I think the Stones and the Beatles often are seen as polar opposites, the Stones dark and stormy, the Beatles light and sunshine. Both groups were rebels in their own right, but the Beatles were rebels who also wanted to be liked, while the Stones didn't care if you liked them or not.

This is borne out in their stylistic differences. I think the Stones were more in touch with the gritty roots of black music, with music of the downtrodden and outcast, while the Beatles were more interested in the sweeter pop stuff that had already sprung from those roots.

I go to the Stones in my collection far more often than to the Beatles. I think the relative darkness of the Stones, the outlaw quality, appeals to something at my more introverted and suspicious core.

Last edited by Chipper (2016-06-21 12:32:23)

Chipper actually sums it up pretty well. The Stones knew the darkness, mostly from their affinity for black music. I have an old ever evolving hypothesis that you can't be stylish without being evil, and the Stones were on this wavelength. The Beatles were most definitely not.

Jonesy was the man too, this much is true.

Last edited by Chipper (2016-06-21 19:10:37)

/\  little Johnny Lemons was darker than anybody in the Stones, though Brian had the demon in him too .....

Jagger, before the muse left him, was as fine a lyricist as rock has ever had .....

the Paint It Black cue in Full Metal Jacket is one of the great music cues in movie history .....

it was a terrible thing when Jimmy Miller went over the line and had to split ..... Charlie in particular really benefited from Jimmy's guidance

the Rolling Stones' greatest record by far was Jumpin' Jack Flash ....

the four LP span of Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile On Main Street is the pinnacle of rock album greatness .....

Fool To Cry ... how did Jagger pull that vocal off, just a couple of years before that he was so flat on everything  ...

I personally don't understand how anybody couldn't love both the Stones and the Beatles massively ....

the Stones at their peak were putting out shimmering music ... No Expectations, Street Fighting Man, You Got the Silver, Gimme Shelter, Sway, Let It Loose, on and on and on ......

then there was the mid-period with all the lilting masterpieces like Back Street Girl, Out Of Time, Lady Jane, Ruby Tuesday, Under My Thumb, She's a Rainbow ....

so many flavors, like the Beatles, every time you hear one of the masterpiece songs it becomes your favorite until the next time you hear a great one, and then that one becomes your favorite .....

and don't ever forget that Bill Wyman was the linchpin of the Stones' live glory, without him they were sunk

and RIP Nicky Hopkins, his contributions were massive, he was a melody machine, his jewel-like piano provided many of their their classics with their most beautiful notes

Last edited by stanshall (2016-06-22 10:16:40)

I enjoy the Beatles a lot, I just don't feel it as much as I do the Stones.

Their true "art" albums, if you will, where they pull off a whole LP conceptually and musically, for me, are Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St.

I find myself returning a lot to the early catalog these days. More Hot Rocks (Big Hits and Fazed Cookies) has been in heavy rotation for the past several days. As good a compilation LP as I've ever heard.