The Rolling Stones are set to reissue Exile on Main Street in expanded bonus-track - even unfinished-leftover-track-completed-years-later-by-surviving-members-a la-The Beatles' "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love" (but with neither Mick nor Keef having to die first) bonus track - format! This will surely be their best album since Exile...!

One name in particular stood out for me from this report:

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The wisdom of The Hall continues to amaze me. For as many knowledgeable individuals who dazzle with their rock knowledge, it is the collective wisdom of our participants that I find most dazzling.

It is in this spirit that I want to allow for further amazement---not only for the people but by the people. I was going to try to turn this into my own original post, maybe even do a few minutes of research on the Web, but then I thought better of it. Instead, I'd like to pose a question to the collective wisdom of The Orockle.

The question I'd like to pose - and one that I hope will inspire other questions we'd like to have asked when we had more time to find the answers ourselves - will follow a little bit of background. Read on, please.

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I'm sure you've heard this story by now: Keef has been sober for the last 4 months. Can you handle this, Stones fans and general fans of vicariously living through any "Bad Boy?"

I say, from all accounts the guy has partied enough for a few lifetimes. If he decides to stick with this, he's got nothing to lose. Imagine how much work it takes for him to get a buzz after all these years of saturation?

What really should be at issue is what this means for Keef's creativity. Can there be a Rolling Stones led by a sober Keith Richards? Do The X-Pensive Winos become Ex-Pensive? Will passing around a bottle of root beer suffice while gathered around a mic, doing backing vocals with Mick and a couple of backing singers? Will Keef remember that it takes two hands to play guitar?

Free your mind, Townspeople, and share with us your thoughts on a world with a sober Keef. Thanks.

Not pictured...

I'm a little surprised at the early votes rolling in for Keith Richards (4 of the first 6 respondents) in our current poll requesting your choice for second-favorite member of The Rolling Stones. I thought for sure that Keef would not get many votes on account of being the obvious favorite. Perhaps Townspeople misread the question and thought they were voting for their favorite. Perhaps Keef was voted as second-favorite Stone behind the choice that only my most cynical brain cells could imagine rock nerds voting for as Favorite Stone: Mick Taylor. Perhaps - and this is hard for me to imagine, but it would be nice - these Townspeople who voted for Keef as #2 Stone agree with my choice for Favorite Stone:

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For those of you relatively new to the Halls of Rock, Townsman 2000 Man (aka 2K) is our self-proclaimed Stones Expert. My discovery of this Leon Russell performance got me thinking about the late, great director, Robert Altman, who was never quite able to capture on film a rock 'n roll performance this chock full 'o characters. Could this be the template for many of the performance scenes in Nashville and that trainwreck of a late-70s film of his centering around a Broadway version of The Doobie Brothers?

Then I wondered, What would 2K say about this clip?

Then I summoned him...

The Beatles' "Penny Lane" b/w "Strawberry Fields Forever" single is rightfully acknowledged as one of the finest pairings of songs ever committed to 7 inches of vinyl. What's less often acknowledged is the band's landmark display of facial hair, as presented on the promotional films for each song. Although rock facial hair had already been in bloom in the rock underground, John, Paul, George, and Ringo busted out an astounding array of complimentary moustaches (and one Van Dyke) to support their dazzling new sonic achievements. Paul will forever get his share of grief for being the most ambitious and glib of the Fab Four to reach old age, but along with all the praise due to his musical abilities, let's not forget to recognize the perfection of the man Sgt. Pepper's-era 'stache.

While The Beatles were experimenting with mind-expanding sounds and drugs - and fashion-expanding facial hair - The Rolling Stones were searching for an appropriate response. Their Satanic Majesties Request was such a poor attempt at psychedelia that they would be bested in their efforts to follow the times by the likes of The Four Seasons' Genuine Imitation Life. I'm not kidding, and Frankie Valli and the boys put their thick, dark Italian follicles to great use, helping to launch the overlooked genre of Goatee Rock. The best the Stones could manage was Brian Jones' fabulous mutton chops.

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The wisdom of The Hall continues to amaze me. For as many knowledgeable individuals who dazzle with their rock knowledge, it is the collective wisdom of our participants that I find most dazzling.

It is in this spirit that I want to allow for further amazement---not only for the people but by the people. I was going to try to turn this into my own original post, in an attempt to display my deluded sense of having a unique brand of insight and humor, but then I thought better of it. Instead, I'd like to pose this question to the collective wisdom of The Orockle: What if the British Invasion had been thwarted?

What if Chubby Checker and James Darren had led a battalion of ships to turn away The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Hollies, and Freddie and the Dreamers? What would constitute rock 'n roll from 1964 forward if the British Invasion had failed? Would rock 'n roll truly have died, as the conventional wisdom of countless rock documentaries assume, or would the void have allowed American country and R&B artists direct access to the riches of what we've come to know as Rock Stardom?

As always, when any of us consult The Orockle, the opportunity exists for folks to ask similar questions and receive similar advice. The topic shouldn't necessarily focus just on my topic.

I look forward to your responses.

What artist completes the Mount Rushmore of Rock?

It goes without saying that The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan constitute three quarters of this soon-to-be historic monument, which the U.S. National Park Service is planning to sculpt in an undisclosed location. Who's the fourth and final artist (solo or band) to be chiseled into stone?

If we only include officially released recordings, which was the better cover band, The Beatles or The Rolling Stones? Covers on bootlegs are not allowed for consideration, but covers-rich collections like The Beatles at the Beeb are in the mix.

I'm not about to dictate the meaning of "better cover band," so you may use your own criteria, from "most authentic covers" or "ability to make the cover songs their own." Each band's entire body of work shall be taken into account, meaning the Stones may benefit from or be harmed by the inclusion of covers from their releases over the past 20 years. Please show your work. I've got some thoughts on the matter myself, but they're not fully formed. I look forward to our working this out together.

Following the announcement coming out of Australia that Charlie Watts has quit The Rolling Stones and the counter-statement from the band, as reported in NME, that Charlie Watts has not indeed quit The Rolling Stones, legendary studio drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie issued his own announcement:

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