Every musician hopes to form a band that will endure for a very long time. When you eventually discover that one song that catapults you to stardom and establishes you as one of the A-list rock stars, all the years of hard work are worthwhile. With The Rolling Stones, Brian Jones experienced the early stages of rock stardom. However, “Satisfaction” proved to be a poisonous combination. It caused him to despise his position within the group.
Let us travel back in time to the band’s inception, before they ever dreamed of having hits. Jones was the one who put together the group in the early 1960s. He was trying to create a bluesy ensemble. People could not look away from when they came on. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were hardly in the picture.
He was their manager, he went to all the stuffy business meetings, he even gave the group its name, but Jagger and Richards had star power that nobody could dispute. Jones had a classic bowl cut and amazing guitar skills, which made him very photogenic. However, things changed when “The Glimmer Twins” began writing original music. With “satisfaction,” the band abruptly changed.
The iconic guitar riff, which was created by Keith Richards while on tour, came to define the essence of what rock and roll was meant to be. Given that the song revolves around those opening five notes, Jones was aware that he no longer truly owned the band.
Although Jones was capable of playing almost anything that could produce music. You have to keep in mind that he wasn’t going to walk off after having his band taken away. In addition to the iconic song, the song features an incredibly little solo section, which leaves him with even less to do when performing it live.
If he was unable to sing a word in the song, he would have to demonstrate his abilities by performing the greatest songs he could. When it came to working on the band’s foundational albums. Jones alternated between playing the piano, dulcimer, oboe, and everything in between. His résumé was one most musicians would kill for.
Being a sideman for the rest of your life is difficult, though, when you have that music in your soul. As The Stones began their illustrious phase, Jones appeared to be clocking out most of the time. Producer Jimmy Miller recalled that Jones’s only activity on albums like Beggars Banquet was to sit in the corner. He kept to himself most of the time.
Granted, Jones may have believed that his music wouldn’t receive the same attention as that of his bandmates. But time has been kind to his work. Many fans have praised Jones for his contributions to the band over the years, highlighting how tragic his death was soon after his firing.
But then, all the praise in the world could never make up for the feelings of insecurity Jones carried around after being kicked out of his group. Understandably, musicians would rise again. Jones genuinely gave off the impression of having suffered heartbreak upon receiving millions of dollars for someone else’s compositions.
