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Yesterday I was discussing music with a few of my buddies, and The Rolling Stones came up. For the record, I do like The Rolling Stones, they are a fantastic band…even better today than they were thirty years ago. But among my group of friends, they came to the consensus that they are one of the best bands to walk the earth, and yet, I sat by the wayside, as I beg to differ. 

The Rolling Stones wrote some fantastic songs over the years. Including one of my personal favorite songs of all time “Loving Cup.” But, for the era that the Rolling Stones were introduced into the mainstream music industry, there are plenty of bands that I would label above them, perhaps, taking them off a pedestal everyone seems to hoist them up on to.

The Grateful Dead- One could argue that this is the most influential band of the 60-70s. They made magic happen in their live performances. Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh were revolutionary in the way they made improvisation happen when no one else was doing it. They really did define talent during this time period as opposed to playing cliche hits much in the way The Rolling Stones did/do.

The Beatles- Probably the most important rock band in history. Their arsenal of songwriting ability mixed with spirituality, culture, and aesthetics as musicians and artists cannot go without recognizing them as a band exponentially greater than The Rolling Stones.

Velvet Underground- The creators of the indie culture. Was there anything complex about the way these guys made music? Absolutely not. Did they have a defining effect on the music industry today? Yes. We would not have had Elliot Smith, Franz Ferdinand and others, if it was not for these guys and their message to the music industry in a way that The Rolling Stones never did/will.

Led Zeppelin- Need I say more? Only around for the better part of a decade, how many genres of music did they cover? Folk Rock, Middle-Eastern genres, pop rock, hair metal…the list goes on. Jimmy Page is a fantastic guitarist with the ability to improvise. I would like to see these guys come back and do a tour one of these years, but I don’t know if that will ever happen. In the 10 years these guys were around, they sold more albums than any other band on the face of the planet. 

Pink Floyd- WOW! David Gilmour is on fire when he plays for a live audience. If you ever get a chance, get Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” DVD and tell me that there is not something fantastic that half of society missed when this band was together. Not to mention, these guys made full albums that were like a story book. From beginning to end, they established a mood, and told a story. Still to this day, there is not a band that I think can compose an album quite the way that Pink Floyd did…yes, not even The Rolling Stones.

Bob Marley & the Wailers- In a time of racism, inequality, and a poor society in Jamica, what guy made more optimistic music than Bob Marley. What individual defined a whole genre of music all to himself, still being the figurehead for the rastafarian movement and reggae music 30 years after the fact. Bob Marley gave an outlook on life that went beyond many American’s traditional Western Culture values, and induced us with a new perspective on faith, music, and life.

I could name many more from the time period of the 60s and 70s(The Who, Clash, CCR, Eagles, Doors, Allman Brothers) ….but the fact of the matter is, The Rolling Stones are nothing fantastic comparitively. Musically and culturally, I think there are many other bands that are much more significant at this time. 

Once again, I must go with saying, I like The Rolling Stones. But how many times can you hear “Satisfaction” as an opening song for a set? Well, 100% of the time, because that’s what they do! Keith Richards, a fantastic guitarist, is limited by his ability to play the same riffs he’s been playing for 40 years. Let the guy improvise, set him loose to exemplify why The Rolling Stones are greater than the bands I have listed above them, because I want to hear it.