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Beggars Banquet

The return to roots after Satanic Majesties, with Sympathy for the Devil, Street Fighting Man and a bathroom-wall cover the label refused.
The Rolling Stones, 1968

Released
6 December 1968
Recorded
17 March to 25 July 1968
Studio
Olympic Studios, London
Label
Decca
Producer
Jimmy Miller
Length
39:44

Decca released the album on 6 December 1968 and London followed the next day in the United States. Release had been delayed by several months because the label rejected the cover, a bathroom wall photographed by Barry Feinstein. The rejected cover appeared on later reissues.

Producer Jimmy Miller called Richards a real workhorse, as he carried most of the sessions. Jones attended sporadically but contributed to eight tracks, and the basic track of Street Fighting Man was recorded on a portable cassette deck. The title is reported to have been suggested by Christopher Gibbs.

It reached number three in the UK and number five in the US, and went Platinum in the US and Gold in the UK. It entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, and Rolling Stone ranked it number 57 in 2003. The Chicago Sun-Times called it the rawest, rudest, most arrogant, most savage Stones record yet, and beautiful.

Track listing

  1. Sympathy for the Devil6:18
  2. No Expectations3:56
  3. Dear Doctor3:28
  4. Parachute Woman2:20
  5. Jigsaw Puzzle6:06
  6. Street Fighting Man3:16
  7. Prodigal Son2:51
  8. Stray Cat Blues4:38
  9. Factory Girl2:09
  10. Salt of the Earth4:48

Personnel

More from The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones (1964), Out of Our Heads (1965), Aftermath (1966), Let It Bleed (1969), Sticky Fingers (1971), Exile on Main St. (1972), Goats Head Soup (1973), Some Girls (1978), Tattoo You (1981), Hackney Diamonds (2023)

Sources

  1. Beggars Banquet, Wikipedia
  2. Sympathy for the Devil, Wikipedia