2. The Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet (London Records – 1968)

A refreshing sound for someone who thought he was getting weary of the Rolling Stones.

This is a fascinating album for several reasons. For one, both sides are bookended with triumphant, soaring motifs – it is as if the Stones were ecstatic they found their musical foundations after their enigmatic previous release, 1967’s Their Satanic Majesty’s Request. After wandering in the desert it seems the Stones came back in 1968 with a deviant new confidence, one made all the more significant given their foreign mastery of a principally American sound. Dear Doctor is a prime example of mature heavy blues.

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