Track Listing

1. If You Can't Rock Me
2. Ain't Too Proud To Beg
3. It's Only Rock 'n' Roll
4. Till The Next Goodbye
5. Luxury
6. Time Waits For No One
7. Dance Little Sister
8. If You Really Want To
9. Short And Curlies
10. Fingerprint File

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #64674 in Music
• Released on: 1994-08-15
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

CD Description
After years of building off their rhythm and blues credentials, the title IT'S ONLY ROCK & ROLL insinuates a lowbrow rock aesthetic, but on this album the Rolling Stones mixed rock's aggression with an unparalleled appreciation for soul music. From their joyous cover of the Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" to "Time Waits For No One", Mick Jagger boldlyduplicates the feel of James Brown's early singles. But theband gives their sources a twist, with the heavily funk-based "Fingerprint File" sounding more like Isaac Hayes's "Shaft" than "Satisfaction", and "Dance Little Sister" coming across like a high school R&B band hopped up on adrenaline.
This 1974 album also finds the Stones in a state of flux. Unsatisfied by his low place on the totem pole, Mick Taylor's participation is minimal, and the album relies more on Keith's guitar than previous albums. Ronnie Wood's increasing involvement with the band is obvious--the song "It's Only Rock & Roll" started as a demo for Wood's then-in-progress solo album, but became his first contribution to the band. But while IT'S ONLY ROCK & ROLL is a portrait of a band in transition, it still rocks in classic Stones style, and stands with SOME GIRLS as one of the band's best post-EXILE efforts.

Customer Reviews

lf I could stick a pen in my heart...
I've never understood why the Stones' 1974 offering has been so overlooked by both fans and critics. It is after all not only a far better record than the jaded 'Goat's Head Soup' and the lightweight 'Black n' Blue' that have sandwiched it in time. Of course it is also the final release by what most Stones' fans consider to have been the ultimate Stones line-up.

Mick Taylor's playing on his swansong is magnificent - 'Time waits for no-one' is beautiful and poignant. The Stones rock the room with the outrageous 'If you can't rock me', swagger like a bunch of drunks on 'Its only rock n'roll' and party like only they know how on 'Dance little sister'.

It adheres to the classic Stones album formula with a soul cover 'Ain't too proud to beg', a couple of ballads and closes with a riffing masterpiece 'Fingerprint File'.

Its only rock n' roll and its great!
This record is a fitting successor to 'exile on mainstreet', which was released two years before. The title track is a classic in its own right and there are several strong numbers to support it such as 'luxury', 'time waits for no one' and ' fingerprint file'. Overall this is a welcome addition to the stones' catalogue. oh yeah!

I like it too.....
The title track off 1974's "It's only Rock 'N Roll" may be the only real classic that this album has produced, but it's far from being the only good song here, and even the "filler" is quite agreeable.

The title song is one of rock's true classics...excellent guitar playing from both Keith Richards and Mick Taylor, and a supremely catchy chorus.
"Dance Little Sister", "If You Can't Rock Me" and "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" are tough and sinewy. "Time Waits For No One" and "If Your Really Want To Be My Friend" are two great rock ballads. "Luxury" is a fine, swinging, Calypso-tinged (!) tune, and the catchy, good-natured boogie of "Short And Curlies" is great fun.

"It's Only Rock 'N Roll" is, in my never appropriate humble opinion, one of the most well-arranged Stones records...it's not overproduced, sticking to a basic, yet muscular sound with lots of great guitar playing, and Nicky Hopkins and Ian Stewart add some excellent piano parts.

Definitely one of the better Stones albums...not quite on par with "Exile" or "Sticky Fingers", perhaps, but "It's Only Rock 'N Roll" is certainly more than worth your while.