Battle Royale, Round 1: Rod Stewart vs The Stones, 1969

Although 1969 was one of the more contentious of years for The Rolling Stones, a year in which they lost founding guitarist Brian Jones and, symbolically, lost rock 'n roll's innocence at Altamont [a moment of cliched, insincere silence, please], it was a great year for the Stones' rock 'n roll output. The band followed up the fantastic "Honky Tonk Woman" single with what I believe is their best album of the Mick Taylor era, Let It Bleed.

In this opening round of our examination of the musical contributions by Rod Stewart and the Stones from 1969 through 1976, the acknowledged titans of swaggering Anglo-Americana Rock laid down the gauntlet. I don't need to list the highlights, do I? What I love most about this album is its seamless mix of all that would mark the band's transition into it's early '70s epic status while pushing against the constraints of danceable pop expectations. I think the album is killer rock 'n roll, and I'll state up front that Round 1 goes to the Stones.

Faces, "Wicked Messenger"

Rod Stewart, "Street Fighting Man"

Considering we're booked for an 8-round bout, let's not discount the body shots landed by upstart Rod Stewart, who by 1969 had set his sights beyond his prominent vocal role with Jeff Beck Group and embarked on the dual tasks of, with Jeff Beck Group bassist Ron Wood, replacing mighty might Steve Marriott in the no-longer small Faces AND becoming a solo star. What bolder way to open these ventures with covers of Bob Dylan and the Stones themselves?

Rod Stewart - Have You Ever Seen The Rain

Rod Stewart Have You Ever Seen The Rain (C) 2006 J Records, a unit of SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT