A Producers Epiphany: Jim Dickinson on Working with the Rolling Stones, Part 1 of 2

Legendary record producer Jim Dickinson shares his experiences working with the Rolling Stones during a secret recording session in Muscle Shoals in 1969. Segment found on www.artistshousemusic.org.

[@bryanstreettandtheblueridg9989]

One of the best music interviews ever.

[@gregorykrug8034]

One of the best parts of this interview is when Jim explains "Skydog slaver". Everyone and their sister who knows this song wrongfully thinks that line is "Scarred old slaver".

[@flyingburritobro68]

Gregory Krug it is Scarred Old Slaver as listed in the most complete Nd correct publications including Keno’s book who is a well respected authority. Skydog - Duane has nothing to do with the track or lyrics. Jim having fun with people in this interview that’s all

[@EastmanD]

@@flyingburritobro68 Nd or not, Keno or not, I'll believe the guy that was there...unless you've got further evidence, eg, Jagger saying bullshit or something to that effect.

[@aquamarine99911]

@ Mick clearly sings "scarred old" on live versions of the song. I think he may have originally :"sky dog" as a joke or placeholder lyric, but that's not what he went with in the end.

[@lamper2]

@@EastmanD i believe Keno

[@scootmcgoot570]

Grew up in Sheffield and knew all the swampers well. My church is 2 blocks from the studio. About 20yrs ago when the studio was in shambles the owner would let me and my buddy rehearse there

[@kenperkins7921]

I used to go over there and walk around in the weeds and go in and look through the junk left by the Swampers, on there way to the new, big studio down by the river. I took my kids there and all of a sudden, an intense thunderstorm hit. We went i and shut the door. I had brought a Flash light and it was kinda spooky in tn there with all the lighting hiting around us. The kids were getting a kick out of all the writings on the walls. I had to turn the Flash light off in some places. Boby Whitlock had left a message on the wall, it said, somebody need to clean up dis Damn place! But I love it

[@scootmcgoot570]

@@kenperkins7921 hahaha thats awesome!

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

Interestingly, fate would have it that I watched part two of this interview first. Now going to watch it over again.

[@paulclarke4305]

this is one of the coolest vids i have seen , with one of the coolest music men, thanks!

[@stonesdude154]

He played the sparse piano on Wild Horses, great stories of what he witnessed.

[@Methilde]

This man had bad memories cause even Keith said that Jagger has already wrote Brown Suggar in Australia.

[@douglasspinks6515]

Not Australia, South America. And yes, the entire song, from guitar riff to lyrics, we're all Jagger.

[@Nightdog1978]

Although Don Nix has been my friend and producer for 40 years plus, Jim was a great guy that I worked with quite a bit at a now defunct studio on Beale St. in the early 90's. 315 Beale was the name of the studio and is now where the Hard Rock café is located. Always enjoyed Jim's story and persona, he was like his sons, his own cat. Miss Jim something terrible.

[@truckerkevthepaidtourist]

yeah it's a shame you go in thinking that you got to get the big bypass surgery triple or quadruple like Jim had to get the triple and then you don't come out if it. he was a great producer toom. notice The North Mississippi allstars. remember he had 2 albums one called free beer LOL and the other called jungle Jim the two sons Luther and Cody played on that album. then formed the All Stars.. I'd love to hear more of the legendary stories that came out of muscle shoals knowing the drugs to partying and everything who recorded there and their lifestyles in my opinion there could be somebody just great stories if there ever was a book written just about everything recorded it went went on unfortunately so many of the shoals guys are gone.

[@melodymakermark]

You may have already seen it, but Jimmy Johnson did a great interview for Truetone Lounge. Check it out here on the ‘tube.

[@arlingtonhynes]

The guitars on those three tracks are all in tune.

[@deeg8849]

Great insight

[@yournaturalfather]

Fantastic interview!

[@jmpmusic-ltd]

Wow.. thank you for sharing this remarkable history.

[@TheClemcaster]

Wonderful interview, but let's have right; Ian Stewart wasn't just a 'great Boogie Woogie piano player,' he was fucking amazing and he was the band's secret weapon - unless it was other than a twelve-bar blues/shuffle, in which case it was 'bloody chinese music' and Ian refused to partcipate; anything else that had the Chicago feel, Ian was first choice. Him or Nicky Hopkins.

[@Nazzz65]

Great stuff.

[@tidepoolbay]

Jim!

[@HomeAtLast501]

Feel free to boost your audio when you process your videos.

[@sunlight253]

Cool stories~~

[@Alexibanezzz]

I think the Jimmy Johnson he’s referring to is Jimmy Miller.

[@reneenfeliciavis9300]

Funny he calls Mick Taylor 'little Mick'.

[@Peakabike]

Yep, at 4:57 had never heard anyone refer to him like that.

[@joegarrison5911]

A literal description of him lol

[@frankrichards3089]

That was what most folks called him

[@lamper2]

Brown Sugar was musically inspired by Freddy Cannon whose songs jagger loved

[@truckerkevthepaidtourist]

0:22 how's that for a fucking Revelation right there.. Stax turned down The Beatles they wanted to do some recording in Memphis just think if that wasn't everything done at Abbey Road or in the UK?

[@maxmoon2254]

It wasn’t refusing to grow out his hair that kept Stew from being an official Stone. He has longer hair in the late‘70’s & ‘80’s.Ian Stewart was unfairly and unfortunately deemed untalented, ugly and to old to be a Rolling Stone by manager Andrew Oldham.

[@jessewolf6806]

No. Oldham simply said Stu didn't look like a Stone. His talent was acknowledged by all parties.

[@xdef1ne]

He absolutely wasn’t deemed untalented. What a stupid thing to say.

[@billholmes6933]

@@jessewolf6806 Oldham also thought six people was one too many people for a rock band. I love the Stones, but letting Stu get pushed aside was not one of their better moments.

[@danielreyes6225]

They kept him forever never ditched him, he died I think in 81

[@dickjohnson1158]

Someone’s full of it

[@Peakabike]

Never let the truth get in the way of a good story! (Bill Wyman)

[@Peakabike]

9:04 what? Isn't it Jagger's riff?!

[@jimfritz9503]

The story I heard many years ago was Jagger wrote the whole song while in Australia filming " Ned Kelly". Words and music. Also something about a prototype guitar was used . Whatever.

[@jamesclendon4811]

It's interesting to hear this guy's version of events, but I think it would be a big mistake to accept them as gospel truth. Keith, in his autobiography, credits Brown Sugar solely to Mick, who presented the song, words and music, to the band, fully written. There's no way it happened the way this guy relates. It wasn't written in 45 minutes in the studio, Mick turning Keith's mumbles into lyrics. And that Skydog/scarred old argument has been around for years and won't be resolved here.

[@aquamarine99911]

Yeah, and there's video of Mick playing the song for Ike and Tina, probably at Altamont. I think Jimmy may have confused the recording of Brown Sugar with Wild Horses. Wild Horses (like Angie) is definitely something that would have started out as a Keith song and melody. I'm guessing the Brown Sugar lyrics would have taken longer than an hour to write.

[@adamdavid5046]

Jagger originated the riff, but Keith ALWAYS transformed Mick’s music whether it be writing the intro, altering the tempo, etc. This was the case with other songs like the too-fast Good Time Women Into the funkier Tumblin’ Dice, Bitch, even Sympathy For the Devil, Dead Flowers, etc. Mick would ALWAYS re-write the lyrics based on the new tempo. The footage of Jagger playing his version of Brown Sugar to Ike and Tina displays how much Keith contributed to the song. It was a pretty basic, uninteresting blues shuffle until it was “Keefed”.

[@adamdavid5046]

Andrew James not Altamont. Madison square garden where Ike and Tina opened for the stones.

[@olyokie]

Sorry but Sticky Fingers was their last great album.....everything since is poprock crap. I've seen them twice and got bored both times.....

[@aquamarine99911]

Exile and Black & Blue are not "pop-rock crap".

[@olyokie]

@@aquamarine99911 uh huh....rrrrright

[@lamper2]

@@olyokie ANDREW wins this exchange!

[@olyokie]

Like I really give a fuck.....the Bee Gees were great too....right?

[@johnscialfa7391]

Yes sure u did