The legendary guitarist who rejected The Rolling Stones
Joining The Rolling Stones in the mid-1970s is the dream role for any guitarist on paper. They had been at the top of the musical ladder for a decade, achieved household name status and were an unstoppable force in rock ‘n’ roll. Yet, while there were many plus points that attracted applicants, there were also reasons that others were less interested in becoming a Rolling Stone.
As Mick Taylor discovered when The Rolling Stones acquired his services, he’d never be Brian Jones. He could never become a founding band member, no matter how impressive his output was on beloved records such as Sticky Fingers and Let It Bleed. For creative purposes and a lack of control in that department, Taylor felt he had no choice but to walk out the door.
Following Taylor’s departure, Ronnie Wood was his chosen successor and more than five decades later, he’s been an ever-present member of the group for several generations of fans. Yet, in a parallel universe, Jeff Beck joined The Rolling Stones following a successful audition in 1975. If this was the case, the trajectory of their respective careers would have been altered to an unimaginable degree. However, from the start, Beck’s gut instinct told him to avoid the opportunity at all costs, and he initially hesitated to accept their call for an audition.
The Rolling Stones were in a strange position of uncertainty following the departure of Taylor, who had been a member of The Stones for five years. Any guitarist interested in replacing Taylor is likely to have fostered a slight sense of apprehension due to how his tenure unravelled and wanting to avoid being in a similar situation down the line. At this juncture, Beck wasn’t desperate to jump at the chance to join the world’s biggest rock band. He was comfortable working on his own projects following his exit from The Yardbirds and had little interest in joining somebody else’s band. Yet, he was intrigued enough to listen to what The Stones had to say.
Beck reluctantly flew out to see whether they could make it work and arrived in Rotterdam, where The Rolling Stones were situated. Strangely, for his first two days in the studio, he didn’t come into contact with any member of the band, who also auditioned numerous guitarists at this time, including Rory Gallagher.
Beck recalled to Ultimate Classic Rock in 2012: “Eventually, we got into the same room together, and I started playing Bill Wyman’s bass so hard the dust was flying off. I wandered off, and the engineer, Glyn Johns, said, ‘That’s incredible!’ I said: ‘One for the archives, mate. I’m leaving tomorrow.'”
After spending a day in their company, Beck had seen enough to decide his future. From a financial perspective, joining The Rolling Stones was a no-brainer, but creatively, it wasn’t attractive to the guitarist. He described the band as “dysfunctional” and claimed they had a “lack of purpose” in the studio. Although working in this manner for The Rolling Stones led to incredible music results, it didn’t suit Beck, who also stated he would have come to blows with Keith Richards if he joined.
“Some people might find it hard to believe that you’d walk away from the Stones gig, but Keith and I wouldn’t have gone through an album without punching each other out anyway,” he added.
He later told BBC 6 Music how being a member of The Rolling Stones appealed to him, but he was acutely aware it would have been different in reality. “I would have loved to have been a Rolling Stone,” he stated. “But the thought would have been better than the act, I think – the fantasy of it. I don’t think I would have lasted, number one. I don’t think, musically, they were on the same path.”
Thankfully, as the history books show, it worked best for both parties, and they avoided potential disaster. After the failed audition, Beck created the seminal Blow By Blow, and Wood joined The Rolling Stones instead, becoming a crucial member. While Beck could have been a world-class addition, it’s more likely that he’d have become rivals with Richards and walked out like Taylor.
