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List Price: $17.98 | | Label: Abkco
Salesrank: 54292
Released: October 25, 1990 |
| Our Price: $29.41 |
| Used Price: $3.25 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Beggars Banquet Track Listing:
1. Sympathy for the Devil
2. No Expectations
3. Dear Doctor
4. Parachute Woman
5. Jigsaw Puzzle
6. Street Fighting Man
7. Prodigal Son
8. Stray Cat Blues
9. Factory Girl
10. Salt of the Earth
Editorial Review:
Limited edition vinyl pressing of this beloved Stones album featuring the original artwork. Decca.
Description of Beggars Banquet:
Opening with "Sympathy for the Devil," the Stones' infamous we-are-evil poem, this all-original 1968 album began a quality streak almost unmatched in rock & roll. Mick Jagger begins writing from the working-class hero's perspective--especially on the anthem "Street Fighting Man" and "Salt of the Earth"--and Keith Richards buttresses his partner with rock-solid slide licks recently graduated from the School of Old Blues Records. "Jig-Saw Puzzle," which inexplicably never became a hit, is the only known instance of Jagger's describing the Stones' individual personalities in verse. --Steve Knopper
Beggars Banquet Reviews:
1969 Rolling Stones record reissued on CD. 
2009-10-25 - This was a good Stones record from the Brian Jones era of the band, which contained a couple of their earlier hits, but also some less known songs, that were quite good as well.
If you try sometimes you might find you get what you need.
2009-10-01 - This album marked a return to The Rolling Stones R&B roots, after the (disappointing) psycedelic album Their Satanic Majesties Request. This is a classic album, from "Sympathy For the Devil" to "Salt of the Earth". It features my favorite Stones song, "Street Fighting Man", which was NOT a hit single, because it was banned by most radio stations. Just buy it already!
Beggars Banquet
2008-06-17 - The Rolling Stones-Beggars Banquet *****
Lets, just for arguments sake say that Beggars Banquet is the best Rolling Stones record ever made. It wouldn't be a hard thing to argue and many would agree with that claim. Beggars was the album that started the classic four albums from the Stones. This, Let It Bleed [DSD], Sticky Fingers + 7 Bonus Tracks, and Exile On Main Street [Limited Edition] all make up this classic period and are all essential to a collection, and maybe Beggars more than any other. Where Let It Bleed was unique, Sticky Fingers was the hardest rocker, and Exile is well it's Exile, Beggars is just perfect.
Brian Jones made his exit with this album as he was only on parts of Let It Bleed and it shows. He did his best playing here. The slide on 'Jig-Saw Puzzle' a tender ballad of sorts that on gets better with each passing listen. The sliding-blues-stomp of 'Parachute Woman' is uniquely Jones. But perhaps what is most impressive about Beggars is the fact that you don't hear Keith Richards' guitar for about the first three minutes of the album until he plays one of the greatest guitar solos of all time on 'Sympathy For The Devil' (which is rumoured by some to actually be Jimmy Page of Zeppelin as he was known for his studio appearances, and it does sound like him) perhaps the groups darkest song. For me what is so impressive is the key work through out, often over looked so take a second listen. Their reworking of 'No Expectations' exceeds the original by miles while 'Dear Doctor' is straight country honk at it's finest, and that's only side one.
Side two begins with the classic protest of 'Street Fighting Man' which may or may not be that greatest Bob Dylan song that Dylan never wrote. 'Prodigal Son' will take time for new fans to appreciate but it's worth the wait. 'Stray Cat Blues' is an unheralded classic that never was paid it's dues, but is among the bands best of the period. 'Factory Girl' and the blue collar feel of 'Salt Of The Earth' close the album to perfect avail.
Mick, Keith and Brian made their first 'TRUE' classic with Beggars. It's a shame Brian became a tragedy soon after. Beggars Banquet is a rare album in rock n' roll, there really isn't another like it!
The first Stones masterpiece, which differs from their first good album
2007-07-28 - Okay, let's clear up an urban legend here, the one that goes "Beggars Banquet was the first good Stones album". The first good Stones album was, in fact, England's Newest Hit Makers (I desperately need to edit my review of that, by the way). With that done, let's get to the review.
This album contains three of the Rolling Stones' more controversial (for the time, anyway) songs. The first of which is Sympathy for the Devil. You may know this song. It kicks butt, doesn't it? Of course, it also attracted controversy because of its title, but I could spend multiple paragraphs telling people that this "Devil" is, in fact, mankind, not Satan. Lyrics aside, it's also an excellently arranged song, merging elements of Latin, African, blues and hard rock. Cool!
The second of the three is Street Fighting Men. This one was controversial because it supposedly encouraged rioting - presumably attacked by the same people who thought Dancing in the Streets was about rioting. Really though, Mick takes on a neutral position. And again, it's not the controversy that makes this song so great. It's the drive, the riff, the clever use of Indian instruments, and the chorus. That's why it's still a radio favorite today, see?
Now Stray Cat Blues actually deserved the controversy it attracted - a country-blues about an "encounter" with a fifteen-year-old groupie. The song's lyrics are so over-the-top that it just screams out, "THIS IS AN IRONIC SONG!", though, so take it with a grain of salt. Or just listen to, once again, Keith's leads - he plays a lot of leads on this album, what with Brian stoned beyond all possible use.
Brian does lend a fine slide part to No Expectations, though. This mournful ballad is yet another one of my favorites, with powerful lyrics about a breakup. It's probably the best song on the album other than Sympathy for the Devil. Another winner of a ballad is Salt of the Earth, with a gospel choir and Keith's first lead vocal with the Rolling Stones. Another song where Brian plays a good slide is Jig-Saw Puzzle, with interesting Dylan-esque lyrics. I can't believe this managed to slip into the Stones back pages!
Then there's some blues. What Stones album would be complete without blues? The stomping Parachute Woman is another sex song, and Mick plays a mean harmonica on it. Prodigal Son is a surprisingly authentic acoustic blues cover - Mick actually manages to sound like an old bluesman, rather than a white British guy trying to sound like an old bluesman (for an example of that, see the borderline-racist introduction to Led Zeppelin's Bring it on Home).
There are a couple of country songs here, and while neither are anything special, I like them both. Dear Doctor is an otherwise average song lifted by Mick's hilarious Southern accent; and Factory Girl is an otherwise average song lifted by (once again) Mick's vocals. I like the mandolin on it, too. I don't like the fiddle, though. Country hoedowns (I can just picture Mick and Marianne Faithfull square-dancing during the instrumental break and Keith screaming out, "Yee-Ha!") are not the Stones' strong point, but at least they never tried one again. Besides, like I said before, I kind of like Factory Girl. It's not bad. It's just the weakest song on an unbeatable album.
This is awesome. Any self-respecting Stones fan should have it. It's that simple.
the album that started their incredible streak.
2007-03-24 - say what you will about the stones current work (i happen to enjoy it), there cannot be much argument over the fact that the string of studio albums they released from 1968 on through 1972 is one of the most amazing outpourings of rock and roll greatness ever achieved. "beggars banquet" was the album which started that incredible run of creativity. it contains two of the greatest rock anthems of all-time in "sympathy for the devil" and "street fighting man," and a whole bunch of other great stuff, including three heavenly acoustic blues numbers: "no expectations," "dear doctor," and the rollicking "prodigal son." there's also a couple of hard-edged bluesy rockers, "parachute woman" and "stray cat blues," which show that the stones in this era could not be touched by any other white boys when it came to performing raw lowdown blues. elsewhere we get "factory girl," an endearing sort of urban folk song with mandolin and great percussion work. there's also the quirky "jigsaw puzzle," with its great bass pattern and a jagger vocal that bursts with personality. the album ends with "salt of the earth," a mid-tempo anthem for the faceless crowd. catchy chorus on this one. you can hum along. and the piano takes us on out. don't miss this great masterpiece.
