Roger Daltrey is slamming The Rolling Stones. He called them “mediocre pub bands”.
The Who singer at 77 didn’t shy away from expressing his opinion on the band’s music quality, even though they were among the greatest-selling artists in history.
Roger spoke to Coda Collection about The Who’s contemporaneous, including Stones and Led Zeppelin.
Blunt: Roger Daltrey has hit out at The Rolling Stones, labelling them a ‘mediocre pub band’
Discussing frontman Mick Jagger, he said: ‘You’ve got to take your hat off to him. He’s the number one rock ‘n’ roll performer.
He then added: ‘But as a band, if you were outside a pub and you heard that music coming out of a pub some night, you’d think, “Well, that’s a mediocre pub band!”‘
The Rolling Stones have sold over 200 million albums and were inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1989 and the UK Music Hall Of Fame in 2004.
Despite their commercial success, the group have drawn criticism from others in the past including The Beatles’ Sir Paul McCartney.
Speaking out: The Who singer, 77, didn’t hold back when giving his opinion of the rock group’s quality of music, despite the Stones being among the best-selling artists of all time
Speaking to The New Yorker, he said: ‘I’m not sure I should say it, but they’re a blues cover band, that’s sort of what the Stones are. I think our net was cast a bit wider than theirs.’
In another interview with Howard Stern, Paul said he thought The Beatles were a better band overall.
He said: ‘They are rooted in the blues. When they are writing stuff, it has to do with the blues. [The Beatles] had a little more influences.
‘There’s a lot of differences, and I love the Stones, but I’m with you. The Beatles were better.’
Praise: Mick Jagger spoke out about Mick Jagger’s frontman, saying: “You have to give your hat to him.” He is the rock ‘n roll’ number one performer.
Candid: Despite their commercial success, the group have drawn criticism from others in the past including The Beatles’ Sir Paul McCartney
Mick Jagger was later asked about Paul’s comments during an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music.
He laughed and said, “That’s hilarious!” He is a true sweetheart. It’s obvious that there is no rival.
However, the big difference and something that is taken a bit seriously is that while The Beatles did not tour an arena, The Rolling Stones has been a huge concert act in many other decades. Madison Square Garden is equipped with decent sound systems.
“They split up before the business began, and then they started touring.” The one band that is still performing in stadiums can be incredibly grateful for, while the other doesn’t.
Paul said: ‘I’m not sure I should say it, but they’re a blues cover band, that’s sort of what the Stones are. Our net is a little wider than theirs (The Rolling Stones, October 20, 211).