Two Musical Groups or Music Styles

¶ … Bands

The British Invasion: The Beatles v the Rolling Stones

Two of the most influential rock bands of all time emerged from England in the 1960s during the British invasion. Although they came to prominence around the same time, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones each developed a style that was unique to their bands. Though the two bands were opposites in many ways, they helped to establish a new sound, both in England and the United States, which would revolutionize rock and roll.

The Beatles were made up of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. There were many early versions of the band including the Quarreymen, which was formed in 1959, then Johnny and the Moondogs, and then the Silver Beatles, the name that the band adopted before formalizing their line-up and becoming known as The Beatles.[footnoteRef:1] One of the first things that the band's managers targeted was their image. The Beatles had adopted a rocker image, which was reflective of the music they listened to and the artists that they were influenced by, particularly American artists such as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Johnnie Ray, Frankie, Lain, and Bill Haley.[footnoteRef:2] [1: David P. Szatmary. Rockin' In Time: A Social History of Rock-and-Roll. (Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000),103.] [2: Ibid., 104.]

The image that the Beatles had was changed to make them "more palatable to the general public."[footnoteRef:3] Additionally, the band's manager, Brian Epstein, brought in other professionals within the music industry to get the band signed to a record label and promotes them. While almost every label in England initially rejected them, the Beatles success garnered them international fame and helped to jumpstart Beatlemania. [3: Ibid., 105.]

On the other hand, The Rolling Stones can be considered the antithesis of the Beatles. While the Beatles were greatly influenced by American rockabilly, the Rolling Stones were massively influenced by American blues music. Brian Jones brought the Rolling Stones together in 1962. The first line-up of the band included Brian Jones, Tony Chapman, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Dick Taylor.[footnoteRef:4] Brian Jones initially set out to create an R&B band, but as time progressed, the band adopted a blues-driven rock sound. [4: Ibid,. 117.]

Like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones had to develop an image to match their sound and musical style. To help with their image, the Rolling Stones enlisted the help of Andrew Logg Oldham, a former publicist for the Beatles; Oldham helped to create "raunchy, crude, offensive image that contrasted sharply with the reputation of the Beatles."[footnoteRef:5] [5: Ibid.]

The Rolling Stones quickly became the second most popular rock band during the era, second only to the fame and popularity that the Beatles attained. While the Rolling Stones have had a career that spans more than five decades, the Beatles were only together for approximately ten years and only put out 12 studio albums. Furthermore, while the Rolling Stones continue to tour to this day, the Beatles quickly gave up life on the road and dedicated their time to creating innovative albums that brought together Eastern and Western musical styles.