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Rocky Dijon
The circulating outtakes of "Waiting on a Friend" are likely from the 1979 sessions or the 1981 mixing and overdubbing sessions. Just a guess here, but listening to Sonny Rollins' saxophone (or Ernie Watts' saxophone on the 1981 tour), the melody lines being played would have been Taylor's guitar solo originally as it builds on the opening riff (something Taylor did with Keith's riffs all the time whether in the studio or in concert).

Since Taylor's complaint was never made public (since it was settled out of court), we don't know he ever claimed his actual guitar work is featured on the released track so much as he could have recognized that Sonny Rollins was playing on saxophone the solo he originally contributed to the Dynamic Sound sessions in 1972 and felt he had a right to complain. "Tops" there is no question features Mr. Taylor on guitar.

I cannot imagine that a player like Sonny Rollins came up with Taylor's melody lines, if there were some, let alone Taylor claiming royalties for this. At least Ive never heard Taylor's lines on WAOF.

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DandelionPowderman
He claimed he had played on it, Skippy. I'm not sure if he also said he played on the released version.

I get that. But the finished version... that's another deal. As it appears on the LP anyway.

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LuxuryStones

I cannot imagine that a player like Sonny Rollins came up with Taylor's melody lines, if there were some, let alone Taylor claiming royalties for this. At least Ive never heard Taylor's lines on WAOF.

I'm just guessing if Taylor contributed to the track the only evidence in the finished take would be the melody played during the saxophone solo since, like Taylor often did, it takes the opening riff and builds on it. I don't think Taylor is on the released version. Mel Collins' saxophone solo on "Miss You" replaces Ronnie's guitar solo heard on the 12" single. It isn't that strange to replace a guitar solo with a saxophone solo.

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Rocky Dijon

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LuxuryStones

I cannot imagine that a player like Sonny Rollins came up with Taylor's melody lines, if there were some, let alone Taylor claiming royalties for this. At least Ive never heard Taylor's lines on WAOF.

I'm just guessing if Taylor contributed to the track the only evidence in the finished take would be the melody played during the saxophone solo since, like Taylor often did, it takes the opening riff and builds on it. I don't think Taylor is on the released version. Mel Collins' saxophone solo on "Miss You" replaces Ronnie's guitar solo heard on the 12" single. It isn't that strange to replace a guitar solo with a saxophone solo.

It could be the opening riff he played, too.

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Rocky Dijon

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LuxuryStones

I cannot imagine that a player like Sonny Rollins came up with Taylor's melody lines, if there were some, let alone Taylor claiming royalties for this. At least Ive never heard Taylor's lines on WAOF.

I'm just guessing if Taylor contributed to the track the only evidence in the finished take would be the melody played during the saxophone solo since, like Taylor often did, it takes the opening riff and builds on it. I don't think Taylor is on the released version. Mel Collins' saxophone solo on "Miss You" replaces Ronnie's guitar solo heard on the 12" single. It isn't that strange to replace a guitar solo with a saxophone solo.

Yes, I'm guessing too. I don't hear Taylor on the released version (?). I just would like to hear what he actually played, I cannot find any WAOF recording were he's audible, unless his claims are related to the rhythm guitar?? And sure Sonny did an amazing job, just like Mel Collins. I even think Mel and Andrew Latimer had a great time together when they played with Camel, but that's a different story..

OF all the versions that are available one way or the other (some are not available on bootlegs), there's only one electric guitar (the one as released), and an acoustic overdub from 1980 or so, that was deleted for the official release. Concerning Kaspar Winding: there is a take with added percussion that very well might be Kaspar Winding. The official release has much more professional percussion though, played by Mike Carabello.

Mathijs

Taylor must have had a good long term memory then, he claimed a significant contribution in 1981. Maybe it's just about the rhythm guitar, my speculation, cause the Sonny Rollins melody theory is pure speculation as well.

I'm still intrigued by the subject.

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Mathijs
OF all the versions that are available one way or the other (some are not available on bootlegs), there's only one electric guitar (the one as released), and an acoustic overdub from 1980 or so, that was deleted for the official release. Concerning Kaspar Winding: there is a take with added percussion that very well might be Kaspar Winding. The official release has much more professional percussion though, played by Mike Carabello.

Mathijs

now that the stones are off the road and on holiday is Pierre going to reply to are questions ?

I don't know about the accuracy of this quote (or the author), but as I'm having trouble finding statements from Taylor claiming he played guitar on WOAF, it might be something to consider?

"Yes indeed, it is a 'goats head soup' outtake recorded in nov.'72 & I have the original '72 take on bootleg - and yes, mick taylor is on bass. The sax was done in 1980 is by legendary saxophonist Sonny Rollins".
- Neil - Liverpool, U.k., England

Taylor's statement:
"(There were) two songs on Tattoo You (I played on). One was called Tops and the other was called Waiting on a Friend".

- Mick Taylor 1993



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-08-26 15:03 by DandelionPowderman.

Yes,I also read that "Taylor on bass" story. So Taylor himself has the outtake were he is playing on ? Never knew that. Fascinating.

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LuxuryStones
Yes,I also read that "Taylor on bass" story. So Taylor himself has the outtake were he is playing on? Never knew that. Fascinating.

No, Neil from Liverpool has that. The quote below was Taylor

I'm listening now. The bass is active in a Tumbling Dice kind of way. Could be we have solved our mystery here. They used his bass track on TY.

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DandelionPowderman
I'm listening now. The bass is active in a Tumbling Dice kind of way. Could be we have solved our mystery here. They used his bass track on TY.

Still fascinating

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LuxuryStones

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DandelionPowderman
I'm listening now. The bass is active in a Tumbling Dice kind of way. Could be we have solved our mystery here. They used his bass track on TY.

Still fascinating

That they used it without telling him/paying him, or that he plays the bass?

I must admit that I haven't been paying attention to the bass on this track at all. That's probably because of the light bass-mix

I don't know.

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DandelionPowderman
I don't know about the accuracy of this quote (or the author), but as I'm having trouble finding statements from Taylor claiming he played guitar on WOAF, it might be something to consider?

"Yes indeed, it is a 'goats head soup' outtake recorded in nov.'72 & I have the original '72 take on bootleg - and yes, mick taylor is on bass. The sax was done in 1980 is by legendary saxophonist Sonny Rollins".
- Neil - Liverpool, U.k., England

Taylor's statement:
"(There were) two songs on Tattoo You (I played on). One was called Tops and the other was called Waiting on a Friend".

- Mick Taylor 1993

I guess the guitar playing was a rather natural assumption, even though Taylor - as far as I know - hasn't specified what he played... But yeah, the bass might solve the mystery here... Easily the best explanation so far..

- Doxa

I always assumed it was Bill who played bass on Waiting On A Friend. We'll have to consult Rene's track talk session list on this one. Anyway, I love the bass on that, especially the last minute or so of the song, where a high note bass riff comes in that is completely complimentary to the playout part of the song, where Mick repeats "I'm just waiting on a friend" and the sax plays its part. The bass does sound more upfront and distinguished, I suppose in a manner that Bill might not have played, as he kept his playing mainly to fill out the bottom rather than to feature the bass notes as a riff in their own right in the song.

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DandelionPowderman
I'm listening now. The bass is active in a Tumbling Dice kind of way. Could be we have solved our mystery here. They used his bass track on TY.

If it's Bill playing bass on Tops, he's maybe even more active and syncopating, and as upfront and distinguished like Stonehearted stated. They might have used Wymann on WOAF as well. Or Taylor also playing bass on Tops? Taylor has a different attack than Bill, imo.

We may never know wether Taylor played bass or not.
However, looking on tracks from Goats Head Soup, Bill was very absent in general.

Bill only played on Angie, Winter, Can You Hear The Music and Star Star, so it's not imposible Yaylor played on the Tattoo You tracks as well.

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LuxuryStones

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DandelionPowderman
I'm listening now. The bass is active in a Tumbling Dice kind of way. Could be we have solved our mystery here. They used his bass track on TY.

If it's Bill playing bass on Tops, he's maybe even more active and syncopating, and as upfront and distinguished like Stonehearted stated. They might have used Wymann on WOAF as well. Or Taylor also playing bass on Tops? Taylor has a different attack than Bill, imo.

Then you have a couple of other active "bass players" in the group...

Yes, two more: Keith & Ron.

Charlie on Sonny Rollins in the Guardian [www.theguardian.com]

Sonny Rollins: sax colossus

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts on a titan of jazz.
Charlie Watts

The Observer, Saturday 23 January 2010

"My love for Sonny goes back a long way. I would have been 15 or 16 when I first played his records, first with Max Roach and Clifford Brown, then his stuff with Miles, and then of course on his own. I first saw him in 1964 in the original Birdland club on 52nd Street, playing with a trio. To sit there and watch Sonny Rollins, my God! In those days he did this fantastic thing: he used to start playing in the dressing room with no band, then walk out and go around the stage, using the room to bounce the sound off. It was amazing. I'd never seen anyone do that.

"He was incredibly hip and looked fabulous, and he still does. We have the same tailor friend who makes our clothes in New York, and Sonny is still a very sharp man. He looks amazing. He's gone perfectly white in his beard and hair; it's like Samuel Beckett when he got old.

"I've been fortunate enough to get to know him a bit. Mick [Jagger] asked me about a tenor player for the Stones' Waiting on a Friend and I suggested Sonny. He did that song then wanted to have a go at another one, a real lairy rock'n'roll thing called Neighbours. He played great on it. It was an overdub, unfortunately, so we never played together. Probably just as well. My goodness, I'd sit there and think, 'bloody hell, what am I going to do here?'I'd feel like an impostor, because that's the highest company you can keep.

"There are people who burn bright and fade quickly, and there are those who burn bright and keep going. You have to admire that. Sonny has never made a bad record – ever; some are simply greater than others. When he stands and plays, there isn't a saxophone player who doesn't look on in awe. He's the last one standing, and he's still playing as well today as he was then. He's still at the peak at what he does. It's great inspiration that there isn't really a time limit, but very few people can do it at that level.

"His wife died a few years ago and it hit him very hard. He became much more reclusive, but we ring each other now and then. He's not just a saxophone player, he's something else. He's iconic, a leader without having to explicitly say it. I think you'd follow Sonny into war."

Key recording: Saxophone Colossus (Prestige, 1956)

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LuxuryStones
Yes, two more: Keith & Ron.

Doesn't aound like either of them. Keith's bass playing is very distinctive.

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71Tele

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LuxuryStones
Yes, two more: Keith & Ron.

Doesn't aound like either of them. Keith's bass playing is very distinctive.

Yet we still are trying to determine if he plays bass on certain songs (like Jig Saw Puzzle)

[www.youtube.com]

[www.youtube.com]

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DandelionPowderman


Yet we still are trying to determine if he plays bass on certain songs (like Jig Saw Puzzle)

That is bill.

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Gemini

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DandelionPowderman


Yet we still are trying to determine if he plays bass on certain songs (like Jig Saw Puzzle)

That is bill.

Sorry, I meant She Smiled Sweetly

Charlie said "On 'Waiting On A Friend' he went into that Santana style of playing. It was incredible, and it really worked."

I've mentioned this before here wondering WTF he's talking about because there's no kind of playing like that on the LP version. So it must be that he was on it playing leads back in 1972 if Charlie said that. Charlie doesn't say A LOT about their songs but it seems that was one that he remembers.

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GasLightStreet
Charlie said "On 'Waiting On A Friend' he went into that Santana style of playing. It was incredible, and it really worked."

I've mentioned this before here wondering WTF he's talking about because there's no kind of playing like that on the LP version. So it must be that he was on it playing leads back in 1972 if Charlie said that. Charlie doesn't say A LOT about their songs but it seems that was one that he remembers.

He meant Time Waits For No One or CYHMK, surely.

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DandelionPowderman

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GasLightStreet
Charlie said "On 'Waiting On A Friend' he went into that Santana style of playing. It was incredible, and it really worked."

I've mentioned this before here wondering WTF he's talking about because there's no kind of playing like that on the LP version. So it must be that he was on it playing leads back in 1972 if Charlie said that. Charlie doesn't say A LOT about their songs but it seems that was one that he remembers.

He meant Time Waits For No One or CYHMK, surely.

Not too much Santana in WOAF