Beggars Banquet

One great opening track and then a bunch of cringy takes on country rock.

2.0/5.0: Disappointing

most I’ve enjoyed a stones album so far

A lot of rock with country influence which I personally am not a fan of, but I wouldn't totally discredit it just for that. I at least appreciated the variety here, with every track trying something a bit different.

Beggars Banquet was one of the first albums I truly fell in love with growing up. “Sympathy for the Devil” remains a stunning opener—bold, provocative, and utterly iconic. “Street Fighting Man” is just as powerful, and I’ve always had a soft spot for “Factory Girl,” especially after hearing the live version on Flashpoint, one of the first albums I ever owned.

Revisiting Beggars Banquet now, what strikes me most is how stripped-back it sounds. The production is raw, the lyrics often angry and biting—it's gritty in the best way. There are some undeniable highlights, but also a few tracks that hold it back from being a perfect 5/5. Songs like “Prodigal Son” and “Dear Doctor” don’t quite hit the mark for me, and I feel the album could have used a couple more standout tracks to elevate it further.

In summary, Beggars Banquet might not reach the heights of Exile on Main St., but it's still a very strong album and a pivotal moment in the Stones' evolution.

Favourite song: “Sympathy for the Devil” – an all-time great with that unmistakable Stones sound. “Street Fighting Man” is brilliant too, and I love some of the lesser-known gems like “No Expectations,” “Jigsaw Puzzle,” and of course, “Factory Girl.”

Least favourite: “Dear Doctor” feels a bit naff and throwaway.

Album artwork: A classic. One of the most memorable and iconic covers in rock history.

It may be that this is the great Stones album, even more than Exile. Mick is at his most historical on 'Sympathy,' his most amusing on 'Dear Doctor,' his blusiest on 'Parachute Woman,' and timeliest on 'Street Fighting Man.' It's more upfront and immediate than about anything else you'll hear b/c, while it takes no short cuts, it never drags and, taking no prisoners, it frees you from all that's not in your face and epiphanic. Released after their try-hard (tho not awful) 'Their Satanic Majesties Request,' Beggars Banquets sees the group rediscovering who they were all along, messengers of sensuality that may fade but inspiration that never does: 'I'll kill the king, I'll rail at all his servants'; 'Let's drink to the two thousand million.' That's what I need.

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love “snack time” written over the toilet on album cover. “taco thighs” too.

heard sympathy for the devil and street fighting man ten thousand times, but that doesn’t make them any less great songs. fun to try to listen to classic rock radio hits as if for the first time.

sympathy adds one element (piano, woo-woos) with every verse. i think the only guitar is the (blistering) solo and subsequent lead phrases. if keith is your only conscious guitarist, you know the other one is in trouble. “anastasia / screamed in vain.” 2 good 4 me. 👻

brian jones’ final flight: the billowing slide guitar on no expectations.

the “yep!” on dear doctor. 🤌🤌 gotDAMN these boys knew how to shamble.

the electric guitar lying on the floor on parachute woman. bleary. blown out. sick. two harmonicas. harmonicae.

the bass on jigsaw puzzle. also gotta love a verse that just goes through the band and provides one line of characterization per member. but if there’s a weak link on the album, this is it. interesting, listenable, and catchy weak link though.

by the time you’re on street fighting man, you’re in the thick of it. then the farty one note horn(?) solo. what a gift we’ve been given.

i remember getting so stoked to learn open e tuning after hearing prodigal son. entrancing rhythm. love a classic country blues rework.

lol. stray cat blues. “i know you’re only 15.” easy, sir michael. two electric guitars! doing that muscular stones weave we all (only i?) know and love.

factory girl. tabla! everyone’s favorite irish-appalachian-indian folk song. a really sweet and unique song. just long enough to make you miss it when it’s gone. like its namesake.

salt of the earth. keith richards’ little baby bird voice. love it every time they coax him out of his cage to sing a lead. “you got the silver” will forever be the best, but this scratches my itch until let it bleed pops up.

yes, let’s bring in the gospel chorus to go out on a high note after 40 minutes of songs about *checks notes* trying to bang underage girls.

FIVE and it’s not even their best one.

when do the skynyrd albums start popping up?

"Beggars Banquet" contains some of the Rolling Stones' most iconic tracks, including the monstrous "Sympathy For The Devil" and "Jigsaw Puzzle," which are truly exceptional. However, for my taste, the album's overall quality is uneven. While "Street Fighting Man" and "Salt of the Earth" are still quite strong, tracks like "Dear Doctor," "Parachute Woman," and "Prodigal Son" don't quite connect with me and I find them lows on the album and almost their repertoire. It's an album with clear highs, but the inconsistencies prevent it from being a favorite.

They are definitely a singles band. This and gimme shelter have quite a bit of filler and then 2-3 amazing songs.

The Good: We’ve got RnR royalty…
The Bad: Again…
The Ugly: Seems that country is very RnR too…

What really is a Beggars Banquet? I mean, wouldn’t “Soup Kitchen” be a better term? Or… is it possible that the Stones knew they needed to reserve the word “Soup” for another album?

I like the Stones, I’ve never seen a full concert live, but I’ve been to a couple—long story, for another day.
I love Sympathy For The Devil, it is my standard road-trip kick-off song since the mid ‘90s.
I can handle Street Fighting Man, a staple of music soundtracks…
The rest of the album, well, I guess that’s where the Beggars come into play, as they can’t be choosers…

This is the third album by the Stones which has presented itself on this list, and I am still keeping my fingers crossed that my favorite album shows up… cause if it doesn’t, well, then this list is just lacking in great music.

I gave Exile On Main Street 5*
I gave Let It Bleed 4*
I give Beggars Banquet 3* and I’m being generous here...

I’m only 25 albums in but this is my second by the Stones. The first was Sticky Fingers, and although I liked this one, it suffered a bit by comparison.

Some REALLY solid tracks on this album; Sympathy For The Devil, Street Fighting Man, and Stray Cat Blues being standouts for me. I'm less enthusiastic about the more straight-forward blues numbers and the honky-tonk on here.

One of their bluesier albums without a doubt. It's a good album, but I do find it a bit light.

Some classics on this one. Great overall sound.

I like a couple of songs on this but I still find Jagger painfully annoying. I highly recommend Soulsavers’ cover of “No Expectations” with Mark Lanegan singing. Way better than the original, which I often find is the case with Stones tunes.

I mean Sympathy For The Devil is a great song. The rest is pretty much just standard/generic-sounding Rolling Stones. It's not bad, played well, fun to listen to, but I can't imagine that anyone would really care about this album if it wasn't the Stones. I would guess that this album is on this list just because of the opening song but I feel like surely there was another record that could have been included in place of this one. 2.5/5, will round up for the guitar solo on Sympathy For The Devil which has to be the coolest guitar solo with the worst sounding guitar tone of all time.

It's neck-and-neck with Sticky Fingers, but I *think* this is my favorite Stones record, and their first perfect album. They finally embody the blues music they grew up worshipping and turn it into something genuine and original. Additionally, they're not chasing the trends of their counterparts AS much. Absolutely love it.

5/5

This album is uplifted by the phenomenal 'Sympathy for the Devil' and 'Street Fighting Man', which are both some of the finest work by the Stones. There's a lot of excitement within these two songs, but the others kind of all sound similar and are a tad boring. They're all good, no doubt. It's just that the momentum doesn't continue.

Beggars Banquet is a pretty decent album just like what i would expect from The Rolling Stones. This album relies more on the country elements of this band rather than the harder rock elements (they are still here) This might be the reason why i don't like it as much as Let It Bleed or Sticky Fingers. Those two albums had more memorable songs than this one. There still were some pretty good songs here, Sympathy For The Devil, Street Fighting Man, Prodigal Son and Stray Cat Blues were all some pretty good songs and definitely helped this album immensely. This album is good just like the other Rolling Stones albums i have done but its not as good as them.
Best Song: Street Fighting Man
Worst Song: Dear Doctor

7th best....

I am a big big fan of The Rolling Stones. I absolutely need to listen to more of their albums