Beggars Banquet Songs Ranked

Beggars Banquet is a studio album by 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 is the band’s seventh British and ninth American studio album. It was the first Rolling Stones album produced by Jimmy Miller, whose production work formed a key aspect of the group’s sound throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. Beggars Banquet was a top-ten album in many markets, including a number 5 position in the US—where it has been certified platinum—and a number 3 position in the band’s native UK. It received a highly favourable response from music critics, who deemed it a return to the band’s best sound. While the album lacked a “hit single” at the time of its release, songs such as “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Street Fighting Man” became rock radio staples for decades to come. One of their most acclaimed albums, it is considered the beginning of the band’s enduring reputation as the “Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band in the World”. The album has appeared on many lists of the greatest albums of all time, including by Rolling Stone, and it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. Here are all of Beggars BanquetsSongs ranked.

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10. Parachute Woman

“Parachute Woman while the instrumentation is really nice, I really cannot understand what the lyrics are supposed to mean and the song is barely over two minutes long so it does not leave that much time for me to think about it.”

9. Prodigal Son

“Prodigal Son a really beautiful and moving country-sounding song. The story about a poor son of a farmer (?) that escapes his father after stealing a piece of bread. He tries to find a job to sustain himself and is only offered a dirty job of feeding the pigs. Which reminds me of the song Dirty Jobs in Quadrophenia by the Who. The boy cries as he sees there is no easy way out and comes back to his dad who is very happy to see him again.”

Album Beggars Banquet, The Rolling Stones | Qobuz: download and streaming  in high quality

8. Factory Girl

“Factory Girl a short song of barely over two minutes with again a very country feeling to it. A girl without class that is full of stains in her dress, no money and who likes to get drunk. Fun for the common working class lad of the time there were still manufacturing jobs in England, I believe.”

See more: Rolling Stones Albums Ranked

7. No Expectations

“No Expectations actually hits very close to me. A sad song about separation and the acceptance of it. The bass lines are just fantastic. The country feeling that starts in this song lasts pretty much for the rest of the album.”

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6. Dear Doctor

:Dear Doctor a very funny song about an unwanted wedding in a country setting. The groom is very nervous and perhaps not wishing the marriage. Was it an arranged marriage? Who knows. The tempo is a really bit monotonous, but creates the atmosphere really well.:

See more: Rolling Stones Songs Ranked

5. Salt of the Earth

“Really, the only song that isn’t any fun is the closing “Salt of the Earth”, the inane ‘raise a glass’ for the working man lyrics ruin some interesting musical ideas. In an obvious case of lyrics-before-melody, the melody doesn’t really exist.”

The Rolling Stones' 'Beggars Banquet' at 50: Classic Album Track-by-Track |  Billboard

4. Street Fighting Man

“Street Fighting Man I really do not get much of this song. At least not from the lyrics. It is pretty much saying that the English are too passive and the only anger that is accepted is the one channeled through a rock band? I just feel this song is a bit too quiet for the image it is trying to create.”

3. Jigsaw Puzzle

“Jig-Saw Puzzle again great bass lines! The conflicting identities that show our multi-layer society is very interesting, showing some deep characters instead of mere caricatures. Which is quite impressive to accomplish in the time of only one song.”

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2. Stray Cat Blues

“Stray Cat Blues a more upbeat, less country feeling song full of coded sexual content. It is a complete break from the previous song.”

1. Sympathy for the Devil

“Starting by Sympathy for the Devil. The energy is incredible, with the perfect arrangement and vocals. The combination of history, religiosity and the conflicting values make it a very interesting listen that never seems to get old.”