Rolling Stones – Time Waits For No One

You could blindfold me and I could tell you if Mick Taylor was playing with The Stones live. He had his own unique sound because of the Les Paul he played. He made those songs in the classic Stones period go.

Many people think that Mick Taylor went uncredited on this and many songs. The melody doesn’t sound like a Keith melody but in any case, Jagger/Richards get credited with this one. They rarely if ever play it live.

The solo in this song is great by Mick Taylor. It reminds me a little of Carlos Santana. He quit shortly after this album was released and it was the end of the classic Stones era. They would never sound the same again after this. The song was on It’s Only Rock and Roll which was a good album but not up to the level of the five preceding albums. A big reason was because of the absence of producer Jimmy Miller.

So why did Mick Taylor leave the band? I’ve read different things from him and others. Taylor felt underappreciated and frustrated that he didn’t receive proper credit for his contributions to the band’s music. He claimed to have co-written several songs, such as Sway and Moonlight Mile but Jagger and Richards would not give a songwriting credit to him. I do believe that because Brian Jones and Ronnie Wood also had the same problem.

His health and well-being were also factors in his decision to leave. The intense touring schedule and the pressures of being in The Stones took a toll on him. Besides pot…he said he didn’t take drugs when he joined the band but like others before and after him…he slowly started to do harder drugs while with the band. When he quit the band it took him a while to get off of heroin.

The song is a favorite among many Stones fans I know and it should be more well known.

Time Waits For No One

Yes, star-crossed in pleasure, the stream flows on byYes, as we’re sated in leisure, we watch it fly, yes

And time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for meAnd time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for me

Time can tear down a building or destroy a woman’s faceHours are like diamonds, don’t let them waste

Time waits for no one, no favors has heTime waits for no one, and he won’t wait for me

Men, they build towers to their passingYes, to their fame everlastingHere he comes, chopping and reapingHear him laugh at their cheating

And time waits for no man, and it won’t wait for meYes, time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for thee

Drink in your summer, gather your cornThe dreams of the nighttime will vanish by dawn

And time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for meAnd time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for meNo, no, no, not for me, no, not for me

…

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

28 thoughts on “Rolling Stones – Time Waits For No One”

    1. I’ll have to give Till the Next Goodbye. another listen…it’s been a while. I don’t play this album as much as the previous 5

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  5. That is some nice guitar. It’s a new song to me, I’d say pretty good song but excellent guitar – it almost deserved a bit more, or a bit better from Mick! Hard to pinpoint what it reminds me of but I was thinking a little like Byrds and, like Jim said, a bit reminiscent of the Grateful dead too.

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    1. I can tell Taylor had more to do with this song because it’s not something that sounds like Keith…it’s more technical…Taylor could be very technical.

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    1. He lifted them somewhere else…and yes that Les Paul had something to do with it as well…. Taylor came on stage on one of their last tours…I didn’t even have to see who was playing…I knew.

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  9. p.s. I’m of 2 minds about “getting the credit” in an astronomically popular band. Not trying to minimize any talent on the part who aren’t the superstars in a band, but the reality is, the band will continue if the “sidemen” drop out but the band may very well fall apart without the superstars; in this case Mick and Keith.

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    1. Oh they have gone on…if Ronnie Wood quits they go on with no problem… Charlie Watts died and they went on (that surprised me because of that connection). They did change after Taylor left…I think Keith mentions in his book that they were never the same musically anymore.

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    1. Taylor to me…was their greatest guitarist… and that is nothing against Keith…Keith comes up with those riffs…but as far as pure playing…Taylor was the most flexible. He could play for anyone.

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  11. Yep, the Stones machine reels in and spits out more than a few. Not many can keep up with the master of illicit substances consumption that is Keith, and if you tried you got burned and spit out or just burned out.

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      1. Lol, very apt at this time! ‘And once again, that old favourite the venerable Keith kicks on at the end and blows ’em all away… What a constitution he has.’

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