Mick Taylor - ...and on guitar (1988)

Michael Kevin Taylor was born on 17 January 1949 in Welwyn Garden City, but was raised in Hatfield, and began playing guitar at age nine, learning to play from his uncle. As a teenager, he formed bands with schoolmates and started performing concerts under names such as The Juniors and the Strangers, who also appeared on television and put out a single. At aged 16 he went to see a John Mayall's Bluesbreakers performance at The Woodhall Community Centre, where the band performed their first set without a guitarist. It became clear that for some reason Eric Clapton was not going to show up, and seeing that his guitar had already been set up on the stage, Taylor approached Mayall during the interval to ask if he could play with them. He mentioned that he was familiar with the band's repertoire, and after a moment of deliberation, Mayall agreed. After playing the second set, and garnering Mayall's respect in the process, Taylor left the stage, joined his friends and left the venue before Mayall had the chance to speak with him. This encounter would prove to be pivotal in Taylor's career when Mayall needed someone to fill Peter Green's vacancy the following year, when Green quit to form Fleetwood Mac. Mayall placed a 'Guitarist Wanted' advert in the weekly Melody Maker music paper, and much to his relief immediately got a response from Taylor, whom he readily invited to join. 
From 1966 to 1969, Taylor developed a guitar style that is blues-based with Latin and jazz influences, and appeared on the albums 'Diary Of A Band', 'Bare Wires', and 'Blues From Laurel Canyon'. After Brian Jones was removed from The Rolling Stones in June 1969, Mayall recommended Taylor to Mick Jagger, and following a rehearsal session an impressed Jagger and Keith Richards invited Taylor back the following day to continue rehearsing and recording with the band, where he overdubbed guitar on 'Country Honk' and 'Live With Me' for the album 'Let It Bleed', and on the single 'Honky Tonk Women'. After the 1973 European tour, Richards' drug problems had worsened and begun to compromise the band's ability to function, with the band members living in various countries, and between recording sessions Taylor appeared on Herbie Mann's 'London Underground' album (appropriately enough on a cover of his own band's 'Bitch'), and also contributed guitar to 'Dolly' from Nicky Hopkins' 'The Tin Man Was A Dreamer'. In 1974 recording started on the Rolling Stones' 'It's Only Rock 'n' Roll' album, but he found it difficult to get along with Richards, and so not long after those sessions, Taylor went on a six-week expedition to Brazil, to travel down the Amazon River in a boat and explore Latin music. In December 1974 Taylor announced he was leaving the Rolling Stones, with his decision coming as a shock to fans, and especially the Stones, who were reportedly angry at Taylor for leaving at such short notice. 
In 1975 he formed a band with Jack Bruce and Carla Bley, but after a short European tour they disbanded the following year. In 1977 he attended London-based sessions for the John Phillips album 'Pay Pack & Follow', appearing on several tracks alongside Jagger, Richards and Wood, and the same year he also played guitar on sessions by Alan Merrill and Elliott Murphy. Taylor appeared as a special guest of Little Feat at the Rainbow Theatre in London in early 1977, sharing slide guitar with frontman Lowell George on 'A Apolitical Blues', and that summer he collaborated with Pierre Moerlen's Gong for their 1978 album 'Expresso II', helping out the following year on their 'Downwind' release. The early 80's were spent touring, firstly with Alvin Lee in 1981, then on a John Mayall's Bluesbeakers reunion tour from 1982-1983, and in 1984 he was part of Bob Dylan's touring band. In 1988 he played some great blues guitar on Speedo Jones' 'Have Blues Will Travel' album, and he also performed the lead guitar solo on Joan Jett & the Blackhearts' top-10 single 'I Hate Myself for Loving You'. During his time with the Stones he was always considered their most fluid and melodic guitar player, and this collection shows that skill superbly in a variety of different settings. 

Track listing

01 Bitch (from 'London Underground' by Herbie Mann 1973)
02 Dolly (from 'The Tin Man Was A Dreamer' by Nicky Hopkins 1973)
03 Always Another Train (from 'Alan Merrill' by Alan Merrill 1977, released 1985)
04 Oh Virginia (from 'Pay Pack & Follow' by John Phillips 1977, released 2001)
05 Rock Ballad (from 'Just A Story From America' by Elliott Murphy 1977) 
06 Heavy Tune (from 'Expresso II' by Gong 1978)
07 A Apolitical Blues (from 'Waiting For Columbus' by  Little Feat 1978)
08 What You Know (from 'Downwind' by Pierre Moerlen's Gong 1979)
09 Break Your Broom (from 'Have Blues Will Travel' by Speedo Jones 1988)
10 I Hate Myself For Loving You (from 'Up Your Alley' by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts 1988)

George Harrison - ...and on guitar (1975)

By 1969 George Harrison's songwriting had come on in leaps and bounds, culminating in him providing two of the most popular songs on The Beatles' 'Abbey Road' album. That same year he co-wrote 'Badge' with Eric Clapton, which was included on Cream's 'Goodbye' album, and on which Harrison played rhythm guitar, using the pseudonym L'Angelo Misterioso for contractual reasons. In May 1970 he played guitar on several songs during a recording session for Bob Dylan's album 'New Morning', and although none of them made the final cut for the album, some of them have appeared on one of Dylan's 'Bootleg Series' albums, including an alternate take of 'New Morning's 'Time Passes Slowly'. In 1971 he produced and played slide guitar on Badfinger's top ten hit 'Day After Day', and contributed dobro to Billy Preston's 'I Wrote a Simple Song', while in 1972 he added guitar to Harry Nilsson's 'You're Breakin' My Heart'. The following year he appeared on Cheech & Chong's 'Basketball Jones' from their 'Big Bambu' album, and 1973 also saw him add guitar to 'Waiting For The Band' from Nicky Hopkins' 'The Tin Man Was A Dreamer' under the name of George O'Hara, and 'If You've Got Love' from 'It's Like You Never Left' by Dave Mason under another of his pseudonyms, Son Of Harry. Lastly from 1973, Hari Georgeson helped out Alvin Lee & Mylon LeFevre on 'So Sad (No Love Of His Own)' from their 'On The Road To Freedom' album. 1974 was a bit quieter, with Harrison co-writing 'Far East Man' with Ronnie Wood, and both artists recording their own versions of the song, with Wood's coming out first on his 'I've Got My Own Album To Do' release. Also in 1974, two-man band Splinter released their debut, Harrison-produced album 'The Place I Love' on his Dark Horse label. It was actually the first record to be released on the label, and Harrison played guitar and keyboards on it as well, with the record spawning the hit single 'Costafinetown'. In 1975 Harrison expanded his horizons and added guitar to Tom Scott's jazz album 'New York Connection', rounding off nicely his extra-curricular activities from the first half on the 70's. Harrison then took a break while he released solo albums of his own, with his next guest appearances being in 1981 on an album from Mick Fleetwood and a single by Ringo Starr.   

Track listing

01 Badge (single by Cream 1969)

02 Time Passes Slowly (from the 'New Morning' sessions with Bob Dylan 1970)

03 I Wrote A Simple Song (from 'I Wrote A Simple Song' by Billy Preston 1971)

04 Day After Day (single by Badfinger 1971)

05 You're Breaking My Heart (from 'Nilsson Schmilsson' by Harry Nilsson 1972)

06 If You've Got Love (from 'It's Like You Never Left' by Dave Mason  1973) 

07 Waiting For The Band (from 'The Tin Man Was A Dreamer' by Nicky Hopkins 1973)  

08 Basketball Jones (from 'Big Bambu' by Cheech & Chong 1973)

09 So Sad (No Love Of His Own) (from 'On The Road To Freedom' by Alvin Lee 1973)  

10 Far East Man (from 'I've Got My Own Album To Do' by Ronnie Wood 1974)

11 Somebody's City (from 'The Place I Love' by Splinter 1974)

12 Appolonia (from 'New York Connection' by Tom Scott 1975)