Brian Jones - Anniversary

[cuthbert]

Lewis Brian Hopkins Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969)

It was 43 years ago today that the founder, the group 'namer', and former golden boy of the Rolling Stones - Brian Jones - was found floating face-down in his swimming pool. By then he had been kicked out of the group after a long falling out, but was also apparently 'getting clean' before it all ended so tragically.

I don't remember hearing about his death at the time, as I was a child and don't think I'd even heard of the Rolling Stones yet (although I was already a big Beatles fan). It was later that I became more familiar with the Stones, and although I liked a lot of their Seventies songs, they were always a little more bluesy than I really liked. I respect the blues as a musical form, and where the Stones they went with it - but it's just not often my cuppa tea.

But once I became more familiar with the Stones' Sixties catalog (in the late Seventies ), I found out who the multi-instrumentalist of the band was (Brian), and how his musical contributions helped turn a blues band (in addition to second-lead guitarist, Brian was also their primary slide guitar player, and a mean harp player as well) into one that dove deeply into the psychedelic rock movement of the time.

A few examples:

Paint It Black? Sitar by Brian Jones.

Lady Jane? Appalachian dulcimer and harpsichord by Brian Jones.

Ruby Tuesday? Recorder and piano played by Brian Jones.

2000 Light Years From Home, We Love You, She's A Rainbow? (and I'm sure I missed several others) Mellotron played by Brian Jones.

Those are just a few examples of his influence on the group's musical direction.

He may have not always been a very nice person, and he may have consumed more than his fair share of drugs, alcohol & women, and he helped defined the iconic 'rockstar' lifestyle, - but Brian Jones in his prime was a great musician. And although not a songwriter, he was a true musical stylist. In my opinion, his musical contributions helped make the Sixties (in my mind, anyway), the greatest musical decade for the Rolling Stones.

And we've got a StonesFest at Songcrafters this month!  

So RIP Brian Jones...and thanks for your music and style genius. I look forward to hearing more echoes of it in July & August.

[Facemask93]

Well said Cuth , i agree totally

Rob

[64Guitars]

In my opinion, his musical contributions helped make the Sixties (in my mind, anyway), the greatest musical decade for the Rolling Stones.

Yep. The sixties was my favourite Stones decade too. Good post, cuth.

[Oldrottenhead]

a tribute to mr jones by psychic tv


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1yr8w_vZ5E

[Gritter]

He was the only Stone with a Beatles haircut.

[cuthbert]

a tribute to mr jones by psychic tv


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1yr8w_vZ5E

Never seen this before...freakishly interesting! Got a combination of neo-psych, a bit of Television Personalities in the vox/lyrics, a repeating Rolling Stones riff, some gothic horror, and a bunch of other interesting stuff in it!

He was the only Stone with a Beatles haircut.

Haha - good one! There's that Brian Jones style again...

Another interesting tidbit: Brian Jones was also one of the founding members of the 27 Club.

[Greeny]

I like Brian Jones a lot as a musician, but I was pretty horrified when I read what Keith Richards thought about him in his autobiography. Totally dismissed as a talentless, vain dwarf. Seems pretty ridiculous given the way he played a lot of different instruments and picked up the sitar seemingly pretty easy. Not sure why Keith hates him so much. But at least he devoted some words to him - Wyman hardly gets a mention!

Brian wasn't the nicest guy by all accounts. Donovan picked up with his wife after Brian had bashed her around a bit. He even wrote Sunshine Superman about her.

[phantasm777]

i liked jones w/stones. after he left i wasn;t much of a stones fan. up until exile or sticky fingers, that was it for me. it was his band and i personally believe in his time with the band, he opimized the stones, especially in the psyche era!

[The Gobi Desert Canoe Club]

Bloody hell 43 years ago? The "accident" happened about 8-9 miles away from where I lived and it sort of brings it back every time I drive past the gates to the house. Willie