On the other hand, there are some bands or albums that are so clearly influenced, it’s almost hard not to consider them either far too derivative or just a flat-out ripoff.
Then there are those bands whose influences are completely unambiguous, but who still manage to infuse enough of their own personality into the music so they can tread that fine line between originality and plagiarism.
The Rolling Stones manage this tightrope quite well, repeatedly showcasing their uniquely individual interpretation of American blues. One of the best examples is their 1972 opus, Exile on Main Street.
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For some reason people love to compare the Beatles and the Stones as if they were the same sort of band, and a person’s preference was based on intangibles or aesthetics. But really, they are two incredibly different bands. Even in the early songs, it's clear that the two are as far apart as black and white: the Beatles are more Elvis, Buddy Holly, and Big Bopper while the Stones were Howlin' Wolf, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry. And that disparity only grew with time.
Exile almost seems like a road-trip through the heartland of American proto-rock music, featuring songs with so much Delta and Memphis blues influence that you can almost taste the mint juleps. Despite the unmistakably Stones sound of Richards’ guitar and Jagger’s vocals, the songs on this album all sound as if they have been regular selections in honky tonks and gin joints around the south going back to the early 1900’s.
Which is remarkable, because other than Shake Your Hips and Stop Breaking Down, all of these songs are Jagger-Richards creations. Clearly, Mick and Keith were tuned in to the blues.
Even though I always liked the Stones I never really seemed to get into them until I bought Some Girls as my first Stones album when I was in eighth grade. After that, I got hooked and needed to feed the monkey in a big way. I forgot why I chose Exile as my next Stones album, but I did, grabbing it over such others as Goats Head Soup, Beggars’s Banquet, or Sticky Fingers. The thing is, even though I loved Some Girls (and played it very frequently) I recall a distinct sense of disappointment on my first listen to Exile because it just seemed too bluesy. And even though I had heard Rocks Off and Tumbling Dice before buying the album (as did any kid listening to FM radio back in the late 70’s/early 80’s), I guess I wasn’t prepared for just how bluesy and roots the album would be. Which is even more surprising considering that Some Girls is very similar in that respect. I suppose I was hoping for more stuff like Satisfaction or Sympathy for the Devil.
But for me, Exile was one of those albums that got better as I got older. And by the time I got into college and experienced the standard White-kid-discovers-Black-music-via-the-blues transformation, I had really come to appreciate the raw, basic, and honest feel of it. The record is not polished at all, and one wonders whether there was even a producer present for most of it. But that sort of stripped-down lack of pretense really does help the songs.This go round I realized that even though Exile is not one of my favorite Stones albums (nor one of my favorite overall albums), I have a very special affection for it. It’s a bit dated, a bit worn around the edges, a bit rough, and a bit messy. But then again, so am I.
I guess it’s just one of those things.
Up Next: The Mothers' Traveling Circus
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