Vinyl of the Week - 12 September 2021

Get Your Ya-Ya’s Out, The Rolling Stones

On the 24th of August I woke to the news that an integral part of the greatest rock n roll band in the world was gone. Charlie Watts, the heartbeat of the Rolling Stones, had died in hospital aged 80. As I have stated many times, the Stones are my all-time favourite and the news hit me pretty hard - the band as we knew them would never be the same again. Charlie joined the Stones in ’63 after Mick, Keith and Brian heard him play and decided that they had to have him as their drummer. To start with, Charlie wasn’t interested. Firstly, because he was a jazz drummer. Secondly, because they couldn’t afford him. However, they were determined to have him join the band and all took a pay cut to get him on board. And boy, were they glad they did. The way he worked in with Keith’s guitar and drove the beat was a huge part of the overall sound of the Stones. Charlie was certainly not your stereotypical rock star. A total gentleman with a huge amount of style, he was extremely modest and after a gig, would prefer to retire to bed with a good book than partake in the shenanigans of his fellow bandmates. He married his wife Shirley in 1968 and remained devoted to her for the rest of his life. Charlie never missed a single performance in the entire history of the Rolling stones, even while dealing with throat cancer in the early 2000’s. He also had his own projects outside of the Stones, maintaining his love of jazz by forming the Charlie Watts Quintet who recorded many albums, including tributes to Charlie Parker and other jazz greats. There is no way for me to cover even a fraction of the story of Charlie Watts in this post - I know he had a significant influence on the music and lives of so many. I chose this album, not because of the songs, but rather for the image of Charlie on the front, one of the very rare occasions he was the centre of attention. A true legend of rock n roll, there will never be another like him. Here’s to you Charlie – DS