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MICK TAYLOR LIVE
5 FNAC & ZENITH, Lille, France, 12 October 2009
Het was een goedlachse, ontspannen Mick Taylor die voor hooguit 100 man een ongedwongen, bluesy “showcase” van een half uur speelde in de FNAC en daarna de volgelopen Zénith (1500 man) inpakte met een beklijvende prestatie.in de het forum van de FNAC
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4 HARELBEKE R&B 26 juni 2004
Mick Taylor had zich dit keer niet omringd met drie of vier virtuoze kompanen. Nee, de Andy Sharrocks Band bestond uit tien man, waaronder twee toetsenisten, drie achtergrondzangeressen en een percussionist
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3 MARCQ-EN-BAROEUL, FRANCE 21 JUNI 2003
In Marcq-en-Baroeul (bij Lille, Frankrijk) mocht hij niettemin het jaarlijkse, volledig gratis en voor volkstoeloop bedoelde “Fête de la musique” afronden. En dat deed hij, zoals altijd, op geheel eigenzinnige wijze.
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2: SPIRIT OF 66, Verviers, Belgium,1 December 2001
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From the moment Mick Taylor walked on stage you could sense he felt like enjoying himself, even if this was the last stop of a European tour. After an hour and a half of uninterrupted playing, the phlegmatic announcement ‘If you’re in the mood, we’re in the mood’ introduced an extra half hour including two encores with his Dutch mate and opening act Erwin Nijhoff. Contrary to earlier performances (e.g. at the Boogie Town Festival, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, 1997) he did not tune endlessly or readjust the PA midway each solo. Mick looked and sounded happy. He was in good voice and caressed his guitar, proving all the while that, yes, he does belong to that special and rare breed of guitarists who can be recognised immediately by their own sound.
A Stones' Throw
Taylor opened with four songs from his most recent and underrated album “A Stones’ Throw” (sic). These are rather complex and extended compositions with a jazzy sound and construction. They do not follow the melody or structure patterns that are typical of the blues, yet are interwoven with most subtle blues chords and blues sounds – often obtained by simply brushing the strings. Throughout the show, Mick would flirt with both blues and jazz – often simultaneously – and occasionally mix it with funk, like on “Goin’ South”. These tunes allowed keyboardist Max Middleton to show his first class status. Still, Mick also treated us to a round of genuine blues: acoustic Delta (“You Gotta Move”), Stax soul-blues (Albert King’s “Laundromat Blues”) and British-modelled Chicago in the guise of a roaring version of “You Shook Me” that easily stands comparative tests with Jeff Beck’s or Led Zeppelin’s interpretations. The gloomy Rolling Stones ballad “No Expectations” – a forgotten b-side from the sixties – was a real surprise and showed yet another side of Taylor’s.
Subtle guitar
Taylor is not only a subtle and pure guitarist, he is first of all a stylist. Passages that are initially conceived as bridges or short solos are extended and developed (often by improvising, another feature of jazz music) until they metamorphose into a composition within the composition. This approach allows Taylor to display his virtuosity. Don’t attend a Mick Taylor concert if it is so-called “pure” blues you are after. His blend consists of an under-layer of traditional blues and a multifaceted construction following the jazz idiom.
Eddy Bonte
LEFT: At the Spirit of 66 ( Max Middleton on (keyboards) Photos © Eddy Bonte
First ppublished in ‘Back to the Roots’ magazine, issue 39, 2002, www.backtotheroots.be
Photos © Eddy Bonte
SET LIST
[OPENING ACT: Erik Nijhoff]
- Secret Affair
- Twisted Sister
- Late At Night
- Losing my Faith
- You Gotta Move
- Goin’ South
- Blind Willie McTell
- You Shook Me
- Laundromat Blues
- Boogie Man
- No Expectations (first encore, with Erwin Nijhoff on voice and guitar)
- Little Red Rooster (second encore, with Erwin Nijhoff on voice and guitar)
THE BAND
Mick Taylor: guitar, lead vocals; Max Middleton: keyboards; Michael Bailey: bass; Godfrey McLean: drums
1: BOOGIE TOWN, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, 1 May 1997
Mick Taylor's All Stars Band
I saw Mick Taylor perform with the Rolling Stones in 1970 (Holland and Germany) and in 1973 (Belgium). After Mick Taylor's come-back, it took a long time before the fans in Belgium were given the opportunity to attend one of his concerts. I must add that his solo records had disappointed me to the extent that I did not take the trouble to go and see Mick when he did tour over here. However, since word had it that his live performances were of a much higher quality than his studio output, I eventually went to the Boogie Town Festival in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, on 1st May 1997. His All Stars Band was second on the bill, which was topped by Dr John.
The weather was so unexpectedly beautiful, that many festival goers simply stayed outdoors when the bands preceding Mick took the stage. After Guy Forsyth (check out this guy, he's fabulous) had finished his encore, the crowd came flocking in for Mick but I had already secured my very own square foot in front of the stage.
MAX MIDDLETON
Mick walked onto the stage rather casually, hardly greeting the audience, and started tuning his guitar and checking the sound with the other band members. Nobody took the trouble to announce that Snowy White (guitar) and Max Middleton (keyboards) had been replaced. Mick did introduce the band later, but I must say that his mumbling did not allow me to catch the names of the replacements. Quite some people had come to see Snowy and I myself was quite interested in hearing Middleton, because I like his piano playing on Jeff Beck's earlier LPs and also because Mick once said he was preparing studio sessions with Max. The tuning and sound checking took a while and Mick's attitude seemed to reflect indifference (maybe it is just British flegma!).
The first few bars, however, buried these mixed feelings. He did long versions of You Gotta Move, I Wonder Why, You Shook Me, Going South and Blind Willie McTell - then quit the stage as casually as he had entered it. The audience had shown its appreciation throughout the show, so Mick had to do an encore and played a purely instrumental version of Can't You Hear Me Knocking. With each song lasting approximately ten minutes, the band played for over an hour. Announcements were kept to a strict minimum, the band introduction was quite short and there was no room for comments or the typical concert bla bla (good evening Belgium, is everybody happy, etc). In fact, the concert sounded like one long blues instrumental with plenty of time for improvisation and elaboration and little or no stress on the singing. Quie rightly so, since Mick's guitar playing was just superb; in fact he treated us to some of the best guitar blues I have ever heard. Mick's instrumental approach and the ease with which he plays this instrument reminded me of a concert by the Jeff Beck Group I attented at London's Marquee Club some 30 years ago, when I was astonished to see how Beck produced a unique sound although one had the impression he often hardly seemed to touch the strings.
UNIQUENESS
I came to realise that there is something like a Mick Taylor sound and I wondered why his uniqueness has never been truly captured on his solo records - with the exception of 'Once in a Blue Moon'. Someone should put together a decent set of songs for Mick, arrange a recording session that really reflects his abilities and search for a record company executive who is familiar with the concepts of distribution and promotion (just try to get hold of a copy of 'Shadow Man' for instance!). He could keep this band, in particular if it were to feature Max Middleton and Snowy White or artists of this calibre. A singer would not be a bad idea either, because I'm not really impressed with Mick's vocal range (even if the instruments come first). Finally, someone should convince Mick there is no interest in his doing Stones covers: he's got so much potential he can easily do without his past.
NOTE ON COLLECTIBLE ITEMS:
a) ticket, programme and poster
b) part of the concert was filmed and at my request a 22min video was compiled of which two copies are in cicrulation
c) many fans took pictures and at my request Mr Stephen Pelgrims sent me some shots
d) I have no knowledge of audio recordings and unfortunately I could not find any press articles or professional press photos; in case you did, please let me know.
Eddy Bonte
First published on this website in 2007.