Top 25 All-Time Favourite Artists (Tie for 15)

15. The Beatles/ The Rolling Stones (tie)

Last year I did a little Musical Education course of my own on the music of the 1960's. And with the Motown Sound, the Wall of Sound, the Girl Groups and the Garage Bands and everything else I have to say (as I've said before) the 60's is my favourite decade of popular music. And the true stars of the 60's were two Brit Bands that have both made an everlasting impression on music and culture. And now, an everlasting impression on me. Both of these groups will probably place higher next year because I like both more and more as the months go by and I discover more of their music.

I'm talking of course about The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

They both started out being heavily influenced by the Rock & Roll/Blues sound of the US as their groups formed. Both crossed the pond around the same time in the early 60's, and both had their US breakthrough singles around the same time as well. Both groups have dynamic personalities and are focused on the music above all else.

Let's first speak on the group that is still active, and has basically become the Greatest Rock & Roll Group of all time, based on their over 50 year recording history. The Stones have contributed a slew of some of the Greatest songs ever made. The genius songwriting of "Sympathy for the Devil", the socially conscious and stirring "Gimme Shelter", their fun rock anthems "Jumpin Jack Flash" and "Satisfaction". And that's just to name a few.

The reason I'm such a big fan is because they cover all these musical genres, and a lot of lyrical and conceptual diversity within their music, but they do it all in good fun. The one complaint is that throughout their career they haven't stayed the most consistent. A lot of their late 60's albums were hit or miss, though they did have a popular string of albums from 1969 up until 1971. Than from what my research shows, they got a little played out and started using publicity ploys to increase excitement for much of the rest of the 70's. However throughout the next 3 decades they've always managed to have at least a handful of great singles and a few great albums.

What I love about The Beatles, is that althought they didn't have as long a stretch, they managed to be consistent and constantly grow with their albums. Like The Stones, they were always witty with their lyrics though The Beatles had a more polished production and vocal style. The catchiness of their early singles like "I Want To Hold Your Hand" "Ticket To Ride" "Hard Day's Night" are what make them classic. Their simplicity really paved the way for Pop music of today.

Later in their career they started to expirement with their sound to great results. Incorporating sounds and instruments from different genres and cultures, and their ability to still remain relateable and accessible to the masses while doing so is nothing short of amazing. With only 13 albums before they dismantled, The Beatles had probably one of the best recording careers of all. They were able to constantly grow, while still being top sellers, and not having to compromise their style or image to remain relevant.

myTop3Favorite Beatles albums: 1. Magical Mystery Tour (1967), 2. Revolver (1966), 3. Abbey Road (1969)
myTop3Favorite Rolling Stones albums: 1. Aftermath (1966), 2. Let It Bleed (1969), 3. Beggars Banquet (1968)

Classic Album Review: The Rolling Stones "Aftermath"

Just a short preface before I get into the review. For the past year I've really been trying to use my iPod not just for entertainment, but as an educational tool of sorts. Pretty much every current album is available to you with just a few key strokes, So I started to look back and discover some of the Classic music that paved the way for the crap we listen to today. And it's been a real eye-opening journey through the past. So much so that I got an idea for yet another creative writing project. But anyway...

What I've learned from my self-educating is that the 60's is the decade with my favourite music. I'd even go as far as saying the 1960's was truly the Peak of recorded music when you think about Diversity and Creativity. The 60's really started out where the 50's left off, with short sweet and fun radio friendly hits. Towards the mid-60's, with all that was going on in the country and the British Invasion in full swing, things started to change into more experimental, socially conscious, and racially diverse material. There are a few artists that remained staples throughout the whole decade. Motown, and it's artists The Temptations, Marvin Gaye and The Supremes stayed really consistent. And The Beatles held their British flag up high through most of the decade.
Today I'm going to talk about The Beatles' "competitors" in US domination, and clearly that would be The Rolling Stones. I don't think there is anybody on the planet that hasn't heard of this group, but I'll admit I wasn't very familiar with their music until about 6 or 7 years ago when I bought their most recent compilation album "Forty Licks". It's a pretty comprehensive set, but as I've discovered more music from the group I realize it only scratches the surface. If you want to get a feel for The Rolling Stones and want to familiarize yourself with their style I might recommend "Hot Rocks 1964-1971". Than again, if you really just want a taste of what makes them one of the most Awesome bands to ever live, check out "Aftermath", which to me is one of their very best albums. It also seems like it was a bit of a breakthrough for them. In 1965, the group officially became Stars with the release of their still most popular single "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" which was available on the US release of "Out of Our Heads", "Aftermath" was released the year after and was the first of their albums with songs written exclusively by the founding members Keith Richards and lead singer Mick Jagger. And really this album tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the Rolling Stones... their style, their attitudes, their personalities, and is also a good peak into their future recordings.
"Aftermath" is one of the most fun albums you will ever listen to. The bulk of the album is very upbeat and infectious from the popular hit "Under my Thumb" to "Stupid Girl" (those two songs go hand in hand, "Thumb" talks about the girl who "once pushed me around" and now has basically turned into his Groupie... and "Stupid" seems to talk about that same vapid materialistic girl "The way she talks about someone else, That she don't even know herself, She's the sickest thing in this world, Well, look at that stupid girl") "Think", "Its' Not Easy" and "Flight 505", songs that are extremely catchy and addictive but also have actual substance to their lyrics matched with very energetic vocals by Jagger, which make them all great sing-alongs.
This album displays other sides of The Stones' recording style, for instance their love for mock-Country songs like "High and Dry" and "Dontcha Bother Me". Using heavy harmonica and Country strings, and Jagger doing his best (or maybe purposely comical) American Country singer voice and phrasing. This is the type of stuff they used later in their careers during their famous 4 album streak (1968's "Beggars Banquet" 69's "Let it Bleed", 71's "Sticky Fingers" and 72's "Exile on Main St") of Critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums. And finally this album showed how experimental the group was in using non-traditional instruments and arrangements on classics like "I Am Waiting" "Lady Jane" and the immensely popular "Paint It, Black".
"Aftermath" is a must-have album if your looking to learn more about The Stones. It gives you a great taste of who they are and who they were becoming. And they haven't really derived far from the format of this album yet. A Classic album by a Legendary Group.