Beggars Banquet: The Album That Launched the Rolling Stones’ Classic Period

Most fans and critics agree that the Rolling Stones’ classic period kicks off with Beggars Banquet, released in December 1968. It’s the first album produced by Jimmy Miller, who would steer the band through their next six studio records—the strongest run of their career. After the messy, psychedelic detour of Their Satanic Majesties Request, the band stripped everything back to gritty blues, country, and raw rock and roll. The result was a record that felt urgent and dangerous, from the opening samba of “Sympathy for the Devil” to the acoustic menace of “Street Fighting Man.”

Why Beggars Banquet and not something earlier? The Stones had great albums before—Aftermath (1966) was the first all-original collection, and Between the Buttons had its moments—but those still felt like they were figuring out their identity post-Beatles mania. Beggars Banquet is where the Stones stopped chasing pop trends and started sounding like the world’s greatest rock band. The production is dry, the vocals are snarled, and the lyrics are sharp social commentary. It’s the template for everything that followed: *Let It Bleed