It's Only Rock 'n Roll

It's Only Rock 'n Roll, the Rolling Stones' twelfth studio album, arrived on October 18, 1974, via their own Rolling Stones Records. It stands as the final album to feature guitarist Mick Taylor, and its creation also set the stage for his eventual replacement, Ronnie Wood. The record fuses the band's signature blues and rock 'n' roll foundation with touches of funk and reggae. It topped the charts in the United States and peaked at number two in the United Kingdom.

While not as commercially dominant as its predecessors, the album was a crucial pivot point for the group. Following the departure of longtime producer Jimmy Miller, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards took over production duties, crediting themselves as "The Glimmer Twins." Taylor, bassist Bill Wyman, and drummer Charlie Watts anchored most of the tracks, with regular collaborators Ian Stewart, Nicky Hopkins, and Billy Preston adding extra instrumentation. Percussionist Ray Cooper, from the Elton John Band, made his first appearance here, continuing to work with the Stones into the 1980s.

The title track had a unique origin, recorded separately from the rest of the album. Its basic rhythm track came from a jam session involving members of the Faces—including Wood and drummer Kenney Jones—alongside Jagger, David Bowie, and bassist Willie Weeks. Impressed, Jagger brought the track to Richards, who added guitar overdubs, and after some polish, it was included as-is. In 1975, following Taylor's departure, the band auditioned guitarists like Jeff Beck, Wayne Perkins, Harvey Mandel, Rory Gallagher, and Steve Marriott while recording their next album, Black and Blue.

Work began after the Stones' 1973 European tour, with sessions starting that November at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany. Richards recalled the band being "really hot (off the road) and ready just to play some new material." Jagger invited Belgian painter Guy Peellaert to create the cover after seeing his work in Rock Dreams; Peellaert depicted the band as "rock deities" descending a temple staircase amid worshipping women in Grecian attire. The cover closely resembles Henri Gervex's painting The Coronation of Nicolas II (1896). Peellaert declined an exclusivity deal and later provided artwork for David Bowie's Diamond Dogs.