freak show Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 Every once in a while it occurs to me that very little is said on this forum about one of the greatest bands of all times, namely The Rolling Stones. I find that sort of surprising, since of all of the bands of "first hour" of Rock (early 60's), the Stones are the one that sounds the most current -- at least in my opinion. Is it because Keith plays a Tele? (I always wanted to use this emoticon, but I don't know what it means...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoyVader Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 Hey...always been a massive Stones fan...I think Keef is not recognized as much as more technical players. He is all about feel. I just read his new biog and he admits it himself...he loves the open G tuning thing as I'm sure you know, but using a capo and taking of the 6th string?...it isn't really "sexy" to young guitarist today maybe?...they all want to be Buckhead or (insert shredder)dive bombing etc... I'm not knocking shred, because skill is skill. Funny how a band that started as an R & B covers act, that couldn't write any songs, and were what Ian Stuart called "Three chord wonders" could end up making some of my favorite music...love Beggars Banquet, Exile, Goats Head Soup, Some Girls....such a great band..not the best guitarist, but a bloody great band!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 Kinda like Henry Ford and the Model T; Even if I never cared to drive one, I understand the influence on pretty much everything that came later. But - as large as their catalog of work is, they have very few songs that make me wanna crank the radio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freak show Posted December 17, 2010 Author Share Posted December 17, 2010 Yup, Keith's biography is very cool! You're right about his playing being more about feeling than perfection. That's probably why I like him more than a lot of the more popular "guitar gods". But it's amazing to me how many unbelievably great songs he has written. If I had the choice, personally I would rather write "Satisfaction", "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "Gimme Shelter", etc., etc., etc. than to be able to shred... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookieman15061 Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 Although I was always a Beatles guy first I don't hate the Stones. In fact I'm a pretty big fan of most the British bands that followed including the The Stones, The Who, The Kinks etc. Mick was never my favorite singer but ya gotta give him and Keith credit for an amazing body of work as songwriters and Keith in particular for some of the most memorable riffs in rock history. It's only Rock n Roll but I like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 For me the Stones and Beatles just about cover everything... From pulsating simple blues/rock, all the way to orchestral poetry... To think that the Stones still have the hunger and energy to even consider the Rio concert etc... Arguable whether they would have taken off without the initial input from Brian Jones And there is that fascinating early 60's period when John Mayall, Alexis Korner etc talent spotted Eric Clapton, The Stones, Mick Taylor, Jack Bruce, Led Zeppelin Virtually instigating the whole Brit Blues genre V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G McBride Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 I am a huge Stones fan. It is hard to believe that they are still out there playing after all these years. I grew up listening to them and now at 57 I still listen to them. I disagree that not much of their music makes you want to crank the radio. They truly rock and sometimes the simple riffs are all it takes to make the point. Playing with feeling is what I see lacking in some of the music today. There were a lot of three chord wonders as I grew up that changed music and the ways the world thought about music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 Friend of the Devil and Midnight Rambler are two of my all time favorites. Gotta hear em cranked! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 Big fan of their output between '68 and '72. There were highlights elsewhere... Goat's Head Soup had some winners, so did Some Girls... but Beggar's Banquet, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile on Main Street have to be four of the best albums ever consecutively recorded by anyone! (And yeah, before the Beatles lovers assault me, I'd say the same for the Beatles output from Rubber Soul onward....) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete c Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 Kinda like Henry Ford and the Model T; Even if I never cared to drive one, I understand the influence on pretty much everything that came later. But - as large as their catalog of work is, they have very few songs that make me wanna crank the radio. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 I give them huge respect for being one of the pioneering bands in the sixties, but I am a so/so fan. The Brian Jones era stuff is my favorite and Their Satanic Majesties Request is one of my favorite albums. Most of what they did after he died just doesn't do it for me. Exile on Main Street? Not so much (flame all you want for that). Mick is the least singer of the sixties especially when you look at how many other British singers eclipse him (the Beatles, the Who, Eric Burdon, Donovan, etc). I think what has kept them going through the seventies and beyond is Keith's work ethic and dedication to the guitar. Bill Wyman was a great bass player too and is the unsung hero in that band, but they don't seem to miss him that much now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 The Stones' place in Rock & Roll history is undeniable, although the "three chord wonder" bands were never my thing. That said, I did just finish reading Keef's autobiography. It contains some very interesting insider/behind-the-scenes information about the writing and recording process used by Keith and Mick, and some good personal anecdotes. It becomes very clear from this book that Keith (and everyone else in the band) were left out of the "business" decisions, and that Mick was/is very much in control of the business side, where Keith was more the musical director. Keith states in the book that for much of the Stones' history this arrangement was probably a good thing since he was so whacked out on drugs. He also goes into great detail about the 5-string open G tuning, how it developed and what songs it's used on. I found this very interesting, but found the pages and pages (and pages) on his drug addictions, rehabs, arrests, procurements, and drugged out adventures etc, pretty boring and way over the top. It's kind of like OVERSTATING the obvious, over, and over, and over again. I know that "tabloid" stories sell books to the general public, but as a musician I wanted more "music business" stuff. I would put this book on L5Larry's "required" (or recommended) reading list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjl200 Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 Keith Richards may have played that " tele" but the guy who gave the Stones their early edge and sound played a Its all good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 For me the Stones and Beatles just about cover everything... From pulsating simple blues/rock, all the way to orchestral poetry... To think that the Stones still have the hunger and energy to even consider the Rio concert etc... Arguable whether they would have taken off without the initial input from Brian Jones And there is that fascinating early 60's period when John Mayall, Alexis Korner etc talent spotted Eric Clapton, The Stones, Mick Taylor, Jack Bruce, Led Zeppelin Virtually instigating the whole Brit Blues genre V What he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 I've always thought of the Stones like beer... it's kind of an acquired taste. I didn't care a lot for them when I was young, but grew to like them more the older I got.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 I've always thought of the Stones like beer... it's kind of an acquired taste. I didn't care a lot for them when I was young, but grew to like them more the older I got.... Me Too! Exactly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Natural Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 I'm a BIG Stones fan. And Keith has played, and still does play, Gibson... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 I've always thought of the Stones like beer... it's kind of an acquired taste. I didn't care a lot for them when I was young, but grew to like them more the older I got.... I think of Keef a bit like I thought of my parents growing up. The older and more mature I get, the smarter they became. The older and more mature as a guitar player I become, the better he gets. I personally love the Stones and think he is maybe not a genius but close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BT Bob Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 Another big fan here. Saw them in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on the Bigger Bang tour a few (4-5?) years ago. Amazing show. Jagger is one of only a (VERY) small handful of frontmen who can work a big stadium crowd, IMO. I think for me, it's a case of the whole adding up to more than the sum of the parts. MJ's not the best singer, KR & RW are not the best geetarists, CW's not the best drummer and I don't think Wyman was the best bass-player in the world (I think Daryl Jones is, technically, much better and because of that fits in well. But put them together and the combination (especially live) takes some beating. And it's not just about huge stadium shows - check out Scorcese's Shine A Light for a phenomenally good theatre show. And, of course, they came up with THE most famous opening riff in the whole of rock!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 I like the Stones, right up till the 1980s and the whole disco stuff . I like the old stuff that was more bluesy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 I've always liked the Stones, but they are the worst sounding live performance I've ever heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky scott 29 Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 WHO?? I do like a lot of their older stuff I must admit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrNylon Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 I was more of a Beatles fan. But that doesn't mean I don't I don't try to blow the stereo speakers away when I hear Jumpin' Jack Flash! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 The first college rock band I was in during the mid '60s did some Stones stuff. Honestly, given I had been doing a lot of blues at the time, I didn't see the connection between what and how they played with the blues stuff I was familiar with - and ranged from acoustic to Chicago electric. But I enjoyed doing the stuff. Still like to listen to the old stuff and yeah, I do crank it up. OTOH, yeah, they sounded even more raw live from "live recordings" I've heard - and they weren't all that good even on studio records. Worst of all perhaps was Mick doing American "Country" songs or folkie-style stuff like his own "As Tears Go By." Semi-folkie stuff like Ruby Tuesday was pretty much fun, though. That last, I think, played a large role in their appeal. One could play and/or sing the stuff in a sort of a cover. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 ... Worst of all perhaps was Mick doing American "Country" songs or folkie-style stuff like his own "As Tears Go By." Semi-folkie stuff like Ruby Tuesday was pretty much fun, though... m Apparently, "Wild Horses" was inspired by Gram Parsons. That was a pretty cool song. Don't remember where I heard that, and I could be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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