The Rolling Stones have been around for 60 years. I will be grateful if I’m alive for that long, but this isn’t about me. It is about the self-proclaimed (and proclaimed by many) the greatest rock and roll band in the world. Whether you know the band or not, the iconic logo has bled into the zeitgeist for all of the 60 years. Heck, even FC Barcelona have it on their jersey this week.
What a legacy. Whether you love or mildly dislike the band (I’m more of a Beatles fan myself), you have to admit they have had their “more than fair” share of smashing hits. They practically lived on radio stations. Their albums return to bestselling whenever an anniversary box set is announced. Their latest stint is just them reminding people that a bunch of 80-year-old white men have still got it, on and off-stage. This is their staggering 26th studio album, Hackney Diamonds.
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So let me preface this by saying, I do love a lot of their music. Like many around the world, hearing Keith Richards play the guitar has made me want to learn the opening lick of Paint it Black as well. Sympathy for the Devil was iconic after I heard it by mistake on world radio. Start Me Up has to be one of the greatest day starting singles, where you feel like the protagonist but are probably the 9th extra in an indie short film. However, make no mistake-they have their chops intact, even at 80.
Charlie Watts passing away was a massive blow to the rock fraternity. A jazz drummer, proficient in 9/8, 5/4 and whatever other time signatures the elusive genre has, was employed by the band. What he has laid down in the rhythm, remains iconic-each beat for the song alone. Rock and roll with those blues licks infused like sweet incense. God knows, for however long he sat behind that kit, he gave his all.
With Stanley Jordan sitting behind the kit now, The Rolling Stones just showcase how simple and catchy songwriting can always, will always work. Take their opening single, Angry itself. It is a riff you would have heard many times, maybe even thought of if you’re a guitar player. “Nah, too simple”, and that goes in the ever-growing pile of discarded chord progressions.
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Keith Richards is 4th on the list of the 100 greatest guitarists for a reason (Rick Beato relax, I’m playing into the mainstream). He has reinvented the guitar chops to just be as memorable as non-singers singing it. Tip-if you’re listening to Angry, I recommend listening to the song alone. It is difficult to focus on the song in the music video.
The Rolling Stones have as much colour, without Charlie Watts
Then there are the guest stars for the album. Paul McCartney, Elton John, Steview Wonder and Lady Gaga lend their very specific talents to the band, and crush it respectively in each song. Simple songs like Get Close remind you why Jagger writes the lyrics. A kid in love would get the gist, a boomer would be reminded of the “old days”. Win-win, all the way through. Gorgeous melodies like Depending on You are delights to listen to, that nice ebb and flow in albums The Rolling Stones are known for. The hardest rock would probably be Bite My Head Off, with another rock HOF joining in for the legendary collaboration.
I’ve played, by mistake, riffs like Whole Wide World while practising. Maybe 60 years of playing guitar helps you out in forming those licks into radio hits with an effortless air around them. Richards proves to the world that rhythm just belongs in his hand, even going to slide for songs like Dreamy Skies. It has been many albums later, and yet the Stones just sound like themselves. It has helped that on his time off, the greatest living drug mule Keith Richards has stuck with playing some great solo albums on his downtime. Mess It Up brings that three chord Monty back to the stadium stage for an audience salt shaker. Oh, don’t you dare give a 26-year-old nostalgia with your grooves, old men. I love you.
Elton John’s cameo with The Rolling Stones is something we must witness live. Though the original piano man has done his retirement tour already, we must hear those ivories tickled for at least this song. It is all the zing and flavour-getting these catalysts of great music to make fun songs even more fun. Summer playlists-auto generate with the latest Rolling Stones album please. Surprisingly, one of my favourite singles is Sweet Sounds of Heaven. A long and winding road, Lady Gaga has a lasting impact on the song while nearing the closing of the album.
Sure, Pitchfork can shit on the group and call their songs “unpolished turds” or whatever. However, with all that the band has been through, they’ve released some impressive singles with a lasting impression. Sure, some seem like recycled riffs, but if you’re looking for innovation in rock songs after all this time, then maybe look to “evolving” genres like metalcore, djent or somewhat. Leave the torch-bearers to leave with all their guns blazing. Sticks and stones will definitely obliterate their bones, but an online magazine’s “scathing” words won’t do much to a bulletproof legacy.
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Self professed metalhead, moderately well read. If the music has soul, it's whole to me. The fact that my bio could have ended on a rhyme and doesn't should tell you a lot about my personality.
