It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll
It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll
Customer Review: Seems to be a hidden gem in the Stones repertoire
If this had come after Exile On Main Street instead of Goats Head Soup then it would have been far better received. People were still smarting about how the run of 4 great albums prior to that had been ruined when It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll came along. This is a much warmer, melodic offering than the Stones had ever released and contains some fine lead guitar work from Mick Taylor. Keith took a bit of a back seat on this album due to his addictions and as a result the overall sound is less Stonesy, perhaps this different vibe is what puts some fans off? The songs are very strong and the production much more appealing than Goats Head Soup which was a bit of a shocker in my opinion. This is definitely one of my favourite Stones albums.
Customer Review: Insubstantial Offering From The Stones
‘It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll’ does display some rock ‘n’ roll vitality which is largely missing from the previous more subdued ‘Goats Head Soup’ but this hardly results in contributing to a great Stones album. In fact it’s difficult to claim it’s even a good album although it does have its moments.
The album’s first three songs are all highly energetic, displaying some great vitality. The only problem is once the listener has had a little time to digest them they’ve very little more to offer. They seem so very shallow as if the Stones were now content just going through the motions. Unfortunately this seems to be the problem with the rest of the album also.The ballads ‘Till The Next Goodbye’ and ‘If You Really Want To Be My Friend’ seem pleasant if lacking in a little substance.The Stones seem as though they are content at this point to just parody their former selves.
The most satisfying track for me is ‘Time Waits For No-one’ which succeeds mainly through guitarist Mick Taylor’s wonderfully inspiring guitar solos. ‘Luxury’ with its slight reggae influenced sound (in particular the vocals) is another enjoyable track.
Ultimately though too many of the songs are a little too sketchy to be anything above average which leads to an album that is ultimately unsatisfying.
It’s a scenario that Stones fan would become all too familiar with in the years that followed.
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