With the current tour by the Rolling Stones under way, the unsung architect behind some of their greatest hits is being remembered by British producer/musician Uncle Ray. His album In Line With Mr Jimmy " is dedicated to U.S. record producer Jimmy Miller (1944-1994) the man responsible for the seminal albums: Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Exile On Main Street, Goat's Head Soup and Sticky Fingers. Uncle Ray, who worked with Miller, has re-styled versions of some of the Stones classics.
Its easy to forget the man behind some of their greatest albums. Jimmy is hardly mentioned any more says Uncle Ray. I met him when he was brought over to London from New York by Islands Chris Blackwell to work with Steve Winwood. In the studio he was dynamite, always grabbing a shaker or cowbell and turning every session into Mardi Gras. And remember this was a time when most recording engineers still wore lab coats. I met up with him a few years later when he was recording the Stones. His hair had grown and he looked a bit spaced out but he still had that wicked twinkle in his eyes.
'In Line With Mr Jimmy' features a soul diva who turns the Jagger/Richards lyrics on their heads and Mel Collins, the legendary sax player who played on the original version of Miss You. Because of cd time limits, his searing solo contribution was edited out when the Stones best selling compilation album Forty Licks was released. I was knocked out Mel agreed to play on our version of Miss You. says Uncle Ray. He flew in from Germany straight after a TV show and cut the solo in two takes. He seemed to like the feel of the track. Whilst in the studio, Mel completed several other tracks for In Line With Mr Jimmy" released on Singer Records. |
