In the Day you were described by who you liked. If you were a Beatles fan, then that’s what you were. No other band existed on the planet. If you liked the Dave Clark Five, you were a soiled orifice who didn’t get the Beatles. Those who thought Herman’s Hermits were the nuts, were nuts, or you were your parents. If your musical tastes ran to other less known acts, then you were merely a marginalized orifice, subject to loud guffaws and finger-pointing by your peers.
Then there were the Stones.
Nobody sort of liked the Stones. The Who were fine, the Kinks were acceptable, but the Stones? Either you got it, 100%, or you were the kind of person whom, if you were on fire, Stones fans wouldn’t piss on to put out.
It has been fifty years since their first gig in the UK and I can still remember a neighbour playing the grooves off High Tide and Green Grass when I was old enough to have my own taste in music around 1966 Then we discovered the earlier stuff on Decca, along with the writing credit of Nanker Phelge. The Beatles? Who?
Having seen the Stones, live, more than once, it is this author’s considered opinion that the title of Best Band Ever should go to the Stones. Yes, now they only play huge arenas when they need to take a break from counting their money. Mick didn’t just attend the London School of Economics; he paid attention too.
But with the right eyes, Keith’s opening chops of “Start Me Up”, “Brown Sugar” “Street Fightin’ Man” or even Charlie’s cowbell on “Honky Tonk Women” can tear the brains out of 100,000 people at once. We’ve seen it happen.
The Stones. Best. Band. Ever.
RoadDave 
At the risk of iviting your ire, I might have to argue with the Greatest band label. I will, however, proudly admit that (even though a few years younger than you) I never “got” the Beatles, and while not die-hard, am a great admirer of the Stones. It amazes me, every time I see the boys on TV, that one of them haven’t dropped from drink and debauchery (with the obvious exception). It gives me hope that I didn’t pass “middle-aged” in my 30s!
(Greatest band ever? Well, let’s just say their driving force is the incredible Mark Knopfler, Maybe with a side order of tongue from a demon cat spaceman. 😉 )
Dang! Make that “inviting” your ire, not “iviting”. Bloody typos! And speaking of “bloody”, have you been voting for your own bloody posts? For SHAME! 😀
No ire is needed. Everyone can have their own musical tastes. Typos are just like lint, it’s everywhere. As for voting for my own posts? Hell, nobody else does! ;-0
hey Hey HEY! Check the votes at the top of the page, young man! You will notice TWO votes! I have ALWAYS voted for you, and ALWAYS all 5 stars! Don’t you EVER accuse a Chicagoan of not voting – we’re the most prolific voters on the planet! 😉