They were still more Rock than The Beatles for me(which for me was Pop rock, mass appeal in spades to their credit)they were influenced by and covered a lot of Blues songs(doesn't rock in general owe a lot to it anyway though? If you have ever listened to real Blues the difference is clear), it is Bluesy rock I guess you could say but then look at Led Zep they did the same thing except gave no credit to the songs they took their influence from. Anyway I've nothing against them but give me the Stones over the Beatles any day of the week... stood the test of time better most of their hits IMO.