Text "Too many cooks don't ever change" (Michael Kuhn)
Like nowadays in earlier years tour and recordless times were just what the press waited for to spread rumors about everything - the Stones' private life as well as their musical occupations.
When Mick Jagger flew to Los Angeles on 10 March 1974, he started a number of interesting speculations about what he was doing there. Only three days later he was seen together with John Lennon at the presentation of the American Films Institute Award to actor James Cagney. This led the press to the assumption the two were also working together on a musical project - which seems to be true.
At that time several albums by popular musicians were in the making at the Los Angeles Record Plant, all of them including guest appearances of the other musicians that were also recording at the same time. First there was an album by Harry Nilsson called PUSSY CATS which was produced by John Lennon and starred musicians like Danny Kortchmar and Jesse Ed Davis as well as Klaus Voormann, Bobby Keys, Jim Keltner and Ringo Starr. The latter was recording for his fifth solo album GOODNIGHT VIENNA, calling up John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Jim Keltner, Bobby Keys and Billy Preston. Another artist recording there would show his front side as well as his (naked) back side on the cover of his first solo album: Keith Moon, who was working on LIKE A RAT STUFFED UP A PIPE - a title unacceptable to his record company MCA and therefore, by suggestion of Ringo Starr, changed into TWO SIDES OF THE MOON. His record credited people such as Jesse Ed Davis, Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar, Bobby Keys, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voormann and Jim Keltner. To end the ball Billy Preston recorded his album THE KIDS AND ME which, oddly enough, didn't include too many famous guests - except of Jow Walsh who also appeared on Moon's album.
Right in the midst of all these sessions Mick Jagger popped up. What wonder, for 25 March 1974 an all-star session is mentioned, and there is a result of the session - a song called "Too many cooks" (of which the authors are maybe Bond / Dunbar / Wayne). The song appears on various Rolling Stones bootlegs and is also mentioned in Lennon playmate May Pang's book about her life and times with John Lennon. Miss Pang even gives the exact line-up for the song:
Mick Jagger (vocals), Danny Kortchmar (guitar), Jack Bruce (bass), All Kooper (keyboard), Jesse Ed Davis (saxophone), Bobby Keys (brass), Trevor Lawrence (brass), Jim Keltner (drums ; although other sources credit Ringo Starr), plus an additional choir of female back-up singers conducted by Harry Nilsson
John Lennon apparently acted as producer and sound engineer and was said to be sad he wouldn't be able to release the song on the Apple label due to contracts of the musicians with different record companies. Mick was said to have consoled him saying: "Don't worry, John, we'll put it out on my label!"
For whatever reasons Mick Jagger was also said to have participated in the recordings of Keith Moons' TWO SIDES OF THE MOON and on Billy Preston's THE KIDS AND ME even if no credit is actually given to him on these albums. Maybe he just attended the recording sessions, maybe his contributions weren't put on the final records or it wasn't possible to print his name on the album sleeves for contractual reasons? Maybe he appeared under a pseudonym? This seems quite possible considering that in 1973 Mick Jagger stated he'd appear on many LPs by other musicians under a false name. Maybe time will tell, and if not, don't tell me.
Author: Michael Kuhn
This article was revised in 2000.
Publication
| 1986 unreleased |  Charlie is Good Tonight nr. 5
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