The Ropers and The Rolling Stones renewed

By Jason Hunter

The Ropers

The Ropers are a band for this blog. They are one of the countless bands that never found a wide audience yet are loved by anyone that hears them. They put out two EPs and one LP in their short existence. The first release, the self-titled singles compilation, showcases more of their My Blood Valentine roots with its blown-out, over-driven guitars. Buried beneath the sound is their love of a great hook and an inescapable pop song. The Ropers had a knack for great opening songs that set the pace for each album. The stuttering guitars, two drum hits, then the pure pop explosion of "I Don't Mind". All The Time, their only full length release, is brighter and cleaner in sound, and lyrically, things seems a bit brighter, even if the "morphine, self-hate, and pills" references still pop up occasionally. The album rotates between rockers and blissed-out drones. "Revolver" is another great opening song, but good luck getting the chorus to "Flashlight" out of your head. The World Is Fire, the Ropers final release throws out a big Bryds-vibe. This swan-song hold a nice mix of classic rock sounds such as "Drink You Up" and "Please Understand" while "Home" "Dawn" and "Paste" have that classic Ropers vibe.

The Rolling Stones circa 1964 - 1972

At college a buddy gave me a mixtape of various Rolling Stones songs from their first 12 albums. He boasted that by end of the semester I'd be a convert — and he was right. Listening to these 12 albums is like watching a photograph print develop – with each song, each album you can hear each band member grow as a songwriter, musician, and social critic. There were the songs from the radio I knew ("Satisfaction," "Sympathy for the Devil," "Gimme Shelter," "Can't You Hear Me Knocking") and there were the songs that I knew as covers by other artists ("Wild Horses," "Heart of Stone," "Under My Thumb," "Live With Me"). However, it is the other songs on these 12 albums that I was most impressed with. These are the songs that illustrated an amazing sense of both lyric and craft that I never heard in the hits played ad nasuem on the radio. Songs like "Surprise Surprise," "No Expectations," "Mother's Little Helper," "Out of Time," "The Singer Not the Song," "The Spider and the Fly," "Citadel," "She's A Rainbow," "Sway," "Dead Flowers," and "Moonlight Mile." Even though the Stones have faded away, it's this era of recordings that still provide fertile ground for those interested in having something old become new again.