Rolling Stones or Beatles....Beatles or Stones -- there was an ongoing, overly earnest debate in which I likely participated as a Beatles fan about the greatest rock/pop band of the era. Of course, there were lots of other worthy contenders. The Stones were raw and the Beatles were constantly innovative. The Beatles were frisky in the early days but became more workmanlike on the stage and toured less. The Stones were always in front of audiences and had Mick Jagger as their over-the-top showman. Both had drummers in Ringo Starr and Charlie Watts who didn't draw attention but were at the core of the there respective band's beat.
Charlie Watts died a couple of days ago at the age of 80 having led a quiet later life in rural Devon with his wife of nearly 60 years, Shirley Ann Shepherd. He once commented that his marriage was successful because he wasn't really a rock star. He certainly was, even though he chose not to follow most of the stereotypes (he did have a period of drug addiction which his wife helped him through.)
I will say that while I continue to be a huge Beatles fan I don't recall ever quoting one of their songs in a sermon. I did draw on the lyrics of the Stones Sympathy for the Devil (1968) a couple of times through the years because the song is brilliant at addressing the reality of evil through the ages. It was often decried and even banned from the BBC for a while, but it is fascinating. Here are the lyrics:
Please allow me to introduce myself
I've been around for a long, long years
Stole million man's soul an faith
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