The “most important thing” The Beatles and The Rolling Stones ever did, according to Keith Richards
It’s difficult for people who weren’t around then to imagine music before The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Things were much more linear in the late 1950s and early phases of the ensuing decade, with a handful of rock ‘n’ roll pioneers at the forefront of culture. These pathfinders vocalised the younger generation’s mindset and established a youth rebellion that set the scene for the immense explosion of the 1960s.
The likes of Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Elvis Presley were key in laying the foundations for the cultural boom of the 1960s. Their transgressive lyrics, swinging hips, and high-octane energy were refreshing and completely departed from the big band era that had soundtracked the war and the early 1950s.
However, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones took the baton from these American artists and sped off into the sunset. While there were clear discrepancies between the sounds of both groups, there’s no surprise that their energetic take on rock led the British Invasion’s charge. Bold and directly voicing their generation’s even more progressive thoughts, these gangs of brash lads were precisely what was needed to transform culture and reconfigure it in line with their own values, which were much more forward-thinking than those of their parents. The rebellion was no longer underground as it had been in the 1950s, it had infiltrated every aspect of society.
Whether it be the animated, raucous music, lyrics that ranged from explicitly personal to surreal and drug-fuelled, or the hedonistic behaviour, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones wrote a new handbook for cultural heroes and era-defining musicians. Although it was the Fab Four that instituted the most significant and numerous innovations, according to The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, both bands did something that he calls the “most important thing” either did.
When speaking to Guitar Player in 1989 following his band’s return to form, Steel Wheels – a 12-track album whittled down from nearly 30 tracks in just five weeks – Richards explained the shared achievement of his band and their Liverpudlian counterparts.
After noting that he thought the astounding five-week turnaround and Steel Wheels being the most acclaimed Stones album in years were connected, Richards said: “In a way, the most important thing maybe the Beatles and ourselves did was to treat every track we were cutting as if it was a potential single, and even if you knew it wasn’t going to be, you still put that much work into it. Which inevitably after a few years is the reason that albums started to become important instead of just 45s.”
Before that, Richards maintained that albums were typically comprised of two hit singles and “a load of filler”; even for the “best acts” like Smokey Robinson and The Miracles and the rest of Motown. The guitarist said that albums were always sold purely as an addition during the early days, with the single release the primary way of making money. However, both his band and The Beatles “did the most to actually hasten the demise of the 45″ by taking care of each track.”
Richards said that his band and The Beatles fought and won for the right to take as long as they wanted on albums. While the record labels might have gotten impatient with them, it was those two bands that transformed the album into something vital and more economically worthwhile than the 45. However, he’s always been a realist, and he noted that just because they won the right to do something didn’t mean they should always exercise it.
After all, The Rolling Stones had taken months to make albums that people hated, whereas their 1989 return to form took just over a month. Yet, it was thanks in part to them that the choice was even there.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Beatles Newsletter
All the latest stories about The Beatles from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.