Charlie Watts never really got into glitzy stuff when it came to The Rolling Stones. If he had wanted to, he could have simply attempted to record a mean drum solo. But would it have been effective to insert some jazzy freakout into the middle of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash“? Although Watts was always more astute than that, he didn’t believe that other rock stars shared his perspective. Cream and Led Zeppelin were among those he singled out.
Watts always found the song to be more interesting. If you listen to any classic Rolling Stones song, you can hear Watts slamming his drumkit and never overplaying any fills. He was all about keeping things sounding professional. He usually sensed a serious problem if his drums drowned out the main riff.
The British Invasion gave rise to psychedelic music, and it didn’t take long for people to realize that pop songs could be longer than three minutes. Why couldn’t the other bands attempt to create something a little better when they recorded? The Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers Band were revolutionizing their profession by incorporating huge jams on their live records.
It’s not like The Stones never occasionally fell victim to that temptation. A song like “Can’t You Hear Me Knockin'” from the album Sticky Fingers sounds best when performed. Mick Taylor and Keith Richards exchanging lines with one another adds to its dynamic. Though Watts didn’t think so, it has a place.
According to Charlie Watts, who told Louder, “A lot of white bands to me are vastly overrated,” musicians that jam out are just wasting time. I say white bands because I love to listen to records mostly of black American musicians from the 1940s and 1950s. White musicians appeared driven to spread the blues in every area once they grasped it. Led Zeppelin, Cream, and their 15-minute renditions of “Crossroads” evidenced this. The Stones never performed.
But that doesn’t mean Watts wasn’t able to let go when he was playing the drums. When he was a member of the group, the band was more likely to include other genres in their music. They evidenced this by the direction they took the blues. The band’s brilliance is evident in how they transformed the simple Robert Johnson song “Love in Vain” into a country hit.
If anything, a lot of bands from The Stones era were trained in it. Radio has limited airtime, so it’s best to get your point across as concisely as possible. Move on rather than veering into an awkward spot where you start boring the listeners.
Working with groups like Zeppelin would undoubtedly teach The Stones a few things. However, the emphasis was more on flair than content in their performances. Jams are entertaining, but according to Watts, the whole point of the adage “Don’t bore us, get to the chorus” is clear. Playing great songs for too long wastes them.
