Mick Taylor is one of rock’s great mysteries. Since leaving the Rolling
Stones in 1974, his career has been a series of off-beat sessions and one-offs
done to fill in time between his wavering solo catalog. It’s this sort
of activity (or lack of) that’s left many wondering why Taylor left the
Stones in the first place, especially at a time when they truly were the greatest
rock and roll band in the world. That was ages ago and, despite what tales you
may have read about the guitarist being down and destitute, he seems no worse
for wear; in fact, during a May 2009 show— filmed in high-definition at
Billboard live in Tokyo, and issued as The Tokyo Concert on
DVD and Blu-ray — Taylor seems
Agreeably longer in the tooth and crustier than he was at Hyde Park in 1969,
Taylor can still lay down those tasteful, fluid lines he’s so well known
for. He scratches out the somber notes of “Secret Affair” on his
Les Paul, then steps up and delivers a serviceable vocal to sweep the blues
away. Four of the seven songs on this set are from Taylor’s 2000 release
A Stone’s Throw. Mostly, the music cruises the blues lane, straight down
the middle of the road — nothing too adventurous or wild at this stage
of the game.
However cautious the material may be, you can’t help but appreciate Taylor’s
guitar work throughout. The slide on the last stretch of “Twisted Sister”
is sublimely luminous. “Losing My Faith” and Willie Dixon’s
“You Shook Me” find Taylor and the band’s other guitarist,
Denny Newman, a popular British bluesman, respectively trading licks and ceding
the spotlight. Newman is later featured on his own original blues number, “Burying
Ground.” The rest of the five-piece band includes Max Middleton, famous
for tinkering the keys for Jeff Beck, bassist Kuma Harada, and drummer Jeff
Allen.
The set concludes with Bob Dylan’s “Blind Willie McTell”
(which segues into short hop through “All Along The Watchtower”)
and “No Expectations,” a Stones classic from Beggars Banquet
Taylor did not record with the band. A rather languid rendition with a tiny
pinch of “Brown Sugar” thrown in toward the end, and the sentiment
is sincere, ending the show on a heady high. What really brings this collection
home is On The Road With Mick Taylor, the bonus 25-minute documentary.
The guitarist tells his story, touching on his time with John Mayall, the Stones
and Bob Dylan, in between performance clips, some of it more intriguing than
Tokyo. This glimpse into the mysterious musician’s historical past and
positive outlook on the future, along with the rest of The Tokyo Concert,
may change the opinions of anyone who thought Mick Taylor was nuts
for leaving the Rolling Stones.
~ Shawn Perry
