It’s Only Rock ’n Roll vs Walk This Way: Two Blues-Drenched Arena Anthems of the Mid-70s

The Stones’ “It’s Only Rock ’n Roll (But I Like It)” and Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” both leaned hard on the blues—Keith Richards’ riff in the Stones track is basically a Chuck Berry boogie filtered through a fuzz box, while Aerosmith’s opening guitar figure is pure Chicago shuffle, lifted almost note-for-note from the Meters’ “Cissy Strut” but sped up for radio. Yet the two songs aim for different kinds of grandeur. The Stones sound like they’re winking at the audience, admitting the whole thing is silly before the chorus kicks in;