“Beggars Banquet” was definitely
a make or break album for The Stones.
Even with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” that summer
of 68, this album was released on the
run up to Christmas 1968, and failure
would of left them still languishing in
the pop group file with a habit of bringing
out hit singles. But when The Stones needed
a classic, the Glimmer Twins (Mick Jagger
and Keith Richards) obliged.
From the opening percussion of first track
“Sympathy For The Devil” you know you
are indeed about to embark on a very special
journey. After being hounded by the establishment
for the last 12 months, here was Mick
Jagger pouting and preening at the front
of the band giving it his all, throwing
down the challenge, and “Hey”, “Yeah”,
“May be I am Lucifer, what are you going
to do about it”. Then when Keith Richards
comes ripping up on his guitar during
the solo breaks, Rock ‘n’ Roll has been
redefined. It’s the devil’s music and
they are proud of it. Of course it was
all very tongue in cheek, but then your
mum and dad would never know that. “Sympathy
For The Devil” is a classic Rock ‘n’ Roll
track often imitated but never bettered,
and is an absolute must in the present
Stones Live set list.
Next track up, just to keep you wondering,
the Stones drag out an inspiring heartbreaking
ballad in “No Expectations” confessing
that even if you are a Rolling Stones,
love does not always run true. In fact,
over the ten tracks on “Beggars Banquet”
the Stones run the gauntlet of all their
many talents from the out and out Rock
‘n’ Roll songs (“Street Fighting Man”
and the heavy “Parachute Woman”), the
only ever autobiographical Stones song
in “Jig Saw Puzzle”, where each member
is mentioned, their roots in “Stray Cat
Blues”, a tribute to the fans for sticking
to them through thick and thin “Salt Of
The Earth”, to the hysterically funny
“Dear Doctor”, which may bring a wry smile
to some of Pattaya’s residents.
All the facets of the Stones at full force
are on display, Jagger’s singing and sensuous
harmonica play, the rock hard rhythm section
of Wyman & Watts, the straight men
to the flamboyant front duo. Best of all
though is Keith Richards’s guitar work,
which lights up every track whether it
being his thunderous rhythm works, his
slide guitar or lightning solos, you know
you are listening to a master at work.
Brian Jones (although making a wonderful
cameo in the artwork, where all of the
Stones revel in their own decadence) was
drifting away from the band. In fact,
any guitar work he did lay down was soon
wiped clear by the others. But the altered
group dynamic appears to have liberated
Mick and Keith as writers.
Here is where they first display to transcend
their influences, past and present to
create a sort of beautiful monster, not
for just one single, but for a whole album.
The Stones had a rough passage through
the Flower Power era, but came out the
other side harder, flasher - with their
eyes re-opened.
These songs on “Beggars Banquet” are the
sound of rock mythology being born.
The album never actually went number one
on either side of the Atlantic (top five
though), but stayed on the charts for
six months, as the word spread that the
Stones were back.
The trouble was that they had now been
in all but name reduced to a quintet.
They couldn’t go out on the road to promote
the album without a second guitarist.
A solution had to be found to this problem,
and there were a lot of “Honk Tonk Women”
to come yet.
Pawed by Mott The Dog
Remastered by Ella Crew
E-mail: review@mott-the-dog.com
Related Links Part
I | Part II | Part
III | Part
IV
