It's Only Rock'n Roll

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For the Waylon Jennings album, see It's Only Rock and Roll

For the Only Fools and Horses episode, see It's Only Rock and Roll

It's Only Rock'n Roll
Studio album by The Rolling Stones
Released	18 October 1974
Recorded	13 - 24 November 1973 20 February - 3 March 1974, 12 April - 27 May 1974
Genre	Rock
Length	48:26
Label	Rolling Stones/Virgin
Producer(s)	The Glimmer Twins
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone (not rated) link Robert Christgau (B) link
The Rolling Stones chronology
Goats Head Soup (1973)	It's Only Rock'n Roll (1974)	Made in the Shade (1975)

It's Only Rock'n Roll is an album by The Rolling Stones and was released in 1974.

Contents 1 History 2 Track listing 3 Miscellanea 4 Charts

[edit] History

Following up on the relatively mellow Goats Head Soup, The Rolling Stones aimed to create a more energized album. While the album was popular in its release, it did not jolt the band out of their perceived lean period, one which would not end until the revitalization of 1978's Some Girls. It's Only Rock'n Roll is also notable for being guitartist Mick Taylor's last album with The Rolling Stones, as he decided to leave the group in December 1974 to work with former Cream bassist Jack Bruce.

With work having started on the project, following The Rolling Stones' 1973 European Tour, that November in Munich, Germany, further new songs and overdubs would be effected there in the spring months of 1974. Alongside the usual outside contributors, Ray Cooper would act as percussionist for the album. Ron Wood, a longtime acquaintance of the band, began to get closer to The Rolling Stones during these sessions - being Mick Jagger's original co-author of the song (credited with "inspiration by Ron Wood" on the album's sleeve), and with Keith Richards appearing on Wood's debut album I've Got My Own Album To Do.

It's Only Rock'n Roll, after Jimmy Miller's departure, was officially produced by The Glimmer Twins, a pseudonym for Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Starting with this release, all future Rolling Stones albums would either be produced by them or in collaboration with an outside producer.

In July, the lead single, "It's Only Rock'n Roll (But I Like It)", was released and despite the familiar sound, it surprised many by not reaching the Top 10. With its sing-along chorus, it has become a staple at Rolling Stones concerts. "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", originally a 1966 hit by The Temptations, was released as the second single in the US only, where it also became a Top 20 hit. Its parent album appeared in October with strong reviews and brisk initial sales, reaching #2 in the UK (breaking a string of #1 albums that stretched back to 1969's Let It Bleed) and #1 in the US where it eventually went platinum. Yet, It's Only Rock'n Roll's chart stay was relatively brief, amplifying to many that The Rolling Stones were indeed in the middle of a minor commercial slump. This wasn't helped by the fact that, instead of immediately touring to promote the album, the band decided to head back into the Munich studios to record the next album, to Mick Taylor's refusal and subsequent resignation from the band - a tour didn't happen until the following summer in the US, the "Tour of the Americas '75", with future member Ron Wood filling in Mick Taylor's place.

In order to promote the album, music videos were filmed for several of the songs. The most commonly-seen video from the album was the video for "It's Only Rock'n Roll (But I Like It)", featuring the band (in sailor suits) playing in a tent, which gradually fills with soap bubbles. Videos were also filmed for "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" and "Till The Next Goodbye".

In 1994, It's Only Rock'n Roll was remastered and reissued by Virgin Records.

One of the Rolling Stones' largest fan clubs goes by the name "It's Only Rock'N Roll," though its members typically refer to it as 'IORR.'

[edit] Track listing

All songs by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, except where noted.

1. "If You Can't Rock Me" – 3:47
   • Features Billy Preston on piano and clavinet
   • Keith Richards on bass on this track
2. "Ain't Too Proud to Beg (Norman Whitfield/Eddie Holland) – 3:31
   • Features Billy Preston on piano and clavinet
3. "It's Only Rock'n Roll (But I Like It)" – 5:07
   • Features Ian Stewart on piano Kenny Jones on drums and Willie Weeks on bass
4. "Till The Next Goodbye" – 4:37
   • Features Nicky Hopkins on piano
5. "Time Waits For No One" – 6:38
   • Features Nicky Hopkins on piano
6. "Luxury" – 5:01
   • Features Nicky Hopkins on piano
7. "Dance Little Sister" – 4:11
   • Features Ian Stewart on piano
8. "If You Really Want To Be My Friend" – 6:17
   • Features Nicky Hopkins on piano
9. "Short And Curlies" – 2:44
   • Features Ian Stewart on piano
10. "Fingerprint File" – 6:33
    • Features Nicky Hopkins on piano and Billy Preston on clavinet
    • Mick Taylor handles the bass on this track while Bill Wyman played the synthesizer

[edit] Miscellanea

Mick Taylor claims he co-authored Time Waits For No One with Mick Jagger. Off the record, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger have confirmed Taylor's claim.^{[citation needed]}

Keith Richards stated in interviews when the album was released, that the album was mastered poorly, making it sound "dead". In 1999 acetates of various tracks of the album appeared on the bootleg market, confirming Richards' claim.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1974 1975	UK Top 50 Albums UK Top 50 Albums	2 49
1974 1975	Billboard Pop Albums Billboard Pop Albums	1 12

Single

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1974	"It's Only Rock'n Roll"	UK Top 50 Singles	10
1974	"It's Only Rock'n Roll"	The Billboard Hot 100	16
1974	"Ain't Too Proud To Beg"	The Billboard Hot 100	17

The Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger | Keith Richards | Charlie Watts | Ron Wood
Former members
Brian Jones | Bill Wyman | Mick Taylor | Ian Stewart | Dick Taylor
See also
Chuck Leavell | Darryl Jones | Andrew Loog Oldham | Allen Klein
Related articles
Discography | The Glimmer Twins | Nanker Phelge | Rolling Stones Records | Rock and Roll Circus
Categories
The Rolling Stones | Members | Albums | Singles | Songs | Tours
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