The Rolling Stones are one of those band who have pushed the limits of Rock and Roll in several ways. Starting out way back in 1962 they competed with the Beatles for headlines and were one the bands who led the so called “British invasion” the US music scene. A unique sound coupled with the personality of lead singer Mick Jagger, the Stones have created their own place in Rock history in spite of their early overshadowing by the Fab Four.
The Stones, over the last couple of decades, have clearly changed the attitude concerning how long one can remain a “Rock and Roll” star. Back in the early days, it was an unwritten convention to “retire” by age 40 or so. However at the time of writing (2014), the Stones are still going strong, perform with all their original energy and clearly still love music. Their live performances also still attract the crowds like they did 50 years ago.
Satisfaction Live Glastonbury 2013
In 1965 the band released one of their most controversial songs, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” which blew away the air waves and caused substantial social raucous. The single was thought tasteless at the time by many, however there was no stopping the song’s rise, and it reached number one in July of 1965. The song is now an anthem and a major piece in Rock and Roll’s timeline. It is essentially the defining song of the Stones’ career.
Any band that has such a long history will have an eclectic set of musical trends and styles. This is true for the Stones who started out with a bluesy-rock feel, experimented with more new wave sounds in the 1980s, and now have settled back into a clearly “Stones” vibe and mood of its own and in order to fully understand their significance in the music world, one really has to listen to albums from each of these stages, plus the solo albums by both Mick Jagger and Richards.
Success inevitably brought problems and the band members have over the years have had battles with drug addiction, have been investigated for tax evasion and of course they have had multiple relationships. To this day Mick Jagger remains a figurehead in the industry however in a complete turnabout from his earlier wild lifestyle, now spends much of his non-tour time involved in charitable pursuits.
Satisfaction Live 1965 Archive Footage
