Growing Up Absurd In The 1950s-The Billie And Frankie Stories

Thursday, May 15, 2014

***In The 50th Anniversary Year Of The Beatles Explosion

From The Pen Of Frank Jackman

The anniversary of the Beatles 50 years ago invasion drives the following comment from several years ago but is tempered today a little by the fact that both bands were miles ahead of what we had been listening to previously.

Stones or Beatles?

I make no bones about my preference for the Rolling Stones and will motivate that point a little below but here let me just set the parameters of the discussion. I am talking about the stuff they and the Beatles did when we were in high school, circa 1964. The time of the "invasion." I do not mean the later material like the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper or The Stones' Gimme Shelter. And no, I do not want to hear about how you really swooned over Bobby Darin or Bobby Dee rather than Mick or Paul.

I am not sure exactly when I first hear a Stones song although it was probably Satisfaction. However, what really hooked me on them was when they covered the old Willie Dixon blues classic Little Red Rooster made famous by the mic-eating Howlin’ Wolf. If you will recall that song was banned, at first, from the radio stations of Boston. Later, I think, and maybe someone can maybe help me out on this, WMEX broke the ban and played it. And no, the song was not about the doings of our barnyard friends. But beyond the sexual theme was the fact that it was banned that made me, and perhaps you, want to hear it at any cost. That says as much about my personality then, and now, as any long-winded statement I could make.

That event began my long love affair with the blues. And that is probably why, although the blues, particularly the Chicago blues, also influenced the Beatles, it is the Stones that I favor. Their cover still holds up, by the way. Not as good, as I found out later, as the one by the legendary Howlin' Wolf's mentioned above but good. I have also thought about the Stones influence recently as I have thought about the long ago past of my youth.

Compare some works like John Lennon's plaintive Working Class Hero and the Stones' agitated Street Fighting Man (yes, I know these are later works but they serve to make my point here) and I believe that something in the way the Stones from early on presented that angry, defiant sound appealed to my sense of working- class alienation. But enough. I will close with this. I have put my money where my mouth is with my preference. When the Stones toured Boston at Fenway Park in the summer of 2005 I spend many (too many) dollars to get down near the stage and watch old Mick and friends rock. How about that.

Street Fighting Man Lyrics
Artist(Band):The Rolling Stones
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)

Ev'rywhere I hear the sound of marching, charging feet, boy

'Cause summer's here and the time is right for fighting in the street, boy

But what can a poor boy do

Except to sing for a rock 'n' roll band

'Cause in sleepy London town

There's just no place for a street fighting man

Hey! Think the time is right for a palace revolution

'Cause where I live the game to play is compromise solution

Well, then what can a poor boy do

Except to sing for a rock 'n' roll band

'Cause in sleepy London town

There's just no place for a street fighting man

Hey! Said my name is called disturbance

I'll shout and scream, I'll kill the king, I'll rail at all his servants

Well, what can a poor boy do

Except to sing for a rock 'n' roll band

'Cause in sleepy London town

There's just no place for a street fighting man

"Working Class Hero" lyrics- John Lennon

As soon as your born they make you feel small,

By giving you no time instead of it all,

Till the pain is so big you feel nothing at all,

A working class hero is something to be,