41 years ago today (12/12/74), Mick Taylor quit as guitarist of the Rolling Stones. Regarded as one of the more technically accomplished guitarists with the band, Taylor contributed to such highly revered albums as Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street and It’s Only Rock and Roll. Taylor contributed with various other musicians post Stones and release a few solo albums as well, none which ever were as highly regarded as his work with the Stones. Taylor was invited to join the Stones on their 2013 and 2014 dates in which he appeared for a couple songs each night, most regularly “Midnight Rambler” and “Satisfaction.” Watch Mick Taylor lend his bluesy lead to “All Down the Line” here from 1972.

15 Responses
Jeez…what a bad song/performance.
LOL
Most technically accomplished in that band, is hardly a notable accomplishment. The best way to hear the stones live has always been by watching a decent cover band…you know… with people that know how to tune instruments.
Saying that sounds pretty Sponge Bob to me man, everybody’s a fucking critic?
Time to hang it up…..what are they in their 70s…come on! They made enough money…retire too many good young bands workin their ass off and not being heard
Mick Taylor’s leaving of the the Rolling Stones started the recording downfall of the band. Nothing they have done has been as good since he left. His guitar work was amazing and lifted the Stones to their peak in the early to mid 70’s. Sad to see him go like Brian Jones before him, who was also a musical genius.
I am forced to agree with you. I think Ron Wood is as badass as the best of them, but after Mick Taylor’s departure, the overall quality of the Stones’ albums declined. There would be maybe one or two good songs, but the rest was filler.
For any learning guitarist it is absolutely necessary to listen to the interaction between Keith Richards and Mick Taylor. The “Get Your Ya’s Ya’s live album is the greatest live album of all time. For example, listen to how Richards and Taylor play off each in “Sympathy for the Devil.”
Yep that is indeed a great live album.
No matter who Keith’s other guitarist was/is… he always shot for a band-guitar-sound where both guitars blanedd, ans sounded like a single instrument. Interesting and effective approach.
Yea real great album, that also had to do a lot with ‘Little Queenie’ if you know what I mean and how it was/ or is involved still more so transfixed with Honkey Tonk Woman supplies, where the top hat thing Jagger is really using as a prop is all about Leon Russell man and how he was really killed when his brain was shrunk still inside his head that they called brain cancer, because they couldn’t shrink him up from the outside so thy infected him within and shrunk his brain if you know what I fuckin mean right out of sight ok? they fucking killed him man over that top hat he wore on stage that time man?
The Stones at their best Mick Taylor and Keith Richards just meshed so well.I respect him a lot from walking away from such a cozy gig.He is still one my favorite guitar players
Not a bad performance at all. Keith is actually in tune and hitting most of the right notes.
What you have to remember is that was the best any rock band had ever sounded live at that time. I was there and saw them during that tour at the show in Indiana. They had the best sound live then when compared to all of the other bands that were around at the time. Those were the earlier days when all of that first started and the 72 stones tour changed everything from that point on. Other bands became better live like Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin and etc. after that Stones tour set the benchmark. Mick Taylor was a good guitar player from John Mayall’s band, but he never did really fit with the Stones style and it was awkward. Ronnie Wood has turned out to be a much better fit with the Stones as time has proven.
I can’t understand some of the snobby comments. I love this song, the album and have seen the Stones 6 or 7 times and was NEVER dissapinted. Some of you need to get your head out your arse