I've thought about this often....but do we own a debt of gratitude to the stones about how we have been brought up and what we can say and the freedom we have..

i mean they really made the 60's wake up and realise that young people had their own voice .....they made peple deal with long hair...not wearing a tie...relationship outside marrige(mick and marianne)

if there was that quantum leap moment and the stones hadn't have happened where would we be now in terms of social attitude and music.

man...this whiskey's good

They played a contributory role for sure. Wouldn't care to try and quantify it myself, but they're in there "somewhere" ... no doubt about it !!

(PS: I'm not drinking ANYTHING, let alone whiskey !!)

There were other bands around during the sixties with similar dress and atitude, ie The Who, the Animals, The yardbirds plus others so maybe it wouldn't be that different now.

i was asked to do a workshop for educators about the Stones' cultural impact.
it took six hours just to get through the 1960s, and it was so popular i had to take it on tour.
that was something! :E

NO NO NO NO NO!!

You have totally missed the point which is : It's Only Rock and Roll.

All this crap about rock and roll being instrumental in the fall of communism is a romantic myth. Keith may have said he believes it but he does occasionally come out with piffel.

OK so some kids in former communist countries my have dug the Stones. But there were bigger forces at play. The Stones (and the beatles) were a product of their times - they didn't create their times. True they may have had an influence on what came after them but don't get it it distorted.

Ah, it's enormous! I'll give it a go - first things that come into my mind.

In music - obviously - they've inspired three generations of musicians and they've contributed to the increased recognition of artists like Robert Johnson, Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters - and the list goes on.
In art: They've inspired painters - like Warhol and Haakon Bleken. And numerous photographers, like Annie Liebowitz and Anthon Corbijn. And of course, Ronnie's work has inspired quite a few fans and painters.
In film: They've inspired several directors. Martin Scorsese talked about this before the release of SAL. He's used their music in several of his films. TV series have used Stones songs, some of them really successfully.
In fashion: They've inspired numerous designers. Their 60's and 70's style, particularly, is the main inspiration for some of the hottest trends of today. Keith and Anita, Mick and Marianne in particular have inspired Gaultier, D&G and several fashion icons.
In litterature: their impact can't be over estimated!
I stongly believe that the Stones have been among the most important inspirators for modern culture - probably even stronger than The Beatles - and that's why they'll be remembered for generations to come.

hey addicted.....excellent post you seem to be the only other person to feel the way I do; that the stones influence is just massive on everything and this fact seems to be completly overlooked.

Agree with your view on the beatles- see my other post - the stones get short changed when the media review the 60's. Dylan and the stones to me are the biggest influence on change in the 60's and there influence seems to keep going.

There was a total cultural sea change in the 60s, politically, socially and artistically. The stones were certainly part of that, but less so as innovators but more populisers.

Little Steven from Springsteen's band did a great piece on his Underground Garage radio show that chronicled the Stone's (and Andrew Loog Oldham's) influence on various things over the years...I'll try find it and post...

At least at some of the Voodoo Lounge shows, Ron Wood introduced Mick as "the man who redefined sex."

maybe some sociological truth there.