ABSTRACT
Recorded in March of 1968 and released in May, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” quickly rose to the top of the charts in the US and UK. The driving guitar riff and straight-ahead rock feel seemed to signal to many that the Stones had emerged from psychedelic meanderings of Their Satanic Majesties Request, and the release of Beggars Banquet in December served to reinforce the idea that the band had made a strong return to its musical roots.
While the rootsy dimensions of the band’s music in 1968 indeed marks an important stylistic shift, this was not accompanied—as many have suggested—by a rejection of the psychedelic elements. This chapter will argue that features of the band’s psychedelic experimentations, developed progressively in the years leading up to Beggars Banquet, often remain an important element in the Stones’ new approach to their music and presentation (including album art, performance, and video). In addition, psychedelic elements remain in the band’s music well into the 1970s.
