The Rolling Stones.

The group created by Brian Jones. The band which launched the headlines; ‘ Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone’?

Five boys whose love of the blues catapulted them into the scournful eye of the public. Like Elvis before; Mick Jagger’ s gyrating hips and ‘ obscene’ movements – caused alarm for white folk everywhere.

James Brown and Little Richard were allowed their satanic movements – they were black after all. It is what African – Americans did. It was tolerated because Brown et al were not mainstream. Relegated as ‘ sideshows’ to real artists such as Gene Pitney, Pat Boone and the new sensations – the Beatles …

The Rolling Stones had an edge. Covering songs such as ‘ I’m a King Bee’,  ‘ Little Red Rooster’ and Chuck Berry’s ‘ Around and Around’. Indeed – the joint was rocking…

Sexuality oozed from Jagger’s masculine / feminine lips. Richards and Jones’ guitars sending knife- like rythyms into pulsating teenagers. The Rolling Stones were making love to young America and the establishment were terrified.

The Beatles covered many of the same songs as the Stones as they rose to mega- stardom. Somehow, McCartney and Lennon were not imposing. White boys attempting to be black – ‘ how nice’.

The Stones were black folk disguised as white people. Attempting to infiltrate the masses. Politicians and police – doing everything in their power to remove the masks which were gaining power and scaring parents.

‘Satisfaction’ became a theme – an anthem for rebellious teens everywhere. The Beatles were covering the angst with ‘ She Loves You’. The Stones were grabbing teenage unrest by the hand and leading millions of kids to a land with no curfew.

Music in the sixties was – for the most part, about peace and love. Accumulating with Woodstock. Meanwhile, the Stones were singing about ‘ little yellow pills’ and ‘ painting red doors black. Mick aware of the seedy, hypocritical side of life and not shy to shove that message to anyone who would listen.

The Stones, the first band to not give a shit about their image. We do drugs – so what? We sleep around – so what? The original punks who set the table for Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious years later to mess up.

Governments became more than alarmed. Setting the un – Fab five up for drug busts after drug bust. Planting dealers into Richards’ home to extinguish the fire which the Stones were setting across their comfortable living rooms.

It was okay. ‘ You can’t always get what you want – but if you try sometime, you get what you need …’

Lyrics that edged the Stones closer to the public. Jagger’ s finger on the pulse of any youngster who started to become anti – Stones. The push and pull, the ‘Lady Jane’ to ‘Stray Cat Blues’. The innocence to the dark side. ‘As Tears go By’ to ‘Midnight Rambler.’ Softness on one hand – sticking a knife right down a throat with the other.

Men wanted to be Mick. Women wanted to be with Mick. Face it – men wanted to be with Mick as well. Keith Richards; the poster boy for decadence. Every guitarist since emulating the pose both onstage and off. Everyone wanting – needing to be the human riff …

Mick set the stage for singers like Freddy Mercury, Rod Stewart, David Bowie, Stephen Tyler and too many to list on this page. Keith Richards wannabes; Mick Ronson, Pete Townsend, Jimmy Page and Joe Perry to name but millions. The Stones were the pre- cursors to anyone who wanted to play in a rock n roll band. After all – there’s no place for a street fighting man in a sleepy English, American, Canadian or world town …

More songs. More hits. More sex, drugs and rock n roll.

Brown Sugar, Honky Tonk Woman, Jumping Jack Flash, Sympathy for the Devil to start a list as long as a devil’s pitchfork or two.

A foursome of albums – a career for most. Beggars Banquet, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers and the masterpiece; Exile on Main Street. A coverage of country, soul, Gospel, blues, rythym and blues and rock n roll. A successful experiment in all genres including a jazz jam in ‘Can’t you hear me knocking’. The Stones were at the window – the world let them in …

In Mikhail Bulgakov’s book the Master and Marguerita – the devil arrived in Russia and departed weeks later. The town of St.Petersburg; never to be the same. Jagger based Sympathy for the Devil on the book and the world has not been the same since the Stones arrived.

Michelangelo could never recreate a sisteen chapel. The Stones from now on – judged by their past. Haunted by genuis and critics with closed minds. ‘Angie’ dismissed along with the dance of Mr. D. and little sister. It was only rock n roll and the Stones liked it. As Mick sang; ‘ If you really want to be my friend, give me the look of love – not jealousy.

Next stop for the Rolling ship? The pirates of Rock n Roll? Jamaica. Another realm to explore. Cliff, Marley, Tosh and Jagger/ Richards. Ganja, gangsters and the Glimmer Twins. A mixture of the origins of rythym and the master rythym guitarist himself. A marriage made with mojo of the carribean kind.

Complete with the photo of a woman tied and battered on a billboard in Times Square – the 1975 Stones deemed her ‘ Black and Blue’ and according to the victim; lovin’ it!

As the music swayed through disco to punk, the Stones considered dinosaurs by a certain Mr.Rotten. Punks calling out the original punks. Richards responded as any punk might when challenged to a duel. ” Talk to us when you stop living with your Mom and taking the tram.”

The best response; on vinyl in the form of Some Girls. The Stones, on the heels of a Richards’ heroin bust – kicked disco and punk square in the teeth. Hard.

Miss You ( their biggest selling hit of all time) along with ‘ Respectable’, ‘Shattered’ and Far Away Eyes, distanced the band once again from everyone. Ashes to ashes – punk to dust.

The seventies ended the same way the sixties came to a close; the Rolling Stones were the greatest Rock n Roll band in the world and they were just getting started …

To be continued …