How Chris Kimsey Used a Harmonizer to Give 'Miss You' Its Disco Edge

At Pathé Marconi Studios in Paris, engineer Chris Kimsey was the unsung hero of the Some Girls sessions. He wasn’t just pushing faders — he helped the Stones pivot from their mid-70s drift into a tight, disco-informed sound. The band was running lean, with no full-time bassist (Bill Wyman was barely present), so Kimsey’s studio tricks became part of the arrangement.

The most famous example is the vocal on “Miss You.” Mick Jagger wanted a slick, almost falsetto delivery that sat differently in the mix. Kimsey dialed in a harmonizer — an early Eventide unit — to lightly pitch-shift Jagger’s voice, creating a doubled, slightly unnatural sheen. It wasn’t a heavy effect, just enough to make the vocal float over Woody’s bass line and Watts’ four-on-the-floor kick. That subtle warble is what gave the song its euphoric, late-night feel.

Kimsey also kept the sessions raw. He’d let the band play live in the room, overdubbing only when necessary. The harmonizer trick wasn’t something he advertised; it was just a quick fix that became a signature sound. Years later, Jagger admitted he couldn’t quite recreate that vocal feel live without the same gear — proof that a good engineer’s move can define a song more than anyone realizes.