This Ted Tocks is a tribute to Brian Jones.
For the Rolling Stones the transition from ‘Out of Our Heads’ in 1965, to the release of ‘Aftermath’ on this day in 1966 was marked by a remarkable maturity. One of the most noticeable differences was the fact the Mick Jagger/Keith Richards songwriting duo were credited on every track as opposed to just four songs on the previous release. This demonstrated a band commitment to produce more original material. It also represented a changing of the guard in terms of band leadership. Where the Rolling Stones were initially led by Jones and a dedication to a blues, R&B approach, ‘Aftermath’ offered a move to a wider breadth of musical styles. This included a glimpse of what was to come for the band. A combination of musicianship that paid homage to their blues and R&B roots was integrated with folk, country, psychedelic and modern-day pop stylings. Lyrically, the songs were extremely clever on many occasions. Examples such as ‘Paint it Black’, ‘Mothers Little Helper’ and the unapologetically misogynistic ‘Under My Thumb’ became hit singles, but they were also sprinkled with social commentary.
This transformation coincided with a shift in the Rolling Stones management structure. The controversial Allen Klein entered the scene as the Stones U.S. representative while manager Andrew Loog Oldham remained as the group’s manager, promoter and record producer. The band’s success from the early days through ‘Out of Our Heads’ showed a clear pattern. When Jagger and Richards put their heads together chart success and massive royalties followed. The band managed to effectively market themselves as the antithesis of The Beatles and in terms of branding, this worked. Songs like ‘Satisfaction’, ‘Get Off Of My Cloud’ and ‘19th Nervous Breakdown’ spoke to not only rock and roll rebellion, but a clear wedge between the generations. This became The Rolling Stones appeal. Music historian Colin King emphasized this point effectively in this passage:
(This)…only made the group more appealing to those sons and daughters who found themselves estranged from the hypocrisies of the adult world – an element that would solidify into an increasingly militant and disenchanted counterculture as the decade wore on.
Colin King
The Rolling Stones were firmly entrenched as anti-establishment, and they relished their role.
While this evolution of the business model speaks very much to the genius of Mick Jagger, the musical brilliance behind the songs and their structures point to the limitless talents and dexterity of Brian Jones. If Jagger was a gifted lyricist with a keen eye and ear for what the masses would consume, and Keith Richards was clearly in a league of his own in terms of writing catchy riffs; rivalled at the time by only The Kinks and The Beatles, Brian Jones had an almost outer-worldly grasp of whatever unique sound would enhance the group’s newest creations. Listening to ‘Aftermath’ today is like a world tour of musical sound. Each song was an example of the creative possibilities available, and Brian Jones delivered. Part of this musical exploration can be traced to the possibilities utilized to great success by The Beatles. Two songs that point to this connection are ‘Norwegian Wood’ where George Harrison introduced the sitar to popular music and John Lennon’s ‘In My Life’ which is a celebration of George Martin’s astounding production capabilities with the baroque style bridge.
The result of these influences is stamped all over ‘Aftermath’. The album explodes from the turntable with ‘Mother’s Little Helper’ and Brian Jones’ sitar riff. Jones adds the distinct marimba sound to ‘Under My Thumb. ‘Paint it Black’ is also taken from ordinary to groundbreaking by the sitar work by Jones. Perhaps the unsung standout song on ‘Aftermath’ is the ‘Elizabethan’ love song ‘Lady Jane’. This song took on the role of underdog right from its beginning. It was relegated to the B side of ‘Mother’s Little Helper’. As a Rolling Stones song, it is a bit of an aberration. On the surface it is a pure love song where Mick Jagger professes his love for a muse with uncharacteristic perfect diction and sincerity. There is a whole lot more to this song and the story of what was going on behind the scenes within the band.
‘Lady Jane’ was written by Mick Jagger as an ode to a book he was reading at the time; the controversial ‘Lady Chatterly’s Lover’. In this novel, author D.H. Lawrence refers to the female genitalia as ‘Lady Jane’. This element of the song is something that Mick Jagger has stated was purely unconscious, by denying that the song is associated to any one particular person or symbolic reference. As the material was being presented primarily by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, and Andrew Loog Oldham was actively promoting the creative shift within the band, Brian Jones was working at RCA Studios in Hollywood with Jack Nitzsche, who was on hand to lend his talent and creative vision with piano, organ, percussion and harpsichord contributions. The harpsichord can be heard halfway through ‘Lady Jane’, lending the perfect compliment to Jagger’s thoughtful delivery and Brian Jones’s striking addition of the dulcimer. Stories from the studio during the time of recording marvel at how quickly Brian Jones took to the dulcimer and adapted its sound to this recording. Much like the sitar and the marimba, these contributions add a layer to each song, making ‘Aftermath’ an absolute classic; compared positively by many with the Beatles’ ‘Rubber Soul’.
By contrast, as ‘Aftermath’ was heading up the charts, Brian Jones life was beginning to decline. Accounts from the time relate a few instances that speak to Jones being marginalized within the context of the band and on a human level. Oldham and Richards dismissed the founding members’ infatuation with the new instruments he was mastering with ease. According to music journalist Barbara Charone, during the time, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts, as well as people on the periphery marveled at how Jones’ contributions, “literally transformed the records with his musical arrangements”. Jack Nitzsche was shocked by the cruelty to which Jones was treated. However, it must be noted that at the same time Brian Jones was mired in a deteriorating relationship with his girlfriend Anita Pallenberg, who would go on to become Keith Richards long time partner, as well as a debilitating drug dependency that ultimately saw him spiral completely out of control. In essence, this period saw the beginning of Brian Jones simply being left behind. The engineer of ‘Aftermath’ while the band was recording in Hollywood was Dave Hassinger. His observations corroborated Jack Nitzsche’s, suggesting that Jones was marginalized to the extent that when he was lying on the studio floor, spaced out on something the band would simply work around him, just letting him ride out the trip before getting up and leaving the studio. An extremely sad decline for an unbelievable talent. A key figure in the first chapter of the Rolling Stones; Brian Jones life would come to a tragic end in July of 1969. A death that is still mired in mystery with many questions left unanswered. The circumstances behind Brian Jones’s death are beyond the scope of this post but for more information please read this article by Scott Jones in the Daily Mail from 2008. I warn you though…This will take you down a rabbit hole of articles, videos and much more recent articles that ask even more questions. It is endlessly fascinating.
In many ways Brian Jones incredible contributions continue to be celebrated, as they should. We have the recordings. We also have intriguing, isolated tracks like this one, that break down Brian Jones’s talents. Listen to this isolated track that truly puts his dexterity on full display.
Here is a live recording from Hawaii in 1966, during the final performance of the Rolling Stones U.S. tour to promote ‘Aftermath’. Notice how Mick Jagger screws up the introduction. A moment where the band’s front man could have introduced Brian Jones and his unique contribution, is lost to a blunder, that is simply laughed away. Ego is a powerful force, but this is yet another sign of the marginalization of Jones.
Moving on to the covers of ‘Lady Jane’ here is one I had to include. The layers within this presentation by The Rotary Connection featuring Minnie Riperton on vocals are mind blowing. This psychedelic soul band from Chicago with a direct connection to the legends from Chess Records turn ‘Lady Jane’ into an opus.
I found it interesting that prominent musician, Mike Melvoin released this version of ‘Lady Jane’ on an instrumental album in 1970 called ‘The Plastic Cow Goes Mooo”. Melvoin has an impressive musical resume and connections to some of the most prominent artists of the era. He was also musical director for The Partridge Family, a story that I chronicled to some extent in ‘Come On, Get Happy’.
There is no doubt that ‘Lady Jane’ lends itself effectively to an orchestral style, so I was pleased to see an symphonic cover by the Royal Philharmonic. Pretty powerful stuff.
Now we move on to another intriguing story that involves Neil Young. This is not a cover, it is as entitled, a ‘Borrowed Tune’ recorded in 1973 when Neil was distraught over the deaths of his friends, guitarist Danny Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry. The crushing blow of these losses stuck with Young, and the mourning is on full display on this dark drug and alcohol fueled album, ‘Tonight’s the Night’. The raw emotion permeates the album which was not released until 1975; the third album in a series known as ‘The Ditch Trilogy’ that also included ‘On the Beach’ and ‘Time Fades Away’.
Neil Young openly admits to stealing the ‘Lady Jane’ melody right in the lyrics.
I’m singin’ this borrowed tune
Neil Young
I took from the Rolling Stones,
Alone in this empty room
Too wasted to write my own.
I would be hard pressed to think of another example of an artist openly admitting to ‘plagiarizing’ in the course of an album track. In essence it serves as an artistic gesture. He is distraught, and openly disillusioned. He is full of self-doubt and in the moment his own creativity escapes him. He is broken, so the public admission serves as a request for permission, and the result speaks to the cathartic nature of the ‘Tonight’s the Night’ recording exercise. The truth is, the album was never meant to be a commercial success. It was more about music therapy. For fans of Neil Young, it often resides among their favourites, because Neil puts his psyche on the mantel for all to observe. It is also interesting to note that Neil’s producer and regular sounding board for musical ideas in his early solo days was none other than Jack Nitzsche, who played such a huge part in the production of ‘Lady Jane’ in his encouragement of Brian Jones. In the music world, these connections are always a source of fascination.
I’m climbin’ this ladder,
Neil Young
My head in the clouds
I hope that it matters,
I’m havin’ my doubts.
From Brian Jones to Neil Young, it is apparent that there is a fine line between massive success and crippling vulnerability. Some walk the razor’s edge while others fall into the abyss. This is a theme that has played out on many occasions in music history. The music always remains for us to celebrate, but we should also remember the fragile nature of the process that brings the song to our ear. Sometimes the journey is dark and rife with sadness and tragedy. Ironically, on occasion this fuels a new wealth of creativity…
The cycle continues.
Ted Tocks Covers 