“Crossfire Hurricane” on HBO documents the rise of The Rolling Stones

Crossfire Hurricane on HBO Nov. 15 documents the rise of The Rolling Stones from “the band everybody hated to the band everybody loves.”

The Rolling Stones were the bad boys of the 1960s British Invasion, the sexually charged, rebellious foil to the clean-cut, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” Beatles. The Beatles lasted only 10 years together. The Stones have been at it for 50 years.

The Stones’ golden anniversary is celebrated with the new documentary Crossfire Hurricane (HBO, Nov. 15 at 9pm ET), which chronicles the band’s evolution from, as Mick Jagger puts it, “the band everybody hated to the band everybody loves.” The documentary includes interviews with Jagger and bandmates Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood, and former members Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor. Including never-before-seen footage and detailing the band’s triumphs and tragedies, director Brett Morgen says the film “invites the audience to experience firsthand the Stones’ nearly mythical journey from outsiders to rock ’n’ roll royalty.”

“A chemical reaction seems to have happened,” Jagger says of the Stones’ unique stature in music lore. “You can’t really stop The Rolling Stones,” Richards adds. “You know when that sort of avalanche is facing you, you just get out of the way.”

Fifty Licks: A Stones Retrospective
1960: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards form a blues band in London
July 1962: The Rolling Stones play their first gig at London’s Marquee Club
June 1963: Their first single, a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Come On,” is released in the U.K.
1964: First album, The Rolling Stones (England’s Newest Hit Makers), released in U.S. First U.S. tour and Ed Sullivan Show appearance follows.
Summer 1965: “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” gets U.S. release, spends four weeks at No. 1
Jan. 1967: Jagger sings an edited “Let’s Spend the Night Together” on Ed Sullivan
June 1969: Guitarist Brian Jones leaves the band, is found dead less than a month later
Dec. 1969: A fan is stabbed to death during a Stones’ set at Altamont Free Concert
May 1978: Disco-influenced single “Miss You” reaches No. 1 in the U.S.
1985: With Jagger pursuing solo projects, a rift forms with Richards
1989-90: Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Jagger and Richards reconcile. The Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour is a huge success.
Sept. 2002: Greatest hits album Forty Licks released for 40th anniversary
Feb. 2006: Stones play Super Bowl XL halftime show
2005-07: A Bigger Bang Tour grosses then-record $558 million

Photos (from top) Credit: Courtesy of Rolling Stones/HBO; © Rolling Stones Archive