McCartney, who is currently promoting a new book, made the remarks in an interview with The New Yorker’s David Remnick published Monday.
“I’m not sure I should say this, but they’re a blues cover band, like the Stones,” McCartney said, “I think our net was a little wider than theirs.”
This isn’t the first time McCartney has drawn unfavorable comparisons between his former band and the Rolling Stones.
“Their stuff is rooted in the blues. When they’re writing stuff, it’s related to the blues. Whereas ours was a bit more of an influence,” he said. “There’s a lot of differences, but I like the Stones, but I’m with you. The Beatles were better.”
Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger responded to those comments in an interview with Jen Low for Apple Music.
“Apparently there’s no competition,” Jagger said with a laugh.
“The big difference, though, is a little seriously and is that the Rolling Stones have been a big concert band in other decades and other eras when the Beatles never toured an arena, Madison Square Garden with a decent sound system, Jagger said, “They broke up before the start of that business, the touring business for real.”
The Beatles and the Stones were two of the most famous groups in the world in the 1960s. While the Rolling Stones are still touring six decades later, the Beatles split in 1970.
Despite many fans blaming him for the split, McCartney, now 79, told BBC Radio 4 that it was co-lead singer John Lennon who instigated it.
“John walked into the room one day and said, ‘I’m leaving the Beatles.’ And he said, ‘It’s quite thrilling. It’s like a divorce.’ And then we were left to pick up the pieces,” McCartney told journalist John Wilson in an interview clip that aired Monday.
The full interview will be aired on 23 October.
McCartney’s latest book, “The Lyrics,” is due to be published on November 2.
Described as “a self-portrait in 154 songs”, the book includes commentaries on her song lyrics edited by Irish poet Paul Muldoon.
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