Who Is The Best Partner For Keith Richards In Stones?

[Brushpup]

Originally Posted by mgm

Hey, Brushpup. I suppose it is unfair of me to call Ron a shadow of anyone, but what I mean is that neither the band's sound nor direction has grown significantly since Ron came on board, at least not in any way that has captured my imagination. That may not be his doing; celebrity rarely makes people more interesting or more creative. And perhaps I just grew beyond them.

One thing has caused me to pay any continued attention to the Stones at all, really, and that is the musical tension between Keith and Charlie. Any new Stones song that I've never heard before, I can catch that it's them within two bars, long before Mick's vocals confirm it. Charlie's ability to swing that band with dead simplicity, and Keith's syncopation really stand out from the crowd.

To give you some sense of my musical background; I was playing drums before the Beatles showed up, and have continued to play until this day. I listen, for the most part, to classical music, with a preference for Baroque and earlier, and a little jazz. My playing remains rooted in the long tradition of American blues and rock; I'm one of those people who doesn't listen to what he plays.

One more thing; you mentioned that Brian was the most focused on the R&B track, and I have read that, too. It is indeed ironic, because he seems the least locked into that instrumentation. What other rock band went on stage, on national telelvision, with a damn xylophone? And ohmygosh, how could I forget the accordion, on Back Street Girl?

Not to mention a Sitar, and lets not forget harpsichord. They say he played whatever he picked up. Very interesting and we have similar tastes in poular music.......blues and rock. I love some classical too, mostly Bach and Mozart, favoring transcriptions to guitar.

Being a drummer, I am sure you notice how much Charlie follows Keith and then keeps it going. I love the banter between the two a lot (musically speaking) and it's just one thing that holds my interest. My musical background is nada. Just a music buff and a three chord know nothing on guitar. Still love playing around though and love all sorts of music. Do try to play some of what I listen to though. Sadly, most I will never master.


Patrick