Beggars Banquet

"Beggars Banquet" is the seventh studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 6 December 1968 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and London Records in the United States. It was the first Rolling Stones album produced by Jimmy Miller, whose work helped define the band's sound throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. Brian Jones, co-founder and early leader of the band, contributed to the album but had become increasingly unreliable in the studio due to drug use. "Beggars Banquet" was the last Rolling Stones album released during his lifetime, though he also contributed to two songs on the following album, "Let It Bleed," and to the single "Jumpin' Jack Flash," recorded during the same sessions. Nearly all rhythm and lead guitar parts were recorded by Keith Richards, who, alongside Mick Jagger, wrote all but one track on the album. The lineup was completed by bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts, with contributions from all members on various instruments, and frequent collaborator Nicky Hopkins played piano on several tracks. The album represents a stylistic shift from the psychedelic pop of "Between the Buttons" and "Their Satanic Majesties Request" towards roots rock and blues rock. It is also among the band's most instrumentally experimental records, incorporating Latin rhythms with claves, South Asian instruments such as the tanpura, tabla, and shehnai, and African-influenced conga patterns. "Beggars Banquet" reached the top ten in multiple markets, including number three in the UK and number five in the US, where it has been certified platinum. Critics responded positively, regarding the album as a return to form. Although it lacked a major hit single upon release, tracks such as "Sympathy for the Devil" and "Street Fighting Man" (which reached number 48 on the US Billboard chart) became staples of rock radio. The album has been featured on numerous lists of the greatest albums of all time and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.