rolling stones

On Record, Which Was the Better Cover Band: The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?

Sep 022009

If we only include officially released recordings, which was the better cover band, The Beatles or The Rolling Stones? Covers on bootlegs are not allowed for consideration, but covers-rich collections like The Beatles at the Beeb are in the mix.

I’m not about to dictate the meaning of “better cover band,” so you may use your own criteria, from “most authentic covers” or “ability to make the cover songs their own.” Each band’s entire body of work shall be taken into account, meaning the Stones may benefit from or be harmed by the inclusion of covers from their releases over the past 20 years. Please show your work. I’ve got some thoughts on the matter myself, but they’re not fully formed. I look forward to our working this out together.

EXCLUSIVE: Bernard “Pretty” Purdie Announces He Is Ready to Officially Join The Rolling Stones!

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Sep 022009

Following the announcement coming out of Australia that Charlie Watts has quit The Rolling Stones and the counter-statement from the band, as reported in NME, that Charlie Watts has not indeed quit The Rolling Stones, legendary studio drummer Bernard “Pretty” Purdie issued his own announcement: Continue reading »

Has Any Rocker Gotten More Mileage Out of His or Her Hair Than Brian Jones?

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Sep 012009

“We must find the killer of those silken locks!”

There’s no hidden objective in this question: has any rocker gotten more mileage out of his or her hair than Brian Jones? Forty years after his death London police are reopening the case surrounding what had originally been ruled an accidental drug overdose. From the little I’ve gleaned in various reports on these new developments, this has something to do with a supposed confession by a gardener on his deathbed about 16 years ago! I guess news travels slow in the gardening community. I mean no disrespect to Jones’ legacy of cool and his 40-plus illegitimate adult children, but how many cases of non-singing or -songwriting rhythm guitar player deaths by accidental overdose would be reopened 40 years after the fact if not for those silken locks?

You know I love Brian Jones and the era of the Stones that featured his propulsive rhythm playing and, yes, his hair. However, is there anything to suggest that he was some great cat, some humanitarian whose life was cut short? Is there anything to suggest that his work with the Master Musicians of Joujouka was about to turn the rock world on its ear? I think not. I’m not saying that his death should not be judged fairly, even 40 years after the fact, but thank god for that head of hair! In a field crowded with follicularly blessed participants, I’m stumped to find another rocker whose legacy is so rooted, if you’ll excuse the pun, in his or her hair.

Mal Evans Had More Charisma Than the Lesser Stones

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 172009

I love The Rolling Stones, but when confronted with the all-important Are you a Beatles or a Stones guy? signifier, I go with The Beatles without hesitation.

I’ve never been a “comic book guy.” Rock ‘n roll has always been my comic book scene. I know some of you crossed over to rock from the comic book scene. That’s cool, but my super heroes have always been drawn from rock ‘n rollers and athletes – ’70s baseball players, in particular. The Beatles may have had more Rock Super Powers than any band in history. The only thing they were lacking was a magnetic manager, although Brian Epstein was dedicated and tragic enough of a figure to fit into a super power dynamic.

The Rolling Stones, which at best contained maybe 3 super heroes combined out of six or seven key characters (Jagger and Richards claiming a full share each with Brian Jones and Andrew Loog Oldham splitting a share in the early days), were never a match for The Beatles among rock fans seeking comic book-worthy super powers. Hell, Beatles’ lackey Mal Evans had more charisma than most of the Stones! Perhaps it’s no suprise that a lot of rock ‘n roll fans who call themselves Stones guys also have a childhood past collecting comic books. The comic book kids got their money’s worth of super powers before turning to rock.

For those of you who appreciate bands chock full of Rock Super Powers, what bands do you think rival The Beatles for top-to-bottom Rock Super Power strength? One band that immediately comes to mind for me, despite my not liking much of their music (sometimes that’s a secondary concern), is Cheap Trick.

Boogie Gone Bad

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 172009

As many of you know, I loves me some Brian Jones-era Stones and I loves me some boogie, but prepare yourself for boogie gone bad.

Really, if you’ve never seen this before, take it from me and don’t get your hopes up.

Acclaimed Live Rock Bands That Actually Turn Out to Be Studio Concoctions

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 142009

WORLD’s GREATEST BAND! THE ONLY BAND THAT MATTERS!… I’m not going to make any claims on anyone else’s behalf, but for me, I found that The Rolling Stones and The Clash, Twin Towers of live rock ‘n roll credibility, were sorely disappointing live and actually seemed to derive as much as their legendary status and goodwill from studio wizardry as frequently derided bands, such as ELO and The Monkees. I never got to see the early Clash, documented at their ferocious live peak in the film Rude Boy (eg, the “Complete Control” footage above), but it seems to me that once they expanded their studio sound with the excellent London Calling and the rich Sandinista, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon couldn’t keep up, couldn’t present their newer music adequately in a live setting, and at the same time lost the focus to deliver the old stuff. Who knows, maybe that was poor Brian Jones’ fault too.

Have you ever felt this way about any band you love that was hyped up as having tremendous live cred? Do I just feel this way because I tend to be a “record” guy rather than a live guy, or have you too ever been psyched to see some “amazing” live band only to leave the show looking forward to getting back to their crafted studio records?

Baby Got Back – Album Covers Are Only Half the Story

Posted by sammymaudlin

Aug 072009

Recently I had the pleasure of being contracted to design the art for the latest release by Philly phaves, Nixon’s Head. The Enemies List (available for purchase here) cover was an exercise of almost pure creativity. Listening and then designing.

The back cover though was a joy for different reasons. The band wanted the back to be a take on the back of The Beatles Rubber Soul. (I derive an odd pleasure from finding/duplicating just the right font.)

This got me thinking about album parodies and more specifically album backs. There are loads and loads of album parodies. Not the least of which include Townsman mrclean’s band, The Dead Milkmen’s Smokin’ Banana Peels cover:

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