While most people probably think of Keith Richards first when the words “Rolling Stones” and “guitar” come to mind, the legendary rocker wasn’t the only talented axman in the band…and one need look no further than “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” as proof.
Released on the 1971 album “Sticky Fingers,” the unforgettable tune starts out with a nasty, infectious Richards riff…and ends with a smooth, soulful jam featuring a guitar solo Rolling Stone called “the defining moment of Mick Taylor’s five-year stint in the Stones.” (RS also ranked Taylor’s work on “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” at #29 on a list of “The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time”).
What makes Taylor’s solo all the more impressive is the fact that the Stones had no idea the jam on “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” was being recorded at the time.
“We didn’t even know they were still taping,” Richards is quoted as saying in the book 50 Licks: Myths and Stories from Half a Century of the Rolling Stones.
“We thought we’d finished,” he continued. “We were just rambling and they kept the tape rolling. I figured we’d just fade it off. It was only when we heard the playback that we realized, ‘Oh, they kept it going.’ Basically, we realized we had two bits of music. There’s the song and there’s the jam.”
“That song had such a fantastic groove going, they just let the tape running for my solo at the end,” Taylor recalled, adding, “Generally, I tried to bring my own distinctive sound and style to Sticky Fingers and I like to think I added some extra spice. I don’t want to say ‘sophistication’ — I think that sounds pretentious. Charlie [Watts] said I brought ‘finesse.’ That’s a better word. I’ll go with what Charlie said.”
Indeed, Watts praised Taylor’s efforts on “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” on more than one occasion.
“As a lead, virtuoso guitar, Mick was so lyrical on songs like ‘Can’t You Hear Me Knocking,’ which was an amazing track because that was a complete jam, one take at the end. He had such a good ear, and I would help push him along,” the drummer said in a 2003 interview.
Related: 1971 No. 1 Hit Ranked Among ‘Greatest Songs of All Time’ Released 55 Years Ago Today
It’s not surprising that Taylor made a major impact on some of the most notable guitarists to emerge in the decades since he was with the Stones. In an interview with Classic Rock, Slash cited Taylor as his “biggest influence.”
“My favorite Stones records were Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers,” the Guns N’ Roses icon said.
“Those three were major to me, cause I was exposed to those records as a kid when they first came out,” he continued. “Mick Taylor played on a couple of those records and went on for a couple more. As I got older and started playing guitar I always gravitated to his sort of style. People always mention Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck and Angus Young — all the obvious ones — but there’s guys like Mick Taylor and Joe Walsh that were as important. Mick Taylor had this really cool, round-toned bluesy sort of thing that I thought was really effective. Great rock guitar.”
Of course, you don’t have to play guitar to appreciate Taylor’s contributions to the Rolling Stones. At the time of this writing, “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” has 147,321,268 streams on Spotify alone.
Related: 1957 Rock Flop, Ranked Among ‘Greatest Songs of All Time,’ Took 7 Years to Become a Hit