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(Credits: Far Out \/ YouTube Still)<\/p>\n
Sun 18 January 2026 9:48, UK <\/p>\n
There will always be a heavy rub between the old and new schools of rock and roll. Even though artists have spent years honing their craft to become the biggest names in music, it\u2019s only a matter of time before the new kids on the block come to take over the genre you once started. While The Rolling Stones had come far from their blues-infused roots by the start of the 1980s, Mick Jagger <\/a>had no time for the new kids when he heard the song \u2018Relax\u2019 for the first time.<\/p>\n If it weren\u2019t for Jagger\u2019s intuition, though, chances are The Stones would have been playing bluesy rock and roll for the rest of their lives. Compared to their sound during the British invasion, Jagger was always willing to experiment with whatever kind of music was popular at the time, from psychedelic rock on Their Satanic Majesties Request to baroque pop on Between the Buttons.<\/p>\n While they may have gotten the reputation for washing, rinsing, and repeating the same things The Beatles had done, Jagger had other plans far beyond what the Fab Four were working on. By the time their Liverpool rivals had broken up, Jagger had already started moving into different territory, paving the way for grunge rock on Exile on Main St<\/a> and getting more in tune with the blues he loved as a kid.<\/p>\n Since Keith Richards would have gladly played rock and roll for the rest of his days, Jagger was the one who brought contemporary elements into their sound. Years before MTV had become a fixture of televisions around the world, Jagger took the concept of rock and roll into the clubs, turning the song \u2018Miss You\u2019 into one of the few disco-tinged classic rock songs that didn\u2019t make fans want to cringe.<\/p>\n Once MTV began to birth chart successes of its own, Frankie Goes to Hollywood was prime fodder for the visual medium. Being produced by Buggles frontman Trevor Horn, \u2018Relax\u2019 was the first song that got their foot in the door, having an enormous wall of sound every time it stormed across radios and televisions.<\/p>\n The record wasn\u2019t just a pop hit; it was pure provocation. The tune was a powerhouse anthem that defied its roots in the queer scene and became a worldwide hit thanks to MTV\u2019s proliferation of the provocative video. A BBC ban and general moral panic helped to ignite the gunpowder of the song even more easily. Nothing gets a fire going more quickly than being told not to start one. <\/p>\n Bands are only as good as what they can deliver live, though, and Jagger had some specific complaints about the band\u2019s approach to their stage show. Whereas Jagger sauntered around the stage at every opportunity, he saw nothing but posturing when Holly Johnson began making his way onto the biggest stadiums on Earth.<\/p>\n