The Rolling Stones released It’s Only Rock ’n Roll 52 years ago this month, but the album’s title track has a surprising secret: David Bowie sang backup, future Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood helped create it, and several musicians on the recording weren’t actually members of the band.
Released October 18, 1974, the album featured “It’s Only Rock ’n Roll (But I Like It),” a song that began taking shape at Wood’s London home. According to MusicRadar’s June 2026 retrospective, the recording retained contributions from musicians outside the Stones’ official lineup.
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David Bowie Helped Record a Rolling Stones Hit
Before joining the Stones, Wood was playing with the Faces and recording at his Richmond home, known as The Wick.
In a recollection documented by Time Is on Our Side, Wood described working on the song with Jagger.
“Mick and I worked out I Can Feel the Fire,” Wood recalled, before Jagger asked him to help develop another song.
The sessions eventually brought together Bowie, bassist Willie Weeks, and Faces drummer Kenney Jones.
Wood later confirmed the unusual lineup during a BBC Radio 2 appearance, telling listeners that the original recording featured himself, Jagger, Bowie, Weeks, and Jones.
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Keith Richards Replaced Ronnie Wood’s Guitar Parts
The original recording survived, but not every performance did.
Wood acknowledged that Richards subsequently replaced his electric guitar work.
“Keith replaced – rightly so – the guitars that I’d done electrically,” Wood recalled.
His original acoustic guitar remained, alongside Jones’s drums and Weeks’s bass. Bowie’s backing vocals also survived, although they were buried deep in the mix.
Despite Wood’s involvement in developing the song, its official songwriting credit went to Jagger and Richards.
The Song Came Before Ronnie Wood Joined the Band
The album marked another turning point for the Stones.
Guitarist Mick Taylor departed in December 1974, shortly after its release. Wood subsequently toured with the group in 1975 before becoming an official member in 1976, according to MusicRadar.
“Oh, it was easy for me to slide in there,” Wood recalled in the retrospective. “Yeah, because I’d known them on and off for years.”
The recording offers a revealing snapshot of that transition. Wood was already helping shape the band’s music before officially joining, while Bowie made an unlikely appearance on a Stones anthem.
More than five decades later, the familiar song sounds different once you know who’s actually playing.
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