For the British, 2012 is a year full of auspicious anniversaries: the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens, the upcoming London Olympic Games, and the 50th anniversary of the UK's national treasure: The Rolling Stones.

It was almost exactly 50 years ago that the Rolling Stones played their very first gig at 165 Oxford Street in London. They would never expect what happened next: by referencing on various styles of blues, country, reggae and rock, their collective sound changed the landscape of pop music forever.

So far, the Stones are estimated to have sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, and regularly feature at the top of lists of the most influential acts in popular music history.

The greatest bands have two front men. The Beatles had Lennon and McCartney, Led Zepplin had Plant and Page, and the Rolling Stones have Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who have been friends since childhood.

Mick and his fellow bandmates Ronnie Wood, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts are in the party mood. [Agencies]

It was "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" which gave the Stones their first U.S. and British hit in the mid-1960s, topping the charts in both countries. A string of golden hits followed, including "Ruby Tuesday", "Angie", "Under My Thumb" and "Paint It Black". However, the band members earned a notorious reputation for their bad boy image, long hair, rowdy gigs and other controversies.

And the story developed with all the legendary and mysterious elements of rock n' roll: guitarist Brian Jones died at the bottom of a swimming pool; band members came and left replacing one another; marriage and divorce with beautiful models; and most crucially, creating their most memorable music in full chaos. Their signature album "Exile on Main Street" was recorded between 1969 and 1972 in a basement with tales of sex, drugs and mad indulgences.

Stepping into the 1980's, the Stones rebuilt their reputation as a successful music festival headliner and outstanding recording artists. The current line-up featuring Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood has been in place since the early-1990s. Even Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese made a documentary film for them.

Keith Richards, guitarist of the Rolling Stones, said, "There are loads of options. That's the interesting thing. You can plug in and look at me or you can look at Mick. I'm really, I'm not that way inclined."

As for the future, even though they are now favored to stage a show for the London Olympics, Jagger denied that the band would be part of the Olympic celebration, and the band's enduring popularity is underlined by a flurry of speculation about whether or not they would mark the anniversary with a gig. But it's like their song suggests, "You Can't Always Get What You Want" may be the best comforting words and an incontestable truth for all Stones fans.

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