Customer Reviews

It's Only Rock 'n' Roll

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Some commentaries may feel that Its Only Rock N Roll is just a standard by the numbers release by the Rolling Stones. However, in addition to the usual brand of in your face rock n roll, there are some nice experimental pieces like the funky Fingerprint File, the tender acoustic gem Till The Next Goodbye, and the stunning Time Waits For No One.

Yes, Time Waits For No One is a definite album highlight with the super guitar soloing by Mick Taylor against the back drop of stunning keyboard work by Nicky Hopkins. Its nice that Mick Jagger gave up some of the spotlight on this song to Mick Taylor as Mickie T certainly added a great deal to the Stones sound with his ellaborate solos. Its a shame that he was not allowed to contribute more.

Anyway, If You Can't Rock Me and Aint To Proud To Beg are a super one two punch combination to the open the album. Its Only Rock N Roll is a good tune if a bit overplayed. Like the reggae touches on Luxury. Dance Little Sister is a nice rocker if a little bit basic. If You Really Want To Be My Friend does drag a little bit in spite of some nice organ touches and background vocals. Short and Curlies is both amusing and crude with rollicking piano contributions by Ian Stewart.

Well there you have it. I commented on every song. A very good recording although not quite on the same level as Sticky Fingers, Exile, Beggars Banquet, etc.... But pick it up anyway as there are several tracks(Fingerprint File, If You Can't Rock Me, Time Waits For No One, Aint Too Proud To Beg) which need to be in the collection of any Rolling Stones fan.

Sometimes considered "just another Stones album" It's Only Rock 'n' Roll was originally released Oct 18, 1974, it went to #1 in the US and #4 in the UK. Over the years Ronnie Wood's song It's Only Rock 'n' Roll has finally achieved the classic status it seemed destined for when it was written. More rewarding is that Keith's opus Time Waits For No One has also become recognized for the great work it is. And on top of all that, If You Can't Rock Me continues to get air and concert play at somewhat of a Stones standard. Not too shabby for just another Stones album. Most people know the music, so in my reviews I try to give you data on the sessions and interesting facts connected with the songs and the album. Here we go:

The sessions for It's Only Rock 'n' Roll ran over a long period of time, starting Nov 13-24, 1973 at Musicland Studios in Munich and running from Jan 14-28, 1974. It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (the song) was overdubbed and mixed and Fingerprint file and Luxury were cut at Mick's house (Stargroves) near Newbury from the Rolling Stones Mobile on April 10-15, 1974, and final mixing was done May 20-25 at Island Studios in London. Two songs were recorded that did not appear on the album, Through The Lonely Nights (which was released as the B side of the single It's Only Rock 'n' Roll) and Black Limousine (which was released on the album Tattoo You in 1981). The Stones also recorded two songs that have not been released, Drift Away and Living In The Heart Of Love. The album also included one song (Short And Curlies) from the Goat's Head Soup sessions in Nov and Dec of 1972 in Jamaica.

Interesting notes include:
.....It's Only Rock 'n' Roll has a famous story behind it. Long before Ronnie Wood filled an open spot in the Stones lineup (finally becoming the only Stone not in the original band to be added to the percentage contracts), Mick and Keith were jamming at Ronnie's house (The Wick) in London. The way the story goes, when Mick realized the song was forming from riffs Ronnie had started with Keith, he called George Chkiantz (who engineered the session) and remembering that he was a new father, offered to pay for a babysitter so George could record the jam. He arrived to record them and found David Bowie was part of the band too
.....Mick Taylor's last song with the Stones was (get this) Till The Next Goodbye
.....The cover painting was commissioned from Guy Peellaert[...]. This time he made them gods descending from a temple.
.....The Glimmer Twins 1st appeared as producers on this album....the story goes that Mick and Keith were traveling incognito to South America via ship after the 1968 Rock And Roll Circus sessions. An older woman who spent most of the cruise in the bar with Mick and Keith kept trying to guess who they were and kept asking them to "give us a glimmer" of their identities.

This information comes from "It's Only Rock And Roll: The Ultimate Guide To The Rolling Stones" by Karnbach and Bernson and from my own collection, with some of the notes from Davis' "Old Gods Almost Dead." Both books are available from amazon.com.

Released in 1974 while they were still at the top of their game, The Rolling Stones scored their 4th consecutive number one album with 'It's Only Rock 'N' Roll". It was also the last one to feature Mick Taylor, the most versatile member of the group.

"It's Only Rock 'N' Roll" kicks off into high gear with "If You Can't Rock Me", followed by a scorching cover of "Ain't Too Proud To Beg". Next comes the libidinous title track, a jaunty singalong that has become a classic. The album tones down a few notches with the lovely acoustic ballad "Til The Next Time We Say Goodbye". Following is Mick Taylor's magnum opus "Time Waits For No One", featuring a 3 - minute guitar solo that rivals the one on "Free Bird". "Luxury" is a faux - reggae track that is very enjoyable, while "Dance Little Sister" is all - out rock. "If You Really Want To Be My Friend" is a nice soul ballad, and "Short And Curlies" is a cute ditty. "Fingerprint File" closes the album, and is filled with excellent hooks and grooves.

Overall, an excellent album crying out for recognition.

This album pretty much marked the second career of the Stones. They were being called the worlds greatest rock and roll band, but at the same time they were going through a transition period with their sound. Jagger musta been listening to a lot of soul and R&B during this period. They do a very respectable version of the Temptations "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", which is still a pretty popular tune on the oldies stations. He also does some funky soul on "Fingerprint File". The rest of the album though, is pretty much just rock and roll. The title song, "It's Only Rock And Roll", with that familiar opening guitar riff, plus "Dance Little Sister" also still remain popular airplays. The song though, that still remains my favorite Stones tune to this day, is "Time Waits For No One". What a great song! This one alone is worth the price admission here. The guitar interplay between Mick Taylor and Keith Richards on this is simply delicious. The Stones had never done anything like this six string jam before, or since. It would have been nice if they would have done more of this type of material on this record, because Richards and Taylor played great off of each other. For some reason though, this was Mick Taylor's last album with the Stones. I guess there was just one too many Mick's in the band for the Glimmer Twins to handle at the time. As for this album, it's a little erratic in spots, but still, with the exception of "Exile On Main Street" and "Some Girls", this holds up well with the rest of their latter day albums. Like the title says, it's only rock and roll, and for the most part, I liked it.

It's Only Rock 'N' Roll find the Stones picking up the tempo after the slower more subdued Goats Head Soup. The album opens with a challenge in the rollicking "If You Can Rock Me". The band moves into a spirited cover of the Temptations classic "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" which stands up well next to the original. The title cut has the classic line that sums up the band's attitude, "I know it's only rock n roll, but I like it". "Till The Next Goodbye" is one of the prettiest songs the band has ever done and "Time Waits For No One" finds them in a pensive mood. The album kind of sags a little bit after that with throwaways like "Short & Curlies" & "If You Really Want...", but closes strongly with the funk workout "Fingerprint Files". The album keeps a trend that started on Goats Head Soup and one that the band would follow for much of the rest of their career (with a few exceptions), some very strong and good songs mixed in with filler.

Being an avid classic rock listener in general, I certainly believe this is a great album of that genre. Although many may not believe that this album is up to par with the albums from 1968 to 1972, the songs on this album truly are excellent. From the opening rocker of "If you can't rock me" to the raunchy "It's only rock'n'roll" to the beautiful guitar work of Mick Taylor on "Time Waits for no One" to the final funky closer "Fingerprint File", there is not a single weak spot on this album. Even if the album isn't up there with the Stones' very greatest, isn't that a hell of a lofty expectation to think that a group can continually produce works of absolute genius? If this album were by a less known group with no reputation preceding them, the reviews would be very different. People may argue that this is not the Stones' best, but nonetheless this a great album. Don't listen to the people giving it one star.

The albums the Stones were releasing in the mid '70's weren't as great as the "fabulous four"- "Beggar's Banquet," "Let It Bleed," "Sticky Fingers," and "Exile on Main Street."

The band basically gave up the ghost after "Exile," an album regarded by many as their "masterpiece," but recorded under the worst conditions imaginable. By the time of "Goats Head Soup" the group was definitely floundering due to Keith's heroin habit and a general malaise in the inspiration department. "It's Only Rock 'n Roll," the follow-up to "Goats Head Soup," is more energetic than its predecessor, but still uneven.

There are some great songs on "It's Only Rock 'n Roll." One of the Stones' best songs of all time, "Time Waits for No One," being reason enough to buy the album. But the album shows Mick in artistic control. Keith is still in the wings due to his chemical romance. Keith's MIA status is sorely felt throughout the album.

Probably the most amazing musical highlight of "It's Only Rock 'n Roll" is the wonderful guitar playing of Mick Taylor. This is Mick Taylor's last album as a member of the Stones. His leads are beautiful. The interplay of his lyrical approach blending with Keith's strong, forceful rhythm playing was incredible! The Stones lost a great deal of musicality when Taylor left the group. Taylor's guitar playing was responsible for much of the quality on the Stones' best albums- "Sticky Fingers" and "Exile on Main Street."

"It's Only Rock 'n Roll" is worth adding to your album collection. Just don't forget to buy the "fabulous four."

This is Mick Taylor's last album and he provides exquisite lead guitar on "Time Waits for No One". When played on the radio the choice from this album is usually "It's Only Rock n' Roll (But I like it)", but there are far more interesting songs on the album, "Til the Next Time We Say Goodbye" (reminiscent of the earlier more personal Jagger back when they were more English than American), the funky, jazzy "Fingerprint File", the richly textured reggae-influenced rhythm guitar of "Luxury", all of the songs are good. "Short and Curlies" is kind of rollicking interlude that would have fit right in on "Exile on Main Street". "If You Really Want to Be My Friend" is a more serious version of the "Angie" sentiment. There is a strong, very Temptations-like but nevertheless all Stones version of "Ain't Too Proud to Beg". "Dance Little Sister" and "If You Can't Rock Me" are strong traditional heavy rockers, with heavy Bill Wyman bass lines. There is an interesting mix of styles and moods, very clean but very clever variations on the production, with the expected and undeniable instrumental and vocal brilliance.

This disc is a classic. To my taste, the Stones have only released one or two better discs since this time. "Time waits for no one" features some great guitar playing from Mick. "If you can't rock me" is the classic Stones sound. The title track is as good as it gets and a true rock anthem. Even the old standard "Ain't too proud to beg" sounds like a Stones original here; it fits right in. Contrary to what some other reviewers wrote, I do not feel that this album is a hodgepog of styles. It is coherent, with a definite feel that carries throughout the album. It is my personal favorite album from this incarnation of the band and, apparently, very underrated. Repeated listening at loud volumes recommended.

The title track off 1974's "It's only Rock 'N Roll" is a bona fide classic, no doubt about it. Excellent guitar playing from both Keith Richards and Mick Taylor, and a supremely catchy chorus.

And there are other high points as well, like the tough opener "If You Can't Rock Me", the charming reggae number "Luxury", the rock ballad "Time Waits For No One", and a solid cover of "Ain't Too Proud To Beg". Only the utterly forgettable "Fingerprint File" is a complete waste of time; everything else is good, if a bit predictable at times.

"It's Only Rock 'N Roll" is very well arranged; it's not overproduced, sticking to a basic, yet muscular sound with lots of great guitar playing, and Nicky Hopkins and Ian Stewart add some excellent piano parts.
But the music is a little too average to make "Rock 'N Roll" one of the truly great Stones albums...there is a little too much filler, and while its predecessor "Goats Head Soup" only gets better with age, "It's Only Rock 'N Roll" doesn't hold up quite so well over time.
3 ½ stars. Good, but not quite great.