They are two different type bands, and I’ll paraphrase Paul McCartney as told by Keith Richards in his biography; the Beatles are a vocal band and the Stones more instrumental. In any case, I enjoy them both, more so the Beatles because that’s what I heard the most when I was very young. Both great bodies of work.
While I love them both, and they are the soundtrack of my youth, the Glimmer Twins get more time on my system. There is no denying the genius of Lennon/McCartney as songwriters but the Stones have an edge to their music their Beatles could not match (exceptions for sure). When Mick & Keith started to hit their stride with Beggars Banquet, they moved into a musical realm that set them apart. For starters, Sympathy For The Devil is the greatest rock & roll song ever written. Lyrically unmatched then or now. The near violence in Keith's one note (😂) guitar solo is stunning to this day. Then to name just a few more: Sister Morphine (thank you Ry Cooder), Moonlight Mile, Gimme Shelter, You Can't Always Get What You Want.......... It's really an Apples to Oranges comparison but if I had to choose the collected works of only one of the two bands, it's always going to be the Stones for me. |
The Beatles. Both bands started around 1962. The Beatles ended in 1970. The Stones are still going (sort of) but almost everything they have produced since the early 70s is vaccuous. So we should compare largely their respective 60s outputs. Seen like that, the contest is perhaps closer for many of us. The Stones music in that period is mainly of high quality. But certainly not in the Beatles' league. I was there and lived it. |
The Monkees didn't write their hits (Boyce and Hart wrote a lot of stuff, as did other pro songwriters at that time) or were trusted to play much of anything on the records (except singing) until later in their "post TV" career that generally sucked. Nesmith was a good writer and musician anyway. The Beatles had more creativity crammed into a relatively short time than anybody before or since, and the Stones were and are a great R&B band with undeniable charisma and style and great rock and roll...I saw the original band with Jones in 1966 and they killed. Still do. |
@bdp24 - I like watching Mazzy's vids too; he used to come into the record wholesaler in Oakland I was working at when we were both in the local record business in the 70's. And the shrooms are still magical now! 🤣 |
Apples vs oranges. I like both, but to me Beatles are "oldies" while Rolling Stones are still modern. Perhaps it was aggressiveness of Stones music, that kept them alive. Yes, The Beatles created many new trends (melodic bass, inclusion of classical etc), but when I, as a young boy, heard Satisfaction for the first time I was stunned - "is it even allowed to play like that"? |
@jonwolfpell “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” has never come even remotely close to getting old for me. |
If I had to choose I'd probably go with the Beatles, I think they had more memorable songs that can stand the test of time than the Stones (who have had their share as well, of course). A story in this vein. In the mid 60s, the Stones first hit with airplay in NYC was Tell Me You're Coming Back to Me. One afternoon while I was listening to Dan Ingram, the late afternoon WABC DJ (who also had a jazz show on FM, as I recall), he made a comment on air after playing the Stones record to the effect that he felt the Stones were a poor imitation of the Beatles and he didn't like them. Well, after another record and a few commercials, he came back on and said that the switchboard had lit up due to this comment, so he announced that he would run a contest, $10 to the best letter sent to him telling him why he should like the Stones and $10 to the best letter telling him why he shouldn't. A few days later he announced that a couple of girls had written him a multi-page letter going on and on as to why he should love the Stones, so they won $10; the winning letter as to why he shouldn't like the Stones was simple--they were costing him $20. |
Rockpile. Their Paul was Nick Lowe, their John Dave Edmunds. I saw both The Beatles and Rockpile live ("only" 15 years apart ;-), and Rockpile were by far the better band. So are NRBQ, Los Lobos, and plenty of others (Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives. When Norman Maslov---"Mazzy" of the YouTube Vinyl Community, a serious die-hard Beatles fanatic. His Beatles collection is larger than many people’s entire record collections---starts to talk about Marty & his band, he almost hyperventilates). This continuing idolization of 1960’s Pop/Rock groups mystifies me. They made some fine music, but that was a LONG time ago. Others have made music just as good---if not better---since then. And some music at least as good was made before their time. There was nothing magical about the 1960’s. Except the mushrooms ;-) . |
Depends on my mood. Most often played on my system are The White Album, Abbey Road, Let It Be, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile. A much easier question to answer would be who I favor between Paul and John. I prefer John. Don't ask me to choose between Keef and M. Taylor, though; that's impossible
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Yes @alvinner2, for those of us who were there in 1964, the artificially-created rivalry (to sell teen mags, perhaps) was The Beatles vs. The Dave Clark Five. And to be completely honest and truthful, I vacillated between the two. In my Jr. High School’s 8th grade talent show in the late Spring of 1964, my little combo performed both "I’ll Get You" by The Beatles and "Glad All Over" by The DC5. But it was Brian Wilson and his Beach Boys who remained my favorite group. As for The DC5. they weren’t able to keep abreast of the rapid evolution that Pop music experienced in the mid-60’s, and were all but forgotten by 1966 (maybe even ’65). Long-time record collectors are already aware of this, but in 1964 Vee Jay Records issued an album entitled The Beatles Vs. The Four Seasons (each LP side given to one of the two). When Capitol Records was in 1963 offered the first UK Beatles album for the U.S. market by Parlophone Records (a subsidiary of E.M.I.) they declined the offer! By the time their second album (what became named Meet The Beatles in the U.S.) was ready for release Capitol Records had seen the light ;-) . We were all confused by both Meet The Beatles on Capitol Records and Introducing The Beatles on Vee Jay Records being in the racks at the same time, but bought both. The Beatles had greatly improved between the recording of the two albums, the first having been recorded in one single 14 hour session! To capitalize (no pun intended ;-) on Beatlemania, Vee Jay came up with the idea of the Beatles Vs. The Four Seasons (their big Pop act) album. Even we young teenagers though it was ridiculous, and few bought it. As for The Beatles vs. The Stones, this may be hard to believe, but I don’t own a single Stones album. Never liked ’em, and after reading the interview with Ry Cooder in Rolling Stone in 1970 or ’71 (in which he recounted what transpired when that band of wankers paid him to come over to London to record. Find the interview, you will never see "Keef" and Mick the same again.), they were dead to me. Having to watch Keith in the Chuck Berry documentary (Hail! Hail! Rock ’n’ Roll) he made was brutal. Witnessing his lecherous, leering behavior towards Norah Jones when they duetted at The Gram Parson Tribute Show in The Universal Amphitheater was a truly disgusting, horrifying sight. What a pig. And a grossly over-rated guitarist and songwriter. IMO, of course. |
I was in 7th grade when the Beatles played the Sullivan Show, and I watched the Stones bowdlerize their hit “Let’s Spend The Night Together” for Mr. Ed. I don’t think the Stones ever topped the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There” until “Satisfaction” came out. Then it was the Beatles ahead with their greatest period with Revolver, Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road. But Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile, all in a row? Unequalled by anyone. Not the Beatles, not Dylan, not The Boss. But as a Blues lover, I go with the Stones. Even now, when I watch Mick J. And Jeff Beck play Howling Wolf for the Obamas on YT, his phrasing kills me. They had me with “King Bee” in 1965. |
Silly question similar to what’s better, an apple or an orange? They both fruit, both are delicious but they’re clearly different. We all know that the Lennon - McCartney song writing duo & a little later, Harrison wrote some of the greatest songs ever that endure as long as people listen to music. No one has mentioned “ Can’t You Me Knocking?” On Sticky Fingers. You got to listen to it on a powerful, high quality sound system that has a good bottom end. Frighteningly great interplay between the two very different guitar styles ( Mick Taylor & Keith Richards) in conjunction with some outstanding bass guitar & drums. Put it on, LP or a good stream, turn it up & you will understand what The Stones were all about. |
If I had to choose, It would be the Beatles. The combination of songwriting by the Fab 4 is unmatched and 200 years from now they will be viewed as the Bach and Beethoven of their era. Lennon and McCartney especially were incredible and that is not to slight Harrison or Starr in anyway. This doesn't mean The Stones are not in the same league, I love them nearly as much but on pure talent all around, I'll take the Beatles to my grave. |
I felt John Lennon hit it on the head: I went so hard on Beatles in my youth that I may be more inclined to listen to the Stones these days (and I indeed enjoy the Stones very much), but still remains true for me. Era 3 Stones: Whatever good stuff the Stones do henceforth still can’t cause them to catch the Beatles to my mind.
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Ease in @arcticdeth … baby steps ;-) The pendulum swings …. Stones, Beatles, Beatles, Stones |
The Beatles obviously. The Stones, for me, without Brian Jones became rather monochromatic after their extraordinary run between 1965 -1967. I can't think of a single great Stones album, and trust me I've given the highly regarded Exile on Main Street plenty of plays.
However the Stones did have plenty of great individual songs though. With Brian Jones on board - Play with Fire Mother's Little Helper She Said Yeah I'm Free Under MyThumb Out of Time 19th Nervous Breakdown Satisfaction Yesterday's Papers Ruby Tuesday Paint it Black What to Do Let's Spend the Night Together We Love You Dandelion She's a Rainbow Jumping Jack Flash
After Brian Jones - Happy Angie Miss You Start Me Up
...and that's about it. |