UK band ROLLING STONES is a universally well known band, arguably the biggest band still active today, with a career that has been ongoing for more than 50 years. “Beggars Banquet” is the band’s seventh studio album, and was released in December 1968. It is also an album heralded as one of the best by the band.
I’ve never been much of a Rolling Stones fan. I have, as most people, heard a lot of their music over the years though, and have listened to a few of their albums over the years too. I can’t really say that I know the band though, merely some of their songs. As such, this album was something of a surprise for me.
For a band heralded as somewhat hedonistic back in their heyday, and regarded as a wilder, more untamed band than the rather dominating foursome of The Beatles, this production doesn’t have much of that swagger to it. As I listen to it, it comes across as very much a celebration of what we’d call roots music or Americana these days, liberally flavored with careful, time-typical details of a psychedelic nature.
Opening cut Sympathy for the Devil is perhaps the most well known song here, and deservedly so, as it is also the best one by far in my opinion. Roots and honky tonk piano with a liberal touch of jazz swagger, paired off with rhythms with a Caribbean touch to them and Jagger’s powerful vocals on top, this makes for a powerful and enthralling combination. Later on, some of the melody lines and general approach of this song is explored in a more purebred roots manner on Jigsaw Puzzle, which on a musical level for me comes across as very much a companion piece.
The greater parts of the rest of the album is dominated by what I’d describe as pretty basic roots music. More often than not with a country orientation, sometimes with a bit more of a blues-oriented feel. We also get one case of electric blues, one case of a more Celtic-tinged affair, one case of a tight acoustic rocker and one with more of a soul and gospel feel to it, this latter being the song that concludes the album – Salt of the Earth.
The vocals and that the songs by and large comes across as well developed is what makes this album tick, the sole exception for me being Prodigal Son, a creation that for me came across as slightly less developed and thus also less interesting. With the aforementioned quality vocals and the liberal use of careful psychedelic element in most of the songs, this does in sum make this production a bit more interesting that what the description might indicate. Still, this is more of a roots and Americana album than it is a rock album per se, which for me at least is something of a surprise.
Rolling Stones have made quite a few twists and turns on a musical level in the decades they have been active. “Beggars Banquet” comes across as a quality production, a production that certainly is merited the tag as being among the band’s best ever albums. It is not, generally speaking, a rock album though. But if you like your roots music, Americana and Country, then this is a classic album that merits a check. It is worth noting that Sympathy for the Devil is the exception rather than the rule as far as the music of this album is concerned though. In style more than anything, but at least in my opinion it is also the best song here by far.
My rating: 80/100
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Track list:
Sympathy For the Devil // No Expectations // Dear Doctor // Parachute Woman // Jigsaw Puzzle // Street Fighting Man // Prodigal Son // Stray Cat Blues // Factory Girl // Salt of the Earth
