POLL: Beggars Banquet "A Great Stones Era Ends--A New One Begins"

Just spinned this vinyl and I have to say it kind of in a dark way took me on a psychedelic voyage. Trust me there were no self indulgences involved.
I know it's not considered psychedelic but those long strings and harmonies have me hearing tints of the genre. Than again that's my opinion.

The Stones would get back to basics after their psych excursion of Their Satanic Majesties Request.
Released December 6th 1968 it was a return to what made the stones a household name up until that point. Producer Jimmy Miller described Keith Richards as a real work horse on this album.
Brian Jones erratic behavior and emotional problems didn't help the Beggars sessions much.

Jimmy Miller on Brian Jones at the Beggars sessions:

When he would show up at a session—let's say he had just bought a sitar that day, he'd feel like playing it, so he'd look in his calendar to see if the Stones were in. Now he may have missed the previous four sessions. We'd be doing let's say, a blues thing. He'd walk in with a sitar, which was totally irrelevant to what we were doing, and want to play it. I used to try to accommodate him. I would isolate him, put him in a booth and not record him onto any track that we really needed. And the others, particularly Mick and Keith, would often say to me, 'Just tell him to piss off and get the hell out of here'.

Well Brians self indulgences got the better of him but none the less Beggars Banquet was a huge success for the stones and would be the start of that phenomenal album run 1968--1972

Some consider Beggars Banquet to be the stones greatest accomplishment. The more I listen to this album the more I find it hard to argue with Banquet faithful. That objectionable album cover, it would delay the release for months.

From WIKIPEDIA:

On 7 June 1968, a photoshoot for the album, with photographer Michael Joseph, was held at Sarum Chase, a mansion in Hampstead, London. Previously unseen images from the shoot were exhibited at the Blink Gallery in London in November and December 2008. The album's original cover art, depicting a bathroom wall covered with graffiti, was rejected by the band's record company, and their unsuccessful dispute delayed the album's release for months.

On 11–12 December 1968 the band filmed a television extravaganza titledThe Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circusfeaturing John Lennon, Eric Clapton, The Who, Jethro Tull and Marianne Faithfullamong the musical guests. One of the original aims of the project was to promote Beggars Banquet, but the film was shelved by the Rolling Stones until 1996, when their former manager, Allen Klein, gave it an official release.

Beggars in 2003 was put at 58 in the Rollin Stones Top 500 albums.

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Love spinning this vinyl burned to cd for a constant spin to save the London label record. I have the 2002 reissue cd but sometimes I just want to hear the original vinyl on a cd or the vinyl on a turntable.

Always considered this era a sad one in stones history on account of Brian Jones self indulgences and inevitable death. The Stones would go on to record more great epic albums (1968--1972). Sadly with Jones passing a great era for the Stones had ended. Enter Mick Taylor and the rest is history.

Well anyway share your stories thoughts on Brain Jones last hurrah with the Stones and of course Beggars Banquet. The Stones singing about the devil and a street fighting man, what's not to love.

 

This is one of those albums where I just can't pick.
I love everything about it, it's perfect from start to finish.

 

This was my first proper album by the Stones. I'd known them by singles before that.

What struck me were some of the more soulful, bluesy bits. "Salt of the Earth" and "No Expectations" are absolute favorites. "Stray Cat Blues" invented grunge, basically (Soundgarden covered it, actually).

As someone born in '83, the Stones were always "establishment rock" to me. They weren't bad and certainly had catchy songs to their credit, but the idea that they were ever considered rough, dangerous, or cutting edge just didn't compute for me. Give a listen to Beggars' Banquet and the whole picture snaps into focus though.

This really should be required listening.

 

"Dear Doctor"
"Street Fighting Man"
"Stray Cat Blues"

 

Hard to pick just three:

Sympathy for the Devil, No Expectations, Parachute Woman

Honourable mention goes to Factory Girl

 

While Jones were a growing pain here, it should be noted that he played on nearly every track, albeit on a limited basis.
We all know his big contribution was to "No Expectations", but otherwise "Beggars Banquet" remains the first record on which Keith Richards showed his ability to play the guitar without any co-players.
His solo on "Sympathy For The Devil" speaks for itself.

 

1) No expectations. One of the greatest songs they ever did. So simple, yet so effective. Beautiful all round.
2) Sympathy. Back in it's day, a live classic.
3) SFM. Ditto.

 

I thought I knew the Stones fairly well growing up in the seventies. Hot Rocks, Through The Past Darkly, Made In The Shade, Let It Bleed, Get Yer Ya-Yas Out, Some Girls, Tattoo You were all albums I knew well. Then I was at a party in the mid eighties and someone kept playing their parents' copy of Rolling Stones Now. I was completely blown away. Never heard Stones like that before. Then on Christmas of 1987 (I think that was the year) I gave a friend the newly reissued with original cover Beggars Banquet. Once again we were completely blown away. So different from everything I had known. The two singles are really strong and I could have picked a number of songs as my third option. Now I'd like to find something in between that will open my mind up to the Stones again. Aftermath perhaps?

 

This was the start of the Stones' regeneration, which lasted IMO through to Sticky Fingers (including Ya-Yas). Every song is good, some great.

 

Here goes...
~Sympathy For The Devil
~Street Fighting Man
~Factory Girl

Honorable Mention: Stray Cat Blues, Salt Of The Earth, No Expectations... and the rest of the album is terrific too!

 

Agreed on excellence of the work, but it's not really different. It's better produced and arranged than the work from the mid-70s, but very much Stones music.

 

Devil, Cat, Salt

Not really a weak song on the album.

 

Factory Girl is excellent, a trenchant lyric, tight, well-played backing tracks, effective singing, just very good.

 

Sympathy
No Expectations
Stray Cat Blues

 

I've actually covered that song a few times myself (do like of a cover by way of a Nick Lowe feel to it I guess)...
I chose two epics (Sympathy For The Devil & Street Fighting Man) & this perfect little gem (Factory Girl) is situated in betwixt two more kind of epics (Stray Cat Blues & Salt Of The Earth), either of which could have easily gotten my remaining vote...but... I saw no one had voted for Factory Girl & it's own humble way, it's just as wonderful as either epic on either side of it... glad you dig it too!!!

 

Jigsaw, Stray, and Salt.

 

I was just playing my white cover vinyl copy last night. A great album if there ever was one.

 

An interesting insight - I think Beggars Banquet is an unusual variety of psychedelic album. It's definitely on the downside of the psychedelic experience but any album that has the mind-warping lyrics of "Sympathy" and "Jigsaw Puzzle", and the freeform sound collage of "Street Fighting Man", must indeed be a kind of psychedelic album.

If I think really hard and/or am drunk, I can probably think of three songs I DON'T like from the album. But I can't just pick any three I do like. Too many good, nay, essential, tracks.

 

Sympathy For The Devil
No Expectations
Jigsaw Blues

 

No Expectations for its silky bubbly textures. Parachute Woman for sheer grime and that stabbing less-is-more riff. Jigsaw Puzzle for being the album's secret weapon in some way I can't put my finger on.

 

No Expectations
Street Fighting Man
Sympathy

Parachute Woman #4

 

My college roommate in 1990 had Beggars Banquet on CD. My first proper Rolling Stones album listen. Loved it. We played it all the time. He had Rubber Soul as well and that was a similar experience for me for the Beatles, as Beggars Banquet was for the Stones. No Expectations is my favorite.

 

My favorite three are "Prodigal Son", "Street Fighting Man" and "Jigsaw Puzzle" (this one the best non-single track off it IMO). You know I have never been a big fan of B's B as a whole . "Satanic" is much more colorful and original for me, and "Let It Bleed", as a showcase of their newer style and capabilities, is vastly superior.

 

The three leading vote-getters (Sympathy For The Devil, No Expectations and Street Fighting Man) are also my choices.

 

I chose the obvious ones - Sympathy for the Devil, Street Fighting Man, No Expectations.