Behind blue eyes, Roger Daltrey of the Who is harbouring some mixed feelings about the Rolling Stones — he's called them a "mediocre pub band," and now we're wondering if the quality of pub bands is comparatively higher or lower in the UK.
Speaking to Greg Kot of The Coda Collection in a lengthy new interview, Daltrey gave his thoughts on Paul McCartney's recent comments about the Stones being a "blues cover band."
The English musician laughed, before seemingly concurring with Sir Paul.
"The Stones have written some great songs, " he said, "but they are in the blues. They are in that format." (What's the beef with a nice little twelve-bar? We seem to recall the Beatles having used that once or twice too, McCartney.) However, Daltrey was also quick to come to the defence of a fellow frontman.
"You cannot take away the fact that Mick Jagger is still the number one rock and roll showman up front," Daltrey continued. "The only other people I'd put up against him would be perhaps James Brown, maybe Jerry Lee [Lewis] in his day, and Little Richard. But Mick Jagger, you've got to take your hat off to him; he's the number one rock and roll performer."
The musician's generosity didn't quite extend beyond Jagger to the whole Rolling Stones enterprise, though.
"But as a band, if you were outside a pub and you heard that music coming out of a pub, some nights, you'd think, 'Well, that's a mediocre pub band,'" he added. "No disrespect, but it can be very patchy."
Thankfully, the Stones seem to have omitted a patchier moment from their setlist by dropping "Brown Sugar" on their current fall tour.
If nothing else, Daltrey's commentary could serve as a basis for theorizing how Jagger recently walked into a bar and no one noticed — everyone must've just thought he was a member of some local mediocre pub band.
The Who were inducted until the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year and further honoured via the Cleveland Cavaliers' new uniforms.
Speaking to Greg Kot of The Coda Collection in a lengthy new interview, Daltrey gave his thoughts on Paul McCartney's recent comments about the Stones being a "blues cover band."
The English musician laughed, before seemingly concurring with Sir Paul.
"The Stones have written some great songs, " he said, "but they are in the blues. They are in that format." (What's the beef with a nice little twelve-bar? We seem to recall the Beatles having used that once or twice too, McCartney.) However, Daltrey was also quick to come to the defence of a fellow frontman.
"You cannot take away the fact that Mick Jagger is still the number one rock and roll showman up front," Daltrey continued. "The only other people I'd put up against him would be perhaps James Brown, maybe Jerry Lee [Lewis] in his day, and Little Richard. But Mick Jagger, you've got to take your hat off to him; he's the number one rock and roll performer."
The musician's generosity didn't quite extend beyond Jagger to the whole Rolling Stones enterprise, though.
"But as a band, if you were outside a pub and you heard that music coming out of a pub, some nights, you'd think, 'Well, that's a mediocre pub band,'" he added. "No disrespect, but it can be very patchy."
Thankfully, the Stones seem to have omitted a patchier moment from their setlist by dropping "Brown Sugar" on their current fall tour.
If nothing else, Daltrey's commentary could serve as a basis for theorizing how Jagger recently walked into a bar and no one noticed — everyone must've just thought he was a member of some local mediocre pub band.
The Who were inducted until the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year and further honoured via the Cleveland Cavaliers' new uniforms.
