Rolling Stones - Live 1973 - Birmingham 

Mick Taylor played like an absolute war horse all throughout the '73 tours! It was some of the greatest guitar playing in the entire history of rock/pop music!

Mick Taylor was and still is one the best guitarists ever..... His fluid style, searing licks, and his innate ability to play exactly what was needed for a particular song.. was phenomenal. Taylor created leads like you and I walk or drink water - he just does it, without any hesitation...... And he does it so fucking good.....

Absolutely magnificent. People really don’t know how good these guys were. They were at the top of the food chain. Nobody was even close.

We all have heard Keith ‘s masterful licks for fifty years, but give credit to MR. MICK TAYLOR , he got this band rocking right after he joined.

I am as big a Mick Taylor fan as many here. Definitely agree this era was the Stones at their absolute peak. But as great as Mick Taylor was here, I also think that Keith, as stoned as he clearly was, was also in his prime. His guitar playing was just top notch, on fire. Keith has always been one of the best rhythm guitarists in the business, and his riffs are really what made the Stones the Stones more than any other single factor.

Mick Taylor , the most beautiful musical phrasing and musicality of all the times ....

One of the few live recordings from their peak period where you can really hear how important Bill Wyman was to their sound. This was their absolute peak period as a live act. All of the September 73 shows are a testament to that. Mick Taylor played almost these exact same songs dozens and dozens of times between 1969 and 1973 and every night he approached it like he was doing it for the first time. You will almost never hear him repeat himself.

Agree. This was when the boys were peaking in 100% unadulterated RAW rock n roll. NO FN FRILLS! If people cannot appreciate that then forget about ever trying to understand The Rolling Stones coz you will just not have the intellect. This is a REAL rock n roll band entertaining and most important of all ENJOYING THEMSELVES & HAVING FUN at the same time. The Rolling Stones unlike many other acts of the time and even today have never taken themselves too seriously. And that is the KEY!

that taylor guy 's just amazing.. what an angie solo.. so soft and beautiful!!

I was there for this gig. One of the very best I've ever been to. Blessed to have seen the Stones at their peak, just after Exile on Main Street and with the incomparable Mick Taylor adding his own jazzy flavour to the sound. Billy Preston and Bobby Keyes were on storming form that night as well. Keith, Charlie and Bill holding it all together, laying down the groove. A superb night.

At last! A Mick Taylor fan who understands what he brought to the Stones. The greatest intuitive, versatile, melodic, talented player, ever to tread the boards. And they just didn't know what they had until he'd gone.

Mick Taylor is on fire on this!

MT just shreds Gimme Shelter and it is just the 2nd song of the list! Unreal!

you cant always get what you want is absolutely magical here. keith and micks harmonies and keith and mickT's guitars just come together so beautifully...shit man this music is fuckin moving

Stones + Mick Taylor + Bobby Keys = The BEST that ever did it

Saw Mick Taylor last night at the Iridium in NYC. He's playing there for a week. Incredible show. Guy still has it.

Anyone who says the Stones weren't the greatest live with Mick Taylor is lying to themselves.

World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band.

thanks for this concert, as a big album bootleg holder this is awesome just like brussells 1973, good job thanx again for respecting the greatest album producing and live band ever, the stones.

I always said the stones with M Taylor were different class , it was a real shame for some reason when he left the band ,what a shame ,they were BRILLIANT, the best albums are whit him playing fantastic guitar

The furious pulse of Keith's playing helps make this timeless.

Spent 8 hours all night queuing for tickets had a great time . Then went to both concerts they did 2 sets afternoon and evening. I hid in the toilets so could see the evening set. Brill days.xx

I was there man wow.

Ladies and gentlemen Mister Mick TAYLOR 👏👏👏👏

The stones need to release a video of a concert from 1973.

Whoa~! In 30+ years of listening to and chasing after the Stones all around the world, I've never heard the Birmingham 1973 concert!! Wow!! What a wild ending!!

You met him?! That's awesome!! I love mick taylor. He's amazing. I think he and keith are the best rhythm lead combo in history

Amazing duel between the two Mick's , Keith never was better!

Mick Taylor hits all those blue notes 100% in Gimme Shelter

I was at this gig 50yrs ago amazing show

mic talor is great he made the stones sound so good live,seen them with brian in 66 sound system stunk plus being only 13 I couldn,t get to close the screeming was nuts 69 was great I was rite against the stage then 73 76 or 75 the 1st show with ron wood 78 was my last stones show.lov old stones.

1973 was the stones at their peak. They released their best album Goats Head Soup and then went on that year to be better than ever live

Dude, completely agree with you! Keef IS rock and roll! To me, Keef is The Heart and Soul of The Rolling Stones. I've seen their ENTIRE career. Keith Richards for president!

They played Newcastle city hall 2 nights before this gig ..was at that show..brill. night

Imo, best live of the Stones

mick taylor tying together the blues rock onslaught with a slide guitar that sang out the most beautiful song, and bill wymans bass thundering through... heaven

Man! I Had to listen to this again! The outro jam of Street FIghtin' Man is off the charts!! Totally lit! It's as if they Stones with Bobby Keyes and Jim Price have dialed into Brian Jones Pipes and Pans of Jajouka!! Just fucking LISTEN to how sublime it sounds!! That is true rock and roll orgasm folks!! No wonder it's called the devil's music. Wow. Thank you so much for posting this concert. Cheers!

Probably my favorite performance of Midnight Rambler here.

No other band ever close to perform as good as the Stones performing live

Le vrai son stonien pur et dur,unique❤

They truly were the greatest rock n roll bad of that day. Nobody was even close. This must have been before Keith was heavily into the smack, because his timing is sharp. Mick Taylor was a gift from God!

Keith wanted someone he could "get on with" (party), but Mick Taylor made him play better. Perfect compliment.

Although I agree Mick Taylor added a new level to the Stones but so did Bobbie Keyes, Jim Price, and Nicky Hopkins. All of which came on board at the same time. The Stones are Keith and Jagger, with Charlie and Wyman producing the perfect rhythm for Jagger/Richards songs. Basically, Taylor got a permanent position and recognized as a "true" member. IMO payment enough....he had the rest of his life to prove he was more of a contributing factor, that so many claim, he was to the Stones. He needed their songs and guidance to be his best. To bad he left, truly a magical combination. After all, he could have produced a solo project and stayed with the Stones to satisfy his creative desires.

Ohh that Mick Taylor Pteradactyl tone!!

I love how there's a little cult following of the "Taylor Era", its nothing against Woody but my god they really were untouchable in the early seventies especially live. What i would give to be there alas i wouldn't be born for another 18 years, its nothing against woody but taylor really was the best, albums like Goats Head Soup and Its Only Rock n Roll, Sticky Fingers etc are too over looked.

I read Keith's biog too and he does give full credit to Taylor, which is nice. However, I think Keith prefers Ronnie because they get on so well. Taylor was obviously a very, very difficult individual and probably quite troubled. BUT, there can be no doubt that he was a genius and moreover, the stuff he plays on (especially live) is beyond comparison with anything Wood has ever done.

Love this! Thank You for posting it.

@ConservativeDK You are dead right. There is no remastering here. I was actually at this show, first house 6.30 but I had no idea there was a bootleg of it. Taylor is so good he is on a different level. A jewel indeed!

100 % spot on !

Rock´n´roll at its wildest and most anarchic best.

Mick Taylor's influence cannot be underestimated. But he was only 20(!) when he replaced Brian, so was not a peer - Mick and Keef were 7-8 years older then, and he did not have the tax problems the rest of the band had, so did not HAVE TO move (exiled?) to France. He almost angelic riffs against Keef's harder rhythms is what made the magic. No better way to realize his genius than to listen to the Ft. Worth, TX June 1972 afternoon show, DEAD FLOWERS.

great show! thanks.

Mick Taylor and the Rolling Stones

RIP CHARLIE!!!, YOU WILL BE MISSED!!

énorme ! le meilleur des stones ! mick taylor à jamais !

Conciertazo de los buenisimos....

KEITH IN THE GUITAR !

Fantastic comment ! Agree with it all :) Mick rules... he's the KING !

Amen!

Mick Taylor, is still Rocking .....

Brilliant, thank you

As others mentioned, some of the sound quality isn't so great here but I think Gimme Shelter is a fantastic example of the great song writing of Jagger/Richards and the hair-raising lead playing of Taylor.

Thx for posting - awesome!

I agree with every single word you say.

You must be high yourself. They were all struggling with heavy drug use/abuse at this time, but no one was more into heavy use than Keith in '73. You've got to understand a few things before being so critical.... Taylor was just a relative babe when he joined the Stones - 20 yrs old! His first concert was in front of 250,000+ people. His work is highly regarding by virtually all critics (and the Stones themselves) as the best period of Stones music. Mick Taylor left to save his life.

What a show

Well,Jimi, just to make you green with envy, I was actually at this gig. No bullshit, I really was. I've seen the Stones many times since then, but only this once with Taylor. Ronnie Wood, nice guy no doubt, is not fit to restring Taylor's Les Paul.

Taylor+Richards+Wyman/Watts=ATOMIC BOMB

fabulous

@broadband0118 Sir; it is indeed such a shame; while brian was the genius. Taylor took the guitar during their tour to another level. Anytime i heard angie or gimme shelter during the Taylor era.. it it just amazing

good man, couldnt have said it better, i heard that exact quote from keef keef is rock n roll

Jagger cussing it up / loose-lipped between songs is hilarious ....him laughing at the singing of the "new guy" Ron Wood - awesome... I think he says Charlie is a "pretty good" drummer too...haha

My main thing is always to look for the bass when u can here Bill Wyman everything else falls into place

i was there!

Banda muito louca...os caras estão meios que "matusalém", mas não tem tempo ruim...dão show em qualquer lugar e qualquer hora...

Mick Taylor. He should be back on the road with the Stones.

Yeah Boys I concur, Sticky Fingers, Exile On Main street, + Goats Head Soup have gotten a lot of my playing time, Thought Mick Taylor recent Gig in London very interesting, He walked away from The #1 Band in the Land at the time and held his head high, Who does that?

SO true!

MICK TAYLOR GREAT SONG WRITER

I WAS that fly sitting in the front Stalls at this matinee performance. They may have perhaps played better at times but HEY I was there!

Yeah, the Most of Stones maniacs as me Love Taylor, He is amazing, but IT IS Not fair to a great and amazing guitar-player AS Ron Wood is, only hear yap yap yap bout Mr. Taylor. Praises, aaron

Thank's for responding. I didn't realise he was still on the road. Does he still have that magical touch? It's a crime the way he has been treated by Jagger/Richards over the past 30 years.

@ConservativeDK Having listened to this again a few times it IS pretty raw and also very good too. They really go quite mental on the last few songs, getting the tempo all wrong. Brilliant though all the same.

Several points to make here. Firstly, his real drug of choice was Heroin rather than coke. Secondly, even if he is a bit out of tune in parts, he still sounds sublime to me. Next, if you want funk, listen to Kool and the Gang. And if you think his slide playing is "cringeworthy", you are clearly unfamiliar with Ron Wood at his worst.

Very good rock..im gonna burnfir listing to it.

1234gregor: There are lots of great players who don't or can't write songs. Mick Taylor is one of the best of them. Jeff Beck is another. Look to classical music as well; many unbelievable violinists who don't compose a thing: they add and interpret.

keith was the lead when they started, with brian jones playing rhythm, sitar, piano, etc... the stones were very rhythm guitar oriented. then mick taylor took over lead and keith went to rhythm..

@sashalec don't worry about it...the world is full of of them''peace out

Mix needs more lead on Brown Sugar.

Without wishing to get into your Pink Floyd discussion, I have to disagree with you about Mick Taylor. The man was just so great, I can't hear a word against him!

Midnigh Rambler !

Keith's comment, "Mick Taylor is a great guitarist. Unfortunately he found out the hard way that that's all he is", sums it up for me. Keith on the other hand has written dozens of excellent songs at least ten of which are all time classics. You can learn to play blues guitar solos - you can't learn how to write a Jumping Jack Flash or a Gimme Shelter, it requires a touch of genius to do that.

keith leva toda musica.

What can’t Mick Taylor do with a guitar? Listen to him crush it on Gimme Shelter using a pedal!

Eu acho taylor otimo solista. Completa o keith. Más não comparar keith ......Keith richards faz a música.

HA! Thanks. If you send me your email address, I'll send you a picture of me with Mick Taylor taken just this past year. He is, in my humble opinion, the best lead guitarist that has ever picked up the instrument. What a joy to meet him and hang out with him.

Wham, bam, piece of ham, Alabama don't give a damn. What more need be said!

@thesickness619 The Stones didn't play Paint It Black when Taylor was in the band. In fact it wasn't played live at all between 1967 and 1989 when it was brought back on the Steel Wheels tour.

Charlie!

Many Stones classics are built around two Richard's guitar parts plus lead. These parts are typically similar but different and neither part repeats itself exactly through the song. Result is subtle harmonic and rythmic variations. What Keith calls "The ancient art of weaving" I believe, it's the heart of Stones music, Start Me Up being a good example. Wood plays Keith's No 2 parts better than Taylor did even though Taylor was way better lead player. That's why Keith likes playing with Wood.