy Miller. Two songs from the album really stand out in "Street Fighting Man" and controversial "Sympathy for the Devil". Talking about the difference between the two albums, Keith Richards declared:

"There is a change between material on Satanic Majesties and Beggars Banquet. I'd grown sick to death of the whole Maharishi guru shit and the beads and bells. Who knows where these things come from, but I guess [the music] was a reaction to what we'd done in our time off and also that severe dose of reality. A spell in prison... will certainly give you room for thought... I was fucking pissed with being busted. So it was, 'Right we'll go and strip this thing down.' There's a lot of anger in the music from that period."

This time frame marked Richards starting to use open tunings, especially 5-string open-G tuning, as you can hear on popular songs like "Tumbling Dice", "Happy", "Start Me Up", "Brown Sugar" and a whole lot more.

A meeting that was held in June saw an important moment in The Rolling Stones' history. In a meeting at Jones' house with Jagger, Watts and Richards. This is when Brian Jones admitted that he will not be able to go on the road again and he was dealing with serious drug problems. He left the band and was replaced with 20 year old Mick Taylor, known as a member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. On July 3rd of 1969 Brian Jones drowned in his pool at Cotchford Farm in SUssex. This marked the end of this period of the Rolling Stones' history!

The Beginning of The Rolling Stones

The year 1951 saw Mick Jagger and Keith Richards at classmates ate Wentworth Primary School. The next year Richards attended Sidcup Art College and Jagger The London School of Economics. The two joined mutual friend Dick Taylor and formed Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys. Brian Jones and Ian Stewart were very active at the time in the London rhythm and blues scene that was fostered by Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies. Brian Jones met Mick Jagger and Keith Richards while he was playing slide guitar with Korner's Blues Inc. One interesting fact is that Korner hired Jagger from time to time and Charlie Watts on a frequent basis. The first ever rehearsal was organized by Brian Jones and saw Stewart, Richards and Jagger. Then, in 1962 we had a lineup of Jagger, Stewart, Taylor, Jones, Richards and Tony Chapman. Eventually Taylor left the group and Brian Jones was the one that gave the band the name The Rollin' Stones, which came after Muddy Waters' song "Rollin' Stone".

The first regular gig the band had was on July 12th 1962 at the Marquee club in central London. The line up at that time was Brian Jones, Richards, Mick Jagger, Tony Chapman on drums, Taylor on bass and Stewart on piano. Jones wanted that the band will mainly play Chicago blue although Richards and Jagger are responsible for bringing in the rock and roll style of Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry. December of that year meant that Bill Wyman joined the band together with Charlie Watts, which came in January.

The first manager of the Rolling Stones was Giorgio Gomelsky and he booked them to play at Crawdaddy Club and they did that for around 8 months. Their fan base became interesting and it even included the Beatles. It was the Beatles that recommended the Stones to Andrew Loog Oldham and this saw the band signing a management deal with Eric Easton. Decca Records then signed the Stones at the persuasion of George Harrison. The first EP and album, both bearing the name of the band, were composed of covers from the live repertoire of the band. We also saw the first ever Rolling Stones Top 40 single, written by Richards and Jagger and entitled "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)". This marked the beginning of the Rolling Stones as a growing band!

The Rolling Stones Sympathy for the Devil

Sympathy for the Devil is the name of a well known The Rolling Stones song, which appeared as the first track on the 1968 album: Beggars Banquet. The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, although most of it was composed by Jagger. There were early inspirations that led the Rolling Stones to a folk sound. Talking about it Jagger said in an interview in 1995:

"I think that was taken from an old idea of Baudelaire's, I think, but I could be wrong. Sometimes when I look at my Baudelaire books, I can't see it in there. But it was an idea I got from French writing. And I just took a couple of lines and expanded on it. I wrote it as sort of like a Bob Dylan song."

The truth is that the lyrics were inspired by a novel named The Master and Margarita, written by Mikhail Bulgakov. Keith Richards also suggested to Mick Jagger that they add backing percussion, thus transforming Sympathy for the Devil in a samba from a folk song.

Sympathy for the Devil is sung by Mick Jagger in the first person narrative as if he was Lucifer: "Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste;". These are the opening words of the sung and show the direct inspiration Jagger had from The Master and Margarita. The song is backed by a rock arrangement and the singer tells the exploits he had over the course of history, warning the listener: "If you meet me, have some courtesy, Have some sympathy, and some taste; Use all your well-learned politesse, Or I'll lay your soul to waste" .

The problem with Sympathy for the Devil was that religious groups started to think that the Rolling Stones were devil worshipers, together with corrupting the youth. On the other hand, you can interpret Sympathy for the Devil as the Devil being man. The song actually provides a brief history of atrocities committed by man against man. Wars of religion are mentioned, the Russian Revolution of 1917, the purported survival of Anastasia, World War 2 and more. Sympathy of the Devil is considered by most as a criticism towards human kind immorality. We can also think that the song says that it was the Devil that caused man to do all the bad deeds of the past. Sympathy for the Devil also comes with references to the deaths of Robert and John Kennedy.

There was also a Remix album of Sympathy For the Devil by The Rolling Stones, which featured:

1. "Sympathy for the Devil" - The Neptunes radio edit
2. "Sympathy for the Devil" - The Neptunes extended remix
3. "Sympathy for the Devil" - Fatboy Slim radio edit
4. "Sympathy for the Devil" - Fatboy Slim extended remix
5. "Sympathy for the Devil" - Full Phatt radio edit
6. "Sympathy for the Devil" - Full Phatt extended remix
7. "Sympathy for the Devil" - Original Rolling Stones version

Mick Jagger - Goddess in the Doorway

"Goddess in the Doorway" is the name of Mick Jagger's fourth solo album, released in 2001. It was the first release he had under Virgin Records. Ever since 1991 he had a connection with the label as The Rolling Stones were signed by it. This follow up to 1993's "Wandering Spirit" comes after the band released "Bridges to Babylon in 1997 and after the "Bridges to Babylon Tour". Demo material for "Goddess in the Doorway" was recorded in 2000 and it took until the spring of 2001 for the album to come out. The main producers of the material were himself, Marti Frederiksen and Matt Clifford but Jagger also included young talents like Wyclef Jean and Marti Frederiksen in the mix. Songwriting was mostly signed by mick but there was work with other collaborators like Kravitz and Rob Thomas.

What is interesting is that many of Jagger's friends joined him on this project. This included Pete Townshend, Thomas, Lenny Kravitz, Bono, Wyclef Jean and Joe Perry. Few people know that Townshend was actually the initiating man behind the album. He heard of Mick's demos and spoke to him, saying that they did not sound like The Rolling Stones and that the singer should make a solo album out of them. The end of the summer marked the completion of "Goddess in the Doorway" and "God Gave Me Everything" was chosen as the lead single during October. This track was not very successful but the album, released the following month, received the strongest reviews Jagger ever got, including the material with The Rolling Stones. As expected, Keith Richards attacked the album and called it "Dogshit in the Doorway". He was never comfortable with Mick's solo career ever since it started in 1985, so this was no surprise.

Although critics loved the album, "Goddess in the Doorway" only reached number 44 in UK and number 39 in the US. Although this was the case with the album, it is still considered one of the best Jagger ever recorded as a solo artist. After the album, the singer returned to work with The Rolling Stones on "Forty Licks" and "A Bigger Bang", each followed by impressive tours.

Track List:

1. "Visions Of Paradise"
2. "Joy"
3. "Dancing In The Starlight"
4. "God Gave Me Everything"
5. "Hide Away"
6. "Don't Call Me Up"
7. "Goddess in the Doorway"
8. "Lucky Day"
9. "Everybody Getting High"
10. "Gun"
11. "Too Far Gone"
12. "Brand New Set Of Rules"

Mick Jagger - Wandering Spirit

Mick Jagger's third solo studio album is "Wandering Spirit". It was released in 1993 and marks the only solo release he did in the nineties. Mick tried to re-introduce himself as a solo artist in a surrounding that was definitely changed since his last two projects, "She's The Boss" and "Primitive Cool".

The Rolling Stones recently came from a successful comeback with Steel Wheels, and this was when Keith Richards and Mick Jagger had a very well known feud. That is why Mick started collecting material for "Wandering Spirit". January 1992 saw the singer start recording the project in Los Angeleswith Rick Rubin as co-producer. The whole process took seven months and in September 1992 it was all done. This came as Keith Richards was doing a solo project of his own, "Main Offender". On "Wandering Spirit" there are no celebrities included as featuring acts. The only one that Jagger collaborated with when it comes to voice was Lenny Kravitz on the cover of Bill Withers' track "Use Me". The second and last celebrity on the disc is bassist Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers on three tracks.

At that time The Rolling Stones had finished their contract with Sony Music. The band signed with Virgin Records. Mick Jagger eventually signed with Atlantic Records. "Wandering Spirit" was to be his only album with this label and was released in February 1993. Commercially speaking the disc was a success. It reached number 12 in UK and number 11 in USA, together with going gold there. "Sweet Thing" was the track that turned out to be the album's lead single and all together the project brought strong critical reaction. This came mainly because Mick Jagger gave up on synthesizers and took in lean and incisive guitar sounds.

Nowadays analysts consider "Wandering Spirit" as an important point in Mick Jagger's eventual career achievements, together to the follow up in 2001 with "Goddess in the Doorway".

Track Listing:

1. "Wired All Night"
2. "Sweet Thing"
3. "Out Of Focus"
4. "Don't Tear Me Up"
5. "Put Me In The Trash"
6. "Use Me"
7. "Evening Gown"
8. "Mother Of A Man"
9. "Think"
10. "Wandering Spirit"
11. "Hang On To Me Tonight"
12. "I've Been Lonely For So Long"
13. "Angel In My Heart"
14. "Handsome Molly"

Mick Jagger - Primitive Cool

"Primitive Cool" is the name of the second solo album signed by Mick Jagger. It was released on the 14th of September 1987 and was recorded in 2 sessions, the first between the 17th of November 1986 and the 18th of December 1986 and the second between January and May 1987. As you could expect, it incorporated rock genre songs and has a length of 42 minutes and 20 seconds. It was the follow up to the successful "She's the Boss" CD launched in 1985 and was produced by Mick Jagger, Keith Diamond and David A. Stewart.

The album was supposed to boost Mick Jagger's solo career even more but sparks flew between him and Keith Richards because the singer refused to tour with The Rolling Stones to promote their album, "Dirty Work", launched in 1986. The reason was starting work on "Primitive Cool". Both men made strong comments in the media at that time.

The joined forces between Mick Jagger, Eurythmics guitarist and songwriter David A. Stewart and Keith Diamond were pretty strong at the time. Jeff Beck was used as the regular guitarist on the album.

The lead single was released in September 1987 and was "Let's Work". Public reaction was not as hot as with "She's the Boss". "Primitive Cool" only reached number 26 in the UK tops and number 41 in the USA. Both "Let's Work" and follow up single "Throwaway" were not strong hits. Mick Jagger only toured the album in Australia and Japan, while the UK and USA were avoided.

"Primitive Cool" was released by CBS and was eventually bought and re-issued by Atlantic Records in 1993, after the release of Mick Jagger's third album, "Wandering Spirit"

Track List:

1. "Throwaway"
2. "Let's Work"
3. "Radio Control"
4. "Say You Will"
5. "Primitive Cool"
6. "Kow Tow"
7. "Shoot Off Your Mouth"
8. "Peace For The Wicked"
9. "Party Doll"
10. "War Baby"

If you want to purchase the album see if it is available online:

Mick Jagger - She's The Boss

"She's the Boss" is Mick Jagger's solo debut album launched in 1985. The Rolling Stones signed a contract with CBS Records in 1983 that had a special option available for the members of the band to record solo albums. Mick Jagger took the offer and started working on his first album.

After The Rolling Stones launched their "Undercover" album, Jagger started composing music for the solo project with the help of different musician friends. The actual recording started in May 1984. Individuals involved include Jeff Beck, Carlos Alomar, Pete Townshend and Nile Rodgers.

Mick Jagger was very aware of the musical influences of the time and took complete advantage of his freedom. This is why he made "She's the Boss" an album that was very contemporary and used drum machines and synthesizers.

As expected, Keith Richards was not very pleased that Mick started doing solo work and he felt was important is to emphasize on The Rolling Stones. There was an open conflict between the two in 1986 that took two years to settle down. We could say that this album was filled with controversy, just like Jagger's life.

The lead song for "She's the Boss" was "Just Another Night", an instant hit at the time. The album and the single quickly became worldwide hits. The single reached Number 6 in US Top 10 and the album got to Number 6 in UK and Number 13 in USA, where it went platinum. The follow up was single "Lucky in Love", a top 40 US hit at the time. Critical response was very warm and the album was an overall success.

If you want to purchase the album see if it is available online:

Mick Jagger

When we talk about Mick Jagger we need to refer to him as Sir Michael Philit "Mick" Jagger. He was born on the 26th of July 1943 and can be catalogued as an actor, record and film producer, songwriter, businessman and of course a rock musician. There is no denying that he is one of the world's most famous celebrities and that is of course because he is the front man of The Rolling Stones for so many years now.

Early Life

Mick Jagger was not born rich. His family was in the middle-class of England. Basil Fanshawe Jagger was his father (born 6 April 1913 - death 11 November 2006) and Eva Ensley Mary Scutts, an Australian immigrant to England (born 6 April 1913 - death 18 May 2000) was his mother. Both Mick Jagger's parents were active members of the Conservative Party.

The soon to become rock star was the older of two sons and was supposed to join the career of his father (teacher). Mick Jagger said at one point:

"I was always a singer. I always sang as a child. I was one of those kids who just liked to sing. Some kids sing in choirs; others like to show off in front of the mirror. I was in the church choir and I also loved listening to singers on the radio - the BBC or Radio Luxemburg - or watching them on TV and in the movies."

His academical life was very successful until he quit the London School of Economics to pursue a musical career. What was sad is the fact that Jagger got a scholarship to study here and there are rumors running around that he was actually kicked out because he rode a motorcycle inside the library. This was never confirmed!

Mick Jagger's parents did not approve of his move and his wish to follow music, maybe because at that time there was not a belief that you could have a long career in music. As he was young Jagger had two bands: "Little Boy Blue" and "Blue Boys". As most young bands, they had no success.

Mick Jagger's first connection with what was to become The Rolling Stones came because of similar music tastes. He, Brian Jones and Keith Richards admired the same musicians. He said:

"I had a number of friends who had their own record collections, so we used to go round to their houses and listen to them there... We played everything and anything - that's how you learn... It was all a bit like trainspotting."

Keith Richards and Mick Jagger were schoolmates but the two only reunited after Richards saw Jagger with a blues record and asked where he bought it from. The two joined forces with Ian Stewart, Charlie Watts and Jones to form The Rolling Stones, a name that came from Muddy Waters’ song “Rollin’ Stone”.

Mick Jagger in The Rolling Stones

Jagger was not a success with The Rolling Stones at the start. He was not used to the stage and his presence was not that strong. As with any band at that time all the members started to learn how to raise a crowd by imitating other artists. Mick also learned from different singers while The Rolling Stones toured with different English artists. That is how he developed his own style and eventually started writing songs with Keith Richards, creating a strong friendship between the two. Brian Jones, the main member of the Stones at the time, eventually got isolated as he was not able to contribute to the writing process.

1967 was a difficult year for Mick Jagger. He and Keith Richards were arrested with charges of drug possession thanks to a raid on Keith’s house. It was alleged then that singer Marianne Faithfull was found naked there and it was revealed that the raid was provoked by a tip-off to the London Drug Squad by journalists working for “News of the World”. The problem was that Jagger was mistaken by a journalist with Brian Jones, making the singer sue “News of the World” for defamation. The songwriting duo was eventually found guilty and was released after an appeal. During this period Richards and Jagger took over as the leaders of The Rolling Stones as Brian Jones started abusing drugs and his incapability of writing songs became a reality.

As time passed The Rolling Stones became more and more popular and eventually Mick Jagger and his friend, Prince Rupert Lowenstein, took over the business management of the band. The group continued to be successful and cause controversy.

Controversy

Mick Jagger was an individual that caused controversy and the entire The Rolling Stones band was like that. The “A Bigger Bang” album included the song “Sweet Neo Con”, in which Jagger attacked the George W. Bush presidency. In February 2006 the band played the Super Bowl and Jagger was asked to omit some words with sexual connotations from two songs. As expected, he did not and his microphone was temporarily dipped.

At the Stones Altamont Free Concert in California there were accounts that the Hells Angels were hired to be security for a fee of $500 and free beer. This story was denied by the ones involved and Sam Cutler, the Stones’ road manager declared:

“The only agreement there ever was...the Angels would make sure nobody f@#$ with the generators, but that was the extent of it. But there was no 'They're going to be the police force' or anything like that. That's all bollocks.”

Problems appeared because Hells Angels injured several fans and even killed one young black man. There were allegations that they also sold drugs at the concert. Rumors had it that Mick Jagger in particular did not try to stop the violence and even encouraged it by singing “Sympathy for the Devil” while the man died. This was not correct as this song was played 4 songs before the man was stabbed and the incident took place while the Rolling Stones was singing “Under My Thumb”. Other unfounded rumors stated that Mick Jagger was actually racist and did not want a black fan at his concert. Video tapes show that the singer tried to calm the audience and put an end to the violence. Jagger is also a vocal anti-racist.

Outside Music Activities

Mick Jagger was signed to appear as himself in a sitcom that was supposed to be called “Let’s Rob Mick Jagger”. It was eventually renamed as “The Knights of Prosperity” and Mick guest starred in the premiere episode on January 3, 3007.

Mick’s most notable acting appearance was in Nicolas Roeg’s “Performance” (1968). In 1980 he was also cast as a main character in “Fitzcarraldo”, although he was not able to continue as the movie had production delays and when it was finally possible Jagger was busy with a band tour.
Jagger also starred in 2 art films: “Bent” and “The Man From Elsyian Fields” and appeared in “Freejack” as well. In 1995 Mick founded Jagged Films with Victoria Pearman in order to

“Start my own projects instead of just going in other people's and being involved peripherally or doing music.”

The first release of the company was “Enigma” in 2001. Paramount Pictures eventually announced that Jagger will work with Martin Scorsese to produce a new movie called “The Long Player”.

Mick Jagger’s Solo Albums:

February 1985 – “She’s the Boss”
September 1987 – “Primitive Cool”
February 1993 – “Wandering Spirit”
November 2001 – “Goddess in the Doorway”
October 2007 – “The Very Best of Mick Jagger”

Sir Mick Jagger

At the age of 60 Mick Jagger was knighted on December 12th 2003, for his "services to popular music". This came as an incredible accomplishment as he lived most of his life as a rock icon and a symbol of rebelliousness.

Keith Richard's answer to this was:

"I thought it was ludicrous to take one of those gongs from the establishment... it's not what the Stones is about, is it? I don't want to step out on stage with someone wearing a f@#$ coronet and sporting the old ermine. I told Mick, it's a fucking paltry honour."

Mick Jagger answered:

"I think he would probably like to get the same honour himself. It's like being given an ice cream — one gets one and they all want one. It's nothing new. Keith likes to make a fuss."

As expected, the action was not popular and it did bring several angry letters to The Daily Telegraph and other different publications. Many people believed that by giving such an honor to a person like Jagger all the previous receivers of the award are denigrated.