An album from a “weak period” for The Rolling Stones was lesser than most of their works because the band “didn’t care”.
Mick Jagger admitted as much in an intimate interview with Rolling Stone Magazine founder Jann Wenner. The veteran frontman says the band went through a period of not caring about their work as much as they had during a previously acclaimed period. Problems surrounding revenue and management meant the band were “destabilised”, with their attention anywhere but the studio during this period. Jagger said it was not so much the drug use of Keith Richards but contractual issues with former manager Allen Klein which hindered the band during this period. Between the period of Goats Head Soup and Black and Blue, the “weak period” as Wenner described it, began for The Rolling Stones.
Jagger said: “Yeah, I think so. I find it so hard to remember, though, I don’t want to commit myself to saying something. I mean, everyone was using drugs, Keith particularly. So I think it suffered a bit from all that. General malaise. I think we got a bit carried away with our own popularity and so on. It was a bit of a holiday period.
“I mean, we cared, but we didn’t care as much as we had. Not really concentrating on the creative process, and we had such money problems. We had been so messed around by Allen Klein and the British Revenue. We were really in a very bad way. So we had to move. And it sort of destabilised us a bit. We flew off all edges.”
It seems the albums Wenner and Jagger mentioned for this four-album period were Goats Head Soup, It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll, Black and Blue, and Some Girls. The 1978 release Some Girls was a return to form for the band, which extended to Emotional Rescue and Tattoo You.
The strange period continued with Tattoo You, a well-received album from the band which was comprised of previously recorded material. Jagger says the necessity of using old material was because the band were not on the best of terms at the time.
He explained: “Yeah, that’s an old record. It’s all a lot of old tracks that I dug out. And it was very strange circumstances. [Producer] Chris Kimsey and I went through all the tracks from those two previous records. It wasn’t all outtakes; some of it was old songs. And then I went back and found previous ones like Waiting on a Friend from Goats Head Soup.
“They’re all from different periods. Then I had to write lyrics and melodies. A lot of them didn’t have anything, which is why they weren’t used at the time, because they weren’t complete. They were just bits, or they were from early takes. And then I put them all together in an incredibly cheap fashion.
“I recorded in this place in Paris in the middle of the winter. And then I recorded some of it in a broom cupboard, literally, where we did the vocals. The rest of the band were hardly involved. And then I took it to [producer] Bob Clearmountain, who did this great job of mixing so that it doesn’t sound like it’s from different periods.”
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The Stones are an amazing band. Their weak albums, still are better than most others albums. I’m a huge fan and this is of course my opinion but no band ever rocked like the Stones
Even at the worst. They were better than anybody else
Not too bad even. As you say, a bit of a come down after the 5-album burst ending with Exile.
Banquet-Exile? What’s the 5th? Ya Ya’s? I generally don’t count live ones, but it’s so great, I guess that’s legitimate.
Yep Ya Yas
I don’t know how anybody says they are great or even the longevity of them is questionable as they only come out off dormancy every so often so as a part time band then hide away again living on overhyped status
Not during their peak period. Maybe in the last 3-4 decades. Besides, what does frequency have to do with greatness?
I thought the weak period would be Undercover and Dirty Work.
Best band ever. I just bought my 10th and 11th Stones records today, Black and Blue and Beggars Banquet. I’m happy to say that every copy is an original pressing, I even found the Warhol cover Sticky Fingers for $20 a few weeks ago. Zipper comes down and everything. I play them and get this connection to…something, you know? Who knows where they’ve all been over the years? Who’s listened to them? It’s the beauty of vinyl. I just turned 52 in May, and was a Hip Hop/R&B guy most of my life, but I’m just discovering the wonderful world of Soul, the Blues and Classic Rock. Pretty cool. Thank you for the article.
Welcome. See if you can find albums by Golden Earring, “Moontan”, “Contraband”, “No Promises, No Debts” “Cut”. Dutch Band, longest continuous same members band in the world. Great music. Also any of their live albums
I don’t think Goat Head Soup and Some Girls are that weak
Sorry, I don’t get this article. The Jimi Miller produced Goats Head Soup with Angie, Winter, 100 years ago …, It’s Only Rock n Roll with the title track and even Black n Blue and Some Girls are very fine albums indeed, perhaps even ‘classics’ and 100 times better than the ‘best albums’ in many other bands’ careers. Unfortunately, It was after this period that the decline started, although even Tattoo You and Emotional Rescue have their strong points too.
The Stones have always been
A Favorite band since I was very young, and the Some Girls album
Will always be at the top of my list of Favorites.👍
I first saw the Stones back in the sixties—’63, I think. Yep, still alive, still kicking, and still listening. Eel Pie Island in Twickenham and the Crawdaddy Club at the Richmond Athletic Ground were regular haunts for the Stones and other names that went on to become legends—Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton when he was still with The Yardbirds, and a few others lost to memory.
Not that I remember too much of it—and that’s not down to age, believe me. Me and three mates used to head to Eel Pie by boat from our mooring in Twickenham. I do remember one night coming back late and running out of petrol. We found a bit in another boat—borrowed it, let’s say. Needs must.
One summer evening I was lying out on the grass at the Athletic Ground during the interlude, just soaking it all in. One of the Stones—can’t remember which—came over and asked if we had a spare ciggie. Fast forward sixty-odd years and they’re living in mansions or on private islands across the globe. And somehow, they’re still playing. Almost all of them. Losing Charlie was a big one, but they handled it beautifully, and they still honour him at gigs.
The Rolling Stones are in a league of their own. No band comes close. Their shows are still wild—beyond belief. And Mick Jagger, well… in his 80s and still moving like that? It’s almost supernatural. The world looks on and asks: How is this even possible?
Well… it’s only rock and roll.
You haven’t got an f’n clue. Both Goat head soup and Black and Blue are excellent albums. Invest in a brain and some ears.
Goat’s Head Soup is a fantastic album, though I should point out the words above are Mick Jagger’s, not mine.
Figuratively shooting (or, in some cases, literally firing) the messenger is a time-honored tradition. Lol.
If they had put Tops and Waiting on A Friend on Goats Head Soup, that album would have been much better than it is now.