ADELE

Too right...I beleive in 3 things the King James bible, the marine corps, and Richard Jalen!!!!!

Zombeels

The Beatles although called it quits too soon, the Rolling Stones have gone on way too long. What used to be one of the greatest bands is now a joke.

__________________
What It Is

Rainard Jalen

About the Stones, I've heard quite a few albums and nothing seems to touch Exile On Main Street? I found that interesting (if it's true and it's not just me being underexposed) since it was made in the 70s - you might expect that their best of best work would be in the 60s.

Urban Hat€monger ?

Let It Bleed?
Beggars Banquet?
Between The Buttons?

__________________

ADELE

The stones were better live and that is why they still tour. Their music is good live like the who.
The Beatles later work is orchastra orientated so live shows would be theatre rather then live gigs. I mean, they couldn't perform songs from pepper at the Marquee and get everyone up for the gig. That is why people prefer live stones.
The stones did he acid phase but returned to rock quickly.
Bands that do good live gigs always keep going but bands that do studio work tend to either stop touring or tour their other work that is better live. The Beatles wouldn't tour with "love me do" anymore so they just quit.
The stones were a live band like oasis who emulate them now.

Rainard Jalen

The Beatles had plenty of stuff to tour with even if you just took Hard Days Night --> Rubber Soul and the non-album singles (e.g. Day Tripper, Paperback Writer, I Feel Fine) and the B-Sides (e.g. She's A Woman, I'm Down). But you're right that Sgt.Pepper was not tourable material for its orchestral orientation.

However, I think you got it the wrong way round. They didn't stop touring because of the sonic shift. Rather, the sonic shift was borne out of their decision to stop touring. Sgt.Pepper for example was originally conceived when the Beatles were exploring the question of how they could create a record that would do the touring for them. That's where the fictional band concept arose from.

ADELE

yeah that's true. They were also worried about attcks on their lives as they made powerfull enemies.
I also think that lsd and psychedelia and spiritual thinking was more long standing with the beatles when the stones went right back to rock after Brian died.
It is possible to do live shows with conceptual albums like Floyd but in the main live concerts are about more rock n roll pub type numbers and the stones wrote them.
On a purely personal level I think the beatles are like spots and shakespeare to a teenager who is into music or making a band. Like me listening to love me do and falling in love for the first time and later generations do the same and all tell each other the anecdote about the movement you need is on your shoulder with Lennon saying to Paul, "no that is the best line."
But as an adult I find the beatles a bit depressing now and I am a bit too old to enjoy love me do the same way.
Where as the Stones early stuff does kind of stay fresh and makes me want to roll one and knock back you know.
There is something about some of the beatles work that has become to my mind like seaside trips in the UK. Like Blackpool pleasure beach kiss me quick hats in the eighties if you get me. Like Morrissey's Every day's like Sunday (I love that song) portrays.
A bit like Elvis it makes you think of old men who have pictures of him on their walls and still gel their hair back and it reminds me of old retired peoples social bingo days out listening to The wonder of you.
The beatles have that same effect on me and lots of other people I speak to.
Where as the Stones still sound like fresh, sexy, sassy and cool.
But you are right Richard. I do remember reading that. In some ways when you think about it the beatles were very good live if you ever listened to their bbc recordings when they first started recording rock n roll.
I think that marketing of them for mass appeal was what Lennon hated himself. He said he felt a prick in the same suit like that.
I'd say the stones are better if I'm going to decide.
Oh yeah, one other thing about the stones, they were so fresh and unique when they came out. They were not original as they loved R&B and the blacks in the states were doing what they did but to the UK they were so new, sexy and sassy whereas the Beatles kind of came from a genre and the Beach Boys had already done the same stuff a couple of years earlier and so were other Epstein bands.
This may be a bit sweeping but perhaps the stones introduced the UK to R&B and then the Who followed.
The stones were more inovative in the UK for that reason I think.

ProggyMan

Bull****. The Beatles stopped touring because they got jaded with the thousands of screaming teenagers outside their hotel every night, and decided they wanted to make music for themselves. They started out as a Rock n' Roll band, and only changed when Brian Epstein started managing them. To everyone who calls the Beatles simply 'pop' or whatever, listen to Helter Skelter, A Day In The Life etc.

ADELE

No, they stopped touring because Epstein died and because they were bored of what they were doing and because they had heard the Beach Boys.
And when I say they I should say Lennon as it was his band and he called the shots.
They were also worried about their lives with serious assasinations going on in the US and they were against the war.
And John met Yoko and wanted different things.
You do have a point about helter skelter and other John songs that is true.
It is not either or but a combination.
But to return to the original point I do think all things considered the stones are a better rock n roll band in terms of live and rock your socks off.
But lets face it noone could really say one was more then the other.
I would put a case for the stones as R&B from the US like Muddy Waters is more Rock n Roll and the type of songs you could get a street going to.
The Beatles later work is more introspective and Rock n Roll usually means good time.
Thats the best case I can put but wouldn't argue too feircely for it.

ProggyMan

But Paul wrote Helter Skelter...Anway, every single member of the band has said they stopped touring because they got tired physically and mentally of life on the road. The things you mentioned were factors though. I think the Beatles had plenty of grit, it's just their earlier records earned them a soft reputation. Rock n' Roll means sex, so...Really though, I don't think Rock has to be confined to loud-mouthed sex pots.