Well, everyone knows that it's not really a big deal that Noel Gallagher sort of quit Oasis the other day. This, on the other hand, is a big deal.

A source within the Stones inner-circle says, “Charlie Watts has quit the band. He will never record or tour with the band again”.

The news does not come as a surprise. It was common knowledge that Keith Richards had to talk Charlie into contributing to the A Bigger Bang tour but this time it seems there is no calling Charlie back to active duty.

“The Stones are looking to Keith's Expensive Winos drummer Charlie Drayton to fill the void in all future Stones' callings,” our source says.

With Mick Jagger planning more Stones activity next year, the departure of Charlie will be a huge blow to the band. Charlie was the backbone of the band.

Watts, who reportedly once punched Mick Jagger in the face for calling him "my drummer", and then literally added insult to injury, shouting "you're my f--king singer!" is (other than that) not known for outbursts or typical rock and roller shenanigans. Still married to the wife he met before the Stones got huge, and having managed to avoid the limelight for 46 years in the biggest band in the world, Watts is bowing out without much of a bang, which is by all accounts how he likes it.

Update:

Watts says it's just a rumor:

Despite rumors circulating that he has, Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts has denied he's quitting the group, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday, despite reports from an Australia music blog. The report came from the usually credible Undercover(www.undercover.com.au) and caused a concern around the globe with music fans, since Watts' departure would probably mean the end of the classic rock band.

"Contrary to a fabricated story that ran this morning on a small music web site in Australia, drummer Charlie Watts has not left The Rolling Stones," spokeswoman Fran Curtis said in an emailed statement.

It's long been speculated that there was more to Rolling Stones guitarists death than a bad combination of drugs, alcohol and a swimming pool -- see above clip from Crimewatch in 1994. However, new developments have led Sussex police to re-examine Jones's death, the BBC reports.

Police in Sussex were handed new information connected to the musician's untimely death 40 years ago.

Mr Jones, was found dead at the bottom of a swimming pool at a house in Cotchford farm, Hartfield, East Sussex.

An inquest recorded a verdict of death by misadventure but speculation continued that he was murdered.

A spokesman for Sussex police said the force had been handed documents connected with Jones's death, prompting the review.

AP and Rolling Stone both have a bit more of the backstory.

In 1972, while touring in North America for Exile on Main Street, the Rolling Stones were accompanied by a film maker named Robert Frank, who filmed their each and every move -- including the band doing lines of cocaine amongst naked groupies backstage.

Once the Stones' management realized that all the band's mischievous activities were being documented, they had the film shut down on legal grounds, and the footage could only be viewed by anyone while Frank was present.

Now, 37 years later, all of the revealing C**ksucker Blues, as it was titled, is available on the world wide web. You can watch it all streaming here. This is NSFW, to say the least. Oh, so NSFW. If you don't know what that means, it means that there's lots of bad stuff in it and don't watch it at the office or with the little ones around.

This morning I was trying to put the 29 year old Swedish-born Argentine folk singer Jose Gonzalez into some sort of non-musical context for tonight's LNMC. I was eager to feature either his first hit, "Heartbeats" or his cover of the Joy Division classic "Love Will Tear Us Apart". So I started writing a story about an Argentine priest who was just found guilty of genocide, murder and torture and I started thinking about the priest's claim that "in 2,000 years of history, no priest of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church has violated the sacraments." That lead me away from Gonzalez and towards the LSD-soaked early days on the Rolling Stones. I figured you might enjoy it more anyway:

Let It Bleed

The Stones celebrated their 50th Birthday at O2 in London last night, and were joined by Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor for a couple of tunes. Check out Mr. Taylor's cameo. What's your favorite Stones 'era'?

Through The Past Darkly (Big Hits Vol.2)

The holiday weekend is over and I need some Stones. This gem features an oboe solo, and backing vocals by Lennon and McCartney. What more could you want?

I've been racking my brain to find a fitting song for the recent news but nothing comes to mind. Oh well, this track should suffice. Hope your week started well.

Beggars Banquet
	Artist: The Rolling Stones

It's time for some Stones, my friends. And you also might enjoy a gorgeous concert at our sister site Newstalgia -- Orquesta Sinfonica de la Region de Murcia (OSRM featuring the music of Spanish composers Joaquin Turina and Manuel Moreno-Buendia.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Billy Preston is best known as the "Fifth Beatle" for his keyboard work with the Fab Four on the Abbey Road sessions. His resume also included the Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many more heavy hitters across various genres. Tonight's selection is off of his 1971 record, I Wrote A Simple Song. Thanks to my buddy Keith for reminding me of this.

A reminder that our sister site Newstalgia has for its weekend concert, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from 1987. Enjoy!

The Flamin' Groovies' Teenage Head was released in 1971, the same year that the Rolling Stones released Sticky Fingers. Both albums have a heavy blues bent, and Mick Jagger allegedly claimed that the Groovies' record was better than the Stones masterpiece. I don't know if I agree with Jagger, but this song always makes me want to shake my ass.