Bruce Springsteen trying to suggest that The Rolling Stones are underrated – no matter how hard he tries – doesn’t really stand up, does it?
Of course, ‘The Boss’ is always going to have a slightly biased opinion. When his foundations of rock and roll worship were almost exclusively built in an era dominated by the wrath of the British invasion, with The Stones at the front of the battalion, he is bound to feel that his encyclopedic knowledge of deep cuts and obscure notes is far better than anyone else’s.
But to claim they have the “most underrated songbook in rock history”? That might just be taking things a step too far. However, putting the possibly exorbitant statement to one side, it is clear in any respect that Springsteen’s appreciation of the band is completely reverential, with him becoming dumbstruck by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in a way that many other artists might also feel about him.
The essential difference is that, unlike many legions of fans around the world, Springsteen has been afforded the opportunity to get up close to The Rolling Stones and witness for himself what it is that truly makes their musical minds tick. People will no doubt be pleased to hear his report back on the findings.
It is not hours spent toiling away on the intricate mechanics of sound or deep and layered arrangements that make the band so powerful, according to Springsteen. It’s just all-out rock and roll, subsequently granting them the status as the “greatest garage band in the world”, said the man who started out from those very same roots.
Springsteen recalled in his memoirs the time he brought The Rolling Stones out on stage to perform ‘Tumbling Dice’. But it wasn’t the roar of the crowd or the electricity of the stage that proved most magical to him – it was the preparation that went into the moment.
“The next night we did it for 20,000 thunderstruck New Jerseyans in Newark,” he said.
“It was a thrill but it didn’t have the mystic kick of the night before, when I got to sit in, in that little room with just those four guys, the GREATEST GARAGE BAND IN THE WORLD, in my small piece of rock’ n’ roll heaven.”
In some ways, you can see exactly where he was coming from, because he realised the band he idolised was just a reflection of his own past.
The Stones might have started out as friends and acquaintances at railway stations – hardly what would typically be the makings of a future world-dominating band – but when Springsteen started out with the E Street Band in the garage of one of their mothers‘ homes, could they imagine becoming some of the greatest to ever do it?
It’s a timely reminder of the universality that truly pulses through every beat of the musical scene – it doesn’t matter if you’re from London or New Jersey, you don’t need any fancy beginnings to make it big… if you have a room, some guitars, and a real powerful connection that will stand the test of time, then you’re already on to a winner.
