Let It Bleed and Exile On Main Street remain my favorite two Rolling Stones albums and are considered to be two of the best rock albums of all time.
It was a different Rolling Stones that entered the studio to create Let It Bleed. Brian Jones had been fired from the band and only contributed on two tracks. He would be replaced by Mick Taylor, who also would contribute on two songs. Thus, it would be basically a four person quartet who would put this all time classic album together.
Mick Taylor would bring his blues guitar virtuosity to the group and prove to be the perfect foil to Keith Richards. While Taylor was not skilled at the seemingly endless number of instruments Brian Jones was, what he could do was play the guitar almost as well as anyone in the world. Taylor would force Keith Richards to be a better guitarist so as not to be embarrassed. This guitar duo of Richards and Taylor would be responsible for some of the of the best rock ‘n’ roll ever produced.
Mick Taylor’s first contribution to The Rolling Stones sound was on the classic single “Honky Tonk Women,” which was released several months before Let It Bleed. This brilliant song featured the dual guitars of Richards and Taylor, a solid foundation by Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman, and an inspired Mick Jagger vocal rocking above it all. “Honky Tonk Women” would be another single release only and not be included on the studio album.
“Gimme Shelter” is almost a companion piece to “Sympathy For The Devil.” It is another ominous song by The Stones that brings the 1960s to a close. The Stones were saying that flower power and the summer of love were gone and the Vietnam era had arrived. Merry Clayton’s screaming vocal compliments Mick Jagger and sets the tone for not only this album but for the next several years.
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Article comments
1 - JC Mosquito
Most bands would give their guitarists' left arm to make a album this good, esp. right after Beggars B, yet the Stones had at least two better ones in the works: Sticky Fingers & Exile - heck, maybe even a couple more down the road apiece.
The defining years of the worlds' greatest etc etc..... More Mick (Taylor), pleeze!
2 - Randyrocker
The Bobbys were the big deal, Bobby Vee, Bobby Darin, Bobby Rydell, Bobby Curtola, Bobby Vinton, and every other Bobby out there in record-land, along with Fabian, Dion and Jan and Dean, a crew cut Ivy League soda pop stand crowd, that tried to romance before and after the local dance hop ball. Getting a kiss, or getting a date was more important than getting good grades, receiving her acceptance was the one pass you counted on getting all year long, then came the Friday Night Club dance where everyone gathered to show off their partners dolled up and painted for the big night, wearing killers that killed their feet, or else, putting them in their purse only to reveal their barefoot dancing, as much as was allowed. I was the Disc Jockey and played the usual Bobby Soxer tunes of the evening, when a young pointed nosed beautiful captive blonde British babe, leaned her hair over my shoulder, and requested I play some tunes from her Album of "The Rolling Stones," an album, no one had ever heard before, yet alone had seen either. I looked in her eyes and melted, then I decided to play the record come what may. So on the turntable it went, and all of the Bobbys stopped, even the Bobbys on the dance floor, the hall went quiet, as "I'm a King Bee" played on. The school board Prof, came over and told me to turn that crap off and get back to playing the Bobbys, as he didn't want any unrest, and I was fired later that night, for going against the flow. From that moment on, I was a Rolling Stones fan, and have been ever since. I was once on stage with them when they later performed on tour, but that's a different story. They are nice people, and one of the best bands ever. Most of those Bobby Soxers, have faded away, but "Love is Lovin' Not Fade Away." 'Let it Bleed,' was a milestone in its time, as are just about all of the amazing Rolling Stones Records. God love them all.
3 - Rob
Nice review of "Bleed"; and some interesting comments.
So much can be said about this album; I'm glad MT is finally getting critical credit and his due after all these years. As great as Brian and the Stones were, and remain to this very day, clearly Taylor heightened the musical stakes for all parties; and the music Crystalized in a way that has never before nor since been heard.
I never understood why, when Wyman parted in '94, they didn't switch Ronnie to bass and bring MT back into the fold?
4 - JC Mosquito
A "discussion" of Ronnie vs. Mick T will bring out a whole other perspective on the Stones' lifework, or at least their fans' & critics' perspectives. I remember reading an article on Black an Blue, which was described as the audition album for Taylor's replacement, to which the author of that piece added, "And they didn't even pick the best guitarist." A loot of people might disagree.
5 - Andrew
... and sandwiched between Let it Bleed and Exile is Sticky Fingers. Including Beggars Banquet is there really any other four Albums from ANY band that can be put beside these four in Rock And Roll history!
6 - Mike Cormany
Yes. pleeeeze more about Mick Taylor. How that man can be almost forgotten by so-called Stone fans who think what they've been seeing for 30 years is a great rock n roll band is a mystery to me. That Greatest Rock n Roll Band in the World stuff left the day they let Taylor walk out the door. He helped write some of their best songs, single-handedly lifted them from a really good band to a world class great band - they had one of the best lead guitarists and -in my mind - the best slide guitarist on the planet and they let him walk over songwriting credits for ---- Ron Wood? I was a punk kid then and I'm approaching my "golden years" now and I still don't understand what the deal was. Keith, you're right - -you guys owe that man big-time -- its about time you paid the debt.