Rock Band Seedings

The Colin Cowherd show on ESPN was running a bit where they filled out a 64-team bracket of the all-time greatest rock bands and they encouraged listeners to nominate bands for the #1 seeds on the bracket.  I took up the challenge and sent the following supporting my choice as #1 overall seed (I know, I need a job):

The Rolling Stones are a slam-dunk #1 seed, and in fact are the greatest rock ‘n roll band of all time. While the Beatles had more hits and Zeppelin basically invented heavy metal, no band can match the Stones’ combination of peak greatness, longevity, and iconic career highs and lows. They are the living, breathing definition of a rock band. Consider the following points:


PEAK: The Stones peaked between the years 1968 and 1972 when they produced a 4-album “grand slam”, all 4 of which are considered among the greatest albums in rock history, with Exile on Main Street and Let It Bleed generally thought to be in the top 10 or 15 ever. During this period they wrote and recorded such iconic rock songs as Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Honky Tonk Women, You Can’t Always Get What You Want, Sympathy for the Devil, Brown Sugar, Tumbling Dice, Street Fighting Man, Can’t You Hear Me Knocking, Wild Horses, Bitch, & Gimme Shelter. If the Stones had only existed for these 4 years, they still might be the best ever.

LONGEVITY: From 1964 when they first topped the British charts until 1981 when Start Me Up reached #2 in the U.S. the Stones were churning out hit songs and became the biggest brand in rock music. They had 8 straight #1 albums in the U.S. in the ‘70’s and had #1 singles spread out between 1965 (Satisfaction) and 1978 (Miss You).

INTANGIBLES: For anyone who grew up in the 60’s or 70’s, the Rolling Stones pretty much define the term Rock ‘n Roll Band. Mick Jagger is without a doubt the most iconic front man in rock history and what other band has an actual icon or label as recognizable as the Stones’ lips & tongue logo? Their 1965 song (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction took rock music in a whole new direction from the pop that dominated the early ‘60’s. It became a generational anthem and maybe the greatest rock song ever.

SUPPORT: The Stones have released 29 studio albums, 10 live albums, and 92 singles in their career. They have 14 singles among Rolling Stone magazine's top 500 ever and 10 albums among the 500 greatest. They were the first true rock band admitted into the Hall of Fame.

Finally, why would I rate the Stones ahead of the Beatles when the Fab Four clearly had more hits and more sales? The answer is because the Beatles were not a rock band at all. They were a pop group that couldn’t and wouldn’t play live music and had only marginal talent as musicians and performers. They were great songwriters. The Stones made great music and took it to their fans year after year. They have performed as a band for over 40 years and have left a body of work 2nd to none.

S