This is my favorite Stones album and quite possibly one of my favorite albums to listen to, from start to finish, bar none. There are any number of reasons for this, one of the major ones being the right marriage of band and producer (Jimmy Miller). Every passage seems pre-planned for maximum effect, and yet, every time I listen to the album I come away mind-blown at how effortless and natural the whole thing comes off. Another point - the musical flow of Let It Bleed is immaculate. Nothing ever feels out of place, out of left field, even where you could argue "Honky Tonk Women" should go in the slot where "Country Honk" is at on the record - guess what - "Honk" was the original take, so this ramshackle thing feels just as right as the massive bookends which start and end the album. And the sad irony? It was released two days after the Altamont debacle.

The obvious short answer here was that psychedelia was a failure, the Stones got back to basics, and as a result, started releasing the best albums of their career. The actual truth was more complicated. First of all, Brian Jones was rapidly losing his faculties and getting edged out of the band. Second, the decision to use Jimmy Miller as producer on this album (as well as the companion single "Jumpin' Jack Flash") was a wise one, because he played a part in bringing the band back into focus from their haze. Finally, it's not like the Stones' psychedelic era was radically different than this "roots" period - but with Jones going nuts and the group in a rudderless state - it was up to Mick and Keith to recommit themselves and lead the group back out of the wilderness…and that they did, and then some. Beggars Banquet is simply a fantastic, close-to-perfect record, combining rock, blues, country, some political intrigue, and even a strong whiff of the psychedelia that critics claim the album stomps all over. "Sympathy for the Devil" - by itself - is on my shortlist of greatest songs ever composed and performed. I would rate it 15 out of 5 if I could, but I am limited by the format. Another striking characteristic is the rural flavor of the album as a whole. Tracks like "Dear Doctor", "Factory Girl", and "Salt of the Earth" come off either as parodies and/or tributes to the hard-scrabble countryside lifestyle. Still, they comment on urban matters as well. "Jigsaw Puzzle" is just as far-out as anything from Satanic Majesties Request (just what in the hell is a "mentholated sandwich"), while "Stray Cat Blues" and "Parachute Woman" rank among their most brutal tracks.

The Stones' debut is a covers-heavy homage to 50s rock 'n' blues with a couple of originals thrown in for good measure. One of them ("Tell Me") definitely foreshadows the ironic/realistic British pop music they would master later in the decade, but the real burners are the covers of "Carol", "Route 66", and "I'm a King Bee". This is the Stones album you, your father, and your father's father rocks the hell out of.

One thing about David Lee Roth is the guy was not your typical hard rock lead singer. He was, shall we say, a little more varied than most in that line of work, and his tastes ranged far and wide – to otherworldly strange things like show tunes and dance music. To the average run-of-the-mill Joe, that may not seem like a big deal, but for a singer in what some would call the preeminent hard rock band of the late 70’s and early 80’s – it was quirks like these which made Diamond Dave stand out from the crowd. Hagar – on the other hand – was cut from the classic rock singer mold all the way. He paid his dues with Ronnie Montrose and practically worshiped the ground Robert Plant and Jimmy Page walked on. AND he could play a pretty mean guitar. By no means was I a fan of the guy, but anyone with half a brain cell who listened to music in the 80’s knew of Sammy Hagar and acknowledged the talent. Now here’s the thing – just as Roth and Hagar were two singers with different styles, Hagar and the rest of Van Halen (up to that point, at least) seemed fairly incompatible with one another. Here was this hot-shot, California, thrill-a-minute, pop-metal tour-de-force with an amazing guitar player that some were calling the next Led Zeppelin on steroids, and they were supposed to meld forces with this grizzled, rough-and-tumble, no-nonsense, take-no-shit vocalist/guitarist who already had a successful solo career and needed a second meal ticket like he needed a hole in the head. How was that going to work exactly? In the end, it was easy – they get along professionally like old chums, and make a stunningly simple yet refreshing pop-rock record that is about as catchy as you can get. And they sound like they are having tons of fun while making it. Yes, Eddie plays synths on this record. Not on all of the songs, but on quite a few of them. Yes, it sounds quintessentially 80’s throughout, especially from a production standpoint. Yes, the trademark bottom-heaviness that was even on 1984 is gone. This is a different band, like it or not, and they made a hard-edged pop album, not a heavy rock record completely dependent on Eddie’s tone and tricks and solos. Furthermore, it is fairly well-done and consistently entertaining. Half of the album filled the radio airwaves – I do remember that – and three of the songs featured Eddie falling back in love with his synthesizer. You remember these – “Dreams”, “Love Walks In”, and “Why Can’t This Be Love”. People either detest these songs now because of Hagar or rudely toss them off as 80’s dreck, but hey, check them once in a while – you might find yourself tapping a foot or even singing along to them (God forbid). Simply put, all three are extremely well-written, cleanly conveyed, pop classics – nothing more or less. Meanwhile, the band brings out their raucous side on the other two singles, “Best of Both Worlds” and “Summer Nights”, a track which proves Eddie didn’t forget how to play guitar. Also, “Good Enough” (aside from the somewhat hackneyed “Hello, baby” intro) and “Get Up” have more than enough manic energy going for them. Probably the only issue I have had with this album is the end of it, which is relatively limp in comparison to what comes before hand (the title track and “Inside”, with all the crazy voices echoing around the speakers and what not), but still, how can anyone complain about 5150 from an overall standpoint, other than to nitpick based on personal preference? One final note – I get a kick out of the cover, which to me feels like a ridiculous, overdone take on the band’s past – almost like they were jabbing at Dave a bit with the Atlas caricature, or something. All in good fun, I guess, although at the time, it probably wasn’t. In conclusion, a really good album – not stone cold classic – from a bit of an unexpected place.

Following the darkest, most serious album in VH's career to date, the release of a cover version of "(Oh) Pretty Woman" as a single in early 1982 prompted the band to throw together Diver Down in the space of two weeks, which became the least substantial record in the band's career, yet much like the single rocketed up the charts. This was the original Attack of the Killer B's, so eat your heart out, Anthrax…except that everyone in Van Halen - minus Dave - thought it was D-level material. But the band was on such a roll that their D-league material was still really entertaining. By no means is it substantial, but it is short run-time wise (a stark 31 minutes), and a real grab bag of cheap tricks, no pun intended. I used to think it was a complete Dave-fest, but there are just as many Eddie highlights to be found on this one - it's just that he is not throwing down the absolute killer solos, riffs, or even the unfolding layers of psychological darkness that we heard from the previous record - this is more like Ed fooling around in his home garage or hotel room, saying, "look what I can do here! And here! And here, too!" Anyway, let's move on to the songs and see where we can find some appreciation of this comparatively light-weight material. A1 "Where Have All the Good Times Gone!" - I honestly think any songs from The Kinks I know through Van Halen. Well, not every song - since they never covered "Paranoia" or "Come Dancing". Anyway, a decent, if expected start for this record. A2 "Hang'em High" - Reminds me of something from Van Halen II or Women and Children First, and apparently it dates back to around of the time of the debut album. It sounds like it. A3 "Cathedral" - See the point above about Eddie and messing around on his guitar for the hell of it. A4 "Secrets" - This was a candidate to be on the Fair Warning album. I actually think it's a slight bit better than say, "Push Comes to Shove". A5 "Intruder" - When more music was required to beef up "Pretty Woman", this track was the result. A6 "(Oh) Pretty Woman" - I never knew this, because I never saw it before, but there was a video for this song and it was banned by MTV - one of the first to garner this distinction! DLR directed the video. Maybe when I get some time I will watch the thing. Anyway, the song itself is one of those kitschy, of-its-time deals, IMHO. The biggest VH single to date, but not one of my favorites from the band. B1 "Dancing in the Street" - Speaking of "of-its-time" deals, this had to be a total DLR thing, although the weird effect you hear in the background is Eddie playing a synthesizer with an echoed guitar. I just can never get over how close to disco this one sounds. Just not one of their better moments, but it was fun to hear when I was little! B2 "Little Guitars (Intro)" - The short acoustic lead-in for "Little Guitars". B3 "Little Guitars" - I really like this one because it's the one place on the record where Dave's crazy spontaneous idea and Eddie's spontaneous idea come together, share the same space, and form one coherent, near-magical piece which could stand proudly next to any track on the proper albums. B4 "Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)" - Dave got the inspiration for this after hearing an old Vaudeville tune. He even got the Van Halen brothers father, Jan, to play clarinet on this track. It's goofy, but catchy as hell. B5 "The Full Bug" - More showbusiness from DLR, with everyone else along for the ride. B6 "Happy Trails" - How the heck else would you expect this one to end?