Like what you see? Help keep it going! This site runs on the support of readers like you. Your donation helps cover costs and keeps fresh Rolling Stones content coming your way every day. Thank you!
The Rolling Stones in the press:“Mick Jagger Says I’m No Solo Star, I Won’t Plug My Disc”
JAGGER’S “NO PROMO, NO PROBLEM” ATTITUDE Mick Jagger isn’t about to become a solo TV star anytime soon. When Decca released his single without the other Stones, he wasn’t thrilled—but he’s not mad either. He thinks the timing with the film release made more sense, but in true Mick style, he’s leaving the corporate decisions to the “big business men.” Basically, he’s cool with the single existing, just don’t expect him to strut around on TV promoting it.
“Well … I mean, I don’t wanna be a solo star or anything at all like that,” Mick Jagger began in his slow and yet precise lethargic drawl.
“If it had been left up to me, I just wouldn’t have put out ‘Memo To Turner’ as a single,” he continued, referring to this week’s rather mysterious rush-release of his first solo disc.
“Okay, so it’s quite a nice little record,” he deliberated, “but it’s just not commercial enough. It was done strictly as part of a ‘performance’ — and that’s all.”
NOT ON TV
So please don’t expect to see Mick’s satorially-attired presence on your television screens, cavorting about in bis most outrageous and flamboyant for, as far as Mick is concerned, Decca needn’t have bothered to release it. He confirmed that he has absoluteIy no intentions whatsoever of promoting it. Disenchanted, but not to the point of anger, with the logic of its release, he revealed rather nonchalantly: “You know, at first they were only going to put it out as a Rolling Stones single. That was until I out that none of the others were on it. If they were gonna bring it out at all they should have at least done it to coincide with the release of the film.” Then with tongue-in-cheek, he elaborated: “But you know me… I wouldn’t dream of telling all those big business men what they should do. ‘Cause as we all know they are so professional and know exactly what they are doing all of the time.”
When I dutifully enquired as to exactly when “Performance” would go on release, his immediate reply was: “No one can seem to get an answer to that one.”
QUICK CHAT
It’s not every day that Michael Philip Jagger rings you up for a quick chat. However, it wasn’t to be a peaceful tete- a-tete, for on two occasions we were by a mysterious third party. Thankfully this unknown American female quickly obeyed Mick’s request and got ofi the line. Recapping as to why Mick had in fact to cut “Memo To Turner” (sic) without the rest of the Stones, he informed me. “They just weren’t around at the time. So I did it with Stevie Winwood and Jim Capaldi. But when the tape was flown over to the States, the original backing track was erased and a new one, using American session men, substituted instead. In fact, I wasn’t there when they did it.”
The rush release of Jagger’s solo effort could probably be the last big fling before the Stones emerge with their very own label. At this time Mick was understandable evasive about revealing the title of the Stones debut single or for that matter the name of the label. But he did disclose that we would expect a new single from the before Christmas.
LP OUT, TOO
“We would have liked to have had the album out at the same time, but honestly I don’t think that it will be ready in time. So we’ll keep that for the New Year.” Trying to extract some more information, I promptly enquired if the new Stones’ single would in fact be a song called “Wild Horses,” which they recorded with a couple of members of the Flying Burrito Brothers in Muscle Shoals, and which at one time was on the short list as a possible single. “No . . we decided to recut it agaih over here. And it is included on the new album.” At that precise moment we were again interrupted by our mysterious American intruder. And with a final “Thanks for listening. I’ll see ya around,” Jagger was gone.
Like what you see? Help keep it going! This site runs on the support of readers like you. Your donation helps cover costs and keeps fresh Rolling Stones content coming your way every day. Thank you!
