The way Ronnie Wood describes it, his home in London in the early ’70s was an open house for musicians – the famous and the not-so-famous. And it was in this house, in 1974, that the guitarist played his part in creating a classic song for the band he was about to join – The Rolling Stones.
Speaking on the BBC Radio 2’s programme Tracks Of My Years, alongside singer Mick Jagger, Wood recalls the years he spent living in The Wick, a four-storey Georgian mansion overlooking the River Thames in Richmond.
Wood bought The Wick in 1971 when he was a member of the Faces, and had a home studio installed.
He recalls: “My house, The Wick, in Richmond, back in the day, was the hub of musical activity. They were all queuing up down the stairs, you know – everyone from Gregg Allman to Paul McCartney.”
Wood lists other notable musicians who were regular visitors to his place, including his Faces bandmate Rod Stewart, session drummer and ex-Sly And The Family Stone member Andy Newmark, and two acclaimed bassists – Ric Grech (of Blind Faith and Traffic fame) and Willie Weeks (who performed and recorded with George Harrison, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Randy Newman and many more).
“There were so many people and so much fun over the years,” Wood says.
Talking to Tracks Of My Years, Wood recalls The Wick as “a hub of vibes” where he once gave an impromptu guitar lesson to not one but two legendary drummers.
As he relates the story: “Keith Moon was playing there. Ringo [Starr] was playing there at the same time, and they were going, ‘We’re fed up with this, Ron, where’s the rest of the band?’ And I was like, ‘Well, I don’t know where they are, and they said, ‘Well, let’s do guitar lessons.’ So it was me teaching Ringo and Keith Moon the chord of E for a few hours…”
In 1974, when Wood was still with the Faces, he recorded his debut solo album at The Wick. He gave it the tongue-in-cheek title I’ve Got My Own Album To Do.
This was a star-studded project that featured guest appearances from George Harrison, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Rod Stewart and another member of the Faces, Ian McLagan.
Harrison sang and played slide guitar on Far East Man, a song he wrote with Wood.
On the album’s opening track I Can Feel The Fire, Wood was joined by Willie Weeks, Andy Newmark, Jagger and Richards and Bowie. And at the same time this session was recorded, Wood also became involved in the creation of the Stones’ song It’s Only Rock ’n Roll (But I Like It).
In a previous interview excerpted on the StonesData fan site, Wood recalled: “Mick and I worked out I Can Feel The Fire and after we’d done that he said, ‘Help me with this song, It’s Only Rock ’n Roll, ’cause I wanna see how it turns out.
“So, say on a Tuesday evening: two guitars – Mick and I – and Mick singing lead vocal and David Bowie and myself on backup vocals.
“Then I overdubbed the rest of the instruments last and it sounded like a good demo. So the next night, we wanted to put it in a more presentable shape, so we got hold of Kenney Jones who plays the drums on the actual record. I ended up with just my acoustic guitar that I laid originally. Keith replaced – rightly so – the guitars that I’d done electrically.”
Wood says on Tracks Of My Years: “There’s only me and Mick and David Bowie and Willie Weeks, Kenney Jones on it, the basic track.”
Reportedly, this basic rhythm track recorded at The Wick was used as the basis for the final version of the – the title track of the Stones’ 12th studio album. That album was released on 18 October 1974.
It’s Only Rock ’n Roll, the song, was credited to Jagger and Richards only.
In December 1974, the Stones’ lead guitarist Mick Taylor quit the band, and while other guitarists were considered and auditioned, Wood was always the leading candidate for the job.
As Wood says now: “Oh, it was easy for me to slide in there. Yeah, because I’d known them on and off for years.”
In 1975, while still with Faces, he recorded and toured with the Stones, and in 1976 – after the Faces disbanded – Wood was made an official member of the Stones.
He eventually moved out of The Wick, but what started there is a journey he is still on today.
