In another thread about the Stones as a business they talk about them reinventing themselves over and over. So for fun I thought that I would give you my take on the different Stones eras or phases, whatever you want to call it. I am splitting them into perhaps more phases than normal, call it at a finer resolution. Naturally there are no hard dividing lines, there is a certain amount of blending here and there. I also decided to leave out personnel changes, and focus more on the vibe and the feel and the music to define the eras.

Stones Eras V1.0

Early Blues Cover Stones
Swinging London Pop Stones
Psychedelic Stones
Return to Rock Roots Stones
Mid Seventies Malaise Stones
Some Girls Rebirth Stones
Mid-Eighties Nadir Stones
Vegas Stones
Last Hurrah Guitar Stones

MileHigh

68-72 is it. Everything else is before or after.

....or:

Brian Jones/Decca era
Mick Taylor era
fade out era...

2 1 2 0

Quote
Stoneage
68-72 is it. Everything else is before or after.

But 1968 has little to do with how the band sounded in 1972. The sound was still an evolvement from TSMR, wasn't it?

The bluesier numbers on BB sound more like an extension from stuff like The Lantern, while some of the rockers still had that freaky feel. JJF and SFM picked up where Child Of The Moon and Citadel left off.

The country stuff was still done tongue in cheek (Dear Doctor), while in 1972 Sweet Virginia was done with a different sincerity and darkness.

In 1968 there were still Dylan-esque songs (Salt Of The Earth and Jig Saw Puzzle) – story-telling pieces.

There are lots of similarites, of course. Just wanted to point out my take on the evolvement



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-05-10 10:13 by DandelionPowderman.

I like the effort MileHigh put into deviding the era's, though some of the names he uses
are not in terms I would chose.

It is interesting to point out the landmarks that influenced the evolution. For example,
I think the change from the early (Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Rock 'n' Roll, Blues) cover band
to the Swinging London Pop era has much to do with the Jagger/Richard tandem discovering
they were able to write songs together. And in the 60s their song writing was influenced
by what was going on around them. Dylan, Kinks, Beatles. The Stones listened, absorbed
even the music of their contemporaries, added their own raw spice and vinegar to it and
created from this an own branche to the creativity around them. That way, I don't see
the psychedelic phase as an era of its own. They were just taking the psychedelic
format to see what they could do with it, just like they were taking the Music Hall
influence and wrote "Something happened to me yesterday".

So basically I don't see that many era's, but more or less a couple of changes in the
approach of writing music.

I think from Jumpin' Jack Flash onwards, they were very much relying on their own skills
for a while. Maybe that makes the albums from Beggar's Banquet unto Exile on Main St
so special to many of us. These albums were probably not as much influenced by what
happened around them, but on their own ideas. To me, that's the third era of the band.
Don't know how to call it, but during these years they were creative as hell.

The fourth era than starts when the song writing tandem falls apart. I guess drugs
had a lot to do with that. But in the mid 70's the influences from outside the band
grew stronger again. A difference to the mid 60s might be that this time the Glimmer Twins
did not absorb these influences together, but each went his own way. Mick collaborating
more with Billy Preston, Mick Taylor and maybe others (Ron Wood, David Bowie for example
on It's only Rock 'n Roll).

Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away

Quote
MileHigh
In another thread about the Stones as a business they talk about them reinventing themselves over and over. So for fun I thought that I would give you my take on the different Stones eras or phases, whatever you want to call it. I am splitting them into perhaps more phases than normal, call it at a finer resolution. Naturally there are no hard dividing lines, there is a certain amount of blending here and there. I also decided to leave out personnel changes, and focus more on the vibe and the feel and the music to define the eras.

Stones Eras V1.0

Early Blues Cover Stones
Swinging London Pop Stones
Psychedelic Stones
Return to Rock Roots Stones
Mid Seventies Malaise Stones
Some Girls Rebirth Stones
Mid-Eighties Nadir Stones
Vegas Stones
Last Hurrah Guitar Stones

MileHigh

I like this overview, and I think it's very accurate. The only part I don't really understand is the "Last Hurrah" part. When does that start and what does it consist of?

Quote
marcovandereijk
I think from Jumpin' Jack Flash onwards, they were very much relying on their own skills
for a while. Maybe that makes the albums from Beggar's Banquet unto Exile on Main St
so special to many of us. These albums were probably not as much influenced by what
happened around them, but on their own ideas. To me, that's the third era of the band.
Don't know how to call it, but during these years they were creative as hell.

I'm not sure, but I always thought that during 68-72 they were influenced by more blues/rock based acts, which became popular again after the pop/psychedelic era. So: Velvet Underground, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Creedence Clearwater Revival. Even the Beatles sort of had a "back-to-rock" phase then.

Yeah I agree with those. Maybe we can subdivide one era though.Early on I often look at it as two separate mini eras before the Swingin London Pop Stones. The very early hardcore purist Blues era, and then the Soul influenced era. Now both of these still rely heavily on cover material for the albums.
And , like Marco said,the pop era had a lot to do with the coming to age of J&R as songwriters. And I believe the Soul era probably influenced them a great deal because there is much songwriting craft involved, and a lot more melody. This probably suited their writing.

We shouldn't forget that the «pop era» is loaded with rhythm and blues tracks as well. For instance, on Aftermath we got It's Not Easy, Flight 505, Doncha Bother Me, Going Home, High And Dry and Stupid Girl – all r&b/country tracks.

That's nearly half of the album.

Quote
DandelionPowderman
We shouldn't forget that the «pop era» is loaded with rhythm and blues tracks as well. For instance, on Aftermath we got It's Not Easy, Flight 505, Doncha Bother Me, Going Home, High And Dry and Stupid Girl – all r&b/country tracks.

That's nearly half of the album.

That's why I like Aftermath a lot more than Between The Buttons.

Yeah, they played all the styles all over from 1963 >>...The only era- classification that has any content, is the different guitarplayers era ....

2 1 2 0

Quote
Stoneage
68-72 is it. Everything else is before or after.

You beat me on that.
Whereas I'd like to say 68-71.

Quote
matxil

Quote
DandelionPowderman
We shouldn't forget that the «pop era» is loaded with rhythm and blues tracks as well. For instance, on Aftermath we got It's Not Easy, Flight 505, Doncha Bother Me, Going Home, High And Dry and Stupid Girl – all r&b/country tracks.

That's nearly half of the album.

That's why I like Aftermath a lot more than Between The Buttons.

Me too, but stuff like Connection, All Sold Out and Miss Amanda Jones is up there as well, imo.

Quote
Stoneage
68-72 is it. Everything else is before or after.

+ 1

***
I'm just a Bad Boy Boogie

Quote
Stoneage
68-72 is it. Everything else is before or after.

1968-1974

***
I'm just a Bad Boy Boogie

Interesting thoughts. I'll throw my own two sense in...
Stones Eras V1.0

Early Blues Cover Stones 1962-1964
Swinging London Pop Stones 1965-1966
Psychedelic Stones 1967
Return to Rock Roots Stones 1968-1973
Mid Seventies Malaise Stones 1974-1977
Some Girls Rebirth Stones 1978-1982
Mid-Eighties Nadir Stones 1983-1986
Vegas Stones 1989-1997
Last Hurrah Guitar Stones 1999-present. Or maybe this era started with Licks in 2002 as this tour was the first to forsake the piano-based sound and put the guitars up front again..



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-05-10 13:09 by HonkeyTonkFlash.

0 - 1962: Before the Stones
1962 - ??: The Stones

Quote
powerage78

Quote
Stoneage
68-72 is it. Everything else is before or after.

1968-1974

What was different in 1976?

Quote
DandelionPowderman

Quote
powerage78

Quote
Stoneage
68-72 is it. Everything else is before or after.

1968-1974

What was different in 1976?

I don't know about everyone else, but when I inserted my years, I was mainly thinking of tours. Of course, in non-touring years you have to consider the albums. But I really have a problem with the so called 70's slump. GHS - BAB were not as good as the big four but they were still very good albums, in my opinion. Plus the 75-76 tours were great. And the mid-eighties slump, even UC and Dw have their moments.

Quote
matxil

Quote
MileHigh
In another thread about the Stones as a business they talk about them reinventing themselves over and over. So for fun I thought that I would give you my take on the different Stones eras or phases, whatever you want to call it. I am splitting them into perhaps more phases than normal, call it at a finer resolution. Naturally there are no hard dividing lines, there is a certain amount of blending here and there. I also decided to leave out personnel changes, and focus more on the vibe and the feel and the music to define the eras.

Stones Eras V1.0

Early Blues Cover Stones
Swinging London Pop Stones
Psychedelic Stones
Return to Rock Roots Stones
Mid Seventies Malaise Stones
Some Girls Rebirth Stones
Mid-Eighties Nadir Stones
Vegas Stones
Last Hurrah Guitar Stones

MileHigh

I like this overview, and I think it's very accurate. The only part I don't really understand is the "Last Hurrah" part. When does that start and what does it consist of?

For me the "Last Hurrah" era starts in 2012.

Quote
Stoneage
68-72 is it. Everything else is before or after.

What a drag it is gettin' old

Quote
68to72

Quote
Stoneage
68-72 is it. Everything else is before or after.

I suppose the next era (not too far away) will be:

Twilight Years Retirement/Vault Stones.

"I don't want to be singing You Got Me Rocking when I'm 75."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-05-10 14:21 by MileHigh.

Great list. I might tweak it a bit and merge a couple of eras.
1. Formation blues cover band.
2. Pop artists ... Mick and Keith begin writing songs. A wonderful period. Includes the psychedelic era, which was really only a few months.
3. Americana Stones. Keith channels the Mississippi Delta. 68-72. Keith might have kept on doing that, but Mick wanted to move on.
4. Transition Stones, 73-77. Mick and Keith began to disagree -- Keith wanted to do reggae and Americana, Mick wanted to dance and began working more closely with Mick Taylor -- the result was some good ballads, a few good grooves but overall not cohesive.
5. Punk Stones. Ronnie gets integrated and the band ditches the horn players and Billy Preston and gets down and dirty. Short, glorious period.
6. Exhausted Stones. 1980-1989.
7. Money making Stones, Steel Wheels to today.



Early Blues Cover Stones
Swinging London Pop Stones
Psychedelic Stones
Return to Rock Roots Stones
Mid Seventies Malaise Stones
Some Girls Rebirth Stones
Mid-Eighties Nadir Stones
Vegas Stones
Last Hurrah Guitar Stones

Loosely speaking I think the eras look a bit like this:

1. Experimental (1962-68) Formative Stage
-- Significant imitation of influencers (Berry, Waters, Reed, Dylan etc.)
-- Working across numerous styles (blues, R&B, pop, folk, psychedelic)
-- inconsistent or limited signature elements (riff, weave, arrangement, etc)
-- Relative to later work naive, not overtly self-aware or self-referential

2. Classic (1968-72) At their Peak
-- Consistent use of supporting musicians and production (Hopkins, Keys, Miller)
-- Nearly singular focus on core genre or sui generis material (blues-based rock n'roll)
-- Authentic and vibrantly elevated themes and expression
-- Significant consistency of style identifiable by fans and non-fans alike

3. Revisionist(1973-78) Questioning Tradition
-- Playful, sometimes cynical, sometimes tired reinterpretation of style (Silver Train)
-- Increasingly self-reflexive, self-obsessed lyrical focus (StarF*kr)
-- Near exhaustion of classic genres (blues based rock 'n roll) leading to new genres attempted through their own style (reggae, new wave, punk, etc).
-- Potential for vital reinvention through new styles (Some Girls)

4. Baroque (1979-Present) Parody of the Past
-- Exaggerated forms, expression, and staging
-- Self-parody, self-importance, and some self-denigration
-- Nostalgia that combines legitimate feelings of loss, remembrance,and crass commercialism (never-ending tours)
-- Icon status ironically combined with has-been status (Sir Mick)


On the internet nobody knows
you're Mick Jagger



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-05-10 23:04 by camper88.

Quote
camper88
Loosely speaking I think the eras look a bit like this:

1. Experimental (1962-68) Formative Stage
-- Significant imitation of influencers (Berry, Waters, Reed, etc.)
-- Working across numerous styles (blues, R&B, pop, folk, psychedelic)
-- inconsistent or limited signature elements (riff, weave, arrangement, etc)
-- Relative to later work naive, not overtly self-aware or self-referential

2. Classic (1968-72) At their Peak
-- Consistent use of supporting musicians and production (Hopkins, Keys, Miller)
-- Nearly singular focus on core genre or sui generis material (blues-based rock n'roll)
-- Authentic and vibrantly elevated themes and expression
-- Significant consistency of style identifiable by fans and non-fans alike

3. Revisionist(1973-78) Questioning Tradition
-- Playful, sometimes cynical, sometimes tired reinterpretation of style (Silver Train)
-- Increasingly self-reflexive, self-obsessed lyrical focus (StarF*kr)
-- Near exhaustion of classic genres (blues based rock 'n roll) leading to new genres attempted through their own style (reggae, new wave, punk, etc).
-- Potential for vital reinvention through new styles (Some Girls)

4. Baroque (1979-Present) Parody of what was
-- Exaggerated forms, expression, and staging
-- Self-parody, self-importance, and some self-denigration
-- Nostalgia that combines legitimate feelings of loss and crass commercialism
-- Icon status ironically combined with has-been status (Sir Mick)

very precise! Only two additions:

2.era => Mick Taylor (kind of blood transfusion/best guitarist the Stones ever had – at least from a technical point of view)

4.era => running on their name/making money/exploiting people by offering them "the last chance" to see them live


or in the words of Marx: 'Hegel remarks somewhere that all great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.' (The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, 1852, first sentences)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-05-10 23:07 by slewan.

There were only two eras:

1. Classic Era (1962 - 1978)

Learning the game, exploring a multitude of different musical styles, perfecting their art

2. Recycling Era (1979 until now)

After all was said and done, what else could they do?



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2016-05-10 23:23 by alimente.

Quote
slewan

very precise! Only two additions:

2.era => Mick Taylor (kind of blood transfusion/best guitarist the Stones ever had – at least from a technical point of view)

Good point on Taylor's most significant role. Jones was very much an experimentalist, able to play across genres and instruments, even with his grounding in the blues. Whereas Taylor offered a kind contrapuntal consistency to Richards in his guitar playing.


On the internet nobody knows
you're Mick Jagger



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-05-10 23:35 by camper88.

How about...
Formative era - 1962 - 1967

Coming of Age - 1968 - 1972

Stylistic Experimentation - 1973 - 1977

Vigorous Rebirth - 1978 - 1982

Entering the Doldrums - 1983 - 1986

WWIII - 1986 - 1988

Resurgence ala Vegas - 1989 - 1998

Return of the Guitar Based Sound / Greatest Hits Show - 1999 - 2016

Interesting observations.


Alimente, are you suggesting the Stones reached perfection in 1978?

Interesting approach Camper88, but can the whole period from 1979 until 2016 really come under one era?


Here are my initial thoughts:

1962-1964: Formation and early development
1965-1967: Pop artists
1968-1969: Maturation, decay and partial disintegration
1970-1972: Corporate reinvention
1973-1975: Decline in quality of studio material; change to embrace sustainability in terms of personnel
1976-1982: Studio resurgence
1983-1988: Stagnation
1989-1992: Reconciliation
1993-2007: The Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band In The World (to 2003 only); commercial peak
2008-2016: Elder statesmen of rock

.....

Olly.

Tiresome Categorizing Fans

(The three Stones songs I've been most listening to lately are Undercover of the Night and Doom and Gloom and Hand of Fate.)