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.
