Brian Jones - Death By Mick's Adventure?

The Beatles had Sgt. Pepper. The Stones had Their Satanic Majesties Request. The Beatles had "Yesterday." The Stones had "As Tears Go By." The Beatles had "Norwegian Wood." The Stones had "Paint It Black." But one thing the Beatles had that the Stones never had an equivalent of was a dumb rumor about a band member's death supported by supposed clues on album covers and in song lyrics. Well, this occurred to me one boring summer day in 1995, and I decided right then and there it was time to even up the score:

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Ever since the 1969 death of Brian Jones, the precise details of that evening have been sketchy. Ruled as 'Death by misadventure,' his passing has been suspected of being caused by a number of things. An asthma attack, a drugged stupor that prevented him from saving himself during a swim, a suicide, and even a party guest or two drowning him.

One theory never considered, until now, substantiates the last belief, but takes it a giant step further: He was murdered...by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Stories are legion about what a pain Brian was, especially in the later years. Always whiny, quite often drugged or drunk beyond comprehension, certainly abusive, Brian and his behavior made things difficult for the other band members. Recording sessions went a lot slower because of his state of being. Brian also had so many drug problems and court hearings that he was unable to leave the country at a time when The Stones needed to tour the US. But at the same time, Brian was unquestionably one of the most popular Stones, especially with the female fans. To kick out Brian would have done their career a big disservice. All the same, something had to be done to remove Brian from the band without making Mick or Keith look bad.

It is common knowledge among Stones fans that in June 1969, Brian Jones was booted from the group, but with a generous compensation. Though Brian was devastated (but far from surprised) by his firing, he did agree to the others' request to keep everything pleasant as far as press - Brian would not give Mick and Keith a bad rap in the press by saying they had sacked him, but rather that he decided himself to leave the group.

The question has long persisted. Why on earth would Brian, robbed of the outlet for his music, his place in the spotlight, agree to appease the two men who took over the very band he himself formed, the two men who pushed him further and further into the background, the two men who wouldn't give even a thought to his musical compositions? He certainly did not owe any favors to those two glory hogs. Why, one of those two even stole his true love right from under his feet!

So why did he go along with their plan? It is entirely conceivable that he was threatened! And eventually, the two proved as good as their threat. Perhaps they were afraid Brian would say something unintentionally about the real reason for his sudden break from the band. Perhaps they were so pumped up from all those years of planning to kill him. Perhaps they knew that for Brian to die in early July would generate lots of media attention for The Stones in the days leading up to their July 5th Hyde Park concert, announced the month earlier, and which The Stones wanted the biggest possible crowd for. Perhaps it was a combination of all this that led to Mick and Keith drowning Brian Jones on July 3, 1969.

Those who scoff at the thought of Mick and Keith doing such a thing should first examine closely some album covers and lyrics of numerous Rolling Stones songs recorded up to 1969. It appears that Mick and Keith through their lyrics (and even those of a few non-original songs they recorded) dropped quite a few hints to Brian that time was not on his side, and that if things didn't change he would suffer. He did not change, and the hints continued to surface at an increasing rate. The blatancy also increased to the point that if Brian had been paying close attention he would not only have known he would be murdered, but how.

1964:

"You Can Make It If You Try":
"Don't it make you feel so bad sometimes you wanna lay down and die."

"Grown Up Wrong:"
Mick is sick of Brian's constant whining: "You won't be blue when I'm through with you."

"Empty Heart:"
"Makes you feel like you wanna die."

"What A Shame:"
"You might wake up in the morning and find your poor self dead."

1965:

LYRICAL CLUES:

"The Last Time:"
This one is rather self explanatory.

"Play With Fire:"
"You better watch your step (girl) or start living with your mother." (Brian's mother had passed not too long before this song was written. In fact, "Little By Little" from the first album has a direct reference to a dead mother.)

"Mercy Mercy:"
"Jump off a boat and drown."

"That's How Strong My Love Is:"
"Drowning in my tears."

"The Spider And The Fly:"
"Sinkin'"

"Gotta Get Away:"
"I can't stand to see your face."
And is Mick worried about what killing Brian will do to his image?: "This will ruin my social flare."

ALBUM COVER CLUES:

December's Children
Brian is seen on the cover much lower than the others. Are they peering through a morgue?

1966:

LYRICAL CLUES:

"Sad Day:"
"It was a sad day."

"Mother's Little Helper:"
"Your busy dying day." Another song with a reference to a dead mother.

"Lady Jane:"
"The sands have run out."

"Flight 505:"
A hint of future drowning? The plane crashes into the sea.

"Doncha Bother Me:"
Entire song's lyrics seem possibly a hint that Brian is becoming a pain beyond endurance.

"I Am Waiting:"
"End at last, end at last, oh yeah oh yeah." Whole song is about death.

"Paint It Black:"
Black is a color of mourning. "I see a line of cars and they're all painted black." (A funeral procession?)

"Have You Seen Your Mother Baby:"
"Slide to the depths of decline."

"Out Of Time:"
Self explanatory

ALBUM COVER CLUES:

Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass)
The Stones, on the front cover, stand by a pond. Brian is up close, the others are behind him and all appear to be looking at him. On the back cover they wander Brian's future burial site.

Aftermath
This album was to have been called Can You Walk On Water? The American cover photo is rather blurry, as if underwater. The British cover shot is tinted blood red.

1967:

LYRICAL CLUES:

"Ride On Baby:"
"Your friends are gonna kiss you goodbye."

"Sitting On A Fence:"
"Sick and tired of life."

"Back Street Girl:"
"Please don't be part of my life."

"Ruby Tuesday:"
"Dying all the time." (Brian threatened suicide quite often).

"Something Happened To Me Yesterday:"
"Sins that you committed yesterday. It's really rather drippy."

"In Another Land:"
"We heard the trumpets blow" (Funeral fanfare trumpets, perhaps? And is Bill singing about Heaven?)

"Sing This All Together (See What Happens):"
Is that the 'Psycho' shower scene music at one point? Besides, just what are we supposed to see what happens?

"She's A Rainbow:"
Album version begins with the sounds of splashing in water.

"The Lantern:" (Opens with funeral bells)
"You are the first to go..."
"My face it turns a deathly pale..."
"The stopping of my heart."

"2000 Light Years From Home:"
"It's so very lonely, you're 2000 light years from home."

"Gomper:"
Lyrics about a bizarre swim.

ALBUM COVER CLUES:

Between the Buttons
Brian is, again, lower than the others. Another with a somewhat misty photo, underwater-like.

Flowers:
On the cover, Brian's flower is the only one without any leaves. A dead flower?

1968:

LYRICAL CLUES:

"Jumpin' Jack Flash:"
"I was drowned, I was washed up and left for dead."

"No Expectations:"
"I've got no expectations to pass through here again." "Dear Doctor:" (Possible hint of drowning someone?) "It's today that's the day of the plunge."

"Street Fighting Man:"
"I'll shout and scream, I'll kill the king." Mick sure seems perfectly ready, willing, and able to commit murder.

ALBUM COVER CLUES:

Beggars Banquet
On the inside cover, Brian appears to be seconds away from being devoured by a wild dog.

1969:

LYRICAL CLUES:

"You Can't Always Get What You Want"
"He said one word to me and that was 'Death!'" "Bleeding man" "Blood stained hands"

"Gimme Shelter:"
"Rape! Murder! It's just a shot away"

"You Got The Silver:"
Silver what? Bullet, perhaps?

"Midnight Rambler:"
Numerous death threats in this song (note that these last two were the last released songs Brian recorded with the Stones!)

ALBUM COVER CLUES:

Let It Bleed
On the back cover, the cake figurine of Brian lies like a corpse. Additionally, the faces of the band members that appear on the record at the bottom of the front cover all originate from a photo that Brian had been in (the original photo can be seen on the inside cover of Hot Rocks. Mick Taylor's photo has been inserted over it. A 'cover-up'?

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Well, from all this evidence, there's really only one conclusion to be drawn, and that conclusion is...I had WAY too much time on my hands in the summer of 1995.

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Michael Lynch Column: February, 2001, January, 2001 December, 2000

Michael Lynch Reviews: December, 2000 November, 2000

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