Paul McCartney’s opinion on The Rolling Stones

Formed by Paul McCartney, George Harrison and John Lennon in 1960, The Beatles changed the course of music and became the most influential band of the 20th century. But they were not the only incredible group to emerge in the United Kingdom during that time.

The Rolling Stones were also extremely influential and successful, which led fans and the press to create a rivalry between the two bands. Over the decades McCartney gave his opinion on other artists, including the band led by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

What is Paul McCartney’s opinion on The Rolling Stones

Paul McCartney likes The Rolling Stones and once revealed that the two bands used to coordinate their album release schedules to avoid affecting each other’s sales and that he had the chance to hear one of their hits before it was released.

“People thought that there was a big rivalry. But it was the opposite, if we had a record coming out August 28, we would ring them and say: ‘Have you got anything coming out?’ And they would say: ‘Yeah, we got something August 17, so we will put ours back a little bit'”.​

“There was a very friendly scene. I remember one evening, we used to hang out in each other’s places, Mick was living with Keith and a few other people. I was there hanging out and they were in the studio, in the recording session, when they came back (they had a recording) and it was ‘Ruby Tuesday’ (So they played for us) and I was like “I like that one’,” Paul McCartney told Marc Moron in 2017 (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage).

Over the decades McCartney mentioned a few songs as some of his favorites by them. Besides “Ruby Tuesday”, he also praised “Satisfaction” and “Honky Tonk Women”.

Paul McCartney not always said good things about The Rolling Stones

The Beatle didn’t always have good things to say about the band. During a conversation with New Yorker in 2021, McCartney said that The Beatles explored many different music genres and that they worked from a broader range of musical influences. Then he used The Stones as an example: “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,” Paul McCartney said.

However, McCartney has mentioned that on a few other occasions, for example during an interview with Howard Stern in 2020. Still, he acknowledged that they are a fantastic band and said he goes to see them whenever he can.

“You know you’re going to persuade me to agree with that one (That The Beatles were better). They (Stones) are rooted in the blues. When they are writing stuff, it has to do with the blues. We 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.”

He once said the Stones were kind of copying The Beatles

During the same conversation, he recalled that they even tried to do something different in the album “Their Satanic Majesties Request” (1967), made inspired by The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, released in the same year. Also that the band led by Mick and Keith were kind of copying The Beatles “moves”.

“We started to notice that whatever we did, the Stones sort of did it shortly thereafter. We went to America and we had huge success. Then the Stones went to America. We did Sgt. Pepper, the Stones did a psychedelic album. There’s a lot of that. We were great friends, still are kind of. We admire each other. The Stones are a fantastic group. I go see them every time they’re out. They’re a great, great band,” Paul McCartney said.

How The Rolling Stones invited Paul McCartney to play on their album

Those statements circulated widely in recent years and interestingly The Rolling Stones had a few special guests on their most recent album Hackney Diamonds (2023). Among them were Paul McCartney and Elton John, two artists who had at different times exchanged remarks in the press that created a bit of tension with the band and its members. So it was a good way to kind of bury the hatchet and show fans they were friends and everything was okay. The Beatle played the bass guitar in the song “Bite My Head Off”

He recalled in an interview with O Globo in 2023, how he was invited to collaborate with them. (Translated by Rock and Roll Garage) “One day I was having dinner with Ronnie (Wood, the Stones’ guitarist). I asked how the recording sessions were going. He said, ‘Oh, sometimes I have to be the mediator between Mick (Jagger, vocalist) and Keith (Richards, guitarist).’ So I told him I knew someone who could help them out — Andrew Watt, the producer I was working with. Later, we even found out that Mick was already talking to him.”

“And then one day Andrew asked me, ‘Would you like to play bass on a few tracks?’ (After the recording) I realized I’d known those guys forever — I’d been to their shows, they’d been to ours, and John (Lennon) and I had even done some backing vocals on one of their songs. But I had never played with all of them in the same room before. So I loved it,” Paul McCartney said.

The Beatles gave The Rolling Stones they first hit single

It’s true that their friendship started quite early, even before The Rolling Stones were famous. In fact, it was The Beatles who gave them their first hit single in 1963. “I wrote it (“I Wanna Be Your Man”) for Ringo to do on one of the early albums. But we ended up giving it to the Stones. We met Mick and Keith in a taxi one day in Charing Cross Road. Mick said, ‘Have you got any songs?’”

“So we said, ‘Well, we just happen to have one with us!’ I think George had been instrumental in getting them their first record contract. We suggested them to Decca, ‘cuz Decca had blown it by refusing us. So they had tried to save face by asking George, ‘Know any other groups?’ He said, ‘Well, there is this group called the Stones.’”

“So that’s how they got their first contract. Anyway, John and I gave them maybe not their first record, but I think the first they got on the charts with. They don’t tell anybody about it these days; they prefer to be more ethnic. But you and I know the real truth,” Paul McCartney told Playboy magazine in 1984.