Keith Richards was literally high as a kite 20 years or more. Mick Jagger rarely did drugs, or so he says. But Keith has clear recollections of everything that happened to them. Mick remembers nada. Jagger has said as much when people ask him writing a book. Keith, however, wrote a hilarious, detailed book called “Life.”
Now the Rolling Stones have released a demo track they did with Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page in 1973 for “Goat’s Head Soup.” The song is called “Scarlet.” In the press release, we get two quotes. They crystallize this memory issue. The quote are pretty funny.
Mick Jagger commented: “I remember first jamming this with Jimmy and Keith in Ronnie’s basement studio. It was a great session.”
Keith Richards added: ‘’My recollection is we walked in at the end of a Zeppelin session. They were just leaving, and we were booked in next and I believe that Jimmy decided to stay. We weren’t actually cutting it as a track, it was basically for a demo, a demonstration, you know, just to get the feel of it, but it came out well, with a line up like that, you know, we better use it.‘’
Jimmy Page said nothing. I wonder if he knows they’ve released “Scarlet” or if they’re going to pay him. Also on the track: Blind Faith’s Rick Grech (d. 1980).
Anyway, new “Goats Head Soup” box set September 4th. I’m really looking forward to it, nearly as much as “Sticky Fingers” update from several years ago with Eric Clapton playing on “Brown Sugar.”
