The Rolling Stones weren’t that great until Brian Jones checked out. 1968 Beggars Banquet…
The Rolling Stones’ transformation from a talented blues cover band into one of the most iconic rock groups in history truly began with the release of Beggars Banquet in 1968—a shift that coincided with the decline and eventual departure (and death) of founding member Brian Jones. While Jones was crucial in shaping the Stones’ early sound, bringing an eclectic mix of instrumentation and style, his growing personal instability and detachment from the band arguably held them back creatively by the mid-1960s. It was only after his influence began to wane that the Stones began forging a more cohesive and powerful identity.
Brian Jones was the original visionary behind the band, deeply steeped in blues and early rock ‘n’ roll. His obsession with authenticity helped ground the Stones in a raw, gritty sound, especially in their first few albums. He was also a multi-instrumentalist whose experimentation with sitar, marimba, and dulcimer added texture to their mid-‘60s work, particularly on albums like Aftermath and Between the Buttons. But while these albums were adventurous, they often lacked direction—more collages of influence than statements of purpose. As Jones succumbed to substance abuse and personal issues, his contributions declined rapidly, and his creative leadership dissipated.
Enter Beggars Banquet. This 1968 record marked a clear stylistic pivot—back to basics, yet forward in power and confidence. The Stones, now more clearly under the creative control of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, embraced a rootsy, stripped-down sound informed by Delta blues, country, and gospel. The album was coherent, muscular, and thematically daring. Songs like “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Street Fighting Man” weren’t just musically tight—they had something urgent to say. The band sounded unified for the first time, driven by Richards’ increasingly dominant guitar work and Jagger’s sharper lyrical focus.
While Jones is technically credited on Beggars Banquet, his presence is barely audible—reduced to marginal instrumentation on a few tracks. This isn’t coincidence; it’s evolution. The Stones were finally moving as a singular force, no longer pulled in multiple directions by Jones’ whims or distractions. His exit, while tragic, marked the end of their adolescence and the beginning of their imperial phase. The swagger, menace, and myth-making that define the Stones today were born here.
In retrospect, Beggars Banquet was not just an album—it was a statement. The Rolling Stones became great when they stopped being Brian Jones’ band and started being their own.
