Sir Paul keeps touring and putting on absolutely wonderful performances. I wonder if there is any envy on behalf of Jagger that might keep the Stones touring?
Not a strong hypothesis at all, but I thought I read that back in the day (50 years ago, LOL) there was a bit of jealousy of the Beatles.
They won't retire gracefully because: 1) there is way too much baby boomer nostalgia money to be made 2) there is absolutely no band to pick up the slack should they and their contemporaries actually quit. You got Tom Petty, U2 and Foo Fighters and that's basically it. 3) Rock is about sex and rebellion, and that is the gist of the Stones catalog. Hard to see sexy and rebellion in 70+ year old grandpas who are the epitome of corporate music.
My favorite Stones songs are Honky Tonk Women and Brown Sugar. About 25 years ago I was watching a TV show which featured a choir of women from Eastern Europe singing Honky Tonk Women - a strange sight but a fun version of a great song.
Ideally the Stones should have retired circa 1975 but they'll carry on till Mick drops dead on stage while singing Jumping Jack Flash for the billionth time :)
I don't think they will ever stop and, to be honest, why should they as long as they enjoy it and they still have what it takes. Their latest album, Blue and Lonesome, is a set of blues covers and they certainly knocked it out of the park. Thing is.....most of their musical idols (Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, etc....) all played until they died well into their 60's and 70's, even 80's.
I don't really think they have jumped the shark, so to speak. Certainly, some of their albums aren't as good as others (though I agree that Tattoo You was probably their last great disc, Steel Wheels has its moments) but they still make good music. I think sometimes that pop culture has jumped the shark.
The Stones have managed to change their sound a lot over their 50+(!) years, but still remain true to their roots. I like to make lots of Walking Dead jokes about them, but they still pack a punch, based on Blue and Lonesome.
If I had to pick one song as their best, it would be Loving Cup.
On a related note: they don't get enough credit for what is arguably the best four-album run in rock history: Beggars Banquet - Let it Bleed - Sticky Fingers - Exile on Main Street. It just doesn't get any better than that.
But despite liking a handful of their songs, I am a Beatles guys. The Stones for me were a little too straight in their lifting of blues and acting like they were god's gift to it.
Since Dr. O went "there," I'm more of a "Beatles Guy" too.
But I like the Stones a lot, I think they're albums up through Exile are all pretty great. After that, they're inconsistent at best. I like the title song for 'Only Rock N Roll' and 'Some Girls' is probably the last good-to-great Stones album. I got sucked into the Steel Wheels tour hype and badly wanted to see them (didn't make it, never seen them). But at this point, the idea of spending hundreds of dollars and driving 2-3 hours to watch septuagenarian Stones slog through their greatest hits in a football stadium is not something I plan to do.
I'm partial to the Rolling Stones "psychedelic" era,"She's A Rainbow," "Dandelion" and "2000 Light Years From Home" are some of my favorite Stones songs.
As a teenager I liked The Who, but as I got older I came to like and appreciate the Stones. I prefer albums like Goats Head Soup and Some Girls and Tattoo You. I saw them live in Chicago around 1999 for the "No Security Tour" and I still contend it was the best concert I have ever seen. I didn't expect much as they were already "old" but they played long and hard and had a lot of energy. I recall them playing most of their hits as well as really getting the crowd going. They had two stages - the main stage and then a small stage way in the back of the stadium. Halfway through the concert they moved to the other stage and played to the folks with "bad" seats. I thought that was cool. Jagger had more energy than I could imagine at that age. He was about 57 at the time and didn't stop moving, jumping, running, singing for three hours. My favorite songs are "Heartbreaker" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and they played excellent versions of each. If I remember correctly, Keith Richards played a solo song as well. I have been a bigger fan ever since.
Their newer works are obviously lesser efforts but I agree with Graham in that i still find interesting things on each album, and their latest was quite good actually. Not everything is great. - definitely some clunkers along the way but overall I would still probably go see them.
On their own they are not the best musicians but as a band they still kick ass (at least from what I see on You Tube Videos such as the Havanna Moon concert 2016). I was lucky to see them 3 times in the 80-90s in Berlin, Germany. I especially love Keith Richards relaxed but loving live performance.
They still sound like a "garage band", nothing is perfect but they have the "flow". Mick Taylor is a great musician and Exile on Main Street probably my favorite album. But somehow Mick Taylor was too good, too perfect as a musician. The Stones sound is nothing like perfect.
My favorite songs are the classic ones: Honky Tonk Woman, Sympathy for the Devil, Gimme Shelter, Happy with Keith lyrics, Fool to Cry, Midnight Rambler when performed live, well almost anything in fact up to Tattoo You (1981). Blue & Lonesome is probably the road to go. You can do Blues music until you die, all the Blues legends did that. And at some point Mick will no longer be able to run around the stage. But as long as their health allows it, they will continue to play I think.
Ronny Wood has cancer and is in treatment. He lost part of his lungs, but the newspaper said that he will probably survive it.
Like Dr. O, I'm more of a Beatles guy. But I love the Stones. And like J.A., I love psychedelic Stones, especially the 3 songs mentioned.
I never collected very many of their albums. My introduction to them was inheriting Hot Rocks from my older sisters. For the longest time that was all the Stones I needed and I played the hell out of all 4 sides of that thing.
My question is "Did the Stones write their music?" Given the drug addiction of Richards, Jagger seemed to be a socialite, the others not really music writers I always assumed others wrote their stuff.
CH47 -the short answer is that Richards, Jagger, Wyman,Taylor,Jones wrote a ton of the songs throughout their career/lives. From Jumpin Jack Flash (and prior) to more modern offerings they have constantly been writing for their albums. They've also played some blues classics, other artist such as music penned by Billy Preston, etc but I would say the majority is their original work - and most of that by the Richards/Jagger duo.
Thanks Marti! I didn't realize that! I just assumed that there was a whole lot of help...
Especially the more I read about the Beatles and the engineering by others that took a basic tune L&M had created, to the final product actually released. I figured Stones must have had an army of writers and engineers.
Well anyhow it's probably not cricket to compare any group to the Beatles and make conclusions. But like you I was a much bigger Who fan than Stones initially. Then grew to enjoy the Stones more, given their more prolific "catchy/enjoyable" output.
Funny... I still remember them singing "She's My Little Rock and Roll" and "Neighbors" in Chicago in 1983 at Rosemont Horizon... Richards couldn't harmonize worth a deuce... So much a part of their charm! Loved it! Saw them again at Soldiers Field around 98? They were kicking off the tour in Chicago. Gorgeous summer evening.
17 comments:
Discuss the Rolling Stones - which are their best (or worst) songs ? Should they retire gracefully ?
Sir Paul keeps touring and putting on absolutely wonderful performances. I wonder if there is any envy on behalf of Jagger that might keep the Stones touring?
Not a strong hypothesis at all, but I thought I read that back in the day (50 years ago, LOL) there was a bit of jealousy of the Beatles.
They won't retire gracefully because:
1) there is way too much baby boomer nostalgia money to be made
2) there is absolutely no band to pick up the slack should they and their contemporaries actually quit. You got Tom Petty, U2 and Foo Fighters and that's basically it.
3) Rock is about sex and rebellion, and that is the gist of the Stones catalog. Hard to see sexy and rebellion in 70+ year old grandpas who are the epitome of corporate music.
The rock era is over, sad for us BABs
yoyo
My favorite Stones songs are Honky Tonk Women and Brown Sugar. About 25 years ago I was watching a TV show which featured a choir of women from Eastern Europe singing Honky Tonk Women - a strange sight but a fun version of a great song.
Ideally the Stones should have retired circa 1975 but they'll carry on till Mick drops dead on stage while singing Jumping Jack Flash for the billionth time :)
When (if) did Stones "jump the shark?" After Tattoo You?
I don't think they will ever stop and, to be honest, why should they as long as they enjoy it and they still have what it takes. Their latest album, Blue and Lonesome, is a set of blues covers and they certainly knocked it out of the park. Thing is.....most of their musical idols (Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, etc....) all played until they died well into their 60's and 70's, even 80's.
I don't really think they have jumped the shark, so to speak. Certainly, some of their albums aren't as good as others (though I agree that Tattoo You was probably their last great disc, Steel Wheels has its moments) but they still make good music. I think sometimes that pop culture has jumped the shark.
The Stones have managed to change their sound a lot over their 50+(!) years, but still remain true to their roots. I like to make lots of Walking Dead jokes about them, but they still pack a punch, based on Blue and Lonesome.
If I had to pick one song as their best, it would be Loving Cup.
On a related note: they don't get enough credit for what is arguably the best four-album run in rock history: Beggars Banquet - Let it Bleed - Sticky Fingers - Exile on Main Street. It just doesn't get any better than that.
I always liked "Sympathy for the Devil" (wrote about it here: "Sympathy for 'Sympathy for the Devil'"
But despite liking a handful of their songs, I am a Beatles guys. The Stones for me were a little too straight in their lifting of blues and acting like they were god's gift to it.
Since Dr. O went "there," I'm more of a "Beatles Guy" too.
But I like the Stones a lot, I think they're albums up through Exile are all pretty great. After that, they're inconsistent at best. I like the title song for 'Only Rock N Roll' and 'Some Girls' is probably the last good-to-great Stones album. I got sucked into the Steel Wheels tour hype and badly wanted to see them (didn't make it, never seen them). But at this point, the idea of spending hundreds of dollars and driving 2-3 hours to watch septuagenarian Stones slog through their greatest hits in a football stadium is not something I plan to do.
I'm partial to the Rolling Stones "psychedelic" era,"She's A Rainbow," "Dandelion" and "2000 Light Years From Home" are some of my favorite Stones songs.
I like their early 70s stuff, but some of the later albums were quite forgettable. (Though I actually did like Steel Wheels.)
As a teenager I liked The Who, but as I got older I came to like and appreciate the Stones. I prefer albums like Goats Head Soup and Some Girls and Tattoo You. I saw them live in Chicago around 1999 for the "No Security Tour" and I still contend it was the best concert I have ever seen. I didn't expect much as they were already "old" but they played long and hard and had a lot of energy. I recall them playing most of their hits as well as really getting the crowd going. They had two stages - the main stage and then a small stage way in the back of the stadium. Halfway through the concert they moved to the other stage and played to the folks with "bad" seats. I thought that was cool. Jagger had more energy than I could imagine at that age. He was about 57 at the time and didn't stop moving, jumping, running, singing for three hours. My favorite songs are "Heartbreaker" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and they played excellent versions of each. If I remember correctly, Keith Richards played a solo song as well. I have been a bigger fan ever since.
Their newer works are obviously lesser efforts but I agree with Graham in that i still find interesting things on each album, and their latest was quite good actually. Not everything is great. - definitely some clunkers along the way but overall I would still probably go see them.
On their own they are not the best musicians but as a band they still kick ass (at least from what I see on You Tube Videos such as the Havanna Moon concert 2016). I was lucky to see them 3 times in the 80-90s in Berlin, Germany. I especially love Keith Richards relaxed but loving live performance.
They still sound like a "garage band", nothing is perfect but they have the "flow". Mick Taylor is a great musician and Exile on Main Street probably my favorite album. But somehow Mick Taylor was too good, too perfect as a musician. The Stones sound is nothing like perfect.
My favorite songs are the classic ones: Honky Tonk Woman, Sympathy for the Devil, Gimme Shelter, Happy with Keith lyrics, Fool to Cry, Midnight Rambler when performed live, well almost anything in fact up to Tattoo You (1981). Blue & Lonesome is probably the road to go. You can do Blues music until you die, all the Blues legends did that. And at some point Mick will no longer be able to run around the stage. But as long as their health allows it, they will continue to play I think.
Ronny Wood has cancer and is in treatment. He lost part of his lungs, but the newspaper said that he will probably survive it.
Like Dr. O, I'm more of a Beatles guy. But I love the Stones. And like J.A., I love psychedelic Stones, especially the 3 songs mentioned.
I never collected very many of their albums. My introduction to them was inheriting Hot Rocks from my older sisters. For the longest time that was all the Stones I needed and I played the hell out of all 4 sides of that thing.
Tom
My question is "Did the Stones write their music?" Given the drug addiction of Richards, Jagger seemed to be a socialite, the others not really music writers I always assumed others wrote their stuff.
CH47 -the short answer is that Richards, Jagger, Wyman,Taylor,Jones wrote a ton of the songs throughout their career/lives. From Jumpin Jack Flash (and prior) to more modern offerings they have constantly been writing for their albums. They've also played some blues classics, other artist such as music penned by Billy Preston, etc but I would say the majority is their original work - and most of that by the Richards/Jagger duo.
Thanks Marti! I didn't realize that! I just assumed that there was a whole lot of help...
Especially the more I read about the Beatles and the engineering by others that took a basic tune L&M had created, to the final product actually released. I figured Stones must have had an army of writers and engineers.
Well anyhow it's probably not cricket to compare any group to the Beatles and make conclusions. But like you I was a much bigger Who fan than Stones initially. Then grew to enjoy the Stones more, given their more prolific "catchy/enjoyable" output.
Funny... I still remember them singing "She's My Little Rock and Roll" and "Neighbors" in Chicago in 1983 at Rosemont Horizon... Richards couldn't harmonize worth a deuce... So much a part of their charm! Loved it! Saw them again at Soldiers Field around 98? They were kicking off the tour in Chicago. Gorgeous summer evening.
I thought "Undercover" was an underrated album.
M.P.
Post a Comment