Beggars Banquetting on Yams

Overall Album Score: 9.2 out of 10

I was thinking about just biting my lips and agreeing with the vast majority of music critics out there and saying that the Rolling Stones significantly improved when they got out of doing psychedelic pop-rock and finally started doing hard rock. Even though, Beggars Banquet and the Stones' following two studio albums are rightfully considered their peak-years, I really don't see this as being a monumental improvement over what they were doing before in their psychedelic years! I really don't!

Alright, I'll give ya that I am a sucker for the strange and peculiar more than I am a sucker for blues-rock, country-rock, and hard-rock ... but trying to judge these albums based on their musical quality, I really don't see that much of a difference. The fact is that Beggar's Banquet does not have any higher quality in the songwriting than does Aftermath and Between the Buttons. However, I will submit fully that Beggars Banquet has something that these previous pop efforts did not: a strong presence of Keith Richards! Also, I really enjoy the unbridled energy that these songs employ as well. Nobody could make a song kick as hard as the Rolling Stones could ... and they do it all throughout this album.

That all said, I really enjoy the band's immediate follow-up: Let it Bleed. The songwriting there, the Stones indeed are stronger than ever.

Overall Album Score: 9.2 out of 10 (The Stones move from psychedelic rock to their more identifiable hard-rock! ... The only massive improvement I see here, however, is that Keith Richards is allowed to rock out now.)

Average Song Score: 9.0 (This is an album full of top-quality music. Every song on here is solid and most of them are memorable ... some of them are even timeless. Unfortunately, however, I can't get utterly excited over them as many other critics do.)

Album Tilt: 9.0 (A thoroughly entertaining album, this. The diversity in here also saves the album from getting boring ... although the strength of the individual songs was enough to do that!)

Artist Rating: 9.5 (This is one of the first hard-rock albums ... and the blues and country rock on here had a lot to do with developing those genres.)

Track Reviews

Sympathy For the Devil 10/10

I ask ya! Does it get anymore classic than "Sympathy For the Devil?" This track is pure fun from the beginning to end ... one of the prime songs that displays the Rolling Stones' major talent and displays exactly why they were such a powerhouse. Beginning with a fun, almost tribal use of bongo drums. Mick then starts singing, giving us some nice passion! Nearly three minutes into the thing, we get some nice guitar licks from Keith Richards (...Oh! We missed that! We should be very happy that they decided to quit making pop songs.) This 6+ minute song is entertaining until the very end. That said, I don't necessarily agree with anyone who proclaims this song as being in the Stones' Top 5. I haven't done the 'calculations' but I'm not sure that it's special enough to even be in their Top 10. My beef with it is that it doesn't really have a great riff or a great melody. Rather, the song thrives on its energy! Nevertheless, a song that might be in the Rolling Stones' Top 10 has got to be good!

No Expectations 8.5/10

I have to admit that I'm not the biggest blues-rock fan in the world. Nevertheless, this is a nice slow, blues-rock song that's actually fairly deep. That said ... It's not deep enough to really have a mammoth effect on me. The song doesn't get boring at all, fortunately. It was done with perfect skill. (This material in the hands of another band would have made it excruciatingly dull.) I'm about the only critic in the world who's not particularly affected by this piece, it seems. Oh well! I still like it!

Dear Doctor 9/10

This one is a pretty good country-rock number that proves that the Stones could write country songs better than most country-western stars. Why can I say this? Because I don't think it sucks at all. In fact, I really like this song. This is even better than most of Bob Dylan's country-rock outings.

Parachute Woman 8/10

It's definitely skillful! But this blues-rock song doesn't have much in the innovation department, except for Keith Richards' wicked guitar licks. I do enjoy this song, too, though. This is absolutely not boring.

Jigsaw Puzzle 8.5/10

This track is lengthy at 6:06 minutes. It borders on that fine line between entertainment and boredom, but I never end up truly becoming bored. (Man ... I wish I would quit evaluating these songs about how not-bored I get ... I just can't get overly enthusiastic about any of it, unfortunately. And I'm wondering what's wrong with me!) This is a very nice hard rock song.

Street Fighting Man 10plus/10

Well here's a track that I can finally get excited about. The riff, which sounds sort of muddled here, is just GREAT. And when Mick chimes in ... oh! This is the greatest melody that I've heard out of the Stones thus far. When you also factor in the pure energy that we saw earlier on "Sympathy For the Devil," you've got a surefire classic. Verrrrry good! (Rod Stewart's version of this song sucks ... I thought I'd share that with you.)

Prodigal Son 8.5/10

Holy crap! This sounds exactly like that "Bip Bop" song that I really hate by Paul McCartney. Nevertheless, this Stones song (which was a cover of an old folk tune, I'm assuming) was done with that fun energy that only The Rolling Stones were able to accomplish!

Stray Cat Blues 9.5/10

Well, I can officially declare that I really like this song, too. The melody isn't as great as "Street Fighting Man," but ... what I like about this song the best are the loud, involving instruments and the ENERGY! If ever you are feeling weak, you might get some good energy-force from THIS ALBUM. A most-entertaining track.

Factory Girl 8.5/10

The Stones take a calm and acoustic route on this one. The song features a mandolin-type instrument and some more bongos! Nevertheless, the song sounds country! To me, it's not a phenomenal, but it's interesting and enjoyable.

Salt of the Earth 8.5/10

Well, I do like this song, even though it sounds almost like a John Lennon solo anthem (before John Lennon began his solo career). Nevertheless! This track has one of the album's most solid of melodies! Unfortunately, the pure form of energy that the Stones have exhibited on their previous tracks is absent. And the arranging here was just a little bit sloppy, I think. I'm not a big fan of that soulful chorus in the background.

Eeee-mail meeeeeee about this album heeeere!