Mick Jagger

This double-sided 12" vinyl LP was released in the '70s on a bootleg label which also put out Elton John's Gulliver's Gone boot (the U.S. counterfeit copy of Elton's Empty Sky album originally released on DJM/Pye in 1969). The stamp for the Elton John disc is imprinted (with a rubber stamper, of course) upside down on the back side of the disc's cardboard jacket. The famous tongue logo is in bright red on the typical white boot cover and the words "Mick Jagger" are on the top, with "Exclusive" down one side and "Interview" on the other. The fascinating thing about this for hardcore Stones fans is that author David Dalton utilized much of this interview, starting on page 193, of his book -Rolling Stones: An Unauthorized Biography in Words, Photographs and Music, published by Amsco Music Publishing Company in 1972. The chapter is titled "I Got Silence on My Radio -- Let the airwaves flow," a line from the song "Moonlight Mile," and it takes up 11 pages, though the author picks and chooses different portions of this lengthy chat for his work. According to Dalton, Mick Jagger speaks to Tom Donahue in April of 1971 with Marshall Chess and Charlie Watts present. It's fascinating to hear the disc and see how the author chopped it up for that essential book on the Stones. Jagger is pretty insightful, discussing the creation of Sticky Fingers, the album which would debut the Rolling Stones' record label. At one point, Donahue asks him "Did you have a producer on this album?," and Jagger replies: "Well, some of the tracks were produced by Jimmy [Miller], and some of them we did ourselves...some of them Glyn Johns was engineering on them...Jimmy did a lot of work on it, but didn't do all the tracks." A strange revelation, as Jimmy Miller's name is prominently on the disc and his work seems so obvious all over Sticky Fingers -- just play it next to It's Only Rock & Roll to hear the difference between Miller and the Glimmer Twins. But the controversy is what makes vintage interviews like this so much fun. The late Gere Miller, wife of the producer, claimed the Stones attempted to erase her late husband's name from Rolling Stones history -- and it is enlightening to hear these remarks from the band's lead singer. This interview is different from the Buddah records-distributed Current Audio Magazine (August-September, 1972) -- an attempt to issue a magazine on vinyl. Elliot Mintz spoke with Jagger on that recording, and both projects prove that Mick is a compelling guest. Fun to listen to. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide