THE ROLLING STONES - IT'S ONLY ROCK 'N' ROLL @ 50

Celebrating its golden jubilee, at 50 years old today, it's the twelfth studio LP by The Rolling Stones, It's Only Rock 'n' Roll, which was released on October 18th, 1974. After something of a slump with their previous album, Goats Head Soup, It's Only Rock 'n' Roll was a bit of a refocusing of the band, albeit it would be the final outing for guitarist Mick Taylor, who would find himself edged out by Ronnie Wood.

In fact, the LP title and associated song would all come from Wood's work on a solo album that happened around the time the Stones were gearing up for their next album after completing a tour to support Goat's Head Soup. Ronnie Wood, a long-time acquaintance of the band, began to get closer to the Rolling Stones after he invited Mick Taylor to play on his debut solo album, I've Got My Own Album to Do. Taylor spent some time recording and hanging out at Wood's house, The Wick. By chance, Richards was asked one night by Wood's wife at the time, Krissy, to join them at the guitarist's home. While there, Richards recorded some tracks with Wood and quickly developed a close friendship, with Richards going as far as moving into Wood's guest room. Jagger soon entered the mix and it was here that the album's lead single and title track, "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)", was first recorded. Wood worked closely on the track with Jagger, who subsequently took the song and title for their album. The released version of this song features Wood on 12-string acoustic guitar.

The remainder of the album initially started out as a split concept, with the first side intended to be a set of cover versions of classic blues tunes, backed with a live B-side taken from their recent tour. However, while the band recorded several covers for this conception, only one was actually used for the album. Once they got recording and jamming, they soon found that the ideas for new, original songs were quickly percolating up, so the plan of a covers/live LP was scrapped, and an all new set of recordings was created.

As was the case with the previous album, Mick Taylor had been side-stepped when it came to receiving any writing credits for any of the songs, with all the original compositions being credited only to Jagger and Richards. There has since been conflicting comments from Taylor vs Jagger in terms of the assessment of his contributions, with the latter claiming his input was minimal. This certainly played a part in Taylor's decision to leave the group. The other factor was the band's opting not to tour to support the album, choosing instead to go right back into recording and preparation for their next album, what would become Black and Blue, the record that would debut Ron Woods as a full time permanent member of the band.

Another notable aspect of It's Only Rock 'n' Roll is the fact it was the first to be self produced by Keith and Mick, with regular producer Jimmy Miller stepping down from the role he'd filled since Beggars Banquet in 1968. By this point, "The Glimmer Twins", which was the name used for all future Jagger/Richards productions, felt that they had developed enough prowess in the studio to figure out how to get what they wanted. They had their own ideas about how to approach recording now, and didn't need the guidance of a third party.

The album, once it was released, did well enough commercially, hitting #1 in the US, but it stalled at #2 in the UK, breaking a string of #1 albums that stretched back to Let It Bleed in 1969. The title track and lead single also charted well in the UK, but failed to really catch fire in the US. Regardless, the song has since gone on to become a staple in the band's live sets throughout their career to the modern day. One of the most prominent promotional videos for the band of that era was made for this song, featuring the band in a tent, dressed in sailor suits, performing as the tent fills up with foaming soap bubbles. This is actually my earliest memory of seeing the band as a child.

Critical reception was definitely mixed, though on the measure, somewhat more positive than had been the case for the previous album. In the UK, NME voted the album as the second best album of the year, while in the US, gonzo music critic, Lester Bangs, said of the album, "The Stones have become oblique in their old age, which is just another word for perverse except that perverse is the corniest concept extant as they realized at inception... Soup was friendly and safe. I want the edge and this album doesn't reassure me that I'll get it, what a curious situation to be stuck in, but maybe that's the beauty of the Stones, hah, hah, kid? This album is false. Numb. But it cuts like a dull blade. Are they doing the cutting, or are we?"

Ultimately, the album marks a key turning point for the band as they settled into becoming the establishment entity that would sustain them as industry stalwarts for the next half century. The band became codified in their form and function after this, with the volatility and unpredictability baked out, making them a shelf-stable commodity that could be regularly banked on to provide a profitable tour every few years, and records that would sell enough to keep the machine rolling indefinitely.