By David DeRocco dave@gobeweekly.com  https://twitter.com/?lang=en 

Beatles or Stones, Beatles or Stones – the battle to determine which of these Knights of the Sound Board is the rightful heir to the rock and roll crown has been going on ever since these two first staked their claim to the charts over half a century ago. It’s an endless argument that fails to acknowledge one very important fact: that for all the comparisons made between the bands and their music, The Beatles were ultimately, incomparable, existing in a stratosphere all their own thanks to the initial and lingering impact they had on the culture and the music of their generation.

 So let’s ignore that fruitless debate, and get to a real apples to apples comparison. The Stones….or The Who, the two true faces of an English subculture centred on fashion, music, and blues-rooted British rock and roll. One dubbed the “world’s greatest rock and roll band.” The other, pugnacious purveyors of “Maximum R&B.” Two icons of the era, each exalted for the depth of their song-writing abilities, the spectacle of their live performances, the personalities of their players, and each for outlasting The Beatles by 50 years while still mounting tours in 2019.    

 As someone who has seen the live spectacle that is The Rolling Stones and The Who a combined 47 times, I have to admit I’ve spent most of my life in the Stones camp singing their praises. But upon closer analysis of a very specific data set, I am officially coming out and proclaiming with pride, The Who are my favourite band in the world! With Mick in recovery and The Who still rolling into Buffalo’s Keybank Centre May 9^th, I felt it was time to share the “10 Reasons Why The Who Are Better Than The Stones.”

1)    VOCALIST

A mange of golden curls. A chiseled jaw. Muscular arms in a skin tight Tee. And that scream – Roger Daltrey, man’s man, rough and rugged, with a street-smart London sneer that sings “aw, who the fuck are you” with intentional malice. Compare that to the prancing Nancy-boy that gives the Stones all their “swagger.” Mick’s so effeminate he even tempted Pete Townshend, who claimed an attraction to Mick in his autobiography. All organ grinders have a monkey; Keith Richards has Mick Jagger. Plus, for all Mick’s conquests, he never got a young Ann Margaret like Roger allegedly did while filming Tommy.

WINNER: The Who

2)    GUITARIST

Keith Richards vs Pete Townshend. If you were starting a band, who would you pick? A petulant, moody, sexually confused geek with a wicked windmill guitar style, or a jacked up Chuck Berry clone oozing wasted chic with an endless taste for blues, bourbon and brown rock? This is a tough one, given Pete’s lyrical talents and Keith’s ability to write guitar licks in his sleep. I will say this: the Stones could have survived with Mick Taylor and Ron Wood had Keith succumbed to early addictions, but The Who could never survive without Pete.

DRAW

3)    DRUMMER

Here’s a drummer joke you don’t often hear: “What does Charlie Watts use for contraception? His personality.” Sure, everyone loves and respects Charlie, but there’s no denying Keith Moon is the guy most rock heads would love to hang with for a weekend of debauched fun. Keith Moon channeled his self-destructive live-life-on-the-edge fearlessness into his playing, while Charlie’s claim to fame is rock-solid timing and the world’s easiest after-gig tear down thanks to his preference for a four-piece kit. Keith may be dead, Charlie just seems that way.

WINNER: The Who

4)    BASSIST

He was nicknamed “The Ox” or “Thunderfingers,” the result of an instrumental approach that used pentatonic lead lines and a treble-rich full volume sound created by his preferred roundwound RotoSound steel bass strings. John Entwistle, voted in 2011 as the greatest bass guitarist of all time in a Rolling Stone reader’s poll. The Ox played large and lived large; he died in Room 658 of Nevada’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, after a night binging on strippers and cocaine – a rock legend in life and death. Bill Wyman, on the other hand, married 18-year-old Mandy Smith in June, 1989, at aged 52. That wouldn’t have been so bad, had he not started dating her when she was 13.

WINNER: The Who

5)    SOLO RECORDS

The whole is better than the sum of its parts. Nowhere is that adage truer than when looking at the spotty track record of solo albums from members of The Who and Stones. Let’s start with Jagger, who’s solo efforts began in ’85 with She’s The Boss, followed by Primitive Cool, Wandering Spirit and Goddess In The Doorway (or as Keith calls it, Dogshit In The Doorway). The only track that received any substantial airplay was Mick’s first solo single, “Just Another Night,” but that didn’t stop him from packing them all up in a Best of Mick Jagger release. We have Jagger’s sloppy solo career to thank for the fact the Stones are still touring, in part to pacify Mick’s bruised ego from such constant failure. Then again, Daltrey hasn’t fared much better. From his self-titled ’73 debut, through Ride The Rock Horse, the Keith Moon tribute Under A Raging Moon and the McVicar soundtrack, Daltrey’s best solo success came with the song, “Free Me.”

 While Keith Richards solo is more miracle than magic, he did release three albums that delivered exactly what you’d expect from the man: 1998’s Talk Is Cheap, ‘92s Main Offender and the recent effort, Crosseyed Heart, which hit #1 in Austria of all places. All three met with solid reviews but little airplay. For that kind of radio success, you need look no further than Townshend’s Empty Glass, voted one of the Top 100 albums of the 80s and easily the most successful solo effort of the bunch. Then again, Townshend also released the god-awful All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes, which one reviewer described as “pretentious at an unprecedented level of difficulty.” Solo singles from Townshend include “Rough Boys,” “Let My Love Open the Door,” “A Little Is Enough,” “Face the Face” and “Give Blood,” solid songs that still hold up to this day. In truth, Townshend’s best solo project never saw the light of day. His aborted Lifehouse album included tracks that would eventually become The Who classic, Who’s Next.

WINNER: The Who

6)    DEATH AND DESTRUCTION

When it comes to rock and roll deaths, both bands have endured tragic loss: for the Stones, that meant Brian Jones face down in the bottom of the swimming pool. For The Who, the inevitable drug overdose of Keith Moon at age 32 and Entwistle’s powder and poon exit in a Vegas hotel room were both equally sad. But the real tragedy surrounding the bands was the death of their fans. On December 6, 1969, four Stones fans died at Altamont, including concert goer Meredith Hunter, who was stabbed by aggressive Hell’s Angels hired on as security. Three more deaths, including a hit and run that killed two and a drowning, forever tarnished the Stone’s attempt to end the ‘60s on a high note. On the bright side, four births also happened at Altamont, so maybe the cycle of life was in sync after all. The Who, on the other hand, went on stage December 3^rd, 1979 in Cincinnati, not knowing that 11 of their fans had been crushed to death – the result of 18,000 people trying to rush in when doors opened at 7:45 for the 8:00pm show. Even in death, the Stones can’t measure up to The Who

WINNER: The Who

7)    MOVIE ROLES

Have you seen Mick Jagger’s performance in Performance? Ned Kelly? Freejack? The Man from Elysian Fields? No, why would you. They all sucked. Now, seeing Keef play Keef the Pirate in Pirates of the Caribbean, that was brilliant. Daltrey’s also got a checkered movie resume, one that includes Tommy, Lisztomania, McVicar and, surprisingly, The Little Match Girl amongst others. Normally, playing a deaf, dumb and blind kid is a direct ticket to an Oscar nod, given the Academy’s penchant for misery. However, Daltrey’s dead-eyed delivery couldn’t match the best performance in Tommy, which was a delightful Keith Moon playing perverted Uncle Ernie. Let’s call this one even.

DRAW

8)    SONGS

You could spend all day arguing over which songs by The Who and the Stones are better, but to cut to the chase, we’ll compare the Top 3 songs from each band as chosen in a Rolling Stone magazine reader’s poll. For the Stones, counting down from three to one, that meant “Paint It Black,” “Sympathy for the Devil,” and “Gimme Shelter.” For The Who, “My Generation,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” and “Baba O’Reily.” Those six songs are as iconic as classic rock can get, encompassing innovative middle-eastern sitars, raging anti-war protestation, the absolute desolation of teenagers at Woodstock, and just a hint of pro-Satanism. There’s also an abundance of quotable song lyrics, from “it’s not easy facin’ up when your whole world is black,” to “hope I die before I get old.” Personal preference will always skew opinions, so for this one, we’ll declare it even

DRAW

9)    LIVE ALBUM

All the best bootlegs aside, it really gets down to two albums. The Stones were the best rock 'n' roll band on the planet when they recorded 'Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!' in 1969. And this album reflects a time before the drugs, apathy, greed and bad performances took over. 'Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!' captures the essence of a band completely on fire, tearing through a lean set that's raw, thrilling and dangerous. Live At Leeds, however, unleashes the full fury of Pete Townshend’s Gibson SG Special as heard through his Hiwatt amps cranked to infinity. Even a 14-plus minute version of “My Generation” can’t derail this live masterpiece, which was voted #3 on a list of the greatest live rock albums of all time. It stands as the only live album featuring the band’s original line-up, while the Stones continued to release diluted, sloppy live albums for decades. They finally redeemed themselves with the thoroughly enjoyable “unplugged” album, Stripped, in 1995. Too little too late.

WINNER: The Who

10) Concept Album

Quadrophenia. Or His Satanic Majesties Request. “Love Reign O’er Me,” or “She’s a Rainbow.” “I Am The Sea,” “The Real Me,” “I’m One,” “Bell Boy,” and “5:15.” Or “Gomper” (video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVUJLt6LMqM). And then there’s Tommy. Mic drop, game over.

WINNER: The Who

(photo credit; Art Kane)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Looking for things to do in Niagara? Need Niagara event listings? Searching for Niagara’s best entertainment, music and theatre? Want to search Niagara concert listings? Before you GO out, BE informed. Log onto www.GoBeWeekly.com.