Brian Jones’ 1968 Mental Health Crisis and Its Toll on 'Beggars Banquet'

By 1968, Brian Jones was unraveling. Diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression, he began regular therapy sessions with a Harley Street psychiatrist and was prescribed antidepressants and tranquilizers—an unusual step for a rock star at the time. But the treatment didn’t stabilize him; if anything, it compounded his isolation. He showed up to Olympic Studios late, listless, or not at all, and the band grew tired of waiting.

His contributions to Beggars Banquet are telling in their scarcity. The slide guitar on “No Expectations” is gorgeous, and the dulcimer on “Factory Girl” adds a deliberately rustic texture—both recorded in a few takes. But for most of the album, Keith Richards took over guitar duties, and Jones was reduced to a supporting player. His medication left him foggy, and his anxiety made group work unbearable. During the title track’s sessions, he reportedly wandered off mid-recording, returning hours later with a pack of pigeons. The result is the first Stones album where Brian’s absence is as audible as his presence.