Bruce Springsteen\u00a0trying to suggest that The Rolling Stones are underrated \u2013 no matter how hard he tries \u2013 doesn\u2019t really stand up, does it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, \u2018The Boss\u2019 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\u00a0bound to feel that his encyclopedic knowledge\u00a0of deep cuts and obscure notes is far better than anyone else\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to claim they have the \u201cmost underrated songbook in rock history\u201d? 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s just all-out rock and roll, subsequently granting them the status as the \u201cgreatest garage band in the world\u201d, said the man who started out from those very same roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Springsteen recalled in his memoirs the time he brought The Rolling Stones out on stage to perform \u2018Tumbling Dice\u2019. But it wasn\u2019t the roar of the crowd or the electricity of the stage that proved most magical to him \u2013 it was the preparation that went into the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe next night we did it for 20,000 thunderstruck New Jerseyans in Newark,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was a thrill but it didn\u2019t 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\u2019 n\u2019 roll heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Stones might have started out as friends and acquaintances at railway stations \u2013 hardly what would typically be the makings of a future world-dominating band \u2013 but when Springsteen started out with the E Street Band in the\u00a0garage of one of their mothers\u2018 homes, could they imagine becoming some of the greatest to ever do it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s a timely reminder of the universality that truly pulses through every beat of the musical scene \u2013 it doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re from London or New Jersey, you don\u2019t need any fancy beginnings to make it big\u2026 if you have a room, some guitars, and a real powerful connection that will stand the test of time, then you\u2019re already on to a winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n