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Thrylan
It's also the basis for my assertion that MT actually had a "backwards arch" in his brief Stones career; I can argue his best work peaked between Ya Yas, and Sticky Fingers. I think his general lack of at tension span plagued him throughout his career. Let the bashing begin!

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Thrylan
Typo........damn auto correct!

I favor the restrained playing on Exile, but that one is Keith's...... MT didn't hold up to the marathon sessions required of being a Stone. I think he loved to play, and not really think about it.

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FP
I was always a big fan of Taylor's stunning melodic solos on Sticky Fingers and Goats Head Soup, 2 albums where there is a clear division between the lead and rhythm guitars of Taylor and Richards. When I first heard Exile I was a bit disappointed; I loved the songs but missed the solos. It was always a more dense and difficult album to define who played what, being a rhythm based album with piano, horns and other percussion fighting for space with the guitars. It took me a while to unpick all the layers of playing and now it is my favourite Stones album. Despite being a huge Taylor fan I do feel this is Keith's album through and through and in many ways the mix seems to marginalize Taylor's talents aside from the flashes of inspired slide guitar. He is relegated to bass on many tracks or missing completely. For no particular reason I decided to listen to the whole album and assess Taylor's contributions on each track. Most of this is guess work or based on things I have read in other places but I want to leave it open for debate!

Rocks off

Richard on left opening riff followed by another Keith rhythm part on right and a melodic harmony riff in centre from Taylor. Then main rhythm riffs by Richards take over for the bulk of the song as Taylor is mixed very low to provide a few melodic parts which sound almost like an electric piano. At .50 into the tune Taylor brings in a slide guitar part that sounds like a ghostly backing vocal. The rhythm guitars keep up the same feel then Taylor plays an elegant run at about 1.05. Taylor is mostly inaudible until after the bridge when some slide comes in at 2.50 followed by a run at about 3.00. At 4.00 Taylor plays the same fill as at 1.05 followed by a brief solo at 4.15, the only time he comes up in the mix before a sudden fade. I always wanted the end solo to go on further and it feels more like a warm up than an actual solo. Live Taylor played some nice country fills on this tune but as on Tumbling Dice this song never seemed to work with any lead guitar and Taylor seems to over play live rather than meshing with Keith. I always assumed it was all Keith playing rhythm parts but if anyone knows better let me know.

Rip This Joint

The rhythm guitars on this song again both sound like Richards. Taylor comes in a 0.23 with a slide fill. Taylor returns with a melodic fill at 0.46. At 1.16 he again plays a slide fill. His playing is again quite low in a dense mix but cuts through better than Rocks Off.

Shake your Hips

Another song which could be all Keith, but as it is such a dense tangle of guitars it feels like a live take and I think this is Keith on the left and Taylor on the right. The solo like fills are Keith I think as he plays them in rehearsal videos I have seen. If it is Taylor this is a very nice example of how he could mesh with Keith when required but it is a rare example of this type of playing which was more prevalent in the Ron Wood Years.

Casino Boogie
Keith on riff on left and Taylor right, a nice mesh like the previous tune unless all rhythm parts are Keith? Sounds like Taylor on the bass as well as the part is very melodic. Taylor (?) plays some nice slide riffs 0.26. Subtle rhythm playing with occasional slide embellishments through first verses on right. Nice slide fills through out sax solo from 1.20. A great bluesy riff from 2.10 comes in on the left, sounds like Keith but then develops into a solo that is surely Taylor? Bounces off the slide riffs on the right to great effect as it pans around. Quite low mix though sadly.

Tumbling Dice
Taylor on bass for this one. Keith plays the intro riff before being joined by a slide riff at 0.09 which I presume is Taylor? A second rhythm part on right could be Taylor or Richards. The slide is very concise which makes me think it could be Richards? Through out the slide adds a melodic element without being a solo. The main break is at 1.49 where the slide plays a rhythmic device before playing a delicate harmony on the bridge chords. At 2.30 a descending melodic riff comes in on both left and right with some slide textures, could both be Keith layering.

Sweet Virginia
Richards opens with chords on left followed by mandolin link trills from Taylor. Taylor plays melodic acoustic accompaniment throughout the tune plus backing vocals.

Torn & Frayed
Keith plays all the guitar with Taylor on bass and steel guitar by Al Perkins.

Sweet Black Angel
Sounds like just Keith on acoustic and does not feature Taylor? Possibly Taylor plays the high acoustic outro.

Loving Cup
Keith comes in at 0.25 with beautiful acoustic strumming. Another heavier electric riff comes in at 0.55 but this sounds like Keith so I am not sure Taylor is on this tune although he plays the heavy riff part live.

Happy
Richards plays the signature riff and it feels like he plays all the guitars on this. Either way both slide guitars play variations on the same riff in the Keith style. Most likely the guitar on the right is Taylor if he is on it at all. The slide solo at 1.12 sound like Richards as it is very cool but quite easy.

Turd on the Run
All Keith until about 1.00 when a great riff comes in from Taylor. Sounds like horns but is a syncopated guitar part. This comes in again at 1.50. Great unique sound particularly the shuffling guitars at the end.

Ventilator Blues
Cool riff from Taylor starts the song. Richards plays some acoustic rhythm from about 0.30. Most of the guitar sounds like Taylor, playing some acoustic slide in the middle. A similar solo under the coda as Casino Boogie but much tighter and higher in the mix from Taylor.

I Just Want to See His Face
Taylor on electric bass and Richards on electric piano?

Let it Loose
Leslie speaker arpeggio guitar, sounds like it is all Richards unless Taylor is just playing the same part doubled? Or maybe Keith's idea but played by just Taylor?

All Down the Line
Most conventional rhythm and lead split on the album, Keith plays charging riff and Taylor plays searing slide through out plus a great but brief solo at 2.05.

Stop Breaking Down
Similar to the above accept Jagger plays rhythm guitar and Taylor great spooky slide though out . Could be a follow up to previous Jagger/Taylor duet Sway but this is a cover of course.

Shine a Light
No Richards on this. Mainly piano and organ based until Taylor’s solo fills come in at 1.00. He plays epic guitar until the main solo at 2.40. The best mixed solo on record but again rather abruptly cut off in mid flow by a bridge of strange Leslie effect vocals. Brief coda solo before sudden ending. Taylor and Wyman claim the bass line.

Soul Survivor
Sounds like this could be all Richards. Left channel riff is Richards with a slide part also coming in on left at 0.05 with some delicate extra rhythm on right. Not sure if slide is Taylor but most likely contribution particularly the parts from 3.34 as it has his thick rich tone.

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Thrylan
Typo........damn auto correct!

I favor the restrained playing on Exile, but that one is Keith's...... MT didn't hold up to the marathon sessions required of being a Stone. I think he loved to play, and not really think about it.

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DandelionPowderman

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FP
I was always a big fan of Taylor's stunning melodic solos on Sticky Fingers and Goats Head Soup, 2 albums where there is a clear division between the lead and rhythm guitars of Taylor and Richards. When I first heard Exile I was a bit disappointed; I loved the songs but missed the solos. It was always a more dense and difficult album to define who played what, being a rhythm based album with piano, horns and other percussion fighting for space with the guitars. It took me a while to unpick all the layers of playing and now it is my favourite Stones album. Despite being a huge Taylor fan I do feel this is Keith's album through and through and in many ways the mix seems to marginalize Taylor's talents aside from the flashes of inspired slide guitar. He is relegated to bass on many tracks or missing completely. For no particular reason I decided to listen to the whole album and assess Taylor's contributions on each track. Most of this is guess work or based on things I have read in other places but I want to leave it open for debate!

Rocks off

Richard on left opening riff followed by another Keith rhythm part on right and a melodic harmony riff in centre from Taylor. Then main rhythm riffs by Richards take over for the bulk of the song as Taylor is mixed very low to provide a few melodic parts which sound almost like an electric piano. At .50 into the tune Taylor brings in a slide guitar part that sounds like a ghostly backing vocal. The rhythm guitars keep up the same feel then Taylor plays an elegant run at about 1.05. Taylor is mostly inaudible until after the bridge when some slide comes in at 2.50 followed by a run at about 3.00. At 4.00 Taylor plays the same fill as at 1.05 followed by a brief solo at 4.15, the only time he comes up in the mix before a sudden fade. I always wanted the end solo to go on further and it feels more like a warm up than an actual solo. Live Taylor played some nice country fills on this tune but as on Tumbling Dice this song never seemed to work with any lead guitar and Taylor seems to over play live rather than meshing with Keith. I always assumed it was all Keith playing rhythm parts but if anyone knows better let me know.

Rip This Joint

The rhythm guitars on this song again both sound like Richards. Taylor comes in a 0.23 with a slide fill. Taylor returns with a melodic fill at 0.46. At 1.16 he again plays a slide fill. His playing is again quite low in a dense mix but cuts through better than Rocks Off.

Shake your Hips

Another song which could be all Keith, but as it is such a dense tangle of guitars it feels like a live take and I think this is Keith on the left and Taylor on the right. The solo like fills are Keith I think as he plays them in rehearsal videos I have seen. If it is Taylor this is a very nice example of how he could mesh with Keith when required but it is a rare example of this type of playing which was more prevalent in the Ron Wood Years.

Casino Boogie
Keith on riff on left and Taylor right, a nice mesh like the previous tune unless all rhythm parts are Keith? Sounds like Taylor on the bass as well as the part is very melodic. Taylor (?) plays some nice slide riffs 0.26. Subtle rhythm playing with occasional slide embellishments through first verses on right. Nice slide fills through out sax solo from 1.20. A great bluesy riff from 2.10 comes in on the left, sounds like Keith but then develops into a solo that is surely Taylor? Bounces off the slide riffs on the right to great effect as it pans around. Quite low mix though sadly.

Tumbling Dice
Taylor on bass for this one. Keith plays the intro riff before being joined by a slide riff at 0.09 which I presume is Taylor? A second rhythm part on right could be Taylor or Richards. The slide is very concise which makes me think it could be Richards? Through out the slide adds a melodic element without being a solo. The main break is at 1.49 where the slide plays a rhythmic device before playing a delicate harmony on the bridge chords. At 2.30 a descending melodic riff comes in on both left and right with some slide textures, could both be Keith layering.

Sweet Virginia
Richards opens with chords on left followed by mandolin link trills from Taylor. Taylor plays melodic acoustic accompaniment throughout the tune plus backing vocals.

Torn & Frayed
Keith plays all the guitar with Taylor on bass and steel guitar by Al Perkins.

Sweet Black Angel
Sounds like just Keith on acoustic and does not feature Taylor? Possibly Taylor plays the high acoustic outro.

Loving Cup
Keith comes in at 0.25 with beautiful acoustic strumming. Another heavier electric riff comes in at 0.55 but this sounds like Keith so I am not sure Taylor is on this tune although he plays the heavy riff part live.

Happy
Richards plays the signature riff and it feels like he plays all the guitars on this. Either way both slide guitars play variations on the same riff in the Keith style. Most likely the guitar on the right is Taylor if he is on it at all. The slide solo at 1.12 sound like Richards as it is very cool but quite easy.

Turd on the Run
All Keith until about 1.00 when a great riff comes in from Taylor. Sounds like horns but is a syncopated guitar part. This comes in again at 1.50. Great unique sound particularly the shuffling guitars at the end.

Ventilator Blues
Cool riff from Taylor starts the song. Richards plays some acoustic rhythm from about 0.30. Most of the guitar sounds like Taylor, playing some acoustic slide in the middle. A similar solo under the coda as Casino Boogie but much tighter and higher in the mix from Taylor.

I Just Want to See His Face
Taylor on electric bass and Richards on electric piano?

Let it Loose
Leslie speaker arpeggio guitar, sounds like it is all Richards unless Taylor is just playing the same part doubled? Or maybe Keith's idea but played by just Taylor?

All Down the Line
Most conventional rhythm and lead split on the album, Keith plays charging riff and Taylor plays searing slide through out plus a great but brief solo at 2.05.

Stop Breaking Down
Similar to the above accept Jagger plays rhythm guitar and Taylor great spooky slide though out . Could be a follow up to previous Jagger/Taylor duet Sway but this is a cover of course.

Shine a Light
No Richards on this. Mainly piano and organ based until Taylor’s solo fills come in at 1.00. He plays epic guitar until the main solo at 2.40. The best mixed solo on record but again rather abruptly cut off in mid flow by a bridge of strange Leslie effect vocals. Brief coda solo before sudden ending. Taylor and Wyman claim the bass line.

Soul Survivor
Sounds like this could be all Richards. Left channel riff is Richards with a slide part also coming in on left at 0.05 with some delicate extra rhythm on right. Not sure if slide is Taylor but most likely contribution particularly the parts from 3.34 as it has his thick rich tone.

No Taylor on Rocks Off, until the ending.

No Taylor at all on Let It Loose, Sweet Black Angel, Turd On The Run, Loving Cup or Happy.

Taylor is only heard toward the ending on Ventilator Blues.

No Taylor guitar on Torn & Frayed, I Just Wanna See His Face, Tumbling Dice

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DandelionPowderman
No message. Just a correction to the OP's reflections

What he DID play was marvellous on that album!

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DandelionPowderman

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FP
I was always a big fan of Taylor's stunning melodic solos on Sticky Fingers and Goats Head Soup, 2 albums where there is a clear division between the lead and rhythm guitars of Taylor and Richards. When I first heard Exile I was a bit disappointed; I loved the songs but missed the solos. It was always a more dense and difficult album to define who played what, being a rhythm based album with piano, horns and other percussion fighting for space with the guitars. It took me a while to unpick all the layers of playing and now it is my favourite Stones album. Despite being a huge Taylor fan I do feel this is Keith's album through and through and in many ways the mix seems to marginalize Taylor's talents aside from the flashes of inspired slide guitar. He is relegated to bass on many tracks or missing completely. For no particular reason I decided to listen to the whole album and assess Taylor's contributions on each track. Most of this is guess work or based on things I have read in other places but I want to leave it open for debate!

Rocks off

Richard on left opening riff followed by another Keith rhythm part on right and a melodic harmony riff in centre from Taylor. Then main rhythm riffs by Richards take over for the bulk of the song as Taylor is mixed very low to provide a few melodic parts which sound almost like an electric piano. At .50 into the tune Taylor brings in a slide guitar part that sounds like a ghostly backing vocal. The rhythm guitars keep up the same feel then Taylor plays an elegant run at about 1.05. Taylor is mostly inaudible until after the bridge when some slide comes in at 2.50 followed by a run at about 3.00. At 4.00 Taylor plays the same fill as at 1.05 followed by a brief solo at 4.15, the only time he comes up in the mix before a sudden fade. I always wanted the end solo to go on further and it feels more like a warm up than an actual solo. Live Taylor played some nice country fills on this tune but as on Tumbling Dice this song never seemed to work with any lead guitar and Taylor seems to over play live rather than meshing with Keith. I always assumed it was all Keith playing rhythm parts but if anyone knows better let me know.

Rip This Joint

The rhythm guitars on this song again both sound like Richards. Taylor comes in a 0.23 with a slide fill. Taylor returns with a melodic fill at 0.46. At 1.16 he again plays a slide fill. His playing is again quite low in a dense mix but cuts through better than Rocks Off.

Shake your Hips

Another song which could be all Keith, but as it is such a dense tangle of guitars it feels like a live take and I think this is Keith on the left and Taylor on the right. The solo like fills are Keith I think as he plays them in rehearsal videos I have seen. If it is Taylor this is a very nice example of how he could mesh with Keith when required but it is a rare example of this type of playing which was more prevalent in the Ron Wood Years.

Casino Boogie
Keith on riff on left and Taylor right, a nice mesh like the previous tune unless all rhythm parts are Keith? Sounds like Taylor on the bass as well as the part is very melodic. Taylor (?) plays some nice slide riffs 0.26. Subtle rhythm playing with occasional slide embellishments through first verses on right. Nice slide fills through out sax solo from 1.20. A great bluesy riff from 2.10 comes in on the left, sounds like Keith but then develops into a solo that is surely Taylor? Bounces off the slide riffs on the right to great effect as it pans around. Quite low mix though sadly.

Tumbling Dice
Taylor on bass for this one. Keith plays the intro riff before being joined by a slide riff at 0.09 which I presume is Taylor? A second rhythm part on right could be Taylor or Richards. The slide is very concise which makes me think it could be Richards? Through out the slide adds a melodic element without being a solo. The main break is at 1.49 where the slide plays a rhythmic device before playing a delicate harmony on the bridge chords. At 2.30 a descending melodic riff comes in on both left and right with some slide textures, could both be Keith layering.

Sweet Virginia
Richards opens with chords on left followed by mandolin link trills from Taylor. Taylor plays melodic acoustic accompaniment throughout the tune plus backing vocals.

Torn & Frayed
Keith plays all the guitar with Taylor on bass and steel guitar by Al Perkins.

Sweet Black Angel
Sounds like just Keith on acoustic and does not feature Taylor? Possibly Taylor plays the high acoustic outro.

Loving Cup
Keith comes in at 0.25 with beautiful acoustic strumming. Another heavier electric riff comes in at 0.55 but this sounds like Keith so I am not sure Taylor is on this tune although he plays the heavy riff part live.

Happy
Richards plays the signature riff and it feels like he plays all the guitars on this. Either way both slide guitars play variations on the same riff in the Keith style. Most likely the guitar on the right is Taylor if he is on it at all. The slide solo at 1.12 sound like Richards as it is very cool but quite easy.

Turd on the Run
All Keith until about 1.00 when a great riff comes in from Taylor. Sounds like horns but is a syncopated guitar part. This comes in again at 1.50. Great unique sound particularly the shuffling guitars at the end.

Ventilator Blues
Cool riff from Taylor starts the song. Richards plays some acoustic rhythm from about 0.30. Most of the guitar sounds like Taylor, playing some acoustic slide in the middle. A similar solo under the coda as Casino Boogie but much tighter and higher in the mix from Taylor.

I Just Want to See His Face
Taylor on electric bass and Richards on electric piano?

Let it Loose
Leslie speaker arpeggio guitar, sounds like it is all Richards unless Taylor is just playing the same part doubled? Or maybe Keith's idea but played by just Taylor?

All Down the Line
Most conventional rhythm and lead split on the album, Keith plays charging riff and Taylor plays searing slide through out plus a great but brief solo at 2.05.

Stop Breaking Down
Similar to the above accept Jagger plays rhythm guitar and Taylor great spooky slide though out . Could be a follow up to previous Jagger/Taylor duet Sway but this is a cover of course.

Shine a Light
No Richards on this. Mainly piano and organ based until Taylor’s solo fills come in at 1.00. He plays epic guitar until the main solo at 2.40. The best mixed solo on record but again rather abruptly cut off in mid flow by a bridge of strange Leslie effect vocals. Brief coda solo before sudden ending. Taylor and Wyman claim the bass line.

Soul Survivor
Sounds like this could be all Richards. Left channel riff is Richards with a slide part also coming in on left at 0.05 with some delicate extra rhythm on right. Not sure if slide is Taylor but most likely contribution particularly the parts from 3.34 as it has his thick rich tone.

No Taylor on Rocks Off, until the ending.

No Taylor at all on Let It Loose, Sweet Black Angel, Turd On The Run, Loving Cup or Happy.

Taylor is only heard toward the ending on Ventilator Blues.

No Taylor guitar on Torn & Frayed, I Just Wanna See His Face, Tumbling Dice

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DandelionPowderman
But the most interesting guitar-stuff on Exile to me, is where Taylor and Keith really lock down together and trade licks, like on Shake Your Hips, Casino Boogie or toward the ending of Ventilator Blues. Those songs ARE Exile for me, both in terms of sound, groove and direction.

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Thrylan

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Thrylan
Typo........damn auto correct!

I favor the restrained playing on Exile, but that one is Keith's...... MT didn't hold up to the marathon sessions required of being a Stone. I think he loved to play, and not really think about it.

About a million Keith quotes. Even MJ has stated that MT wanted to do stuff in a couple of takes......not the Stones way. Jimmy Miller alluded to this too. It's also why Ronnie was a perfect fit.

Here we go.......getting a five year period in a 50 year old band twisted....

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StonesCat

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Thrylan

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Thrylan
Typo........damn auto correct!

I favor the restrained playing on Exile, but that one is Keith's...... MT didn't hold up to the marathon sessions required of being a Stone. I think he loved to play, and not really think about it.

About a million Keith quotes. Even MJ has stated that MT wanted to do stuff in a couple of takes......not the Stones way. Jimmy Miller alluded to this too. It's also why Ronnie was a perfect fit.

Here we go.......getting a five year period in a 50 year old band twisted....

From everything I've read, aside from Keith, MT was around the house in one fashion or another more than any of the other core members. I think Keith being involved MORE is what might lead to a little less MT on Exile, not any kind of exclusion.

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Eleanor Rigby
I also was expecting more obvious Taylor guitar on EOMS after sticky fingers...was also a bit disappointed.

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nightskyman
So it seems to me from reading many comments here and other threads (and my own research) that Keith rebounded with the EOMS sessions/album from the 1970 Sticky Fingers album where Mick Taylor blossomed and Jagger dominated.

Is this correct? What do you think? (also, that Taylor as I understand it had strong contributions on the follow up Goatshead Soup and Keith once again took a step backwards?)

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DandelionPowderman

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nightskyman
So it seems to me from reading many comments here and other threads (and my own research) that Keith rebounded with the EOMS sessions/album from the 1970 Sticky Fingers album where Mick Taylor blossomed and Jagger dominated.

Is this correct? What do you think? (also, that Taylor as I understand it had strong contributions on the follow up Goatshead Soup and Keith once again took a step backwards?)

Keith was dominant on SF as well: BS, WH, CYHMK, YGM, Bitch, but I'd say they shared 50/50 on that album. Natural flow between the guitars.

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FP
I do think the Stones only really let Taylor cut loose on a few occasions such as Sway and Can't You Hear Me Knocking. I think it is interesting that some of Taylor's freest playing is on Goat's Head Soup where Keith seemed to be hardly present due to his drug problems.Having said that, while it is great to hear lengthy solos on Winter and 100 Years Ago there is a lack of tension due to the virtual absence of signature Keith riffs and guitar meshing. I think it is true that Keith restrained Taylor's presence on some tracks but not because he was jealous but because he wanted the song to shine first and foremost rather than any specific band member. I think this tension created the magic. When that balance was upset on GHS I think they ended up with quite a boring album. I don't think it is a coincidence that Keith isn't even present songs such as Sway, Moonlight Mile, Shine a Light and Winter which maybe explains the more prominent soloing from Taylor which Jagger indulged.

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DandelionPowderman

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FP
I do think the Stones only really let Taylor cut loose on a few occasions such as Sway and Can't You Hear Me Knocking. I think it is interesting that some of Taylor's freest playing is on Goat's Head Soup where Keith seemed to be hardly present due to his drug problems.Having said that, while it is great to hear lengthy solos on Winter and 100 Years Ago there is a lack of tension due to the virtual absence of signature Keith riffs and guitar meshing. I think it is true that Keith restrained Taylor's presence on some tracks but not because he was jealous but because he wanted the song to shine first and foremost rather than any specific band member. I think this tension created the magic. When that balance was upset on GHS I think they ended up with quite a boring album. I don't think it is a coincidence that Keith isn't even present songs such as Sway, Moonlight Mile, Shine a Light and Winter which maybe explains the more prominent soloing from Taylor which Jagger indulged.

Keith is on Sway. Mighty fine analysis

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FP
I do think the Stones only really let Taylor cut loose on a few occasions such as Sway and Can't You Hear Me Knocking. I think it is interesting that some of Taylor's freest playing is on Goat's Head Soup where Keith seemed to be hardly present due to his drug problems.Having said that, while it is great to hear lengthy solos on Winter and 100 Years Ago there is a lack of tension due to the virtual absence of signature Keith riffs and guitar meshing. I think it is true that Keith restrained Taylor's presence on some tracks but not because he was jealous but because he wanted the song to shine first and foremost rather than any specific band member. I think this tension created the magic. When that balance was upset on GHS I think they ended up with quite a boring album. I don't think it is a coincidence that Keith isn't even present songs such as Sway, Moonlight Mile, Shine a Light and Winter which maybe explains the more prominent soloing from Taylor which Jagger indulged.