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: “The Stones Are Rolling Again!”
ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES Back in 1968 The Stones’ music was a raw reflection of their crazy life, especially when they were super anxious waiting for their trial verdict. Despite the stress, they somehow managed to write tunes. With new management, Mick even got some funky new offices in London, complete with sewing machines for desks! When asked if their next album would be as complicated as Their Satanic Majesties Request, an unnamed source said it was a mix of simple and clever stuff, proving the band was just changing direction, not losing their touch.
Since “We Love You” there has been an ominous silence from the general direction of the Stones, from whence we are used to hearing things loud and clear. However, since their re-emergence with “Jumping Jack Flash” it looks like all systems go again for the group. What happened during the lull before the electrical storm?
“We’ve been getting ourselves together,” said Mick, when I spoke to him recently at the Rolling Stones’ new London offices. “We had not played anywhere live for over a year—the last time was in Athens in 1967.
“We found a nice quiet rehearsal hall on the outskirts of London and, along with Jimmy Miller, we spent about three weeks rehearsing solidly. I began playing guitar on some of the sessions and we got together as often as we could. We were looking for new ideas, and new inspirations.”
Their new record producer Jimmy Miller elaborated: “The idea of spending so much time with the Stones was for me to feel the kind of musical attitudes and ideas that they had. This was the approach that I used when recording Traffic—to clue myself up on their own individual musical identities. I did not want to foist off my own style on them, but bring out the natural talent already there. “Jumping Jack Flash” was the result of this; it is the Stones as they should be, not something artificially created in a studio.”
DID MICK FAIL? Mick admitted that the reason he had chosen Jimmy to produce their next single and album was that he felt he was a record producer who was not on some weird kind of ego trip, but wanted to bring out the best in them.
“And I liked the kind of thing that Jimmy had produced with the early Spencer Davis group,” added Mick. Was the fact that Jimmy had been chosen to produce their records an admission of failure on Mick’s part, as he had produced their last album? “We cannot be in two places at once,” said Mick. “I can’t hear what we’re doing from the studio floor and be in the control room at the same time! What’s more, it’s very hard on the legs, dashing back and forth, and Keith hasn’t got a long enough lead from his guitar to get there!” Is “Jumping Jack Flash” in some ways a musical step backwards? “I think it’s a whole lot better than some of those lousy numbers we did like “Get Off My Cloud” and silly songs like “Little Red Rooster”, which got to number one, much to my amazement,” said Mick. The big bad Stone was obviously warming up!
Mick is aware of the fact that too much has been said too soon about some of the Stones’ future plans, like the idea he had for launching their own label, “Mother Earth”, on which Marianne is to have her next album released. “We’ve got a number of projects planned like that, but I tell someone about them and they shoot their mouth off too soon,” said Mick. “We’ve got our own film to think about on the theme of creation and destruction, and my film, in which I play a drop-out hippy. I took that role because it’s more than just a pop star role. But I’m not shooting my mouth off too soon about that either.”
HOW WILL THEY COMMUNICATE? Mick was highly delighted with the Stones’ first live appearance in eighteen months, at a huge Wembley concert. “It was just like old times,” said Mick. “In fact it was better than old times. We don’t want to go leaping about all over every available stage because of it though. It was just a good thing to do at the time, with our record coming out. “I could carry on doing what I’m doing now for the next thirty years, but I don’t want to end up playing “Satisfaction” from my wheel-chair! We have to look for new things.” Perhaps one of the strongest criticisms of the Stones’ past recording activities was against their “Satanic Majesties” album, which the critics claimed was too complex and lacked any kind of melodic originality. “You have to remember our frame of mind when we recorded that album,” said Mick. “We were going through one of the most anxious moments of our career. All our music has been written as a reflection of the time and experiences that we have gone through.” Bearing that in mind, it’s a wonder that, at that time, Jagger and Richard were able to write anything during those anxious days awaiting the out- come of their trial. In an attempt to really get the Stones’ rolling again under new management, Mick has acquired new offices in London’s West End and a young, aware and alert staff look after their business. The offices themselves are as in- dividual as the Stones. Employees sit behind converted sewing machines as desks, and old Victorian roll-top desks are scattered about.
The board room boasts a huge, old- fashioned kitchen dresser with jars of dried fruit, currants, apricots and other ‘niblets’ for guests to sample. Is their next album likely to be as complicated as “Satanic Majesties”? “We’ve got some nice simple things for the nice simple people, and nice clever things for the nice clever people,” said someone who shall re- main nameless. “It’s a mixture.” One thing is very certain. The Stones remain the most explosive musical force on the British beat scene and, despite a few dismal types who think they are rolling downhill, they are doing nothing more than changing direction.
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!
