The Beatles vs. the Rolling Stones

Went to see Martin Scorsese's new concert film Shine A Light with the Rolling Stones, and I have to admit the aged rockers put on a good show. Sure, Mick and Keith's life-long love affair with the blues is still going strong, but their music has become strangely soulless. They jump around, make faces, and the energy level is high, but I didn't care. I've seen it all before, better--the Rolling Stones are now just a machine, reveling in their own outlaw, devil-may-care ethos, a mere simulation of their former selves. Kinda makes me glad the Beatles never got back together, that band stays forever young. The Beatles' music remains fully intact, pure, and blemish free.

The Beatles' film catalog is uneven all right, but as musical documents, they're all pretty amazing. A Hard Days Night remains a light romp; the tunes come fast and furious, the Beatles are having a blast. Help hasn't aged as well as a film, but the song sequences are still fantastic, Yellow Submarine is still trippy as all get out, Magical Mystery Tour is mostly awful cinema, redeemed with strong tunes. Let It Be has yet to make it to DVD, but even in the Beatles' twilight, the magic was still there.

If you want to see the Stones at their peak, check out Gimme Shelter, a documentary film covering the last days of their 1969 tour. Scorsese's high-speed editing of Shine A Light doesn't help the film, it just fritters away the band's true grit. Scorsese spends way too much time dishing out close ups of Jagger, and rarely covers the complete band. They're mere backup musicians to the star. That's sad, because the Rolling Stones, even now, are much greater than the sum of its members.

[Earthman71]

Mate!!!! Come on!!! The Stones are sounding GREAT these days - I've only seen clips from the movie Shine A Light but I got the soundtrack and I've been listening to it almost non-stop for the past few days. It grooves, rocks, swings, twangs - it's just great - the best Stones live album in ages. Just remember, like the Beatles, you either love or don't love the Stones. Maybe your just from a different soul group and The Stones just don't gel with you.

[johnnysocko]

Scorsese did it again! How many close-ups of Robbie Robertson in the Last Waltz? I get it, they both are front-men, but both films put the lead guys a little too front and center compared to the other members. Poor Charlie Watts, never getting his. Still, Last Waltz = BEST CONCERT MOVIE EVER! Can't say the same about this one. Not bad, but a little tiring by the end. Will the DVD have the same caveat: "Play Very Loud"

[Healeyblue]

Steve,

Agree with you completely. I love the Stones! However, watching them go through the motions in their 60s is boring. It just doesn't add to the music.

[make_or_break]

Watching our music heroes struttin' still their stuff well into their sixties is one of those conundrums that, well, is hard to get a grasp around. In one sense, it's heartening to see that they've still 'got it', yet at the same time you can't help feeling that it's become something of a parody, yet another extension and variation of the sort of rock and roll oldies revival shows that PBS uses in their incessant quests for money. No one likes to admit that they're growing old, least of all me, but there simply are some places we really shouldn't go anymore, at least with a wrinkled facade of the proverbial (aged) straight face. Then again, listening to Rod Stewart mangling Cole, Kahn or Carmichael has even less personal appeal, and really puts my abilities to control stomach acid to the test.