How Jamaica’s Dynamic Sounds Shaped the Stones’ 1974 Album, and Which Song Brought Ronnie Wood In

The Rolling Stones took an unusual detour to Dynamic Sounds Studio in Kingston, Jamaica, for parts of It’s Only Rock ’n Roll. The Caribbean atmosphere seeped into the sessions—the band was surrounded by reggae and rocksteady, and the studio’s own vibe (it was a converted cinema) gave the recordings a looser, warmer feel than the Munich sessions that bookended the album.

The title track marks the first appearance of Ronnie Wood on a Stones record. He wasn’t a member yet—just a friend of Keith’s who’d been hanging around the sessions and ended up laying down a guitar part. That collaboration turned into a full-time gig the following year.