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The Rolling Stones in the press:“Going commercial? Rubbish say the Stones”
Back in 1963, the Rolling Stones were just another scrappy blues band trying to make a name for themselves. But there was a problem—at least in the eyes of record executives. Their music was not commercial enough. Imagine that. A bunch of young Brits obsessed with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Chuck Berry, playing raw, gritty blues, and somehow, the industry didn’t see dollar signs.
When they first started out, the Stones were all about authenticity, covering American blues and R&B tracks with the kind of energy and attitude that set them apart from the polished pop acts of the day. But mainstream success? That was a harder sell. Decca Records, the label that had famously passed on The Beatles, wasn’t about to make the same mistake again—but even they weren’t quite sure what to do with a band that wasn’t churning out radio-friendly hits.
From Covers to Classics: How the Stones Found Their Voice
The Rolling Stones’ early singles were a balancing act between staying true to their blues roots and finding a way into the mainstream. Their 1963 debut, Come On, a Chuck Berry cover, was a step in that direction—catchier and more polished than their usual raw blues numbers, but still not what you’d call pure pop. The band wasn’t exactly thrilled about watering down their sound, but at the time, commercial success was the only way forward.
At first, they relied heavily on covering American R&B artists, paying homage to the music they loved. But it quickly became clear that if they wanted to carve out their own legacy, they couldn’t just keep reinterpreting others’ work—they needed to start writing their own material. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards took on the challenge, initially encouraged by their manager, Andrew Loog Oldham. The result? A legendary songwriting partnership that would change rock and roll forever. Safe to say, their decision to start crafting originals worked out pretty well.
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Stones Data on Substack
