Mick and Keith and Thomas

[Joe Allonby]

The Rolling Stones started as the antithesis of pop music. They were Chicago
blues purists who wanted nothing to do with the pop music of their day in
England. They were accidentally spun off from Alexis Korner's Blues
Incorporated (as were Eric Clapton and in a weird tangential way a guy named
Reginald Dwight  when they morphed into Long John Baldry and Bluesology).
The success of the Beatles and the Meersey bands put pressure on the British
labels to sign home-grown rock'n'roll bands. The Rolling Stones were
propelled more or less against their will into identification with what they
considered to be pablum fit only for children and old ladies. Ironically,
this netted them what was at the time the most lucrative recording contract
in history.

Once freed by their economic need to sell to the lowest common denominator,
they embarked on the "streak".

Beggar's Banquet

Get Your Ya Ya's Out

Let It Bleed

Sticky Fingers

Exile on Main Street

This is untouchable. They may have been teen sensations pushing crap with an
occasional gem in 1965. By 1971, they were pumping pure genius without a
George Martin, Berry Gordy, Brian Wilson, or a Stax-Volt or Atlantic Records
or Columbia hired gun backing band.

Keith Richards became his own Svengali. The only person since to approximate
his mastery is Prince, and that is a very pale shadow.

Anything that they did afterwards can only be compared to that. Is it as
good? Of course not. Is it bad because it isn't as good? Not by a long shot.

We can go on for hours about how it wouldn't have happened if not for the
Beatles, Chuck Berry or especially Gram Parsons (may his tortured soul find
peace), but it most certainly did happen. This does not necessarily diminish
their earlier or later work; in a way it stands separate, apart, alone in
its rage and glory.

On 7/22/06, Dave Monroe <monropolitan at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> "BTMMR" is on the Some Girls LP, "UAWCPM" is on the
> Out of our Heads LP, served also as the b-side to
> 'Satisfaction" (high sales-to-obscurity ratio there)
> ...
>
> For all yr RS discographic needs ...
>
> http://homepages.cwi.nl/~wouter/stones.html
>
> --- Rcfchess at aol.com wrote:
>
> > "Gotta  Walk Before They  Make Me Run" for instance,
> >  or "Under-Assistant West Coast Promo Man"
> >
> > Which albums of the Stones are they from?  Thanks...
>
> __________________________________________________
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