With The Rolling Stones set to release Foreign Tongues on Friday, 11 July, there is no better time to revisit the five albums that shaped the band\u2019s greatest creative era. From Beggars Banquet to Some Girls, these records defined modern rock music and remain the benchmark against which every new Stones release is measured.<\/p>\n
by Paul Cashmere<\/p>\n
The Rolling Stones return this Friday, 11 July, with the release of Foreign Tongues, adding another chapter to one of the most influential catalogues in rock history. Before the new album arrives, the band\u2019s celebrated run of five landmark studio albums from 1968 through 1978 remains the essential roadmap for understanding why the Stones continue to occupy a unique place in popular music more than six decades after they formed.<\/p>\n
The sequence of Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile On Main St. and Some Girls is frequently regarded as the group\u2019s defining creative peak. Across those five releases, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and their collaborators transformed blues, country, gospel and rock and roll into a catalogue that has influenced generations of musicians. While every Stones fan has a personal favourite, these albums consistently appear at the centre of discussions about the band\u2019s greatest work.<\/p>\n
Beginning with 1968\u2019s Beggars Banquet, the Rolling Stones abandoned their brief psychedelic detour and returned to the American blues and country influences that first inspired them. Recorded during a period of global political unrest, the album paired acoustic driven arrangements with provocative lyrical themes. It also became the final studio album completed with founding member Brian Jones.<\/p>\n
Three songs define the record. \u201cSympathy For The Devil\u201d reinvented the band\u2019s public image with Mick Jagger narrating from Satan\u2019s perspective over an infectious samba rhythm. \u201cStreet Fighting Man\u201d became one of rock\u2019s most enduring political songs, reflecting the turbulence of 1968 through abrasive acoustic guitars and confrontational lyrics. Closing track \u201cSalt Of The Earth\u201d revealed a more reflective side of the group, celebrating working people through a powerful gospel influenced finale.<\/p>\n
Released a year later, Let It Bleed captured the uncertainty of the closing years of the 1960s. Issued shortly after Brian Jones\u2019 death and in the shadow of the Altamont Free Concert, the album blended apocalyptic rock with country blues and gospel influences, creating one of the band\u2019s darkest and most cinematic records.<\/p>\n
Its defining moments remain among the most celebrated in rock history. \u201cGimme Shelter\u201d channels the fear and anxiety of the Vietnam War era, elevated by Merry Clayton\u2019s unforgettable guest vocal performance. \u201cYou Can\u2019t Always Get What You Want\u201d closes the album with the London Bach Choir, delivering a bittersweet reflection on fading idealism. \u201cMidnight Rambler\u201d became one of the Stones\u2019 signature live performances, combining blues, hard rock and shifting tempos in a dramatic narrative inspired by the Boston Strangler.<\/p>\n
By 1971\u2019s Sticky Fingers, the Rolling Stones had entered the new decade with renewed confidence. Introducing guitarist Mick Taylor and debuting the now iconic tongue and lips logo, the album balanced commercial appeal with musical ambition while exploring themes of addiction, heartbreak and excess.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrown Sugar\u201d opened the record with one of Keith Richards\u2019 defining guitar riffs and quickly became one of the band\u2019s biggest hits. \u201cWild Horses\u201d demonstrated the emotional depth often overlooked in the Stones\u2019 catalogue through its country influenced arrangement and vulnerable lyric. \u201cCan\u2019t You Hear Me Knocking\u201d expanded the band\u2019s sound across seven minutes, evolving from a hard rock opener into an extended jazz influenced instrumental featuring an acclaimed saxophone performance.<\/p>\n
Many critics consider Exile On Main St. the Rolling Stones\u2019 crowning achievement. Recorded in the basement of a rented villa in the south of France while the band lived outside Britain for tax reasons, the double album embraced blues, soul, gospel, country and rock in a deliberately loose production style that initially divided opinion before becoming recognised as a classic.<\/p>\n
\u201cTumbling Dice\u201d provided the album\u2019s commercial centrepiece, blending blues, gospel and rock into an irresistible groove. \u201cHappy\u201d offered one of Keith Richards\u2019 rare lead vocal performances, delivering a burst of straightforward rock and roll energy. Opening track \u201cRocks Off\u201d immediately established the album\u2019s chaotic atmosphere with its dense mix, prominent horns and relentless momentum.<\/p>\n
The final album in this celebrated run, 1978\u2019s Some Girls, proved the Rolling Stones could still evolve as punk and disco challenged the dominance of established rock acts. Rather than resisting contemporary trends, the band incorporated them into an album that became their biggest selling release in the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cMiss You\u201d successfully fused disco rhythms with the Stones\u2019 blues foundation, becoming a worldwide hit and demonstrating the band\u2019s adaptability. \u201cBeast Of Burden\u201d remains one of their finest ballads, built around the interlocking guitar work of Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood. \u201cShattered\u201d captured the restless energy of New York City with its punk influenced pace and Mick Jagger\u2019s rapid fire vocal delivery.<\/p>\n
Whether Foreign Tongues joins this remarkable list remains to be seen, but the release offers an opportunity to revisit the extraordinary decade that cemented the Rolling Stones as one of rock music\u2019s defining artists. Few bands have produced a sequence of albums with such lasting influence, and those five records continue to set the standard for every new Stones release.<\/p>\n
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