I love the documentary of the 74 Irish tour: [ok.ru]

I take offense to Ronnie being called a "sideman" Ronnie is a full fledged Rolling Stone ! A sideman is like Chuck Leavell ( no disrespect to Chuck ! ) Besides Ronnie's blazing work up and down the fretboard the guy just drips Charisma and is perfect foil to both Mick and Keith and Ronnie has given us plenty of joy and euphoria and then some !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Barry Lucas (who stopped me from seeing the Stones at Lancaster University in '82, but it wasn't his fault) recalls that Rory Gallagher was the "nicest guy I have ever met in rock 'n' roll... in his two-hour sets he would send his band off for a well-earned rest while he did a half-hour solo, acoustic numbers. He simply had no idea how to act out the superstar role".

[www.lancashirelife.co.uk]

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Koen

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Sighunt
This was a long time ago from what I remember, but just going from memory, these are the folks who I read auditioned for the Stones guitarist job:

Jeff Beck
Rory Gallagher
Harvey Mandel
Wayne Perkins
Peter Frampton
Steve Marriott
Nils Lofgren
Roy Buchanan
Mick Ronson (?)

Am I missing anybody?

Yes, Ron Wood.

That was kind of a given, you jokester! (LOL)

Starting to look a little worse for wear but bound to bring a smile to Chuck fans everywhere....

[www.youtube.com]

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LieB

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KingmanBarstow
“Playing Knebworth the following year, he was in such a state that his road crew cut the wires to the speaker system.”

First time that I heard this about Keef or have I missed something?

I also noted that. Probably nonsense, as is some other "facts" like Richards was in the throes of cocaine addiction; Mick Taylor had sensationally walked out in the middle of the recording of their Black and Blue album.

"heroin" addiction would have been more correct, and Mick T didn't exactly walk out in "the middle" of recording B&B. But those are nitpicks I guess.


It's funny that they actually considered Steve Marriott as well (if this is correct). That would have been an awful match to Mick and Keith.

yahoo.com is such a bunk site. It surprises me that they still exist. This is complete bunk: "Now it was playing host to a different kind of conflict, as the Stones rehearsed for their upcoming tour."

Rehearsing for recording... in Rotterdam.

How can the idiot, Ed Power, not know such a simple thing about when the Stones "rehearsed for their upcoming tour" (duh - on Long Island)!!!??

Mick Taylor left the band before they started the 1974 sessions for BLACK AND BLUE by not showing up, so he couldn't've "sensationally walked out in the middle of the recording" and officially quit during those sessions? It's amazing how lazy these "journalists" are. This bit here? I bet there's zero truth to it:

Stones manager Marshall Chess Jnr stood forward and proffered a hand.

“Hi Rory, welcome to the band,” he said. “You’re the guy for the job.”


10cc supposedly screwed up the cords and cables at Knebworth - it had nothing to do with Keith.

10cc were the next billed attraction, but as the break between bands lengthened, rumours began to circulate that they were facing serious technical problems. “It was their own fault,” insists the promoter. “They’d been trying to upstage the Stones ever since arriving the previous day. There was a buzz in the sound system that the engineers were trying to sort out. But after 90 minutes, I went on stage and told the band either play or go home. Their response was, ‘Would you still pay us if we didn’t play?’. Fortunately, I didn’t have to answer, because the roadies then sorted it out. But I’m convinced that they induced that buzz, in order to take the Stones’ slot.”

[www.loudersound.com]

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Sighunt
This was a long time ago from what I remember, but just going from memory, these are the folks who I read auditioned for the Stones guitarist job:

Jeff Beck
Rory Gallagher
Harvey Mandel
Wayne Perkins
Peter Frampton
Steve Marriott
Nils Lofgren
Roy Buchanan
Mick Ronson (?)

Am I missing anybody?

Peter Frampton says he never auditioned.

Roy Buchanan never auditioned and his story about turning down the Stones has never been confirmed. According to his biography, he claimed he was supposedly asked to join closer to the time Mick Taylor joined. However, the biography hints that the story might have been floated to get him publicity and eventually a record contract. His image would have never worked with the Stones anyway.

Ronson was rumored but I don't think he auditioned.

Robert A. Johnson a guitarist from Memphis actually played on some of the Black & Blue rehearsal tracks.

Leslie West was rumored at one point because Jagger played on his Great Fatsby solo lp.

Some other people rumored were Mick Abrahams, Clem Clempson, Wilko Johnson, Steve Hillage and Chris Spedding but I don't know if any of them auditioned. I seem to recall Andy Summers name being floated as well.

There was even a story a while back by Michael Schenker which said the Stones called his brother Rudolf trying to get in touch with him about the job. I never recalled hearing that one before.



Edited 11 time(s). Last edit at 2020-06-16 19:42 by boogaloojef.

In the liner notes for Second Chapter or Ram Jam City, there is a story the Stones office called Danny Kirwan and left a message for him.

So many stories, who knows?

I do believe the bit about Gallagher’s people floating stuff out there for the press. Just like the supposed Hendrix quote about him with no source.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-06-16 20:19 by TravelinMan.

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boogaloojef

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Sighunt
This was a long time ago from what I remember, but just going from memory, these are the folks who I read auditioned for the Stones guitarist job:

Jeff Beck
Rory Gallagher
Harvey Mandel
Wayne Perkins
Peter Frampton
Steve Marriott
Nils Lofgren
Roy Buchanan
Mick Ronson (?)

Am I missing anybody?

Peter Frampton says he never auditioned.

Roy Buchanan never auditioned and his story about turning down the Stones has never been confirmed. According to his biography, he claimed he was supposedly asked to join closer to the time Mick Taylor joined. However, the biography hints that the story might have been floated to get him publicity and eventually a record contract. His image would have never worked with the Stones anyway.

Ronson was rumored but I don't think he auditioned.

Robert A. Johnson a guitarist from Memphis actually played on some of the Black & Blue rehearsal tracks.

Leslie West was rumored at one point because Jagger played on his Great Fatsby solo lp.

Some other people rumored were Mick Abrahams, Clem Clempson, Wilko Johnson, Steve Hillage and Chris Spedding but I don't know if any of them auditioned. I seem to recall Andy Summers name being floated as well.

There was even a story a while back by Michael Schenker which said the Stones called his brother Rudolf trying to get in touch with him about the job. I never recalled hearing that one before.

Thank you for clarifying this info. I forgot about Robert A. Johnson whose name I read about in some music article a while back as another "possible" contender.

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TravelinMan
In the liner notes for Second Chapter or Ram Jam City, there is a story the Stones office called Danny Kirwan and left a message for him.

So many stories, who knows?

I do believe the bit about Gallagher’s people floating stuff out there for the press. Just like the supposed Hendrix quote about him with no source.

The Hendrix story is an old one and with different variations on the guitarist. Some say it was said about Terry Kath, Phil Keaggy or Billy Gibbons as well.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-06-16 20:40 by boogaloojef.

And two months after - something like that - I got a phone call. And I didn't actually have a phone, I had to go down to my landlady and, 'Michael, would you like to come to an audition for The Rolling Stones?'

"I said, 'What?! The Rolling Stones?! Let me... I'll call you back.' I called my brother Rudolf and I said, 'Can you believe that?' 'Cause Rudolf always wanted - he was obsessed with fame, opposite of me. He wanted me like Elvis Presley and The Rolling Stones.

"And because I got a call from The Rolling Stones, he said, 'Oh I don't remember that!' [Laughs] I didn't know what to do and he said, 'Well it's your life, it's up to you. You need to figure it out.'

"I said okay, and never called back. I just remembered that Brian Jones just died, I remember articles in the newspapers and magazines, they were looking at each other's a hair for lice.

"I said, 'If I would join this band, I would be dead in two years!' I was a very fragile guy at the time, I was so scared of that idea."

Not my kind of music but Schenker is an amazing player with a terrific tone and technique.

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roryfaninva
And two months after - something like that - I got a phone call. And I didn't actually have a phone, I had to go down to my landlady and, 'Michael, would you like to come to an audition for The Rolling Stones?'

"I said, 'What?! The Rolling Stones?! Let me... I'll call you back.' I called my brother Rudolf and I said, 'Can you believe that?' 'Cause Rudolf always wanted - he was obsessed with fame, opposite of me. He wanted me like Elvis Presley and The Rolling Stones.

"And because I got a call from The Rolling Stones, he said, 'Oh I don't remember that!' [Laughs] I didn't know what to do and he said, 'Well it's your life, it's up to you. You need to figure it out.'

"I said okay, and never called back. I just remembered that Brian Jones just died, I remember articles in the newspapers and magazines, they were looking at each other's a hair for lice.

"I said, 'If I would join this band, I would be dead in two years!' I was a very fragile guy at the time, I was so scared of that idea."

Not my kind of music but Schenker is an amazing player with a terrific tone and technique.

Yes, that is the story I mentioned in my earlier post.

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The Joker

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slane82
Will probably be taken down soon -- enjoy it while you can:

[www.youtube.com]

Interesting VIP area...
[youtu.be]
[youtu.be]




Same VIP area in 1969. Note the common mortal breathing next to Keith has to wear a suit and a tie. Some hippies were so snob. Hilarious.

Is that Sam Cutler next to Keith?

[youtu.be]

It’s highly doubtful anyone other than Ronnie would have been hired.

At that point Sam Cutler was probably stranded/hiding out with the Grateful Dead in California in the wake of Altamont, and his calls to the Stones were not being returned. So...kinda doubtful that is Sam Cutler. Plus it doesn't look like him.

jb

I always found Rory Gallagher the least interesting of all players they auditioned. And I can't imagine they really considered him, being so far removed from Stones idiom. Just like Jeff Beck and Steve Marriott, I don't believe for a second they were ever considered.

Mathijs

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duke richardson
It’s highly doubtful anyone other than Ronnie would have been hired.

I have to agree here, because being an American seemed to keep Perkins from getting the gig. Although it would have been interesting, most of the British guitarists mentioned had solo careers, so they weren't going to be fully invested in joining "Mick and Keith's band".

The more I learn about Chris Spedding, the more I wish I could have heard him with the Stones. That guy can play and he has so many diverse styles.

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Mathijs
I always found Rory Gallagher the least interesting of all players they auditioned. And I can't imagine they really considered him, being so far removed from Stones idiom. Just like Jeff Beck and Steve Marriott, I don't believe for a second they were ever considered.

Mathijs

Beck actually rehearsed with them. However, he was more interested in his instrumental jazz fusion at that time.

I also read somewhere that Rory Gallagher was considered as Ritchie Blackmore's replacement in Deep Purple but he declined to audition.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2020-06-17 17:56 by boogaloojef.

I don't see what all the fuss is about Gallagher's playing. I prefer Wood's playing to his. And if they were looking for another virtuoso to replace Taylor, Iwould have preferred Perkins. Or maybe in the summer of 1975, after the Carla Bley / Jack Bruce band debanded, they could have asked Taylor to rejoin. They waited over 2 years to see if Wyman wanted to rejoin before giving the gig to Jones in 1994.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-06-17 19:45 by Taylor1.

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Taylor1
I don't see what all the fuss is about Gallagher's playing. I prefer Wood's playing to his. And if they were looking for another virtuoso to replace Taylor, Iwould have preferred Perkins. Or maybe in the summer of 1975, after the Carla Bley / Jack Bruce band debanded, they could have asked Taylor to rejoin. They waited over 2 years to see if Wyman wanted to rejoin before giving the gig to Jones in 1994.

Same here. Apart from a handful of songs that let my neckhair raise he always left me cold for the large part. His workman-style version of the blues (or blues rock), while on the surface "powerful", gets exhausting and plain boring after a while because he lacks soul, emotion, imagination, restraint - all in all the extra magic in my book. The praised Taste Isle Of Wight gig mentioned above is just plain awful in that regard. I had to turn it off after a while.

I seriously doubt he would have fitted into the Stones. Then again, much of what I said above about Gallagher could also be said about Mick Taylor when he was on his own. So I would not totally rule out that it could have worked with the Stones around.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2020-06-18 18:46 by retired_dog.

>>They waited over 2 years to see if Wyman wanted to rejoin before giving the gig to Jones in 1994.


Apparently, the night before the Voodoo Lounge tour rehearsals, Mick, Ron and Charlie were on the the phone with Bill begging him to rejoin. (I guess Keith doesn't beg).

I suspect they were sincere about those guitar auditions. Ronnie was obviously the favorite but they did want to check out different people as far as how they integrated with the band members.
Maybe Mick moreso than Keith. But Keith played the long game and got Ronnie in the band at the end.
It might have been interesting if they kept the second guitar seat open and just rotated players every few years. I think Ronnie helped them musically in '77-'78 but not much after that.

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slane82
Mike Douglas asked Jimi Hendrix, "What's it like to be the best rock guitarist in the world?" and Jimi responded, "I don't know, you'll have to ask Rory Gallagher".

Did he actually say this or is it (as I suspect) an urban legend?

Considering that by the time Hendrix died, Rory was 22 and had a discography amounting to two studio albums with Taste, I'd find it highly improbable. (edit I see its mentioned in the original article as being an 'apocryphal' quote - so in other words its almost certainly bollocks)

I dont believe for a second from the scores of accounts of this era in the band's history that have been in the public domain for the last few decades, that Rory was ever close to getting the Stones job. His brother Donal has been somewhat prone to exaggerating things over the years to keep the legend alive.

Super musician though and an all round great guy - his studio output has never really made an impression. Only really seemed to do himself justice in a live setting IMO



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-06-18 22:08 by Gazza.

Agree with all you say Gazza.
I don't know if he did ever audition for the job,but there is no way he would fit in with them.
Fantastic musician, and he passed away far too early, but he certainly would have made his name in music.

Oh I've no doubt that he auditioned (or at least played with them in Rotterdam). I've just never read from any credible source that he was on the shortlist which seems to have been early on limited to three people - Wood, Perkins and Mandel.

I don't think its a coincidence that when they reconvened in Munich five weeks later to continue working on 'Black and Blue' that those three - and no other guitarists - joined them during the 3 weeks that the sessions lasted.

I'm glad this topic came up. When I was a teenager back in the 70s I heard Rory Gallagher's name quite a bit, but somehow I never got to know his music. I liked "What's Going On" from the Isle of Wight film quite a bit, and I'm looking forward to learning more.

UNCUT -- 2019



ROCKMAN

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retired_dog
Then again, much of what I said above about Gallagher could also be said about Mick Taylor when he was on his own. So I would not totally rule out that it could have worked with the Stones around.

BS. Comparing Mick Taylor’s albums to his? Not even close. Taylor touches on way more styles and his first album is one of the best Stones solo efforts there is.

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TravelinMan

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retired_dog
Then again, much of what I said above about Gallagher could also be said about Mick Taylor when he was on his own. So I would not totally rule out that it could have worked with the Stones around.

BS. Comparing Mick Taylor’s albums to his? Not even close. Taylor touches on way more styles and his first album is one of the best Stones solo efforts there is.

That's not what I said and did. Please read again. My quote is probably a bit unfair to Rory, because his career wasn't the desaster that Taylor's solo career turned into. I just suggested that like the Stones brought out the best in Taylor, it's not unthinkable that they also could have brought out the best in Rory.