By the spring of 1971, the Rolling Stones, who owed more taxes than they could pay, left England before the government would seize their assets. Mick Jagger settled in Paris with his new bride Bianca, and guitarist Keith Richards rented a luxurious villa, Nellcote, in Villefranche-sur-Mer near Nice. The other members settled in various places in the south of France. After unsuccessfully looking for a recording studio in France that would be suitable for the next Rolling Stones album, it was decided they would record at Nellcôte using the band's remote recording truck brought in from England.
With visitors to Nellcôte including Gram Parsons and Hunter S Thompson, the consumption of narcotics was never going to be anything other than enthusiastic. One of those visitors was a young Frenchman called Dominique Tarle, whose photographs documented the goings on during the recording on one of the greatest rock albums of all time. He was invited by Richards to stay with them at Villa Nellcote, and ended up living there for 6 months.
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