Beggars Banquet (1968)
1.Sympathy for the Devil
2.A Love in Vain
3.Dear Doctor
4.Parchute Woman
5.Jigsaw Puzzle
6.Street Fighting Man
7.Prodigal Son
8.Stray Cat Blues
9.Factory Girl
10.Salt of the Earth
 
After the bizarre Their Satanic Majesties Request, the band did a
quick 180 degree turnaround that would not only be their best album to
date, but would finally brand them in a way that they would forever be
remembered. This is the most sparse album The Rolling Stones ever
released, yet it is so passionate, so authentic, that it is immediately
warmed up to after only one listen.
Instrument wise, it doesn't sound often like much more than acoustic guitars and
piano (by Nicky Hopkins) throughout most of the album, but where it
lacks in instrumentation, it makes up with in sincerity. Despite the
simplicity, the band did nothing to curb their "bad boy" image. If
anything, it's escalated. Witness, the first song on the album, the
ever popular and controversial Sympathy for the Devil. One of
the darkest songs ever released, it nonetheless captures the sentiment
of the globe after flower power failed and people were becoming more
frustrated over Viet Nam, Civil Rights and the murder of the Kennedy's
(the song blatantly alludes to the last point). Mostly accompanied by
African rhythmic congas, the song remains as vibrant today as ever.
Equally as captivating (and perhaps, troublesome) is the raucous
Street Fighting Man that, intentionally or not, symbolizes the
rioting and violence occurring through the inner cities of America at
the time.
Not all is gloom and doom, however. Dear Doctor is actually
quite funny. It's a bit of a satire of ignorant hillbillies woes of
forced marriage. As crass as it is, it's still quite a great song.
Factory Girl is another "blue collar" love song about "bein' in
love with a girl with curlers in her hair" etc. Much of the rest of the
album stays just as lean, including the bluesy cover of Prodigal
Son and the fun Dylanesque Jigsaw Puzzle. They finish the
album with one of their most underrated songs - a plea for the common
man titled Salt of the Earth complete with gospel choir.
Sadly, things were starting to fall apart for the band on a personal level as they were
becoming their most successful. Guitarist Brian Jones, who apparently
done just a tad too much drugs in the last decade, was suffering from a
fried brain and really wasn't contributing much at this late stage of
his career. Drug busts among band members were so common, that it never
really resonated when they made the headlines for this sort of thing
anymore. The Altamont tragedy was only about a year or so away, and
even the cover for this album was banned for many years as being too
offensive. Strangely, though, with all the turmoil that has happened
with this band, they always remained pretty stable, and this release,
although not their best, definitely fell in most fan's top five.
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