1974 Throwback: The Rolling Stones in the Headlines

By Marcelo Sonaglioni on September 14, 2025

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The Rolling Stones in the Press: “Stones: All Over Now?”

STONES: BREAKUP RUMOURS IN ’74
Back in ’74, the press loved stirring the pot, and headlines screamed “Stones: All Over Now?” as if the greatest rock ’n’ roll band was about to crash. Truth is, the Stones thrived on that chaos—rumors, drama, and all. Far from being done, they kept rolling harder, proving critics wrong the only way they knew how: on stage, loud, raw, and unstoppable. Classic Stones—controversy only fueled the fire.

*From the New Musical Express, November 2 1974

*Click for more YESTERDAY’S PAPERS

Extract from an old man’s diary dated October 8, 2014.
… This morning I turned on my radio, the Rolling Stones were playing. Someone said “They’re losing their touch”
— STONED, Cheltenham.

FOR TEN YEARS or more now I have followed The Rolling Stones and thought of them as the ultimate rock band. However, after hearing the atrocious rubbish served up as their latest LP, I’m afraid that, for me anyway, they’re finished.

Apart from a brief revival with “Sticky Fingers” the band’s music, and songwriting in particular, has slowly deteriorated since “Let It Bleed” — but “It’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll” is the final insult. (Also I was absolutely sickened to see the group on the Old Grey Whistle Test recently, with Jagger poncing about like a cross between Donny Osmond and David Bowie.)

If Brian Jones can see and hear his old group now, he must be turning in his grave.
— ANON, Shipstone Road, Norwich.

Ah, 1974—the year the Rolling Stones were still riding high but also starting to feel the weight of their own excess. By this point, they had conquered the world, survived Altamont, buried Brian Jones (figuratively and literally), and turned into the ultimate rock ’n’ roll machine. But 1974 was a bit of a weird one. No new album, no major tour, just a band that seemed to be coasting on its past glory while partying their way through tax exile.

Mick Jagger was busy perfecting his role as an international jet-setter, hopping between London, New York, and wherever Bianca happened to be. Keith Richards? Well, he was still Keith—meaning he was knee-deep in whatever illicit substances were within reach, somehow still managing to function like the immortal riff machine he is. Meanwhile, Mick Taylor, the quiet guitar wizard, was getting more and more fed up with his lack of credit in the band. Spoiler alert: he wouldn’t last much longer.

Musically, they were gearing up for It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll, which would drop later that year. The title track, with its anthemic swagger, was a solid reminder that the Stones could still crank out hits in their sleep. But the sessions weren’t exactly smooth sailing—Jagger and Richards were butting heads, Taylor was getting frustrated, and there was a general sense that the band was teetering on the edge of something… though no one knew exactly what.

So yeah, 1974 wasn’t their most groundbreaking year, but let’s be real—the Stones in a “slow” year were still cooler than just about anyone else on the planet. They were messy, decadent, and slightly directionless, but they were still the undisputed kings of rock‘n’roll.

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