In an alternate world, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles could be together once and for all. I had this thought the other day about just how much The Beatles and The Rolling Stones mean to music. As I thought about it and talked to a few friends about it – I realized that rock wouldn’t be what it is today, or pop, for that matter, without these two bands.
When we look at song structure in pop music, The Beatles really hit home in the way that modern music is written in the catchy verse, chorus, verse, chorus aspect. Sometimes, a pre-chorus is there, and sometimes, a song doesn’t need it. When it comes to the Rolling Stones, they pioneered the way that rock sounds in the aspect of sonically diverse tones.
The Rolling Stones were the first band to use fuzz on their guitars on an album thanks to their hit ‘Satisfaction’. When you combine these two bands, you truly do get an idea of just how important they are to mainstream pop and rock music.
Absolutely, there are other flavors, variations, spices, and kettles that helped to shape rock and pop music before and after both of the above bands, but I would be remiss if it wasn’t mentioned the importance of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to modern music. Even if many artists don’t mean to be influenced by either band – they still are one way or another, be it by degree of separation or subliminally.
The surviving members of The Beatles and all of the Rolling Stones are currently working on new music together. There is a lot of speculation as to how it will sound, but nothing is in stone just yet. Paul will be working some bass (possibly vocals as well) and Ringo will be drumming on some tracks. It feels like a great colab, but is it too late?
If we go back to the era of Lennon and George Harrison still being alive, I feel that we could have a totally different sound. In fact, I feel like A.I. will soon release something like this. Imagining a song where John Lennon is crooning and Mick Jagger is screaming just feels great on the brain. I don’t really believe that youth is lost on any current members of either band, but I feel like there is something to be said about a band that just wants to make it rather than a band that’s already there.
I feel if the two would have gotten together earlier, that we could have even seen a more progressed and evolved version of rock music even sooner. I feel that distortion work when it comes to the guitar could have been pushed ahead even sooner and even more widely accepted. Screaming would have been more modern at the time too.
Imagine John Lennon using fuzz pedals on more tracks because The Rolling Stones taught him about the pedals.
Taking a step away from looking at the past – there may be something tangible for today. The Rolling Stones and The Beatles could very well go on tour soon. In a way, it feels perfect for it to be the final tour for everyone in both bands. A coming of age, a tell-tale of time, and of course – showcasing how important both bands are.
If I’m Paul and Ringo, then I’d have The Stones fill in where they need to in The Beatles while playing all the hits. It would feel odd, surely, but it just seems like the perfect close to tragedy that The Beatles have had to endure through their careers.
Start the tour in the UK and come to America and then ensure that fans worldwide get a glimpse at these bands is how it should be booked. I would end the tour in each hometown of each band as well. The tour should kick off in The Beatles hometown and end in the Rolling Stones’ hometown.
