Arguably, Keith Richards is the guitar player, as it’s tough to find another musician out there who picks up a six-string and isn’t in some way influenced by his no-fuss, all-hook playing.
With his no solos, only riffs ethos, Richards truly changed the game for what it means to be a rock player. Inspired by the masters of the genre and the originators of blues and jazz, he stood strong as the rock world was getting more and more interested in fancy fingerwork and experimentation. As rock and roll began morphing into other things like psychedelia, punk, metal, or even just more intricate late 1970s rock, he refused to budge.
Instead, he stuck true to the belief that something simple does the trick, and does it best, but make no mistake that simple means basic. Richards was certain that a great guitar line has to appeal to the audience, get in their minds and get them going, rather than only appealing to the technical knowledge of other players, claiming, “We’re not playing for geniuses” but for the kicks.
That’s how he became one of the most influential guitar players in history, with generations of devotees now bowing at his altar. However, while guitar is where he’s best-known, perhaps the world of bass players should be bowing too. Despite his well-recognised and solid post in The Rolling Stones as the band’s songwriter and guitarist, he actually wandered elsewhere for some of their most iconic tracks. Even though the group had a bass player, in the form of Bill Wyman until 1993, and now Darryl Jones in their touring band, Richards actually is the one playing bass on some of their most famous recordings.
What Rolling Stones songs did Keith Richards play bass on?
As if it wasn’t enough for Richards to write some of the most well-known guitar lines in musical history, and The Stones’ most iconic riffs, we can also add some of their best bass parts to his list of accolades. On the personnel for ‘Sympathy For The Devil’, it’s actually Richards registered as the bass player, while Wyman was playing the shekere, helping Charlie Watts out on percussion.
It’s a similar story for ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’ as Richards contributed guitars, vocals, some percussion and, once again, bass, while Wyman was playing organ, and for ‘Street Fighting Man’, Richards is on bass whereas Wyman is absent from the track.
He’s on bass on earlier tracks too, such as ‘Let’s Spend The Night Together’, ‘Under My Thumb’, and later on, ‘Live With Me’ from Let It Bleed benefitting from his bassist touch, along with a scattering of ‘70s tracks like ‘Happy’, ‘Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)’ and more.
But why the swapping of roles?
Of course, all this raises the question of why, when Keith Richards was already doing so much on guitar and songwriting, and when the band already had a powerful bass player, would he step up to that already filled post, to which the answer is simple: maybe that’s just the way it worked out.
The Stones liked to record live, building songs in the moment in the studio, so if an idea was captured and they liked it, that was the idea, or sometimes even the take, that stayed. As Richards could play bass and was writing these songs, chances are some of them were simply takes captured to get an idea down that were then just kept. Or, when it comes to the Beggars Banquet tracks especially, the band were already dealing with so much tumult from Brian Jones that they must have wanted to just get things on tape quickly and easily, without messing about. So if Richards was there and had an idea, he would record it, simple as that.
Whatever be the reason, it truly only goes to prove just how spanning Richards’ talents are.
