"Each one of those albums sold far more than any album the Stones have ever released!"
You can never underestimate the cheap - not to mention bad - taste of the masses...
Musically - and now I'm NOT talking about their huge impact as forerunners or their present iconic status of the ONLY representation of the sunny days of youthful 60's - I've always thought that the Beatles were a pre-Abba. Those nice melodies are so difficult to resist. Björn and Benny had the same genius as Paul and John in creating catchy, easy-listening, sing-along pop melodies. Mick and Keith also tried a bit, but their results never were that good.. So they - fortunately - found their home from "Gimme Shelter" or "Bitch" sort of thing...
try to sing-along that shit around the camp-fire!!
- Doxa