In thinking about the Stones and the Beatles, each songwriting pair had a more pop-oriented writer (Jagger & McCartney) and a more grungy, acidic writer (Richards & Lennon), which created a nice balance. It's interesting to speculate about what Richards & Lennon would have done together, two guitar players with attitude. Richards never really wrote with another guitarist (even Steve Jordan is a drummer). Be curious to hear any insights from ya'll on this...

Steve Jordan also plays bass..

I'd presume he plays guitar as well. probably does. anyway, its arguable, but

Keith and Mick together were writing great commercially viable (pop) songs.

i see the two sides you're referring to, more between Lennon/McCartney than with

Mick and Keith.

Keith wrote a tune with Paul McCartney at one of their beach houses several years ago.
Would be great of it was properly recorded and released some day...or maybe not.

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

In Keiths book, he mentions toward the end that he and McCartney wrote a song at Keiths place in either Jamaica or the Turks ----

Also, didn't Keith and Jack White write and record a couple of songs together ?

As far as Keith and Lennon---? I don't see it-- even though they were good friends, I don't see them as a writing team at all---if they did, it probably would have been some type of 50's thing.

Well, at least we know what it would have sounded like.



The Dirty Mac: [www.youtube.com]

Agree Bob r regarding Keith and John...can't imagine it happening.

McCartney/Jagger on the other hand could result in something special...

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

What about Wood-Richards?
Surprised, given the time they spent together (mid 70s to early 90s specifically).

What about Jagger-Richards???

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1962
What about Jagger-Richards???

Hmmm...chances are slim to none...can't remember the last time that truly happened with any success. Maybe back in '72? Or was it '74?

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

I always liked to imagine that if Keith and John were in a band in an alternate universe, it would be the Clash: Mick Jones = Keith Joe Strummer = John.

What alternate universe band would be Mick and Paul?

HBK

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HouseBoyKnows
What alternate universe band would be Mick and Paul?

HBK

Pet Shop Boys.

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Olly

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HouseBoyKnows
What alternate universe band would be Mick and Paul?

HBK

Pet Shop Boys.

Or Wham.
Or Air Supply.
Or Spandau Ballet.
Or the Village People.
Or Captain (Paul) and Tennille(Mick).

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

It would have been the best of the Beatles and the Stones, or so you might think.
At the end of the day its chemistry and i don't think there is better Rock & Roll chemistry on earth then our Mick and Keith back in the day.

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duke richardson
Steve Jordan also plays bass..

I'd presume he plays guitar as well. probably does. anyway, its arguable, but

Keith and Mick together were writing great commercially viable (pop) songs.

i see the two sides you're referring to, more between Lennon/McCartney than with

Mick and Keith.

Steve plays baryton guitar on Main Offender, if memory serves.

Wanna Hold You ... Hand

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hopkins
Wanna Hold You ... Hand

Let Me Come Down Again, to Strawberry Fields

Considering John had Keith play bass for him, I'd say it was unlikely, but then John didn't mind writing with a bass player so who can say?

Keith needs someone to finish his demos and I don't think that was John's forte.
So Macca seems a better bet. According to George Martin, John didn't articulate his 'ideas'in the studio as clearly as Paulie...which wouldn't help either.
On the other hand, John was the superior lyricist...which would certainly be a help to Keith.

John and Keith weren't good for eachother, if we should take Life seriously. They ended up doing heroin everytime they were hanging out, and John couldn't take it.

So, for John's sake, he probably was better off not working closely with Keith

It's an interesting observation. I think the unpolished guitar players and their pop oriented
co-workers needed each other for balanced song writing. Like Charlie said, one is emotion
the other is direction. Mick wrote with Lennon, by the way (Too many cooks) and I like
the result of that. I can not begin to imagine what a combination of Keith and McCartney
would lead to. But both the combinations Lennon/Richards and Jagger/McCartney I doomed
to go down in either pointless jams or baroque romanticism, I guess.

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

I don't think John Lennon was less pop-oriented than McCartney, just not enough genius to come up with absolutely brilliant pop-songs like Hey Jude or Yesterday and not silly enough to come up with drivel like Obladi-Oblada. But I think Strawberry Fields or Imagine are just as much pop songs.
Equally, I don't think Keith was originally less pop inclined. In the film Charlie Is My Darling, he's continuously trying to figure out pop-songs and when they made Aftermath I am pretty sure Keith was still the main musical factor.
I don't see Richards and Lennon work, because Lennon is an "idea-person", he doesn't seem to be the sort of musician who works by groove and intuition, as both Jagger and Richards are (or used to be).

As if John's real boss (Yoko ) would have allowed that ,please !

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marcovandereijk
It's an interesting observation. I think the unpolished guitar players and their pop oriented
co-workers needed each other for balanced song writing. Like Charlie said, one is emotion
the other is direction. Mick wrote with Lennon, by the way (Too many cooks) and I like
the result of that. I can not begin to imagine what a combination of Keith and McCartney
would lead to. But both the combinations Lennon/Richards and Jagger/McCartney I doomed
to go down in either pointless jams or baroque romanticism, I guess.

Perhaps he did, but...

I think it would have been fascinating and fun. Both would have probably went to a 50s rock sound with some raw playing and cool lyrics. But I think Lennon was much closer to Mick as friends. So Keith and Lennon probably would have had a bit of an edge to their work as well.

Paul + Keith = Level 42. Something About You but with Gimme Shelter intro. LOL.

ROCKMAN