This has most likely been covered before, but in the early years of the Stones, Mick never played guitar in concert. He was the vocalist/front man. He might have played maracas or tambourine, eventually playing harmonica, but never guitar. So, now he plays guitar at just about every show. When did that begin? Frankly, I have never considered him a guitarist. Why do you suppose he does it? Do you think his guitar playing actually adds anything significant to the mix? He is still the greatest front man, and what he does at his age is truly remarkable. But, why the need to play guitar?

As an aside, when Charlie allegedly punched him, he DIDN'T say, "You're my guitarist", he supposedly said, "You're my vocalist". Of course, whether that incident is fact or fiction is open to debate!

Fingerprint File 1975?

He played guitar on almost all the some girls tracks. I've never seen him play as much guitar as he did on the '78 US tour

No idea, but I wish he'd stop it. If he wants to do it in the studio, cool, but on-stage his playing adds nothing whatsoever and (in my opinion) actually detracts from the rest of his performance. He'd be much more compelling both to watch and listen to on songs like No Expectations and You Can't Always Get What You Want if he didn't insist on playing guitar on them.

FWIW

I don't think (Mick) thinks he needs anybody's help. But I wonder if he's realized that he's way out on a limb. I feel like I'm his only friend. I know the way he lives. I know everybody else who knows him. I know that Charlie Watts dished him out a great @#$%& right hook and that was Charlie Watts saying, You and I have had it. It was 1984 or '85 (actually, October 1984, during a band meeting before the start of the Stones' recording sessions for Dirty Work in January 1985) and... Charlie punched him into a plate full of smoked salmon and he almost floated out the window along the table into a canal in Amsterdam. I just grabbed his leg and saved him from going out... (The fight) was about absolutely nothing. I had taken Mick out for a drink in Amsterdam, so at 5 in the morning, he came back to my room. He's drunk by now, Mick drunk is a sight to behold. Charlie was fast asleep. Is that my drummer? Why don't you get your arse down here? Charlie got dressed in a Savile Row suit, tie, shoes, shaved, came down, grabbed him and went boom! Don't ever call me "your drummer" again. You're my @#$%& singer. That was Charlie's way of saying, It's over, man. It went really downhill after that. If there was one other friend Mick had, it was Charlie. On top of that, Mick was very stupid. He forgave Charlie. There's nothing to forgive. Nothing left to forgive.
- Keith Richards, 1989

On stage: 1975

In backstage: 1969

[www.youtube.com]

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014-03-14 22:34 by gagi.

I have always though Mick's guitar strummimg is redundant. That Mick does it to show off, to show the crowd he is not just a singer. That he other talents. I always though his marracas playing was comical.

I've always thought it was at least partially to give him a chance to stand still for a few minutes.

Ready Steady Go backstage, 1964.

Onstage he doesn't really add anything to the guitar sound, he just sort of blends in as an additional rhythm guitar, plays for a few seconds then stops--as in the clip below where it's nearly 4 minutes of him running around with rather than playing the guitar.





But he actually does have some solid chops and seems to have had them all along. Perhaps the first time where footage of him playing guitar for public consumption was the acoustic jam from Performance, where he impressively covered Robert Johnson.

It was pretty cool when he played that old silvertone on Back of My Hand in 2005.

Feels like old news here, I realize...

But Mick pretty much "wrote" and is responsible for basically ALL of the main Brown Sugar guitar riffs as we know and love them, right?

I know I play a bad guitar Jagger has no illusions.. He does it for a rest on stage and to have a bit of fun. His acoustic on "Dead Flowers" a few nights ago seemed spot on. Beauty of a Gibson Hummingbird with cheap in hole pick up, setup baffles me, Pierre????

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triceratops
I have always though Mick's guitar strummimg is redundant. That Mick does it to show off, to show the crowd he is not just a singer. That he other talents. I always though his marracas playing was comical.

Really? Go listen to Sway and Stop Breaking Down and tell me his playing is redundant. Unless you meant only onstage. Which maybe you did. In which case I am very, very sorry.

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71Tele

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triceratops
I have always though Mick's guitar strummimg is redundant. That Mick does it to show off, to show the crowd he is not just a singer. That he other talents. I always though his marracas playing was comical.

Really? Go listen to Sway and Stop Breaking Down and tell me his playing is redundant. Unless you meant only onstage. Which maybe you did. In which case I am very, very sorry.

I meant on stage and don't be sorry

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jabhead
Fingerprint File 1975?

He played guitar on almost all the some girls tracks. I've never seen him play as much guitar as he did on the '78 US tour

correct on all counts. He plays live on songs that he played on the record. He does add to the sound on those. They wouldn't be as good without the 3rd guitar.

I thought him playing on the '78 tour was great, even though it was more like prop than anything else. But on the Some Girls album, he is audible. He's that wash that you hear in Whip, Respetable, etc. He's mixed center and rather low, but it is there.

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71Tele
Really? Go listen to Sway and Stop Breaking Down and tell me his playing is redundant.

That's Jagger doing the rhythm part on Stop Breaking Down? Man, you learn something new every day.

The first time he played guitar onstage was acoustic guitar at Rock and Roll Circus on an a take of YCAGWYW.

There's a bootleg recording of it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-03-16 00:43 by His Majesty.

I have no problems with Mick playing or not playing guitar, on or off stage, but what I never understand is why he only plays it onstage for about a third of the song, before handing it to a guitar tech and recommencing prancing. I mean, I suppose it does give him a short break, but not really enough to be worth it, and his guitar contribution to the song isn't really enough to be worth it, either.

'cause Charlie told Mick ta get the techs movin' because they were hangin' around back stage talkin' and eatin' Ronnie's bananas ...



ROCKMAN

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Aquamarine
I have no problems with Mick playing or not playing guitar, on or off stage, but what I never understand is why he only plays it onstage for about a third of the song, before handing it to a guitar tech and recommencing prancing. I mean, I suppose it does give him a short break, but not really enough to be worth it, and his guitar contribution to the song isn't really enough to be worth it, either.

Because its not about the actual guitar sound that he is adding.... that happens to be extraneous/ not needed
What Micks intermittent strumming is, is stagecraft and presentation. Same way Sprigsteen slings his guitar behind his back
For whatever reasons Mick thinks this helps the show look better (maybe he is right)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-03-16 04:51 by triceratops.

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His Majesty
The first time he played guitar onstage was acoustic guitar at Rock and Roll Circus on an a take of YCAGWYW.

There's a bootleg recording of it.

However, this was not a concert but more a film studio occasion and was not released as part of the final cut.

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stonehearted

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His Majesty
The first time he played guitar onstage was acoustic guitar at Rock and Roll Circus on an a take of YCAGWYW.

There's a bootleg recording of it.

However, this was not a concert but more a film studio occasion and was not released as part of the final cut.

Obviously.

It is still Jagger playing guitar onstage with the stones infront of an audience so worth mentioning.

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triceratops

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Aquamarine
I have no problems with Mick playing or not playing guitar, on or off stage, but what I never understand is why he only plays it onstage for about a third of the song, before handing it to a guitar tech and recommencing prancing. I mean, I suppose it does give him a short break, but not really enough to be worth it, and his guitar contribution to the song isn't really enough to be worth it, either.

Because its not about the actual guitar sound that he is adding.... that happens to be extraneous/ not needed
What Micks intermittent strumming is, is stagecraft and presentation. Same way Sprigsteen slings his guitar behind his back
For whatever reasons Mick thinks this helps the show look better (maybe he is right)

There are a few songs where his sound indeed is needed on stage:

Some Girls
Back Of My Hand
Don't Stop



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-03-16 11:46 by DandelionPowderman.

I don't like when Jagger "straps on" a guitar on stage. I know it's a stupid reaction. My impression is that Mick doesn't look cool with a guitar especially next to the coolest guitar player in rock and roll.
Rock and roll,
Mops

Better him than a hired hand - on stage, I mean. Personally I ask, why they just dont; turn Ronnie up, and start treating him like the topnotch guitarist he is. They also have Taylor standing in the shadows nowadays. He could come out.

I think Jagger is a fine guitarist' always has been from way back. In "Performance" he strums a Blues, and his touch is really strong and precise.
There is a clip when he plays the genesis of "Brown Sugar" ( may still even be "Black Pussy") to Ike and Tina Turner, and he is playing it very well.

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DoomandGloom
I know I play a bad guitar Jagger has no illusions.. He does it for a rest on stage and to have a bit of fun. His acoustic on "Dead Flowers" a few nights ago seemed spot on. Beauty of a Gibson Hummingbird with cheap in hole pick up, setup baffles me, Pierre????

Que? Sunrise pickups aren't cheap but reliable, tough and professional.
... and, as you noted, seemed spot on for Dead Flowers.
on the Licks tour they used to stick lots of expensive studio condensator microphones infront of the guitar amps. today "cheap" but reliable dynamic Shure SM57's does the rock'n'roll job nicely.

I'm quite happy that they don't need any fancy schmanzy tools - just standard pro stuff.

[www.12fret.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-03-16 14:10 by open-g.

First time on film?

[www.youtube.com]

Q: When did Keith stop playing guitar onstage?