april 29th extract-The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones-Sympathy For The Devil-Rolled Gold

I’ve only ever had two Rolling Stones albums-this compilation of their Decca material from 1963 -1969 and “Exile on Main St ”. I wouldn’t want anymore, these two are enough. I never really liked The Rolling Stones; either their music or the band themselves. They always seemed to be distinctly unoriginal, largely ripping off blues in the 60’s and 70’s and if they ever tried to do anything different or move out of their comfort zone, it was either miles behind the curve and/or flopped terribly. They also seem like a bunch of knobs as well.   

The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones. A perennial question. Let me put it like this; creativity and innovation vs. the blindingly obvious. It may, at times, be thought that The Stones were the better, more radical and threatening, cutting-edge band compared to The Beatles. What a load of rubbish. There wouldn’t have been any Rolling Stones without The Beatles but The Beatles didn’t need the Stones to exist. If any of the albums that The Beatles made are compared to what The Rolling Stones did at roughly the same time then it’s crystal clear that the Beatles were streets ahead of them. Aftermath, Between the Buttons, Their Satanic Majesties Request, Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed. Or-Rubber Soul, Revolver, The White Album, Abbey Road. Even Let it Be. The Beatles always constantly moved on and constantly tried something different, and every time it worked brilliantly. The Rolling Stones, on the other hand, were, ironically in their own words, out of time and always have been. Ringo Starr was no oil painting but at least he wasn’t sacked from the band and left to play the drums only in the studio because he didn’t fit the good-looking image of the rest of the band, like the Stones did with keyboard player Ian Stewart.  Starr was recruited for the Beatles and Pete Best was sacked because Starr was a better drummer, pure and simple. Furthermore, despite much wailing and gnashing of teeth, the Beatles called it a day at just the right time. The Rolling Stones have dragged their decomposing corpse of rock around the world for what is a ridiculously extended amount of time. It’s far far beyond any use by date.  Every time they release a new record or embark upon a yet another money- grabbing overblown world tour, then there’s all this guff in the press about them being “grizzled survivors”. Survivors of what exactly? Their own musical self-indulgence and laziness and millions of dollars sloshing through their bank accounts for the last fifty years?  

Keith Richards staggers around with his silly skull jewellery and daft bandanas alluding to stories of living on the edge and drug abuse for the past half-decade as if it’s all ok and he’s still a rebel giving it to The Man. He’s a 68 year old multi-millionaire for goodness sake-why should anybody be impressed? Mick Jagger is so far removed from any sort of normality that words fail me and I can’t be bothered about the rest of them.

The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World? I’d rather listen to Take That.