CD Odyssey Disc 381: Rolling Stones

I've had a productive morning so far. Up early to clean the kitchen floor, vacuum the house and do two loads of laundry (so far). I may even feel suitably motivated to do my taxes later, but for now it is time for another blog entry.

I'm using Google Chrome these days, and it works well enough, except for the finicky nature of choosing a font, so if the fonts seem wonky, please be assured that I find it every bit as annoying as you do.

Disc 381 is...Beggar's Banquet

Artist: The Rolling Stones

Year of Release: 1968

What's Up With the Cover?: The world's worst toilet, complete with the kind of pointless, drunken graffiti you get if you are ever unfortunate or foolish enough to find yourself in a bathroom like this. I'm not sure, but that toilet paper on the left side does not look sanitary.

How I Came To Know It: I've known the Rolling Stones for years, but only very recently began to appreciate them the way they deserve. After getting "Sticky Fingers" (reviewed way back at Disc 73), I quickly filled out my collection with some Stones classics, and "Beggar's Banquet was one of these.

How It Stacks Up: I have six Rolling Stones albums. Of the six, I would put "Beggar's Banquet" a strong third, behind "Sticky Fingers" and "Some Girls."

Rating: 4 stars

"Beggar's Banquet" is the beginning of the Rolling Stones' Golden Age, the first of four classic albums culminating in 1972 with "Exile On Main Street." Some people would argue the run should include 1973's "Goats Head Soup" as well, and I can only hope those people have their own blogs to express such opinions.

"Beggar's Banquet" has a heavy blues influence, and even includes a straight up blues remake, with "Prodigal Son." This influence gives the music some oomph, and is the principal reason that I prefer the Stones to the more pop-oriented Beatles.

The hits on "Beggar's Banquet' remain classic rock songs to this day, 44 years after their release. The biggest of these, "Sympathy For the Devil" is one of rock's great singles, from the opening hand drummed-beat and piano riff, leading into Jagger's magnificent depiction of Satan himself, chest puffed out as he brags of his many foul deeds. The song blares out with Keith Richard's guitar work, with Jagger delivering crazy woo-hoo-hoos in manic falsetto.

The other big song, "Street Fighting Man" has also survived the test of time. In fact, while I didn't mention it on my recent review of Rage Against the Machine's "Renegades" that record does a kick-ass remake that demonstrates just how at home in modern production it would sound if it were released today.

There are some aspects of the album that bother me. The Rolling Stones love to joke around, and sometimes it works, but often it doesn't. On this record their depiction of a southern U.S. shotgun wedding in "Dear Doctor" just comes off as hackneyed and forced. Jagger's poor attempt at an American accent doesn't help matters, nor does his falsetto impression of the bride.

Similarly, I found "Jigsaw Puzzle" distracting and pointless. It feels - musically and lyrically - like something constructed while on drugs that seemed profound, but simply doesn't translate back into the world of sobriety. For these reasons, despite some five star individual tracks like "Sympathy For the Devil" this record stays in the low end of four stars for me.

Four stars is still excellent overall, however. The fact that it came out in 1968 also shows how ahead of its time it was, and not just musically. Songs like "Stray Cat Blues" are downright edgy, graphically referencing sexual encounters with under-aged groupies. There are few things creepier - downright grosser - than Mick Jagger singing "I bet your Momma don't know you can scratch like that." Dude is dirty, and likes to tell us about it.

Th next track explores a gritty lower-class relationship, with "Factory Girl." "Factory Girl" is recorded in a very folksy style that belies the subject matter of love among drunks. My favourite lines:

"Waitin' for a girl and she gets me into fights

Waitin' for a girl and we get drunk on Friday nights

She's a sight for sore eyes

Waitin' for a factory girl."

And this leads into the album's final track, "Salt Of The Earth," a song in honour of all the hard working people slogging it out at the edge of poverty, doing important work for little reward, and often no acknowledgement. That is until Jagger sings:

"Raise your glass to the hardworking people

Let's drink to the uncounted heads

Let's think of the wavering millions

Who need leaders but get gamblers instead."

More than any of the other Stones records I have, "Beggar's Banquet" captures the grit of the ordinary man best. At a time when so many people were obsessed with building utopian societies, and staging love-ins, "Beggar's Banquet" gets down in the trenches and gives you a good look at the many people who are just getting by.

And so I raise my glass to the hardworking people, and I raise my glass to the Rolling Stones for delivering a classic rock album that has stood the test of time.

Best Tracks: Sympathy For The Devil, Street Fighting Man, Stray Cat Blues, Factory Girl, Salt Of The Earth