Way back in November of 2014 I coyly mentioned that the album cover art for Zephyr's self-titled debut was the second most famous album cover to feature a toilet. Now, fourteen months later, let me introduce the most famous cover of them all, the Rolling Stones' Beggars Banquet. Nowadays you put a toilet on the cover of your album and nobody blinks (unless you are Metallica and you wanted to call your first album Metal Up Your @$$). However, for 1968, just a year off of the iconic covers of Sgt. Pepper's and dreamy ornate color explosions from San Francisco, the image is downright jarring. In fact, if it was too much for the viewer, the alternative "calling card" cover (see above) used instead for the original release. Normally I don't fixate on album covers, but here the stark, dirty image reveals what the Rolling Stones had become, and, when compared to their previous albums, what they rejected.
When one analyzes the trajectory of popular music in the 1960's, a trend emerges that shows increasingly elaborate (and often weird) styles and the years wore on, up until about early 1968. Some bands transformed into it (notably all the "big six" British Invasion bands), resulting in a very "poppy" name (Beatles, Yardbirds, Animals) getting applied to something new. Since these were like brand names, changing the band name would be even sillier. Meanwhile, a whole host of new bands were jumping into the mix (The Nice, Pink Floyd) and continuing to drive the new sound. Particularly in the case of the former group, there was a growing sense that they were on the wrong path musically. For some bands, the solution was to disband; they have reached (maybe exceeded) their "shelf life". Meanwhile, other bands jettisoned the beads, incense, and so forth and (to paraphrase the Beatles) "got back to where they once belonged". While the Beatles (and later on the Who) did this in dramatic fashion, probably the most stark and conscious musical back-shift was done by the Rolling Stones.
The Rolling Stones had been on the magical mystery tour very briefly. They were one of the last to board, with only one album (Their Satanic Majesties Request) being fully immersed in the psych sound. Amidst the chaos and drug busts, it wasn't the best of times for the band, and, on top of everything, Brian Jones was becoming estranged from the rest of the band. As he had been the most enthusiastic band member in promoting an "expanded sound", getting beyond R&B covers and tributes, it left the rest of the band starting to wonder exactly where the heck they were going. As Jones's presence waned, Keith Richards by necessity had to fill the void. Richards was no fan of the band's mid-1960's direction. The result of this new Richards-led configuration was the vastly stripped down Beggars Banquet.
Probably the best-known track of the lot is "Sympathy for the Devil", a song that spoke of stark realities and leaving the dreamworld of the previous album behind. Musically it was different as well, driven by a multi-piece percussion section that threw listeners into the jungle. Most of the rest of the album has a "throwback" flavor to it, but like many of the bands seeking to get back to their roots, it is not a perfect-180. Nobody would mistake these songs for outtakes from, say, December's Children. The lyrics, for one thing, convey a more aggressive and worldly stance. Also, the Jagger/Richards writing collaboration is still in full effect here, with only a single cover among the ten tracks. Even though at points it sounds like the band is going full country/western (a sound they would flirt with for the next decade) on tracks like "Dear Doctor" there is enough adventure in the music mix, be it the wandering drums and slide guitar of "Jigsaw Puzzle" or the sitar on "Street Fighting Man", to indicate there was still forward progress.
Again, it bears mentioning that Jones was sidelined for a good chunk of this album. His increasing mental instability was viewed mostly as a nuisance by the others and they rewarded him by walling him off from a number of the recording sessions. Nevertheless, he sneaks out here and there, playing mellotron on "Jigsaw Puzzle" and the aforementioned sitar on "Street Fighting Man". Although he played (very little) on Let It Bleed, this is effectively the final album of the Brian Jones era of the Stones. Notably, as he moved to fill the void, this is the first album to feature a lead vocal by Richards, in the opening to "Salt of the Earth".
My interest in the Rolling Stones has been jumpy at best over time, so this was actually a later acquisition for me. I had heard the tracks that were picked for singles long ago, but was pleasantly surprised by some of the tracks that didn't get as much exposure. "Jigsaw Puzzle" is a real gem on the album, and, lyrical content aside, "Stray Cat Blues" is another outstanding track. Some parts get a little too "hayseed" for me in places, but overall the band "got back" at the right place and right time in the musical continuum and that decision is still paying dividends to this very day.
No comments:
Post a Comment