Mick Taylor: An Under-Appreciated Fretboard Legend

I recently started reading David Nolan’s I Swear I Was There about the Sex Pistols June 4, 1976 show in Manchester. Much like everyone in the American punk scene swears they were at the Winterland gig in San Francisco, everyone in England claims to have been at the Lesser Freedom Hall on Peter Street that night. They sold 28 tickets. However, we do know members of the Buzzcocks, Magazine, the Fall, Joy Division/New Order and Morrissey were there.

You see, the Sex Pistols might have only made one album, albeit an all-time classic, but their influence was the part of the iceberg that was under the water. This reminded me I have been wanting to dedicate some words to some of my favorite guitar players. Some you will know, some you might not (depending on your level of rock music nerdness). And, as luck would have it, YouTube offered up a video last night on one of these players: Mick Taylor. So, I’m starting with him.

A quick glance at his Wikipedia page will have you saying, “Wow!” but I wanted to hit some highlights and then dig into a few tunes. This is the man Slash has called his “biggest influence.” Those of you who don’t know his name will probably recognize his playing.

At 17, he stepped into Eric Clapton’s shoes with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. Later, when Peter Green quit that same band, Mick replaced him in the Bluesbreakers. Then, when the Stones sacked Brian Jones, they called him into play on Let it Bleed. After a few days of rehearsals, they offered him a permanent gig. Mick has stated they had just signed a 5 album deal, so he never thought he’d be in the Stones forever, but it was a good chance to “make some money and have a bit of fun.” He stayed for five years, influencing the Stones to make what most consider to be their best work. I agree (more on that in a bit).

After the Stones he played with Mark Knopfler on a Bob Dylan record, played solos for the likes of Joan Jett (“I Hate Myself for Loving You”), played with the Grateful Dead, worked periodically with the Stones on solo projects, done significant session work and released solo albums.

Reading quotes from the Stones on Mick (Wikipedia has quotes by all members), it’s apparent that they respect Mick’s contribution to the band and hold him in very high regard. While it is true that Gram Parsons famously pushed them in a more country direction, I think the significance of that is over-stated, and that without Mick, they couldn’t have played or written any of those tunes.

Let it Bleed - There’s varying accounts of what he plays on. They were in the middle of recording this record when they fired Brian Jones and Mick came in, but everyone agrees he plays on “Live with Me” and “Country Honk”.

Sticky Fingers - Mick was far more melodic than Keith. It still grooves, but you can hear more melody, especially in the passing notes and the more colorful chord voicings. “Sway” is a perfect example of the growth the Stones were able to make with Mick in the band. It still feels like the Stones, it’s still a take on an old blues song, but it’s not, pardon the near pun, as jagged. It’s smoother. Although Mick wasn’t given songwriting credit for “Moonlight Mile”, it’s generally accepted he helped Jagger write it. I’m with the critics for a change, and agree that this is one of their most under-appreciated ballads.

Exile on Main Street - The casual fan won’t think much about this record because it doesn’t have any monster hits on it, but it’s an all-time great rock record covering every genre in the rock and roll genealogy. I can’t name every song you should listen to because you should listen to them all. More so than any other of their albums, this album has feel. I will say though, in my opinion, that’s best personified by “Tumbling Dice”.

Goats Head Soup - Just listen to the guitar playing on “Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)”, this is a sound that would be copied for the rest of the decade and well through the next one.

It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll - As Apple Music notes, “his fluid playing enhances the band’s slash-and-burn aesthetic thought most of it…but Taylor can best be heard on the gorgeously melodic “Time Waits for No One.”

As is often the case, when artists make brief appearances, either in life, or in the public spotlight, they become influential. Some get more than their due, some less, but we wonder about these folks either because of tragic ends (the 27 Club members) or because so few willing step away from the limelight. Mick was one of those guys. He knew he had to leave the Stones in order to be the husband and father he needed to be (amongst other reasons probably) and he seems to have no regrets. But five albums in five years that are as influential to rock music as any five year span of any artist is something to recognize.