Quote
rev20
yeah the cult of bill german was on keith's side ("mick is just an
egotistical greedy control freak"), but mick had his eye on the overall
picture, what michael jackson and financial trends were doing to the market,
so mick knew the stones had to adapt long before the rest of us had a clue
enter michael cohl stage right...
Personally, I love the song a lot and it was cut a year before Keith had "You Don't Move Me." That said, interpretations are just that and everyone gets what they want from a work of art. However, I'll take exception to "the cult of Bill German" charge.
Bill was a big fan of "Just Another Night" in his review of SHE'S THE BOSS he said Jeff Beck's guitar work would write it's own page in rock history. He also thought that Mick's first solo album played to all of his strengths. Where did that change? When Mick toured solo and 3/4 of the songs were Stones songs. How vicious were his attacks on Mick? He suggested if he were going to do old Stones songs, Mick should just tour with the Stones. Not exactly vile.
The reality is if you look at Bill's book, UNDER THEIR THUMB, while he was closest to Ronnie and Keith, Jane Rose found his relatively free hand to report as he liked to be more of an irritation than anything else. Now Bill German aside, I agree with revvy that Mick got there first in recognizing their days of turning out hit singles were rapidly ending and a different model and approach to touring was needed to stay on top.
That said, crediting Mick with Michael Cohl isn't correct. Bill Graham handled Mick's solo tour while Cohl handled Keith's tour. Cohl was a friend and a "brother"" who proved himself at the El Mocambo and during Keith's bust. His re-entry into their world came via Keith and the first Winos tour.
All these seemingly unrelated incidents appear to have been fortuitous. When I last posted here, there was criticism against those of us who suggested things were anything but coincidental in their life-changing trajectories. The truth is likely that it is foolish to believe a Mick-Keith dichotomy exists. They project it and use it well. They're also aligned closely.
Look what happens to people who choose sides thinking they're winning over one by a show of loyalty. They end up cast aside. Success is charting a safe course between them both. They love to hate one another and hate to love one another. They're inseparable Twins. They're more alike than their public images suggest.