Beggars Banquet

I had them all. All of the UK released Stone's albums (we used to call them LP's in those days, short for Long Player.) I may not have bought them exactly on the day of issue but most pretty close to it.

Exactly where I bought Beggars Banquet escapes my memory but it was likely from a local "record shop", an independent, you just don't see those now. Anyway, I can remember getting home with the album, a big black vinyl disc that ran at thirty three and one third revolutions per minute.

Disappointment. The cover was a disappointment, plain white with no picture of the Rolling Stones on it. I remembered reading some months before about the latest Stone's LP being held up because of problems with the artwork. What the problems were the news article did not say. No mention at all of toilets and graffiti and insults to Brian Jones.

But, the cover was a "double fold" and opening it up reveled a photo of the Rolling Stones in various fancy dress enjoying a right royal beggars banquet in what appeared to be the banqueting hall of a ruined castle. The photograph had a strangeness about it that I could not immediately put my finger on. Then it hit me, the photograph itself was black and white and had been hand colored, it was a good effect.

My attention turned to the track listing. What, only ten tracks again! That was the way it was going in the UK at that time. Whereas albums used to have a pretty much standard twelve tracks, it seemed that was being cut down to a mean ten.

But how long were the tracks? Were there any super long songs like Aftermath's "Going Home"?

Nope, no such luck. In fact the whole album is over in less than 40 mins. A few tracks are a decent length but one, Factory Girl is incredibly short. Okay dokay, forget about the number of tracks, forget about the running time let's get the needle in the grove and hear how this album sounds, that's the important thing.

Stereo, I'd recently got myself my very first stereo record player, saved my pennies, traded in the old Dannsete and was equipped to listen with both ears daddy-o, and Beggars Banquet was the very first stereophonic long player that I owned.

So the sound feast begins with Sympathy for the Devil. It pleased my ears all those years ago, I liked it, but not anywhere near as much on first hearing it as I would come to love the track as the years went by.

I thought back then that the 'woo woo's' were a little embarrassing but the track had balls to it, a mighty good start to the album. I had read that 'Beggars' was to be a return to the Stones blues and rock roots after the, not very well received, Satanic Majesties album with its psychedelic slant.

Next track. This is bluesy but also country. Did I like it? Yep, it was slow but had a quality that hit home with a fantastic slide guitar. "I've got No Expectations to pass through here again." It was Brian on slide of course. Mick Jagger is said to have remarked some years later that Brian's work on No Expectations, was the last time he contributed something meaningful to a Stone's recording.

"Oh the gal I'm to marry is a bow-legged sow"

What's this? Another country track, I didn't buy a Stones album to hear country music, (way back then I didn't have much of a liking for country, I have since grown to love it.)

I could tell that Dear Doctor was meant to be humorous but I wasn't impressed, I was eager to get on to the next track. Thankfully my tastes have improved over the years and I can now appreciate this gentle leg-pull. Heart transplants were big news when Mick and Keith wrote this song.

"Oh wont you please tear it out and preserve it right there in that jar."

"Parachute woman, join me for a ride."

Crashing thrashing guitars (all Keith), pounding drums, Bill's bumping thumping base, wailing bluesy mouth harp from Brian? Or is it Mick? Is Brian on this track?

If you can forgive the very sparse, meaningless lyrics then this is a blinder of a blues-rock track. I loved it on first hearing it and I love it now. Fades out all to soon on a brilliant riff.

Last track, side one. No, Jigsaw Puzzle did not hit the spot with me when I first heard it. I thought of it as a filler track, just something thrown together to pad out Beggars Banquet.

You will not be surprised to read that my opinion changed over the years. It's kind of hard to describe Jigsaw Puzzle, medium paced and sort of folksy. I don't know exactly why but I think of the track as being part of a trilogy - Salt of the Earth and Let it Bleed being the other two tracks. "There's a tramp sitting on my doorstep"

. . .I have just read that JigSaw Puzzle was written about Marianne Faithful who at that time enjoyed sitting doing jigsaw puzzles. . .

And so endeth side one of the banquet. I felt that it was over all too soon, but dare say I would have felt the same had it gone on for twice as long.

"Hey, said my name is called Disturbance"

What feasts did side two hold in store? The Decca album got turned over and spun on the turntable. What manner of guitar sounds are these? Can't remember exactly my feelings of my first hearing of "Street Fighting Man", I must have been impressed. I do remember Nicky Hopkins' tinkling piano caught my attention and remember being vexed at the track being too short, it isn't of course, it's simply perfect, perfect and perfecto!

Although on first hearing Street Fighting Man sounds like it has electric guitars all over it, sounds that way on tenth and twentieth hearing too, it is in fact all acoustic.

Kieth laid down the guitar tracks on a cassette recorder, overlaying six string and five string blues tuned acoustic guitars.

It is often said that Charlie used a toy drum kit on this track, he didn't, it was a portable practice kit, but whatever the drums on Street Fighting Man get right inside you.

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Next track. Hey acoustic blues, listen to that guitar, who's playing that? (It was Keith of course.) This is good, but good! Wait, who the heck is that singing? That's a black bloke singing and singing like a thirties blues singer, what the hell is going on?

It wasn't a black bloke of course, it was Jagger. The Stone's recording of Prodigal Son is nothing short of brilliant, a masterpiece I would say. The track was wrongly credited as being 'traditional, arrangement by The Rolling Stones' it was in fact written and first recorded by Rev. Robert Wilkins.

"I bet your mama don't know you can spit like that"

Hmmm "Stray Cat Blues". Now this is the Rolling Stones and no mistake. How could I not love this track back then and how could I not love it now. (The fact that I love the whole of Beggars Banquet now is neither here nor there.) Not sure about the blues (in the title) but whether it is blues or not "Stray Cat Blues" rocks, blasts and screeches on with wicked distorted guitar work from Keith. A diamond of a track.

The subject of the song is more than a bit controversial. Even back when I first heard it I was taken aback about the lyrics being about sex with an underage girl. "But you don't really miss your mother. Don't look so scared, I'm not no mad brained bear".

"Waiting for a girl, she's got stains all down her dress."

Think, think back, did I like "Factory Girl" on that initial spin of Beggars Banquet? I think that I wasn't very much turned on by it. Probably thought that it is not the type of music that the Stones should be playing. But then there are lots of Stones recordings that fall into that category and I grew to love those. Same thing with "Factory Girl." Much too short this fun country/hillbilly track.

A song that starts with the sandpaper smooth voice of Keef. Lots of acoustic guitar work, up-front piano, heavy drums and even a gospel choir. Salt of the Earth rips along and whips itself up into a crescendo.

Wouldn't say that I immediately tagged this track as a great, I thought it rather strange with it's difficult lyrics that are somewhat divorced from what you'd expect from the Rolling Stones sex, drugs and rock 'n roll world. Prayers for common foot soldiers and hard working people, thinking of wavering millions and stay at home voters.

And that was my first listen to Beggars Banquet, which over the years grew from 'yeah, that's a good album' to my all time favorite Stones album.

Jumpin' Jack Flash was recorded at the same sessions as the tracks on Beggars Banquet and intended for that album But the Rolling Stones were in need of a single so Jack was released and became a monster hit.

When the album was finally released Jumpin' Jack Flash was missing. Should it have been included? It would have made the album longer but would it have made it better?

The Stones have unleashed their rawest, ludest, most arrogant, most savage record yet. And it's beautiful.
- Carl Bernstein, Chicago Sun Times, January 1969

Update - There is a Russian version of Banquet that does have Jumping Jack Flash (mono) on it as one of seven bonus tracks. Unfortunately, and perhaps unsurprisingly, it's at a premium price! Beggars Banquet + 7 Bonus Tracks [IMPORT]

Update 2 - just read this snippet on Wikipedia.org

In August 2002, ABKCO Records reissued Beggars Banquet as a newly remastered LP and SACD/CD hybrid disk. This release corrected an important flaw in the original album by restoring each song to its proper, slightly faster speed. Due to an error in the mastering, Beggars Banquet was heard for over thirty years at a slower speed than it was recorded. This had the effect of altering not only the tempo of each song, but the song's key as well. These differences were subtle but important, and the remastered version is about 30 seconds shorter than the original release.

Well knock me down with a wet fish, you'd have thought someone would have noticed. I wonder what the tracks sound like at the faster speed. No, I don't think that I want to know. They are old friends, ya can't speeds 'em up!

Beggars Banquet

Rolling Stones CD's