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Keith Richards on making a solo album (1975)
“I’m not interested in solo albums. All these bands splintering up for individual members to record their own stuff seems pointless. First you come up against the problem of whether to hold back your best material for your album or the band’s next effort. I suppose in a few isolated cases it’s relevant but… I mean, there are thousands of good musicians but that’s as far as it goes, really. It takes more than just musicianship to substantiate a whole album.”
Making a solo album Keith? In 1988, Keith Richards (with The X-Pensive Winos, that is) finally launched his first solo album, Talk is Cheap, and let’s just say it wasn’t just the music that got people talking. After decades of being the quintessential sidekick to Mick Jagger in the Rolling Stones, Keith decided it was time to do his own thing. It wasn’t so much a split from the band as it was a chance for Keith to explore his musical ideas without having to answer to Mick.
The album showed a different side of Keith, one that went deeper into his rock ‘n’ roll roots with a raw, gritty sound. It was definitely more of a stripped-back, bluesy vibe compared to the polished Stones albums. Keith was clearly in his element, jamming with a tight group of musicians and giving fans a taste of what he’d been cooking up in his downtime.
However, there was a bit of tension brewing between him and Mick Jagger around this time. The two had always had a rocky relationship, but Keith’s solo album added fuel to the fire. Mick, who had released his own solo album a few years prior, wasn’t thrilled with Keith stepping out on his own. It was like a little unspoken competition between the two, with both trying to prove who could do what better. Keith’s solo debut showed that he could stand tall without Mick, and it seemed to irritate Jagger, who felt it was a challenge to his role as the frontman of the Stones.
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