The Stones' mysterious "Angie" still hasn't revealed all her secrets
Mike Jagger ©ILPO MUSTO/SHUTTERSTOCK /SIPA/ EFFECT LE NOUVEL OBS
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Since the early seventies, the Stones have been masters in the art of provocation. In 1971, England's enfants terribles left their homeland for France. The cause? The taxman and his 98% tax. The rockers would be left with nothing but a handful of gravel in their pockets . And that was out of the question. The group therefore headed for the regal Nellcote villa in Villefranche-sur-Mer , where they recorded their tenth studio album, "Exile on Main St.". The musicians indulged in all sorts of excesses: severe drug use, incessant nighttime disturbances... Major legal troubles then began for Keith Richards. The official tenant of this heavenly country house was notably prosecuted for drug use. The Nice court ordered the guitarist to leave French territory and banned him from returning until further notice. As a security deposit, he must continue to pay a weekly rent of $2,400.
Exhausted and insolvent, Keith Richards decided to isolate himself on the west coast of the United States. Under the influence of drugs, he prepared around fifty concerts in North America. But he was at the end of his tether. Unable to play a single chord on his Fender, it was clearly impossible for him to complete the "Stones Tour Party," nicknamed "the cocaine tequila sunrise tour," without going through withdrawal.
In order not to compromise the shows and the recording…
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