Dave posted this on November 16 in his Turntable Talk series. Dave wanted to know… So, talk about the Stones. Do they matter? Or what was their best song, or album? Or should they just disappear like 1960s cigarette ads featuring doctors?
I’ll answer Dave’s questions near the end.
If I ever meet an alien and he/she/it wanted to know what rock and roll looked and sounded like…I would give them a picture of Keith Richards in 1972 and a copy of “Brown Sugar”.
I found out about The Rolling Stones by reading about The Beatles. That is the same way I found out about The Who, Bob Dylan, The Kinks, and other British bands.
While growing up and playing in bands, I played with a drummer who was a huge Stones fan. He turned me onto their album cuts which I love. We had playful banter about the Beatles vs Stones, but it was all very good-natured. He liked The Beatles as well and I turned him on to their album cuts.
Are the Stones relevant today? Sure, they are… you can’t stay together since the early sixties selling out stadiums without being relevant. In today’s time though, no bands are relevant anymore in the way they were at one time, including the Stones. Musicians once influenced what was going on in the world. Now they are more of a disposable product – which I truly hate.
The Stones’ peak probably was 1968 – 1973 from Beggars Banquet to Goats Head Soup but there is another period I would like to talk about briefly.
To me, their most underrated period was 1965-1967. They had a string of singles starting with “Satisfaction”, “Get Off My Cloud”, “As Tears Go By”, “19th Nervous Breakdown”, “Paint It Black”, “Ruby Tuesday”, etc.
Keith Richards and Mick Jagger would write these wonderful songs and Brian Jones would color the songs with sitar, harpsichord, flute, marimba, and even saxophone. He was the best musician of the band along with being its founder. When they lost Brian, they lost a key piece. Yes, they found the rock/blues groove which they still have but I liked that underappreciated era and what Brian gave them.
They started as a blues cover band and didn’t worry about writing their own songs. They realized they had to because other bands such as The Beatles, Kinks, and The Who were writing their own songs, and you couldn’t keep on covering blues artists or Chuck Berry and sustain that.
They contributed some great pop songs in the mid-sixties. These songs are sometimes overlooked (except “Satisfaction”) in favor of their late-sixties and early-seventies material. I like these songs because they give a variety of sounds. As much as I love the Mick Taylor period, they lost this part of them and never really went back and it’s a shame.
I wasn’t sure they would continue when I read that Charlie Watts died. Keith always says how important Watts was to the Rolling Stones. If they wouldn’t have had a tour planned who knows if they would have. Watts was indeed important to their sound, but they did continue and I’m glad they did, especially for the fans.
Now I want to answer Dave’s questions. Should they retire? No, why should they do that? Many people say that, but hell no (I also hear this about other artists). If they are happy doing what they are doing, then go ahead. I seriously doubt if they are doing it because of the money at this point. Just like everything else if people don’t want to see them…don’t go to the concerts. I don’t believe people should decide what is good for other people. If I don’t want to hear the Stones, I will turn them off, but I have no plans to do that. To answer Dave’s question… my favorite (to me the best) album is Beggars Banquet. My favorite song is “Memory Motel”.
If I had to describe the Stones, I would describe them as The World’s Greatest Bar Band. That is not a put down…that is a compliment. I think Mr. Richards would approve of that title because I’ve heard him use it. Both times I’ve seen them I heard bum notes and that made them more human to me and made me like them more. If you want your music perfect, they are not for you…but rock and roll wasn’t made to be perfect.
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I enjoyed their early hits, as you mentioned above. Lucky to have seen them live 4 times starting in the 60s and ending at AT&T Stadium in the 2000s with my son. As long as they can still play, let them do it. Their music is the real deal compared to what’s out their now, and those old guys actually had to be a musician to record. If Brian Jones would have stayed, and lived, the group may have been better, or at least been more versatile in later years.
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I agree with you about Brian…they would have been more versatile… he helped make those singles of the mid sixties sound so good.
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Grace Slick said, “All rock-and-rollers over the age of 50 look stupid and should retire.” I don’t think that age has anything to do with it and I don’t think that Biden is too old to be president.
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Yea I’ve heard that from Grace before…if people still buy tickets and want to see you…then you are not too old.
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Those of us who are old remember that the Rolling Stones already released a greatest hits album in 1966 (“Big Hits: High Tide and Green Grass”).
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I had that album…with Brian Jones looking up at the camera…I got it much later of course.
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Thanks again for taking part, Max! We seemed to have a consensus that they still matter & more power to them having the desire and energy to go back to touring next year as they enter their 80s.
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I enjoyed it…I thought Phil made an interesting comment…he is right…if Brian would have survived and not been kicked out…their music would have been more varied than the blues/rock style they had going.
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Love the fact they are going to be touring again, and I also like a lot of their new album as well. If someone feels they are the greatest rock and roll band ever, I certainly can understand why.
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I’ve always liked them… they are who they are no doubt. Keith has said about them being a great bar band…I would love to see them in a club.
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Yes, keep rocking, no to retiring. And why not tour if they want? They still have a wee bit of a legacy to fulfil!
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As I commented at the time when your post was first published on Dave’s blog, I think your observations about the Stones’ early period are great. I also like “Memory Motel”, which is a really good song that wasn’t even on my radar screen.
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Good essay on one of my favorite bands. I remember Keith talked about this song in his book. Good choice of favorite song. I’m pretty sure everyone has a lover they think about at the memory motel. You know, this song has a Van feel to it. I bet he’d do a hell of a cover of it.
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You know it does! I never thought about that with Van…but it would fit him. I love Keith’s part in the middle.
I meant it as a huge compliment. I would LOVE to see them in a club…or a bar!
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” To me, their most underrated period was 1965-1967. They had a string of singles starting with “Satisfaction”, “Get Off My Cloud”, “As Tears Go By”, “19th Nervous Breakdown”, “Paint It Black”, “Ruby Tuesday”, etc.
Keith Richards and Mick Jagger would write these wonderful songs and Brian Jones would color the songs with sitar, harpsichord, flute, marimba, and even saxophone. He was the best musician of the band along with being its founder. When they lost Brian, they lost a key piece. Yes, they found the rock/blues groove which they still have but I liked that underappreciated era and what Brian gave them.”
Also my favourite period. Brian, like Ringo, is a good example of someone who, though formally not a songwriter, added a lot of important stuff.
Is it underrated? I don’t know. Guitar players will point to the Taylor era, many hard-core fans will go for their 70s stuff, but among the “common people” it is probably the older songs which are most popular.
,
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I love all of those pop singles…the reason I said that was because when I hear their songs on radio or where ever…it’s usually the Taylor era more than not and later with Start Me Up…
I rarely hear 19th Nervous Breakdown, Ruby Tuesday, Mothers Little Helper…but Paint It Black yes…that one gets played some.
Yea Brian added something different to them.
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I agree that the run of singles from 1965 to 1967 is superb, and even though the albums to come would surpass them in terms of fame I’d say that was the angriest, most vital version of the Stones. Punk, long before that was a word.
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Oh the albums were better as a whole in the Taylor era…I agree. That is why I only mentioned singles…as far as punk…I always point to The Kinks and Who…I think they were the godfathers of punk…. but I know what you mean.
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