Came across this article last week and just posted on the MT website, thought I would share it here too, a very candid and interesting interview with a 28 year old Mick Taylor...







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-02-01 07:19 by gripweed.

Interesting. Thanks for posting!
It's always funny to read old interviews like this one where they never mention drugs, neither as a cause for band friction, nor as anything else, even though it was a major factor. Then twenty years later, the same person would blame everything on heroin.

"I sat around in this room and got stoned! I certainly didn't do any shopping, I tell you that" was funny.

Anyway ... did anything he wrote and/or played with Jack Bruce ever end up on record?

Thanks!

He takes himself rather seriously, doesn't he?
I saved Mayall...... I (with Wyman and Watts) contributed to the skeletons of songs brought by Jagger & Richards... etc etc...

Methinks part of the reason he joined the Stones was he thought he could easily take the leadership of the band as MT thought (rightly so?) that he was by far the most skilled musician in the band.

Well that plan didn't go down too well, Taylor hit a concrete wall as M&Keef kept a strong leadership of the band and only used Taylor sparsely... (and they robbed him blind on a few song credits).

Methinks part of the reason he quit the Stones was the realization he had failed miserably, that he would remain a sideman in the band.

"Do that, play this, stop here" could sum up his time in the band...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-02-01 18:34 by dcba.

You could say the same, even if they had John McLaughlin aboard instead of Taylor back then.

Thanks for sharing the article indeed.

Thanks for sharing


-----------------------------

[glimmerkkp.blogspot.com]

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dcba
He takes himself rather seriously, doesn't he?
I saved Mayall...... I (with Wyman and Watts) contributed to the skeletons of songs brought by Jagger & Richards... etc etc...

Methinks part of the reason he joined the Stones was he thought he could easily take the leadership of the band as MT thought (rightly so?) that he was by far the most skilled musician in the band.

Well that plan didn't go down too well, Taylor hit a concrete wall as M&Keef kept a strong leadership of the band and only used Taylor sparsely... (and they robbed him blind on a few song credits).

Methinks part of the reason he quit the Stones was the realization he had failed miserably, that he would remain a sideman in the band.

"Do that, play this, stop here" could sum up his time in the band...

Welcome to the board Keith!

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dcba
He takes himself rather seriously, doesn't he?
I saved Mayall...... I (with Wyman and Watts) contributed to the skeletons of songs brought by Jagger & Richards... etc etc...

Methinks part of the reason he joined the Stones was he thought he could easily take the leadership of the band as MT thought (rightly so?) that he was by far the most skilled musician in the band.

Well that plan didn't go down too well, Taylor hit a concrete wall as M&Keef kept a strong leadership of the band and only used Taylor sparsely... (and they robbed him blind on a few song credits).

Methinks part of the reason he quit the Stones was the realization he had failed miserably, that he would remain a sideman in the band.

"Do that, play this, stop here" could sum up his time in the band...

No way Mick thought he was going to lead the Stones, musically or otherwise. That is preposterous!

As far as the band collectively contributing to the skeletons of songs brought in by Mick and Keith.....I think that's pretty well documented, Mick and Keith surely didn't do it by themselves. I don't think generally that Keith told MT specifically what to play, he obviously had his own style and pulled off plenty of stuff that was out of Keith's realm of playing.

I think the interview was just done when Taylor was feeling good, probably high on his drug(s) of choice and that's why he comes off as a bit more confident than usual.

peace

As far as the band collectively contributing to the skeletons of songs brought in by Mick and Keith.....I think that's pretty well documented, Mick and Keith surely didn't do it by themselves. I don't think generally that Keith told MT specifically what to play, he obviously had his own style and pulled off plenty of stuff that was out of Keith's realm of playing.






Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-02-01 22:09 by LuxuryStones.

Thanks for posting gripweed.

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dcba
He takes himself rather seriously, doesn't he?
I saved Mayall...... I (with Wyman and Watts) contributed to the skeletons of songs brought by Jagger & Richards... etc etc...

Methinks part of the reason he joined the Stones was he thought he could easily take the leadership of the band as MT thought (rightly so?) that he was by far the most skilled musician in the band.

Well that plan didn't go down too well, Taylor hit a concrete wall as M&Keef kept a strong leadership of the band and only used Taylor sparsely... (and they robbed him blind on a few song credits).

Methinks part of the reason he quit the Stones was the realization he had failed miserably, that he would remain a sideman in the band.

"Do that, play this, stop here" could sum up his time in the band...

What a load of utter tosh!

Thank you Strat!
And keep on believing the foggy official version!
"In fact I don't really know why I left the band... I wanted to get away from the drugs..." [that's why you went on playing with Jack "Mr Clean" Bruce]

That's funny how poeple think b&w terms : the winner always has dark impure thouhgts and the loser (Taylor) is a pure innocent lamb.

I'm sure Taylor had a certain ambition when he joined the band (turning the band into a vehicle for his music and his musical style). He certainly didn't plan to be a "Do that, play this, stop here" kinda player, but he eventually became one...

Fyi Nick Kent has an even sinister take on MT's departure. By late 1974 Taylor thought the band was dead and he reckoned "better leave the ship now, before it completely sinks". Remember Keef was dope-sick, IORR wasn"t very good and the Stones had been around for TEN years which seemed like a century back then.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-02-02 00:16 by dcba.

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strat72

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dcba
He takes himself rather seriously, doesn't he?
I saved Mayall...... I (with Wyman and Watts) contributed to the skeletons of songs brought by Jagger & Richards... etc etc...

Methinks part of the reason he joined the Stones was he thought he could easily take the leadership of the band as MT thought (rightly so?) that he was by far the most skilled musician in the band.

Well that plan didn't go down too well, Taylor hit a concrete wall as M&Keef kept a strong leadership of the band and only used Taylor sparsely... (and they robbed him blind on a few song credits).

Methinks part of the reason he quit the Stones was the realization he had failed miserably, that he would remain a sideman in the band.

"Do that, play this, stop here" could sum up his time in the band...

What a load of utter tosh!

"Do that, play this, stop here" could sum up his time in the band...

Were did you get this from?

__________________________

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dcba
Thank you Strat!
And keep on believing the foggy official version!
"In fact I don't really know why I left the band... I wanted to get away from the drugs..." [that's why you went on playing with Jack "Mr Clean" Bruce]

That's funny how poeple think b&w terms : the winner always has dark impure thouhgts and the loser (Taylor) is a pure innocent lamb.

I'm sure Taylor had a certain ambition when he joined the band (turning the band into a vehicle for his music and his musical style). He certainly didn't plan to be a "Do that, play this, stop here" kinda player, but he eventually became one...

Fyi Nick Kent has an even sinister take on MT's departure. By late 1974 Taylor thought the band was dead and he reckoned "better leave the ship now, before it completely sinks". Remember Keef was dope-sick, IORR wasn"t very good and the Stones had been around for TEN years which seemed like a century back then.

C'mon dcba, you don't really believe MT was trying to lead the Stones, do you.
I think anyone looking closely at their musical partner and seeing a total junkie waste case might have had second thoughts about their future, both musically and in terms of negative influence on their personal life. Nothing sinister about that, just a possible moment of clarity. If he was actually trying to lead the Stones I would think taking over when Keith was so out of it would have been the perfect opportunity.

Can't blame Taylor for having musical ambitions beyond the Stones, he was a talented and superb musician who saw a different musical path that appealed more to his senses at the time. Unfortunately heroin/cocaine addiction is not a simple one to beat and probably did negatively affect his plans. But who knows how low he would have sank if he stayed with Keith and co..

Personally I'm glad he stayed alive, finally overcame his demons, is still playing great blues guitar and is guesting with the Stones. All's well that ends well. Nobody is saying he was an innocent angel, least of all MT himself. peace

Here's one of the pictures not included in the article

Yep, I'd say the eyes are pretty telling there, Peruvian confidence. peace

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Redhotcarpet

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dcba
He takes himself rather seriously, doesn't he?
I saved Mayall...... I (with Wyman and Watts) contributed to the skeletons of songs brought by Jagger & Richards... etc etc...

Methinks part of the reason he joined the Stones was he thought he could easily take the leadership of the band as MT thought (rightly so?) that he was by far the most skilled musician in the band.

Well that plan didn't go down too well, Taylor hit a concrete wall as M&Keef kept a strong leadership of the band and only used Taylor sparsely... (and they robbed him blind on a few song credits).

Methinks part of the reason he quit the Stones was the realization he had failed miserably, that he would remain a sideman in the band.

"Do that, play this, stop here" could sum up his time in the band...

Welcome to the board Keith!

methinks that was funny!

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dcba
Thank you Strat!
And keep on believing the foggy official version!
"In fact I don't really know why I left the band... I wanted to get away from the drugs..." [that's why you went on playing with Jack "Mr Clean" Bruce]

That's funny how poeple think b&w terms : the winner always has dark impure thouhgts and the loser (Taylor) is a pure innocent lamb.

I'm sure Taylor had a certain ambition when he joined the band (turning the band into a vehicle for his music and his musical style). He certainly didn't plan to be a "Do that, play this, stop here" kinda player, but he eventually became one...

Fyi Nick Kent has an even sinister take on MT's departure. By late 1974 Taylor thought the band was dead and he reckoned "better leave the ship now, before it completely sinks". Remember Keef was dope-sick, IORR wasn"t very good and the Stones had been around for TEN years which seemed like a century back then.

That's funny. Taylor was like what, 20-21 when he joined? What 21 year old thinks: "I'm going to take over the greatest rock and roll band!" He didn't even know he was going to be asked, he played as a session guy and was surprised he was invited. If anybody is thinking in B&W it's you. The truth lies somewhere in between your rubbish and the people that think Taylor was "abused" or something. He got fed up, that's all. The Stones were stagnant and not touring and Taylor was the youngest and had more fire than the others to go out and play shows. He also wanted to play a different style of music, and I think he did that on his solo album. People act like it is wrong for a musician to want to do their own thing. Oh, and as I recall his drug comment was many years later in retrospect, saying if he had stayed he would have died.

Taylor's words and actions at the time and after tell various stories.

Here's another entry:

Mick told us he was leaving the Stones because he couldn’t justify, in his own mind, being given so much adulation and money to basically play three cords. Rose, and I sat up all night trying to dissuade him, but failed.
[www.robinmillar.org.uk]

I think someone on this board reported that Taylor gave his 60s SG to Millar.

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TravelinMan

That's funny. Taylor was like what, 20-21 when he joined? What 21 year old thinks: "I'm going to take over the greatest rock and roll band!" He didn't even know he was going to be asked, he played as a session guy and was surprised he was invited. If anybody is thinking in B&W it's you. The truth lies somewhere in between your rubbish and the people that think Taylor was "abused" or something. He got fed up, that's all. The Stones were stagnant and not touring and Taylor was the youngest and had more fire than the others to go out and play shows. He also wanted to play a different style of music, and I think he did that on his solo album. People act like it is wrong for a musician to want to do their own thing. Oh, and as I recall his drug comment was many years later in retrospect, saying if he had stayed he would have died.

Good take!!!
As someone else said, Taylor is in a upbeat mood in this interview so is speaking with a bit of swagger. Much of his post-Stones life seems to have been lived in a semi-depressive state, especially going by that infamous 2009 UK Daily Mail piece showing his rotting old cottage and poor living conditions
[www.dailymail.co.uk]

With photo of him being a fat blob with a ciggie and beer in hand. Mick Jagger will not let you go up on stage, spotlight on you taking guitar solos, looking like this.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-02-02 11:33 by triceratops.

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Naturalust

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dcba
He takes himself rather seriously, doesn't he?
I saved Mayall...... I (with Wyman and Watts) contributed to the skeletons of songs brought by Jagger & Richards... etc etc...

Methinks part of the reason he joined the Stones was he thought he could easily take the leadership of the band as MT thought (rightly so?) that he was by far the most skilled musician in the band.

Well that plan didn't go down too well, Taylor hit a concrete wall as M&Keef kept a strong leadership of the band and only used Taylor sparsely... (and they robbed him blind on a few song credits).

Methinks part of the reason he quit the Stones was the realization he had failed miserably, that he would remain a sideman in the band.

"Do that, play this, stop here" could sum up his time in the band...

No way Mick thought he was going to lead the Stones, musically or otherwise. That is preposterous!

As far as the band collectively contributing to the skeletons of songs brought in by Mick and Keith.....I think that's pretty well documented, Mick and Keith surely didn't do it by themselves. I don't think generally that Keith told MT specifically what to play, he obviously had his own style and pulled off plenty of stuff that was out of Keith's realm of playing.

I think the interview was just done when Taylor was feeling good, probably high on his drug(s) of choice and that's why he comes off as a bit more confident than usual.

peace

Keith told Taylor when NOT to play. That's well-documented

I think people put to much into this anyway. Taylor came in at a time where his style did fit the Stones very well. After a while he thought that he could contribute more with what he wanted to do elsewhere.

Yes and he came to that conclusion the minute he was shown the LP cover of iorr without the co-credits he was promised. By a journalist. After MT told him he'd finally get a couple of co-credits on that album. I thiunk he was young, v e r y gifted but also naive.

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Redhotcarpet
Yes and he came to that conclusion the minute he was shown the LP cover of iorr without the co-credits he was promised. By a journalist. After MT told him he'd finally get a couple of co-credits on that album. I thiunk he was young, v e r y gifted but also naive.

That "minute" lasted for two months...

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/mick-jagger-remembers-19951214?page=3


Jagger in 1995:


What about the contribution of Mick Taylor to the band in these years?

I think he had a big contribution. He made it very musical. He was a very fluent, melodic player, which we never had, and we don't have now. Neither Keith nor [Ronnie Wood] plays that kind of style. It was very good for me working with him. Charlie and I were talking about this the other day, because we could sit down – I could sit down – with Mick Taylor, and he would play very fluid lines against my vocals. He was exciting, and he was very pretty, and it gave me something to follow, to bang off. Some people think that's the best version of the band that existed.

What do you think?
They're all interesting periods. They're all different. I obviously can't say if I think Mick Taylor was the best, because it sort of trashes the period the band is in now.



Why did Mick Taylor leave?
I still don't really know.

He never explained?
Not really. He wanted to have a solo career. I think he found it difficult to get on with Keith.

On musical issues?
Everything. I'm guessing.

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DandelionPowderman

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Redhotcarpet
Yes and he came to that conclusion the minute he was shown the LP cover of iorr without the co-credits he was promised. By a journalist. After MT told him he'd finally get a couple of co-credits on that album. I thiunk he was young, v e r y gifted but also naive.

That "minute" lasted for two months...

Yes and I dont believe that was the only reason either. I think he would have stayed if he'd accepted how things were run by the boss and the bosses partner. This probably explains why Ronnie stayed in the band. He accepted the rules and he accepted being Keith's...something.

I'm a huge Keith-fan (his music and that 1970s lifestyle and image) but getting older means you look at things differently after all.
I think the reason Taylor quit has more to do with Keith's personality than anything else.

And Taylor probably thought the band would last much longer either but still, he knew there was at least a couple of tours and a lot of money and he turned that down.

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Redhotcarpet

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DandelionPowderman

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Redhotcarpet
Yes and he came to that conclusion the minute he was shown the LP cover of iorr without the co-credits he was promised. By a journalist. After MT told him he'd finally get a couple of co-credits on that album. I thiunk he was young, v e r y gifted but also naive.

That "minute" lasted for two months...

Yes and I dont believe that was the only reason either. I think he would have stayed if he'd accepted how things were run by the boss and the bosses partner. This probably explains why Ronnie stayed in the band. He accepted the rules and he accepted being Keith's...something.

I'm a huge Keith-fan (his music and that 1970s lifestyle and image) but getting older means you look at things differently after all.
I think the reason Taylor quit has more to do with Keith's personality than anything else.

I think it was pretty rough (for anyone) to be around and to live the Stones-life. That scared him off. I don't know if it was Keith alone that scared him off, but maybe he was afraid to become Keith?

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dcba
Fyi Nick Kent has an even sinister take on MT's departure. By late 1974 Taylor thought the band was dead and he reckoned "better leave the ship now, before it completely sinks". Remember Keef was dope-sick, IORR wasn"t very good and the Stones had been around for TEN years which seemed like a century back then.

How is that version of events sinister? It sounds totally reasonable to me. The Stones have defied overwhelming odds to be where they are today - no-one would have bet on their surviving half a century in the early days, and certainly not in 1974. Taylor's decision made a lot of sense at the time, and plenty of others in his position would have done the same.

I don't get why this remains so mysterious to so many. People seem to think that there was one reason and one reason alone why MT quit - of course there wasn't. He's mentioned drugs, he's mentioned song credits, he's mentioned not thinking the band was going to go anywhere and he's mentioned wanting to develop as a musician in a way the Stones wouldn't let him. All valid reasons to get out, so he did.

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Redhotcarpet
Yes and he came to that conclusion the minute he was shown the LP cover of iorr without the co-credits he was promised. By a journalist. After MT told him he'd finally get a couple of co-credits on that album. I thiunk he was young, v e r y gifted but also naive.

It had been building and this was the final straw. He would have stayed otherwise, for a least a few more years.

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triceratops

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Redhotcarpet
Yes and he came to that conclusion the minute he was shown the LP cover of iorr without the co-credits he was promised. By a journalist. After MT told him he'd finally get a couple of co-credits on that album. I thiunk he was young, v e r y gifted but also naive.

It had been building and this was the final straw. He would have stayed otherwise, for a least a few more years.

When did he say that?