Originally Posted by: The Beach BoysYeah, you listen to the early Faces and can be knocked out by the seemingly effortless stuff Woodie comes up with. He's probably more inventive than Keith, and certainly more accomplished across a greater range (not to take anything away from K Richards who, let's face it, is a rock n roll god) and what they do together is pretty mind blowing - no younger band comes anywhere near close. I often thought what the Stones would have been like with Rory Gallagher, but the synergy between Wood and Richards is pure magic... here's hoping for more.

There are many reasons why The Stones never achieved the artistic and commercial success they had after the death of Brian Jones and a the departure of Mick Taylor (the increasing drug addiction of Jagger and Richards, the overall decline of quality songwriting, and getting caught up in their record label as opposed to making good music), but a primary reason for their decline was and is the predictable and utterly robotic playing of Ronny Woods. Yes, he can play all the right notes and keeps good, but there is no passion and originality to his playing. Woods could never have come with the type of titanic solos that Jones and Taylor did in songs such as Gimme Shelter, Wild Horses, Lady Jane, Midnight Rambler, etc. Both Jones (because The Stones were his creation) and Taylor had the fearlessness and chops to play what they felt and follow and that beautiful inner voice. Woods has no such ability and simply retired when he joined The Stones, and as such, they have become their own cover band for the past 32 years. Uninspired and predictable. It's better to possible suck then be boring. Ron Woods certainly doesn't suck, but his work with The Stones is utterly boring.