It’s Only Rock and Roll marked the end of a very prosperous era for the Rolling Stones both in terms of commercial sales and artistic creativity. Following a string of critically acclaimed albums from 1969-1973—most notably Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile on Main Street—It’s Only Rock and Roll serves up a healthy dose of straight 4/4 rockers, reggae, funk, gospel, and even jazz. For the most part, it's a dark, mysterious, and creative record. Measured against any of the three aforementioned albums, it comes up a bit short, but nonetheless merits a better than average grade (B).
Released in 1974, It’s Only Rock and Roll was the first album produced by Jagger and Richards since Beggar’s Banquet. It is also the last album that was recorded with lead guitarist Mick Taylor. In retrospect, Taylor ended up being the perfect guitarist to replace the late Brian Jones. Many fans of the group are quick to acknowledge that Taylor was a very essential and integral cog in shaping the music the Rolling Stones created in the early to mid 1970s; this is in stark contrast to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Jagger and Richards have always been reluctant to give Taylor the credit he rightly deserves.
Mick Taylor is an exceptional blues guitar player. But more importantly, he offered up a different instrumental landscape for Mick Jagger’s lyrics. Sure, he could bring the rock on songs like “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” and “Bitch,” but he also provides a nice Latin/jazz/groove on “Time Waits For No One." On a technical level, Taylor is more proficient than Richards, and it is Taylor’s playing that prodded Keith to play at a higher level. While that may have caused some friction within the band, Richards played with intensity and a sense of urgency alongside Taylor that has often been missing with his current partner, Ronnie Wood. Wood’s skills are more in step with Richards’, which allows Richards to sit back and settle in to a more familiar, but less adventurous style.
Article comments
1 - JC Mosquito
The Mick Taylor studio albuns are the best the Stones eve did - not just Sticky Fingers and Exile, but also including Goat's Head Soup and It's Only Rock and Roll. These last two are often referred to as uninspired, but with Taylor in tandem with Keef, the Stones' mere "product," though maybe not way ahead of the pack, was still in the running.