The Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet (1968)
[Album 717/1001]
The Stones have a sextet of albums on the 1001 list.
Therefore, the inevitable Top 5 Top 6 list – enjoy!
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6. The Rolling Stones (1964)
Rather than being an insurmountably excellent debut, their eponymous LP is more of a glimpse of greater things yet to come.
5. Aftermath (1966)
The first all-original album, featuring a handful of strong tracks.
As shown in the obligatory graph (below), their first two albums from the list were important steps.
Then with Beggars Banquet, the band made a measurable leap into the next echelon of excellence…
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4. Beggars Banquet (1968)
Perhaps the strongest opener in the catalogue (Sympathy for the Devil) and the start of a, pardon the language, heck of a 4-year run.
3. Let It Bleed (1969)
Speaking of strong openers (Gimme Shelter)…and with the closing track, this one also features a valuable lesson in economics/scarcity of resources (You Can’t Always Get What You Want)!
2. Sticky Fingers (1971)
Surely its opening trifecta, Brown Sugar/Sway/Wild Horses, is up there with the likes of The Joshua Tree or Nevermind, among the strongest 1-2-3 opening trios ever?
1. Exile on Main Street (1972)
As it is their most recent album from the 1001 list, they ended with a bang.
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Verbalize the Positive
I like that Ronnie Wood is the relative ‘new guy’ in the group, having only joined the band in 1975!
1001albumsin10years 
Well, I’m no rocket scientist Geoff but throughout those 6 Stones albums, those Stones fella’s were trending the right way. I would like to see the first 6 VH studio albums with Roth did this way. It would be an interesting one.
Get at it Buddy! lol
I’ll see what I can do, Deke!
I have a feeling the graph will look a bit different than the stones – VH didn’t really have a warm-up period, they just jumped right in!
True but It would be cool to read your spin on it as many VH fans have a different fav album out of the first 6.
It would be neat to read.
My prediction is that it would be somewhat ‘U’ shaped (but a very shallow one), with my favourites being the 1st and 6th!
Great pics as you cannot go wrong but mine would be Number 3 and 4 and over time number 5 but that could change by 8 pm tonight!
Those are great artists & eras, where there’s no wrong answer!
Those Top 4 albums are my favorites as well, with maybe Tattoo You thrown in for good measure. There will never be another band like the Stones.
That would be a formidable top 5!
I’m all about Exile, Sticky, Between The Buttons, Goats Head Soup and Some Girls but I love how so many people have a list of fave Stones albums and they can all vary. I even knew a guy who went to bat for Steel Wheels. What a band
That is a nice problem – where there’s multiple correct answers to what the top or favourite album is!
10 years ago Aaron and I had a site. He sent me all the stones albums and I wrote about them. Sadly he deleted the site in 2012. Too bad…I’m curious what I said.
I will say that hearing all the Stones at once like that was way way too much.
That is a shame, I’d be interested in comparing notes too.
And according to wikipedia – they have 30 studio albums. I don’t think I’m quite ready for all 30 in a row!
That’s exactly what he sent me in the mail. 30 burned CDs!! It was a lot to digest.
Turns out I liked Some Girls best.
I’m pretty sure those four 1968 to 1972 Stones record are my favourite, but not sure what’s fifth. Maybe Between the Buttons? I go Sticky Fingers, then Exile, then Beggars, then Bleed.
And I imagine if I hear Sticky Fingers again this week – I’d probably think, no wait, this one’s my favourite! Until I hear Exile again, and then…
Yup, up there with Revolver/Sgt Pepper and Innervisions/Fulfillingness’…. for me.
Innervisions would typically win that coin toss for me, purely on the strength of Living for the City, what a track!
I like supporting FFF, as it always feels like the overlooked record in his 1970s discography (even though it won a Grammy).
I think it’s his 17th studio album – all before age 25, he was beyond prolific!
Definitely went up a few levels when he took control in the early 1970s though.
I love all of these. Let It Bleed is my personal favourite.
It’s in the bronze medal position for me, on the podium!
BB is my favourite one, I love the picture inside the gatefold sleeve – that’s how I always imagined life would be like for me when I became a rock star.
And alas I don’t have the LP – but when I hopefully acquire it one day, I’ll have a better idea of what a 1537 rock star life would be like!
Beggars Banquet is a helluva record… I couldn’t say exactly where it sits in my favourite Stones albums list but it’s in an ever revolving top 5.
And it would have some pretty good company in that top 5 too!
You bet. Tattoo You is in there too. I love that album.