7 The Rolling Stones 7their mid-1960s contemporaries—notably Bob Dylan,
Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, and Van Morrison—have
maintained individual positions in rock’s front line, the
Rolling Stones’ nucleus of singer Jagger, guitarist Richards,
and drummer Watts remains rock’s most durable ongoing
partnership.
In the process, the Stones have become rock’s definitive,
emblematic band: a seamless blend of sound, look, and
public image. That they are the mold from which various
generations of challengers have been struck—from the
Who, Led Zeppelin, and Aerosmith (via the New York
Dolls), the Clash, the Sex Pistols all the way to Guns N’
Roses and Oasis—is virtually inarguable. In their onstage
personae, Jagger and Richards established the classic rock
band archetypes: the preening, narcissistic singer and the
haggard, obsessive guitarist.
Formed in London as an alliance between Jagger,
Richards, and multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones along
with Watts and bassist Wyman, the Stones began as a
grubby conclave of students and bohemians playing a then-
esoteric music based on Chicago ghetto blues in pubs and
clubs in and around West London. Their potential for
mass-market success seemed negligible at first, but by 1965
they were second only to the Beatles in the collective
affection of teenage Britain. However, whereas the Beatles
of the mid-1960s had longish hair, wore matching suits, and
appeared utterly charming, the Stones had considerably
longer hair, all dressed differently, and seemed thoroughly
intimidating. As the Beatles grew ever more respectable
and reassuring, the Stones became correspondingly more
rebellious and threatening. The Stones—specifically
Jagger, Richards, and Jones—were subjected to intense
police and press harassment for drug use and all-purpose
degeneracy, whereas the Beatles, who were in private life