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Well the Jimmy Miller years aren’t the same because he came on board in 68 for Beggars. So I’d split it into the pre MT Jimmy Miller years and the post MT Jimmy Miller years. But we can call it the Jimmy Miller-Mick Taylor-Bobby Keys years.
Mick Taylor. Best incarnation of the stones imo. Brown Sugar, etc. The chemistry Keith and Mick T had was the best.
And Ian Stewart Years! - Keith credits him with basically making the Stones a band. Rumor was they never made him a member because he was ugly or some shit. Kinda lame if that’s true.
I believe that was an Andrew Oldham idea.
I believe he said no bands had six members and he was ugly.
Nicky Hopkins is all over those records too
He was - love Nicky too. But man, I dig this quote from Keef: “I'm still working for him," Keith Richards said of Stewart in his autobiography Life. "To me, the Rolling Stones is his band.”
Keith Richards called another human ugly? Hmmm.
No, Keith never said that & they both are beautiful
They are my favorite years of the Stone’s in general and it was awesome having a blues phenom but this was also the time when the song writing duo of Jagger/Richards were at their height. I understand that Taylor should have gotten credit on a couple of songs. Keith’s drug problems really start to affect the band to the point of almost firing him after the 72 tour. Goats Head was Miller’s last album and quality really went downhill from there. I always see the Mick Taylor years being called the best, but I argue that it was the Jimmy Miller years. Just my opinion.
Fenom?
🤦🏻 Thanks. I can’t spell for shit.
Great question. I think there is a fair point to be made for either. Huge fan of MT in and out of the Stones but Miller’s contribution is huge and undeniable.
This also my favorite Stones period. Really up until Tattoo You. I think of Some Girls as the Stones last great album. I last saw them in’89.
I would say Jimmy Miller. Keith had a greater involvement than Mick Taylor on the overall musical direction of Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed, but the production was still paramount. Mick T undoubtedly made amazing contributions to Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street (Moonlight Mile is a fave of mine) but again if we’re talking overall musical direction, it was in large part down to Keith, Jimmy Miller being the proverbial glue holding it all together when it came time to record and mix.
I agree. I hope I didn’t sound anti Mick Taylor because he was definitely a huge piece of the period. I love Moonlight Mile , Sway and others.
It depends on what you think of Let It Bleed and Beggars Banquet. Taylor wasn’t on those albums (except a couple of songs on LIB), while they were Miller’s first ones with the band. Since I think those albums are peak Stones, I’ll single out Miller for credit.
Yeah it makes sense. Absolutely love and miss Mick T but from Beggars to Goats… man that is pretty much a perfect era of music.
Mick Taylor was amazing but there’s only 2 top tier albums that really feature him, it was definitely more Jimmy Miller that made the overall sound so great at the time
Jimmy Miller - Mick Taylor - Bobby Keys - Jim Price - Nicky Hopkins - Billy Preston (1973) - Ian Stewart - Glyn/Andy Johns era
I mean both but the OP and commenters miss how important Taylor was. Honky Tonk Woman exists as a song because of MT and he worked that out his first day in the band.
Sticky Fingers… man. Sway is a Jagger/Taylor tune. So is Moonlight Mile. He’s all over that record.
Honky Tonk Woman existed before Mick Taylor entered the band. All Taylor did was some lead overdubs.
This is the song without Taylor’s overdubs from earlier in 1969:
https://youtu.be/DJZv94XqzxA?si=HVQ5I74Cur5NJi7B
Jimmy Miller started with Beggars, so Jimmy
Jimmy did more for The Stones in these years than Taylor did. Not knocking Taylor’s fantastic musicianship but Miller really focused the band to deliver the Big 4 (I’d include GHS but that’s me).
Andy Johns on Jimmy Miller, swiped this off IORR.
Jimmy was an extremely talented man. His main gift I think was his ability to get grooves. Which for a band like the Stones is very important. Look at the difference between ‘Beggar’s Banquet’ and ‘Satanic Majesties.’ He put them right back on the rail. So he was quote influential then and came up with all sorts of lovely ideas for them. In fact, that’s him playing the cowbell at the beginning of ‘Honky Tonk Woman.’ He sets it up. He was somewhat of a frail individual and they got to him like they got to everybody. Sooner or later you lose your mind. By the time we got to ‘Exile on Main St.’ they weren’t really listening to him anymore. So he felt a bit like a fifth wheel. He was being squeezed out a bit and I was watchin’ that go down.
Jimmy was mad keen and sort of halfway in control of ‘Sticky Fingers,’ but his grip was slipping a bit. On ‘Exile,’ they sort of stopped listening to him and by the time we got to ‘Goat’s Head Soup,’ it was like he wasn’t there. That was a very tough record to make. I love ‘Winter’ from that.
You know, Mick and Keith back then could be pretty [expletive] ruthless. It’s a defense mechanism, because people forget how big a deal they were. So everybody and their uncle is trying to grab the hem of their coat. They always want something, you know. ‘Listen to this song. You should really do this song.’ ‘I’ve got this great idea for a hotel. Give me the money.’ Constantly. And the dope dealers and the groupies. So I guess that hardens you to a certain extent. I know it has to me a little bit.
On ‘Exile,’ Keith would play after the fact. We’d have some time and Keith would say, ‘I want to re-do the bass.’ In front of Bill, you know. They were really cruel.
Yeah, I always include GHS with that run.
I have to agree. Again, Mick Taylor’s contributions are fantastic.
100%
He was simply amazing. Right guy, right place.
Both.
It should be called The Rolling Stones.
Bobby Keys years, too. A lot of people contributed!
it saddens me that Mick had to leave the band because they never reached those heights again. Without doubt the most soulful and melodic guitar player they had.
Who is Jimmy Miller?