The three classic bands Keith Richards said were “thrown together”
Given Keith Richards’ stature in the music industry, it’s fair to acknowledge that he’s earned the right to express his opinions, even if they’re not always accurate. As one of the most iconic musicians and songwriters of all time, Richards, the guitarist of The Rolling Stones, has never been hesitant to voice his thoughts and feelings about other bands. However, when it came to three classic outfits, he remained unconvinced of their authenticity.
Some acts have been hit time and time again by Richards’ critique. Sex Pistols got it pretty bad as he deemed them “shit” made for “mass-media consumption”, but they were a regular target of feuds and fights. However, three bands that the guitarist really seemed to dislike are more surprising, being some of the biggest in the world.
When asked who the greatest artists on the planet were, Richards replied, “I’m not going to say Led Zeppelin, The Who, Black Sabbath. I’d only be lying, they’re not my favourites.” His issue with the acts all came down to a matter of origin and organisation as he added, “They’re thrown together, and you always feel it. You can always see the join.”
On the surface, it feels like a fair comment when considering the Stones’ origin. At its core, and standing as the enduring original members, the band are led by two best friends. Mick Jagger and Richards first met in primary school, and after reuniting later in life, they discovered their mutual music taste and desire to bring more American blues sounds to the UK music scene. Theirs is a collaboration that seemed authentic and organic as the two friends and musicians understood one another totally.
In contrast, Led Zeppelin were a band formed out of chopping and changing as the members gathered from various bands and built a group from a circle of professional session musicians. Black Sabbath came about in much the same way, as the carcasses of older bands were picked at to form something new.
The Who, however, were perhaps just as organic as the Stones as the three founding members met during their school days in Acton. While the members did switch up as time went on, the core of Roger Daltry and Pete Townshend stuck together from those grammar school days.
While we usually love Richards’ sharp one-liners and his outright takes on the music world, this one feels slightly hypocritical. Badmouthing other bands for being “thrown together” feels a little contradictory coming from an artist whose group has had many members come and go. Even if the Stones originally came together organically through friendship or the London jazz scene, by the time they booted their founder Brian Jones, they auditioned for a new member and brought in several new people over the years.
And if we’re talking about seeing the join, or weak spots, in a lineup, the Stones have had plenty of in-fights and fallouts that have splintered the original friendships. At one point, Richards himself even briefly left to do a solo career instead of touring with the group. Surely, that is the very definition of being able to see the cracks.
While he might be a legend, we can’t always trust Richards’ opinions to be right. In 1977, he once claimed that David Bowie and Led Zeppelin wouldn’t be “anywhere in the future let alone the present”. So even though his thoughts might be a fun little quip of sharp musical judgment, they’re definitely to be taken with a pinch of salt.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Led Zeppelin Newsletter
All the latest stories about Led Zeppelin from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.