In December 1974, while at a party in London, Mick Taylor told Mick Jagger than he was quitting The Rolling Stones. The news completely blindsided his bandmates, but while there was some debate as to why he made the call, the guitarist, who had developed a heroin habit during his five-year stint in the band, later confessed that he felt he had to jump ship in order to deal with his addiction, and keep his family away from the dangerously messy drug culture which surrounded the band.
“I just needed a break,” he told Classic Rock in a 2020 interview.
With the Stones set to begin work on their follow-up to It's Only Rock 'n Roll, replacing Taylor was viewed as a matter of urgency, with Peter Frampton, Steve Marriott and Rory Gallagher among the guitarists reportedly considered for the role. Perhaps the most intriguing option explored by the band was the option of recruiting Jeff Beck, but speaking to International Musician & Recording World in autumn '75, the South London-born guitarist seems rather bemused that the idea was ever mooted.
