Keith Richards has revealed he needed a break when the Rolling Stones hit a rocky patch in the late 80s and the hiatus made him “stronger”.
The band, who have just announced a European tour to celebrate their 60th anniversary, nearly split up overgrowing bad blood between Richards and frontman Mick Jagger.
During his break from the Stones in 1992, Richards released his second solo album, Main Offender with backing band the X-pensive Winos.
He said the break made him “stronger” and gave him a better appreciation of the frontman’s role.
Speaking to Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 about the 30th anniversary of Main Offender, Richards, 78, said: “It was a weird period.
“It was a necessary hiatus. Once we started back again, I felt stronger than I had for a long time.
“I came back to the Stones with a lot more knowledge of what Mick’s job entails. And it’s quite surprisingly different, you’re out there all the time.
"I mean, you are nonstop. With the Stones, I can slide my time. But while I was working the Winos singing and playing guitar too, that tightened me up a lot."
He added: "And I brought a lot of knowledge and a much tighter feel when I got back to the Stones."
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Richards and Jagger set aside their animosity after the Stones were inducted into the US Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1989.
Their break followed the end of the Steel Wheels tour in August 90.
This summer the Stones’ Sixty tour sees them playing at Anfield on June 9, their first Liverpool gig since 1971, and in London’s Hyde Park on June 25 and July 3.
The anniversary shows will include a tribute to late drummer Charlie Watts, who died in the summer aged 80.
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