Was there a rivalry between the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in the ’60s? Sure. Was it ever serious? Not really. Is it something you’re gonna read about in this story? Not at all.
In fact, we’re actually gonna head off in the opposite direction and discuss 60 years’ (and counting) worth of collaborations between these two extremely influential British bands, collaborations that – according to the Stones’ Keith Richards – are the result of a unique relationship.
“There’s always been an open door between the Beatles and the Stones,” Richards told Guitar Player while promoting the Stones’ 2023 album, Hackney Diamonds, which – hey, whaddya know? – features former Beatle Paul McCartney on bass on one track.
“We were the only ones that knew what it’s like to have that extreme kind of fame in the 1960s, so that created a bond.”
Come to think of it, maybe that’s why Mick Jagger inducted the Beatles into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – or why Richards and McCartney sometimes hang out together while on vacation in places like Turks and Caicos.
Below, we’ve pinpointed 10 tracks on which the Beatles and the Stones – as bands or as solo artists – are somehow connected.
And, by the way, if you do want to read about the Beatles/Stones rivalry, be sure to check out John McMillian’s excellent Beatles vs. Stones (Simon & Schuster, 2013) or Variety’s Beatles vs. the Rolling Stones: A History of Their Legendary Rivalry.
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1. I Wanna Be Your Man – The Rolling Stones
“The Beatles and the Stones have been basically joined together at the hips from the beginning,” Richards told GP. “We were totally different bands, but we knew each other well.”
So it makes perfect sense that when Lennon and McCartney bumped into the Stones (or Stones producer/manger Andrew Loog-Oldham, depending on which version of the legend you subscribe to) on a London street in October 1963, they were invited to the Stones’ recording session at De Lane Lea Studio.
It turned out the Stones were in the market for a commercial song, and John and Paul (especially Paul) had just the thing, a feisty roots-rocker called I Wanna Be Your Man. Keef & Co. recorded it, and – voila – they had their first U.K. top 20 hit. The Beatles also recorded it (for With the Beatles), and both versions actually came out that November.
2-5. We Love You/Dandelion – The Rolling Stones / All You Need Is Love/You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) – The Beatles
We’ve lumped these tracks together because they were recorded around the same time – May to July 1967 – back when the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Who, Small Faces, Animals, Yardbirds, Moody Blues and every other trending British band were hanging out night after night at clubs like the Bag O’Nails in London.
We can just imagine the semi-drunken conversations: “Hey, man! We’re recording another single tomorrow. Come on down and do some backin’ vocals! It’ll be great!”
Because that’s pretty much what happened; Lennon and McCartney sang backing vocals on the Stones’ We Love You and Dandelion, which were released as the A- and B-sides of a single in August. And even though you can’t really hear them, Richards and Jagger (and a bunch of other famous people) joined in on the chorus on the Beatles’ All You Need Is Love, which came out in July.
One person you can definitely hear is Brian Jones, who plays alto sax on the Beatles’ You Know My Name (Look Up the Number), which wasn’t unleashed until 1970, almost a year after Jones’ death.
6. Yer Blues – The Dirty Mac
In December 1968, the Stones hosted a little something called The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, a concert film – directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg – that was shot on a soundstage in front of a studio audience. The Stones performed a few tunes, as did The Who, Jethro Tull (with Tony Iommi), Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull and a one-off supergroup called The Dirty Mac.
How super were they? Well, there was a Beatle (Lennon), a Stone (Richards), Eric Clapton (who was either still a member of Cream or was a few days away from becoming a former member) and Mitch Mitchell from the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
They played two numbers – Yer Blues, a song that had appeared on the Beatles’ one-month-old White Album, and something called Whole Lotta Yoko – before disbanding forever. We should probably mention that Lindsay-Hogg went on to direct the Beatles’ Get Back/Let It Be film just a month later.
7. Far East Man – Ronnie Wood / George Harrison
In 1974, Ronnie Wood and George Harrison co-wrote a song called Far East Man and then proceeded to record their own respective versions of it.
OK, we know what you’re thinking: “Hey, Ronnie Wood wasn’t a Rolling Stone in 1974!” OK, that’s true, but we’ve got a pair of aces up our sleeve:
1. Wood (who became a Stone in 1975) was deeply entrenched in the Stones’ inner circle by 1974, having already taken part in the original It’s Only Rock ’n Roll (But I Like It) sessions in late ’73.
2. Harrison plays slide guitar on Wood’s version, which also happens to feature Mick Taylor – a bona-fide Stone – on bass.
8. Dead Giveaway – Ringo Starr
Wood recorded Far East Man for his first solo album, I’ve Got My Own Album to Do. It’s a star-studded affair featuring a bunch of Wood’s famous friends, including Richards, Jagger, Taylor, Harrison, Rod Stewart and David Bowie.
It turns out Ringo Starr was also a big fan of the “famous friends” approach to recording solo records, and Wood was one of several friends who showed up when Ringo was recording Stop and Smell the Roses, his 1981 album.
Wood even brought a song with him – the sneaky Dead Giveaway – which he and Starr finished up in the studio, thus giving birth to the universe’s only Starkey/Wood composition.
9. Love Letters – Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings
Harrison plays some beautifully understated slide guitar on this generally ignored track by Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, the band Wyman formed after leaving the Stones in the early ’90s.
Although we’ll probably never be able to pinpoint “George Harrison’s final slide guitar guest appearance,” this track is certainly a contender, since he died in November 2001, just a few months after Wyman’s album (Double Bill) was released.
Other contenders include Jim Capaldi’s Anna Julia and ELO’s Long Time Gone, both of which were also released in 2001.
10. Bite My Head Off – The Rolling Stones
People weren’t necessarily surprised when they found out McCartney appeared on the Stones’ Hackney Diamonds in 2023; after all, there’s that whole “famous person bond” thing that Richards was talking about.
But they might’ve been mildly shocked that the song in question was the snarling, nasty, punky Bite My Head Off, which doesn’t exactly make you think of McCartney, the guy who wrote Yesterday, Blackbird and Sweetest Little Show.
“[Paul] had been doing some work with [Hackney Diamonds producer] Andrew Watt as well, and he happened to be around and dropped by,” Richards told GP.
“I don’t even think he intended to play bass on a track, but once he was there, I just said, ‘Come on, you’re in. You ain’t leaving until you play!’ [Laughs] To be honest, if Paul had come another day, he’d probably have been on a different song. It wasn’t calculated. It just happened to be the flavor of the month that day.”
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