Beatles vs. Stones

The Beatles were always compared to rival bands and people were already writing them off by 1965.

Initially they were going to be superceded by Gerry and the Pacemakers whose first 4 releases scored a remarkable 4 out of 4 UK number 1s.

Then it was the Dave Clark Five who made a great initial splash, whilst over in America they were compared to the Four Seasons.

Later it was the UKs Herman's Hermits and after that it was the Monkees.

In reality though, it was never the Stones or any of those bands that the Beatles were comparing themselves to.

Instead it was America's foremost 1960s group the Beach Boys, headed by the enormously creative Brian Wilson.

That particular rivalry spurred both bands to ever increasing heights.

Whereas you could say that the Beatles knew where to place the full stop (period) on their magnum opus Sgt Pepper, poor Brian got lost in the enormity of his soaring ambitions during his 1967 Smile follow up to the already brilliant Pet Sounds from the year before.

For me, had Brian safely found his way out this would have been the real 1960s rivalry for the best band in the world.

Instead, the Beatles went on for 2 further years of creative exploration whilst the Beach Boys had to mainly make do with the Smile leftovers.

Nevertheless they did manage at least one more classic during this difficult time.

@cd318 Yeah, I have to agree that, at their best, the Beach Boys’ recordings are things of absolute loveliness. As fine as anything ever put to vinyl.

@bdp24 “…I consider the idolization of the music of 1960’s groups over-the-top.” 
Without sounding gushy or “over-the-top,” what is “over-the-top” about folks putting Beatles #1, or putting a band that made “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Satisfaction,” “She’s a Rainbow,” “Mother’s Little Helper,” “Dandelion,” “Paint it, Black,” “Honky Tonk Women,” “Sing This All Together,” Beggar’s Banquet, and Let it Bleed way up in the upper echelon of pop history?  

Velvet Underground? Sly and the Family Stone? Silver Apples? Kinks? Miracles? Stooges? Delfonics? Can? Zombies? Famous Flames? Bee Gees? Os Mutantes? White Noise? Beach Boys? 

That bunch of groups (throw Beatles/Stones in there) composed music that essentially laid the foundation of all popular music of the last 50-odd years.

See, for me it was Big Joe Turner, Hank Williams, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Slim Harpo (about whom Mick Jagger said "What’s the point in listening to us doing ’I’m A King Bee’ when you can listen to Slim Harpo do it?" Finally, something he and I agree on ;-) , and numerous others who created the road map for all who followed. John Lennon idolized Chuck Berry, Paul McCartney Buddy Holly. The early Beatles (and Stones) albums contain lots of covers of their idols songs, and once you hear The Everly Brothers you know from where John & Paul got their 2-part harmonies. But then The Every Brothers got it from The Louvin Brothers; many readers here may not want to follow the bread crumbs that far back in musical history ;-) .

Have you ever heard "Money (That’s What I Want)", the original by Barrett Strong? Compare it with The Beatles version. The superiority of the original is DRASTIC! The original is filled with smoldering musical tension (very sexual), The Beatles version laying their like a limp....uh, fish. Yes, the Fab 4 wrote great songs, especially beginning with those on Rubber Soul (a favorite album of mine). And Revolver imo revolutionized Rock music. But in a good way? Remember what Eric Clapton said in The Last Waltz? "Music had been headed in the wrong direction for a long time, and when I heard Music From Big Pink I thought finally, someone has gone and done it right." No sh*t Sherlock ;-) .

I saw both The Beatles and The Stones live; The Beatles were mediocre, The Stones terrible. Anybody can make good music in the studio. Seeing a band (or solo artist) on stage is where you see what they really "got". Seeing and hearing Dave Edmunds live was an unforgettable experience. Rock ’n’ Roll performed as Keith Richards only dreams of! Seeing Big Joe Turner live at Club Lingerie in the mid-80’s (backed by The Blasters) was a night I shall never forget. Mick Jagger? Surely you jest!

@cd318: Hearing Smiley Smile in early-1968 was a life-changing experience. I was for years obsessed with the Smile saga (reading about it in Crawdaddy Magazine, by writer Paul Williams, later compiled in his book Outlaw Blues. Essential reading!), as was a great songwriter I knew. He and I made a pilgrimage to Brian’s Bel-Air mansion in the summer of 1975, demo in hand (engineered by yours truly), to ask if he would produce us in a pro studio. It didn’t work out ;-)

In my opinion, Brian Wilson is at the head of the class as far as 1960's and beyond musical artists goes. My first concert was The Beach Boys at The San Jose Civic Auditorium in the Summer of 1964. I met Dennis Wilson in the Summer of 1981. My group was playing at Blackies, a Punk/New Wave bar near where Dennis' houseboat (upon which he live) was moored. He was sitting a table alone, drinking. It was surreal; there I was, face-to-face with the first drummer I had even seen on stage. Rest in peace, brother.

Not even a single record of neither of those, but probably would go with Stones. I only like their Voodoo Lounge album tho

Overall in all my interest is too far away from classic rock and rnr.

I'm more into more sophisticated stuff like prog, kraut, indie, fusion, electronic dub/ambient and funk. There are times that I only want to listen to classical artists as well.