When it comes to personal preferences, cast my
lot with the "Fab 4" any day. Tho, if you had to compile "Rock's 50 greatest songs", there are several great classic Stones tunes ( I.E. "Sympathy for the Devil" "Jumpin' Jack Flash", " Satisfaction"), etc, that would definitely make the cut. The Stones DID have great classic tunes, but I think some of their highly regarded albums ( "Exile on Main St"., "Some Girls", etc ) are INCREDIBLY overrated. Besides, there are other "British invasion" groups ( The Who, Led Zep, the Kinks )
along with U.S groups ( The Doors, Steely Dan ) that are FAR better than the Stones.

Below is a pic of a Stones album that I actually liked, that I find curiously underrated.

Thoughts on all of this ?

Not that THAT would surprise anyone.

While the additions that Jimmy Page and Robert Plant brought to rock music were insurmountable to most groups, the shear genious of Syd Barrett and Roger Waters were IMO incomparable. MG people they made a bloody song out of alarm clocks and heart beats. Lets see Marylin Manson top that. Or p-diddy. Or Alan Jackson. Or nineinch Nails. Do I need to go on? LOL


Don't forget, ME*Black Tar*and the FLOYD* WERE all the rage in the so. bay. LOL

If you categorize the question as greatest  rock and roll bands, the Stones win hands down. Led Zep and the Who belong in the debate but their output was too small to compare to the Stones.

         Remember, the Beatles output was an incredibly prolific ten years. The Stones are still active today (nearly 50 years) as far as I know and, as late as the 1980s – when they toured with Lisa Fischer and reinvented some of their classics with her singing – were still making quality rock. Conversely, probably a third of the Beatles output was not rock at all but falls into the folk and ballad category.

      But if you broaden the question beyond rock and roll, the Beatles are unquestionably the greatest band in pop history, in part bc of their versatility.  And if you are looking for an example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, there is no better example than the Beatles – who would have guessed that one musical genius could have combined with two very average talents and Ringo to produce such enduring music.

I agree and the Stones used the  blues that came from the blacks in America

while Ringo's birthplace has been demolished.

I think John said it best - not only was Ringo not the best drummer in the world, he wasn't the best drummer in the band.

I wonder if he ever learned how to do a drum roll.

terrific musician. Died in 1980 at age 32 after consuming 40 shots of vodka. More than even myself Gag, or OSP can muster---lol.

Cause of death was asphyxiation on his own vomit--------not to be a prick, but reminds me of "This Is Spinal Tap" ( 1984 )scene where they talk about drummer choking to death on someone else's vomit----------BRRRR !

Lastly, let's not forget another great Drummer----------Keith Moon, who sadly also died an untimely death due to alcoholism.

But don't sell me short.


My former wife fell in love with me at a strip club after i threw down 6 8oz longislands, 5 kamikazes(spelling priapus?), 5 shots of jd(the place was a shithole), 3 fuzzynavels and 10 jelloshots which she allowed me to consume off of her private area in one of them there private rooms. LOL

Last time I did that. Drinking results in marriage for me. I'M DONE!!LOL


Drummers; don't forget Neil Peart


Alcohol related deaths; don't forget Bon Scott

The Beatles were great as the guiding force of the Movement. They experimented in ways that broadened music beyond rock that was the primary music for younger people.  Ballads like "And I Love Her" are fantastic.

But they had a short career.  The Stones have been Rock for decades.  They still put out great stuff.

I can't agre more about groups like Led Zep.  A handful of good songs, but you don't see hear their music every day around the world.  The bootlegged Stones records I have seen from Damascus to Leningrad - I am old enough to remember both records and Leningrad - speak of their range and scope.

to separate souls is Don McLean's "Oh My, What A Shame."

"They were married, in the old church yard,
and they promised to be true to each other,
no matter how hard their lives might be.

But, like meteors that fell through moments parallel, they were soon to cross, and on different plots of earth they both did fall,
though their lives had really not been hard at all.

Oh my, what a shame, no one's to blame, it just happened that way, and there's nothing you can say when two people say good bye. Oh, my."


And of course there "Bob Dylan's Dream."

"With haunted hearts through the heat and cold, we never though we could get very old.
We though we could sit forever in fun,
but our chances were really, a million to one.

of how time has tendency to separate souls. One line always hits me:

"It's no good thinking that you are still mine
You're out of touch, my baby, my poor unfaithful baby
I said baby... your out of time."

I first heard the song in the opening credits for the movie: "Coming Home". Won't see movie now because it has Jane Fonda. I didn't know what the lyrics meant until I came back from Desert Storm and discovered my own unfaithful baby. Then your lover wants you back but you know when the love is gone, it's doggone gone.

of the past such as John bonham, nick mason, mickey hart, dave grohl et al? It's like when music put drummers on machines, rock-n-roll's soul was taken away. DoctorGonzo knows a lot about music than I do, and hopefully he can chime in again.

-- Modified on 8/27/2010 3:20:07 PM

Not to say that the Beatles were a waste. Sargent Pepper was a revolutionary record, but they were incredibly over rated.

All in all, I'd have to say the Stones were a better band, but they've sucked balls for 30 years.

The Who and The Doors were both better bands. A pox on your member Pria for even including Steely Dan in the list. Neil Young's work with Crazy Horse is better than 95% of both the Stones and the Beatles catalog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jT2xHSRzNw

A far more revolutionary band was Pink Floyd. Floyd was largely responsible for the Beatles going in the direction they did. Floyd's best stuff came in their early days. Nick Mason was a great drummer until he became a lazy fuck on Wish You Were Here. Nothing in comparison to his work on One Of These Days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgvAwBDbuIo

A far more influenial band was Black Sabbath. Bill Ward was quite possibly in the top 10 rock drummers of all time, and they didn't have a bad song on a single one of their first 6 records.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlW9s_QGyJc

Another very influential band that never got it's due was the Velvet Underground. Given that most people who know their rock history consider them piorneers of punk rock, they're certainly worth a mention. If you've never heard "Sister Ray" at full volume, then you're missing out. Velvet's singer Lou Reed said the difference between us and the other bands, was that we did the hard drugs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hugY9CwhfzE

And don't forget the great bands that came out of Detriot. The MC5's live Kick Out The Jams record is a bloody fucking masterpiece.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scKSZxniK_k

Of course, they never topped The Stooges, whose Fun House record I consider the best rock record ever made.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNVmV3KtrSc

The best rock band of all time, IMHO will always be The Ramones. Goofy and funny, yet intense and insane. What could be better. Oh, and plus their cover of "Out of Time" was better than the Stones original. How cool were the Ramones? They got Traci Lords to sing backup vocals for them when they did "Somebody to Love"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6-qT6dLMz0

Having set the prelude, when I listen to their songs, the best rock group that existed was Queen. Their songs are music instrument masterpieces and mostly word composition masterpieces. I don't get the same sense of awe listening to the music of any other rock artist or group.

He does not get much credit for his drum work, but one of the best rock drummers, IMO, is Don Henley.

Well, let's see. As far as Lyrics, go Neil Young writes at  an eighth grade level "Hello cowgirl in the sand - is this place at your command" - yeah that took a lot of thought.  Does he have any songs that an eighth grade could not write in 30 minutes?

    You may not be familiar with music theory but I can tell you  the great bulk of his catalog are songs composed with major and minor chords -garage band simple. By the time of Sargent Pepper, McCartney understood music theory and was composing on the piano - the later songs reflected a full harmonic vocabulary.

      As far as musicianship goes, Neil Young's rhythm guitar playing is about on the level of Bob Dylan. His lead work is so basic you can pick out the leads by ear. Except for the period when Nils Loftgen played with Crazy Horse, the guitar work for those guys was not much better.

    No comparison to George Harrison or Keith Richards at all.

     It is fair for you to say you personally prefer Neil Young but on any objective basis, he is not remotely on the same level.

Black Sabbath & The Ramones better than Steely Dan ? Willy, that's the dumbest thing you've ever said--which is considerable !  I'd wish GaG would weigh in on this-----LOL !

Becker & Fagen ( the geniuses that make up Steely Dan ) were summa cum laude lit graduates from Bard College------can you say that about
drunken puppy killer Ozzy Osbourne?-----LMAO !

The intellectual music cognescente love SD for their brilliantly symbolic lyrics; maybe SD's lyrics are above your head, WW.

Btw, " Steely Dan" is taken from Wm Burrough's  "Naked Lunch"---it refers to a dildo.
Something you can identify with, Willy-----

-- Modified on 8/28/2010 9:42:35 AM

-- Modified on 8/28/2010 11:07:17 AM

Paul quit school when he was 15. They don't have high school in UK.
Going to school has nothing to do, with musical genius.
beethoven was home schooled
The Beatles were Great.Everyone doesn't agree.

http://www.cm-life.com/2009/09/09/the-beatles-are-overrated-enough-said/

Beatles were childrens band,good childrens band .most there songs were simple  rhymes like Dr Zeus.George Harrison guitar made the beatles.beatles also copy other bands.
Eric Clapton better guitar,better songs, more feeling in soul than beatles.
Allman brothers,rambling man,tied to the whipping post,midnight rider,
Bruce springstein, Born in the U.S.A
Roy Orbinson, Pretty woman
James Brown..Papas got a new bag,I feel good
Buddy Holly
Paul@ John most songs sound like third grader rhymes.a few good songs they did make.
here is Paul song without help .

Don't go jumping waterfalls
Please keep to the lake.
People who jump to the waterfalls
Sometimes can make mistakes.
And I need loveYeahI need loveLike a second needs an hour
Like a raindrop needs a shower.
YeahI need loveEv'ry minute of the day
And it wouldn't be the same
If you ever should decide to go away.
And I need loveYeahI need loveLike a castle needs a tower
Like a garden needs a flower.
YeahI need love...Don't go chasing polar bears
In the great unknown.
Some big friendly polar bear
Might want to take you home.
And I need loveYeahI need loveLike a second needs an hour...
YeahI need love...
Don't run after motor cars
Please stay on the side
Someone's glossy motor carMight take you for a ride
.And I need loveYeahI need loveLike a castle needs a tower...
YeahI need loveSaid I need loveLike a raindrop needs a shower
Like a second needs an hourEv'ry minute of the day...Don't go jumping waterfalls
Please keep to the lake

John lennon number 9  Luck of Irish
John and Paul would not be famous without George Harrison  guitar and George Martin leadership.

Mari,
I've been a musician since I was 8 years old. I understand theory pretty damn well. If you were going to grade quality of music by how technically savvy the musician is, then you'd have to say that best rock band in the world is fucking Dream Theater.

While I appreciate technical skill, if it's applied without emotion and vision, then it's fucking worthless. That's what made Tchaikovsky such an amazing composer. He had all three.

Neil Young helped to revolutionize so much in music. From folk to rock to grudge to punk. Yeh, the guy wasn't the best poet, and he played sloppy, but he played kick ass songs with everything he had. That's the mark of a great song writer and performer.

Pria, you bet your ass, Sabbath and the Ramones were better than Steely Dan. The only way anyone would think the opposite, would be for them to have been with a vagina, which explains more about you then I want to know.  

And while I always appreciate a reference to any of the Beats, the fact that they named their band after a dildo I think proves my point. :P

Fucking Dream Theater  technically savvy ,fucking unknown

I'm always a bit impressed when a band can play in 7/4 time without blinking an eye, but it doesn't mean they don't suck.

I guess those closet hermaphrodite rumors about you are true------

that was so incredibly lame Pri. If you're going to insult me back, at least come up with something original. Don't just copy what I said and lame it up. Geez! Where's the "I screwed your mom" jokes? Or the "you screw ugly girls" jokes? Hell, maybe a limp dick joke? Try this one: "you're so flaccid, you couldn't get it up with a pair of splints!"

-- Modified on 8/29/2010 10:10:21 AM

Instead, let's humorously skewer Fox News/Beck/Hannity/Limbaugh-----far worthier of our ripostes than us engaging in a circular firing squad----------

...but I'm betting mine gave a few people here a giggle.