The Rolling Stones Are Constantly Changing, But

The Beatles Did Their Best Cover Work On Little Richard's 'long Tall Sally' And Music Influenced By Richard, Such As Larry Williams's 'dizzy Miss Lizzie.

There Were Many Stars In Motown's Firmament - Among Them, Stevie, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves And Diana Ross - But I Happen To Have Loved The Four Tops Most Of All.

Aretha Franklin's 'let Me In Your Life' Is One Of The Few Recent R&b Albums That Places The Emphasis Entirely And Deservedly On A Voice. Many R&b Producers Have Been Making Records On Which The Singer Is Outshined By The Song, The Arrangement And The Sound.

Elton John Can Be A Master Of The Sleight Of Hand. The Arrangements Make It Seem Like There Are Substantial Melodies Underneath The Tracks - But Almost Nothing Demands Repeated Listenings. Similarly, He Always Sounds Like He's Singing Up A Storm, But His Voice Glosses Over The Material, Reducing Most Things To An Uninteresting Sameness.

The Faces Do Not, As Some Have Recently Alleged, Play Badly. They Are More Than Competent, Especially At Creating A Mid-sixties Rolling Stones-styled Groove, As Their Excellent Version Of 'memphis' Proves.