Editing Let It Bleed

{{About|the album by the Rolling Stones|other uses|Let It Bleed (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Let It Bleed
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[the Rolling Stones]]
| cover        = letitbleedRS.jpg
| alt          = A vinyl record of the album on a record-changer spindle supporting several items stacked on a plate. The topmost item is a cake topped by figurines representing the band.
| released     = {{start date|1969|11|28|df=yes}}
| recorded     = November 1968 – November 1969
| studio       = *[[Olympic Studios|Olympic]], London
*[[Elektra Sound Recorders|Elektra]] and [[Sunset Sound]], Los Angeles<ref name=lpBleed/>
| genre        =
*[[Hard rock]]
*[[blues]]
*[[country blues]]
| length       = {{duration|m=42|s=21}}
| label        =
*[[Decca Records|Decca]] (UK)
*[[London Records|London]] (US)
| producer     = [[Jimmy Miller]]
| prev_title   = [[Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)]]
| prev_year    = 1969
| next_title   = [[Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!]]
| next_year    = 1970
| misc         = {{Singles
 | name        = Let It Bleed
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Let It Bleed (song)|Let It Bleed]]"/"[[You Got the Silver]]
 | single1date = January 1970 (Japan only)
}}
}}
'''''Let It Bleed''''' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band [[the Rolling Stones]], released on 28 November 1969 by [[London Records]] in the United States and on 5 December 1969 by [[Decca Records]] in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Dekok|first=David|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AZJuBAAAQBAJ&dq=%22November+28%22+Let+It+Bleed&pg=PT122|title=Murder in the Stacks: Penn State, Betsy Aardsma, and the Killer Who Got Away|date=2014-09-02|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-4930-1389-0|language=en}}</ref>  Released during the band's [[The Rolling Stones American Tour 1969|1969 American Tour]], it is the follow-up to ''[[Beggars Banquet]]'' (1968), and, like that album, is a return to the group's more [[blues]]-oriented approach that was prominent in the pre-''[[Aftermath (Rolling Stones album)|Aftermath]]'' (1966) period of their career. Additional sounds on the album draw influence from [[Gospel music|gospel]], [[country blues]] and [[country rock]].

The album was recorded during a period of turmoil in the band; [[Brian Jones]], the band's founder and original leader, had become increasingly unreliable in the studio due to heavy drug use, and during most recording sessions was either absent, or so incapacitated that he was unable to contribute meaningfully. He was fired in the midst of recording sessions for this album, and replaced by [[Mick Taylor]]. Jones died within a month of being fired; he contributed to only two songs, playing backing instruments.

Taylor had been hired after principal recording was complete on many of the tracks, and appears on two songs, having recorded some guitar overdubs. [[Keith Richards]] was the band's sole guitarist during most of the recording sessions, being responsible for nearly all of the rhythm and lead parts. The other Stones members (vocalist [[Mick Jagger]], bassist [[Bill Wyman]], and drummer [[Charlie Watts]]) appear on nearly every track, with contributions by percussionist [[Jimmy Miller]] (who also produced the album), keyboardists [[Nicky Hopkins]], [[Al Kooper]] and [[Ian Stewart (musician)|Ian Stewart]] (himself a former member of the band), and guest musicians including [[Ry Cooder]].

The album reached top ten positions in several markets, including reaching number one in the UK and number three in the US. While no high-charting singles were released from the album, many of its songs became staples of Rolling Stones live shows and on rock radio stations, including "[[Gimme Shelter]]" and "[[You Can't Always Get What You Want]]", both of which frequently appear on lists of the greatest songs ever. The album was voted number 40 in [[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]'s ''[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]]'' 3rd edition (2000).<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]]|editor-first=Colin|editor-last=Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=2000|edition=3rd|isbn=0-7535-0493-6|page=53}}</ref> In 2005, the album was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]], and is on various iterations of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine's "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]" list.

== Recording ==
Although the Rolling Stones had begun the recording of "[[You Can't Always Get What You Want]]" in November 1968, before ''[[Beggars Banquet]]'' had been released, recording for ''Let It Bleed'' began in earnest in February 1969 and continued sporadically until early November.<ref name="Egan">{{cite book |last=Egan |first=Sean |title=Rolling Stones and the making of Let It Bleed |year=2005 |publisher=Unanimous Ltd |isbn=1-90331-877-7 |pages=206– }}</ref> [[Brian Jones]], the band's original leader and founder, had, over the course of the recording of the previous two albums, become increasingly detached from the group. Though present in the studio, he was frequently too intoxicated to contribute meaningfully, and after a motorcycle accident in May 1969, missed several recording sessions whilst recovering. Always a talented multi-instrumentalist, Jones had previously contributed extensively on guitar, forming an integral part of the dual-guitar sound that was central to the band's chemistry. He was fired from the band during the recording of ''Let It Bleed'', having performed on only two tracks: playing [[autoharp]] on "[[You Got the Silver]]", and percussion on "[[Midnight Rambler]]". A month after being fired, Jones was found at the bottom of his swimming pool at his home. The coroner's report stated this was a drowning, later revised to "[[death by misadventure]]".

As with the previous album, most of the guitar parts were recorded instead by the band's other guitarist, [[Keith Richards]], during the period of principal recording. Jones's replacement, [[Mick Taylor]], appears on just two tracks, "[[Country Honk]]" and "[[Live with Me (song)|Live with Me]]", having contributed some overdubs during the May 1969 London [[Olympic Studios]] recording sessions. He also appears on "[[Honky Tonk Women]]", a stand-alone single recorded during the ''Let It Bleed'' sessions.

Richards sang his first solo lead vocal on a Rolling Stones recording with "You Got the Silver",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.minilps.net/images/stories/shop_image/product/17%20Bleed%20f.jpg |author=Decca |authorlink=Decca Records |title=Inner sleeve credits |access-date=13 July 2012}}</ref> having previously sung harmony and background vocals with primary vocalist [[Mick Jagger]] on "[[Connection (The Rolling Stones song)|Connection]]" and shared alternating lead vocals with Jagger on parts of "[[Something Happened to Me Yesterday]]" and "[[Salt of the Earth (song)|Salt of the Earth]]". Additional vocals were provided by the [[The Bach Choir|London Bach Choir]], who sang on "You Can't Always Get What You Want". The choir distanced themselves from their contribution, however, citing what author [[Stephen Davis (music journalist)|Stephen Davis]] terms its "relentless drug ambience".<ref name="Davis p 306">{{cite book |first=Stephen |last=Davis |title=Old Gods Almost Dead: The 40-Year Odyssey of the Rolling Stones |publisher=Broadway Books |location=New York, NY |year=2001 |isbn=0-7679-0312-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/oldgodsalmostdea00step/page/306 306] |url=https://archive.org/details/oldgodsalmostdea00step/page/306 }}</ref> Bassist [[Bill Wyman]] appears on every track except for two, on which Richards played bass. Drummer [[Charlie Watts]] performed on all of the tracks except for "You Can't Always Get What You Want"; he struggled to attain the sought-after rhythm, so producer [[Jimmy Miller]] filled in for him instead.

''Let It Bleed'' was originally scheduled for release in July 1969. Although "Honky Tonk Women" was released as a single that month, the album itself was delayed and eventually released in December 1969, after the band's US tour had completed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Let It Bleed 50th Anniversary Edition |url=https://therollingstonesshop.co.uk/products/let-it-bleed-50th-anniversary-edition?srsltid=AfmBOor0OHsPr76h4b3ClezfGyqzp5D1WgXdXSAkUutJaVVO8D8pmVLc |url-status=live |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=The Rolling Stones |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907165757/https://therollingstonesshop.co.uk/products/let-it-bleed-50th-anniversary-edition |archive-date=7 September 2024}}</ref> The majority of the album was recorded at [[Olympic Studios]] in London, with further work taking place at [[Elektra Records|Elektra]] Sound Recorders Studios in Los Angeles, California, while the Stones prepared for the tour.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bonanno |first=Massimo |title=The Rolling Stones Chronicle |publisher=Plexus Publishing |location=London |year=1990 |isbn=0-207-16940-3|pages=86, 93}}</ref> The Los Angeles-recorded portions included [[Overdubbing|overdubs]] by guest musicians [[Merry Clayton]] (on "[[Gimme Shelter]]"), [[Byron Berline]] (on "Country Honk"),<ref>{{cite book |first=Bill |last=Wyman |title=Rolling with the Stones |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |location=London |year=2002 |isbn=0-7513-4646-2 |page=356}}</ref> and [[Bobby Keys]] and [[Leon Russell]] (on "Live with Me").<ref>{{cite book |first=Stephen |last=Davis |title=Old Gods Almost Dead: The 40-Year Odyssey of the Rolling Stones |publisher=Broadway Books |location=New York, NY |year=2001 |isbn=0-7679-0312-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/oldgodsalmostdea00step/page/304 304, 305] |url=https://archive.org/details/oldgodsalmostdea00step/page/304 }}</ref>

==Musical style==
As with ''Beggars Banquet'' the previous year, the album marks a return to the group's more [[blues]]-based approach that was prominent in the pre-''[[Aftermath (Rolling Stones album)|Aftermath]]'' period of their career. The main inspiration during this string of albums was [[Roots rock|American roots music]] and ''Let It Bleed'' is no exception, drawing heavily from [[Gospel music|gospel]] (evident in "Gimme Shelter" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want"), [[Hank Williams]] and [[Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)|Jimmie Rodgers]] ("Country Honk"),<ref name="McPherson">{{cite web |url=http://www.timeisonourside.com/SOCountryHonk.html |title=Country Honk |last=McPherson |first=Ian |website=www.timeisonourside.com |access-date=25 October 2016}}</ref> [[Chicago blues]] ("Midnight Rambler"),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timeisonourside.com/SOMidnight.html |title=Midnight Rambler |last=McPherson |first=Ian |website=www.timeisonourside.com |access-date=25 October 2016}}</ref> as well as [[country blues]] ("You Got the Silver", "[[Love in Vain]]") and [[country rock]] ("[[Let It Bleed (song)|Let It Bleed]]").<ref name=lpBleed>{{cite web |url=http://www.timeisonourside.com/lpBleed.html |title=Let It Bleed |last=McPherson |first=Ian |website=www.timeisonourside.com |access-date=25 October 2016}}</ref>

Don Heckman, writing in ''The New York Times'', felt that ''Let It Bleed'' was a "heavy" and "passionately erotic" album of [[hard rock]] and blues, influenced by [[African-American music]].<ref name="Heckman2">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/12/28/archives/pop-no-the-rolling-stones-are-not-fascists-micks-not-fascist.html |title=Pop: No, The Rolling Stones are Not Fascists; Mick's Not Fascist |last=Heckman |first=Don |date=28 December 1969 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |page=D24 |access-date=21 June 2013}} {{subscription required}}</ref> [[Richie Unterberger]], writing for [[AllMusic]], said it "extends the rock and blues feel of ''Beggars Banquet'' into slightly harder-rocking, more demonically sexual territory".<ref name="allmusic2">{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=let-it-bleed-mw0000191519 |pure_url=yes}} |title=Let It Bleed |last=Unterberger |first=Richie |authorlink=Richie Unterberger |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=17 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/628q51XQN?url=http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/Rihanna/chart-history/658897?f=793&g=Singles |archive-date=2 October 2011 }}</ref> ''Mojo'' magazine's James McNair felt the record had an emphasis on "earthy" country blues.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mojo4music.com/21197/the-rolling-stones/ |title=The Rolling Stones Top 10 Albums" > "2. Let It Bleed |publisher=[[Mojo (magazine)|mojo4music.com]] |access-date=11 September 2015}}</ref>

Through their experimentation during the mid-1960s, the band had developed an eclectic approach to arrangements. [[Slide guitar]] playing is prominent (played entirely by Richards, except "Country Honk", which was performed by Taylor), and is featured on all songs except "Gimme Shelter", "Live with Me" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want", giving the album an authentic blues feel throughout. In addition, an array of session musicians embellish the songs with various instruments. Alongside the piano performances ([[Ian Stewart (musician)|Ian Stewart]], [[Nicky Hopkins]]), the record included fiddle ([[Byron Berline]]),<ref name="McPherson"/> mandolin ([[Ry Cooder]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timeisonourside.com/SOLoveInVain.html |title=Love In Vain |last=McPherson |first=Ian |website=www.timeisonourside.com|access-date=25 October 2016}}</ref> piano, organ and French horn ([[Al Kooper]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timeisonourside.com/SOYouCantAlways.html |title=You Can't Always Get What You Want |last=McPherson |first=Ian |website=www.timeisonourside.com |access-date=25 October 2016}}</ref> as well as vibraphone (Wyman)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timeisonourside.com/SOMonkey.html|title=Monkey Man |last=McPherson|first=Ian|website=www.timeisonourside.com|access-date=25 October 2016}}</ref> and autoharp (Wyman and Jones).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timeisonourside.com/SOLetItBleed.html|title=Let It Bleed |last=McPherson |first=Ian|website=www.timeisonourside.com|access-date=25 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timeisonourside.com/SOYouGotTheSilver.html |title=You Got the Silver |last=McPherson |first=Ian |website=www.timeisonourside.com |access-date=25 October 2016}}</ref> Of more importance, however, was the debut of both renowned saxophonist [[Bobby Keys]] on "Live with Me", a musician who was integral at giving the group's arrangements a soul/jazz background, and Taylor, who took on lead guitar duties with technically proficient playing, giving the band a harder rock sound during the late 1960s and early 1970s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timeisonourside.com/SOLiveWith.html |title=Live with Me |last=McPherson |first=Ian |website=www.timeisonourside.com |access-date=25 October 2016}}</ref>

=== Lyrics ===
[[Jann Wenner]], in a 1995 ''Rolling Stone'' interview with Jagger, describes the album's songs as "disturbing" and the scenery as "ugly". When asked if the Vietnam War played a role in the album's worldview, Jagger said: "I think so. Even though I was living in America only part time, I was influenced. All those images were on television. Plus, the spill out onto campuses".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/mick-jagger-remembers-92946/|title=Mick Jagger Remembers|date=14 December 1995|first=Jann|last=Wenner|authorlink=Jann Wenner|work=rollingstone.com}}</ref>

== Release ==
The album was released in the US as an [[LP record]], [[reel-to-reel tape]], [[audio cassette]] and [[8-track cartridge]] in 1969, and as a remastered CD and chrome cassette tape in 1986. In August 2002, it was reissued in a remastered CD and [[Super Audio CD|SACD]] [[digipak]] by [[ABKCO Records]], and once more in 2010 by [[Universal Music Enterprises]] in a Japanese only SHM-SACD version.<ref name=Billboard>{{cite news |last=Walsh |first=Christopher |title=Super audio CDs: The Rolling Stones Remastered |page=27 |newspaper=Billboard |date=24 August 2002}}</ref> A [[monaural|mono]] version was included in the 2016 box-set ''[[The Rolling Stones in Mono]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Jem |last=Aswad |date=9 November 2016 |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7503441/the-rolling-stones-early-catalog-dazzles-on-new-mono-remasters-sneak-peek |title=The Rolling Stones' Early Catalog Dazzles on New Mono Remasters: Sneak Peek |magazine=Billboard |access-date=18 December 2016}}</ref> In September 2019, a remastered 50th anniversary edition of ''Let It Bleed'' was announced for release by ABKCO on November 15.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Aswad |first1=Jem |date=20 September 2019 |title=Exclusive Preview: The Rolling Stones' 50th Anniversary Edition of 'Let It Bleed' |url=https://variety.com/2019/music/news/rolling-stones-let-it-bleed-50th-anniversary-exclusive-1203342975/ |website=Variety |language=en-US |access-date=16 September 2024}}</ref> It comes with two 180g vinyl LPs with the album in both stereo and mono. Bob Ludwig remastered ''Let It Bleed'' for its 50th anniversary reissue.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Womack |first1=Kenneth |date=11 November 2019 |title=The Rolling Stones' "Let It Bleed" at 50: An even darker "Gimme Shelter" emerges |url=https://www.salon.com/2019/11/11/the-rolling-stones-let-it-bleed-50-years-anniversary-reissue/ |website=Salon |language=en-US |access-date=16 September 2024}}</ref>

=== Packaging ===
Jagger asked artist [[M. C. Escher]] to design a cover for the album, but he declined.<ref name="Review: The Amazing World of MC Escher">{{cite web |title=Review: The Amazing World of MC Escher |url= http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts_ents/visual/13414713.Review__The_Amazing_World_Of_MC_Escher__Scottish_National_Gallery_of_Modern_Art/ |website=Herald Scotland |date= 28 June 2015 |access-date=21 April 2016}}</ref><ref name="How Mick Jagger Got Dissed By M.C. Escher">{{cite web |last1=Higgins |first1=Chris |title=How Mick Jagger Got Dissed By M.C. Escher |url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/23063/how-mick-jagger-got-dissed-mc-escher |website=Mental Floss |date=21 October 2009 |access-date=21 April 2016}}</ref> [[Robert Brownjohn]] then designed the cover, which displays a surreal sculpture. The image consists of the ''Let It Bleed'' record being played by the tone-arm of an antique [[phonograph]], and a record-changer spindle supporting several items stacked on a plate in place of a stack of records: a film canister labelled ''Stones – Let It Bleed'', a clock dial, a pizza, a bicycle tire and a cake with elaborate icing topped by figurines representing the band. The cake parts of the construction were prepared by then-unknown cookery writer [[Delia Smith]].<ref name="DSCoverFront">{{cite web |title= Delia and The Rolling Stones |url= https://www.deliaonline.com/features/2017/01/delia-and-the-rolling-stones |website=Delia Online |date= 20 January 2017 |access-date=14 December 2017}}</ref> The reverse of the LP sleeve shows the same "record-stack" melange in a state of disarray.<ref name="DSCoverBack">{{cite web |title=Let Them Eat Delia's Cake, or Robert Brownjohn's Let It Bleed |first=Pamela |last=Popeson |website=moma.org |date=12 September 2013 |access-date=14 December 2017 |url= https://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2013/09/12/let-them-eat-delias-cake-or-robert-brownjohns-let-it-bleed/}}</ref> The artwork was inspired by the working title of the album, which was ''Automatic Changer''.<ref>Wyman, Bill. 2002. ''Rolling With the Stones''</ref>

The album cover was among the ten chosen by the [[Royal Mail]] for a set of [[Great Britain commemorative stamps 2010–2019#2010|"Classic Album Cover" postage stamps]] issued in January 2010.<ref>{{cite news |title=Royal Mail puts classic albums on to stamps |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2009/nov/21/guidelines-rock-stamp-album-covers |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |location=London |date=21 November 2009 |access-date=14 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Hall |first=John |date=7 January 2010 |title=Royal Mail unveil classic album cover stamps |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/royal-mail-unveil-classic-album-cover-stamps-1860738.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220614/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/royal-mail-unveil-classic-album-cover-stamps-1860738.html |archive-date=14 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Independent |location=London |language=en-GB |access-date=14 December 2017}}</ref>

== Reception ==
{{Music ratings
|subtitle = Retrospective reviews
| rev1       = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score  = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web |last=Unterberger |first=Richie |authorlink=Richie Unterberger |title=Let It Bleed – The Rolling Stones : Songs, Reviews, Credits |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/let-it-bleed-mw0000191519 |work=[[AllMusic]] |publisher=[[All Media Network]] |access-date=17 June 2015}}</ref>
| rev2       = ''[[And It Don't Stop]]''
| rev2Score  = A+<ref name="xgau">{{cite web |last=Christgau |first=Robert |authorlink=Robert Christgau |date=16 February 2022 |title=Xgau Sez: February 2022 |url=https://robertchristgau.substack.com/p/xgau-sez-february-2022 |work=And It Don't Stop |access-date=18 February 2022}}</ref>
| rev3       = ''[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev3score  = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Larkin |editor1-first=Colin |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |date=2007 |publisher=Omnibus |page=1197 |edition=5th concise |ol=11913831M}}</ref>
| rev4       = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev4score  = A<ref name=reviews>{{cite web |url=http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/4940211/a/Let+It+Bleed.htm |title=Let It Bleed CD |publisher=Muze Inc. |access-date=21 June 2008}}</ref>
| rev5       = ''[[The Great Rock Discography]]''
| rev5Score  = 9/10<ref>{{cite book |last1=Strong |first1=Martin C. |year=2004 |title=The Great Rock Discography |edition=7th |location=New York |publisher=Canongate |page=1294 |ol=18807297M}}</ref>
| rev6       = [[Music Story]]
| rev6score  = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.music-story.com/the-rolling-stones/let-it-bleed |title=Album The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed |website=[[Music Story]] |language=fr |date=n.d. |access-date=11 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211000822/http://www.music-story.com/the-rolling-stones/let-it-bleed |archive-date=11 February 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev7       = ''[[MusicHound|MusicHound Rock]]''
| rev7score  = 5/5<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Graff |editor-first1=Gary |editor-last2=Durchholz |editor-first2=Daniel |year=1999 |title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |location=Farmington Hills, MI |publisher=Visible Ink Press |isbn=1-57859-061-2 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/950 950, 952] |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/950 }}</ref>
| rev8       = ''[[NME]]''
| rev8score  = 9/10<ref name="NME">{{cite magazine |title=Review: Let It Bleed |magazine=NME |location=London |page=46 |date=8 July 1995}}</ref>
| rev9       = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev9score  = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="rs2004"/>
| rev10      = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev10score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Rolling Stones: Album Guide |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/the-rolling-stones/albumguide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110412195111/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/the-rolling-stones/albumguide |archive-date=12 April 2011 |url-status=deviated |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |language=en-US |access-date=15 November 2014}}</ref>
}}
Released in December, ''Let It Bleed'' reached number 1 on the [[UK Albums Chart]] (temporarily demoting [[the Beatles]]' ''[[Abbey Road]]'') and number 3 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Top LPs]] chart in the US, where it was eventually certified [[Platinum-certified|2× platinum]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA). In a contemporary review for ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, music critic [[Greil Marcus]] said that the middle of the album has "great" songs, but "Gimme Shelter" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" "seem to matter most" because they "both reach for reality and end up confronting it, almost mastering what's real, or what reality will feel like as the years fade in."<ref name=rs>{{cite magazine |last=Marcus |first=Greil |date=27 December 1969 |title=Album Reviews: The Rolling Stones – Let it Bleed |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/let-it-bleed-19691227 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |access-date=31 October 2009}}</ref> [[Robert Christgau]] named it the fourth-best album of 1969 in his ballot for ''[[Jazz & Pop]]'' magazine's annual critics poll.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Jazz & Pop|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/jpballot-70.php|title=Robert Christgau's 1970 Jazz & Pop Ballot|year=1970|via=robertchristgau.com}}</ref> In later commentaries, he has said the album "still speak[s] to me with startling fullness and authority",<ref>{{cite news |last=Christgau |first=Robert |date=17 December 1979 |title=Journey Through the Past |url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/rock/decade-79.php |newspaper=[[The Village Voice]] |access-date=20 March 2020 |via=robertchristgau.com}}</ref> with the quality of the "playing" alone "fantastic",<ref name="xgau"/> and that despite some "duff moments" on side two, every song "stands up".<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Playboy]]|date=September 1991|access-date=20 March 2020|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/play/1991-09.php|title=Public Enemy|via=robertchristgau.com}}</ref>

In a retrospective review, ''NME'' magazine said that the album "tugs and teases" in various musical directions and called it "a classic".<ref name="NME"/> In his 2001 Stones biography, Stephen Davis said of the album "No rock record, before or since, has ever so completely captured the sense of palpable dread that hung over its era."<ref name="Davis p 306"/> In a five-star review for ''Rolling Stone'' in 2004, Gavin Edwards praised Richards' guitar playing throughout the album, and stated: "Whether it was spiritual, menstrual or visceral, the Stones made sure you went home covered in blood."<ref name="rs2004">{{cite magazine |last=Edwards |first=Gavin |date=2 September 2004 |page=147 |title=Review: Let It Bleed |magazine=Rolling Stone |location=New York}}</ref> Jason McNeil of [[PopMatters]] wrote that ''Beggars Banquet'' and ''Let It Bleed'' are "the two greatest albums the band's (or anyone's) ever made".<ref name=popm>{{cite web |url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/rollingstones-letitbleedmft/ |title=The Rolling Stones: Beggars Banquet / Let it Bleed |author=MacNeil, Jason |publisher=[[PopMatters]] |date=23 August 2004 |access-date=31 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019202315/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/rollingstones-letitbleedmft/ |archive-date=19 October 2012}}</ref> In [[Steven Van Zandt]]'s opinion, ''Let It Bleed'' was one in the Stones' series of four studio LPs—including ''Beggars Banquet'' (1968), ''[[Sticky Fingers]]'' (1971) and ''[[Exile on Main St.]]'' (1972)—that was "the greatest run of albums in history".<ref name=rsr>{{cite magazine |last=Van Zandt |first=Steven |date=3 December 2010 |title=The Immortals – The Greatest Artists of All Time: 4) The Rolling Stones |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-artists-147446 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date= 8 February 2020}}</ref>

The album was included in a "Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings, published in ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]'' (1981).<ref>{{cite book |last=Christgau |first=Robert |authorlink=Robert Christgau |year=1981 |title=[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]] |publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]] |isbn=0899190251 |chapter=A Basic Record Library: The Fifties and Sixties |chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/bk-cg70/basics.php |access-date=March 16, 2019 |via=robertchristgau.com}}</ref> In 2000, ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' magazine ranked it at number 28 in its list of "The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever".{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}} In 2001, the TV network [[VH1]] placed ''Let It Bleed'' at 24th on their "100 Greatest Albums of R 'n' R" survey.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}} In 1997, it was voted the 27th-best album ever by ''[[The Guardian]]''.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}} In 2003, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it at number 32 on the magazine's list of the "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]."<ref name=Stone>{{cite magazine |url=https://genius.com/Rolling-stone-the-500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-2003-lyrics |title=Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums 2003 List |access-date=11 November 2020 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref> It maintained the rating in a 2012 revised list,<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/the-rolling-stones-let-it-bleed-168543/|year=2012| title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time| magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]| access-date= 23 September 2019}}</ref> and was ranked at number 41 in a 2020 revised list.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Let It Bleed ranked 41st greatest album by Rolling Stone magazine |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/the-rolling-stones-let-it-bleed-2-1063192/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |access-date=11 November 2020}}</ref> It was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]] in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grammy Hall of Fame Letter L |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/hall-of-fame#l |work=Grammy |access-date=5 May 2020}}</ref>

== Track listing ==
The track listing on the back of the album jacket did not follow the one on the album itself. According to Brownjohn, he altered it purely for visual reasons; the correct order was shown on the record's label. Additionally, "Gimme Shelter" is rendered as "Gimmie Shelter" on the jacket. Most releases have "Gimmie Shelter" on the cover, the inner sleeve and the LP label, until 2019.

{{Track listing
| all_writing = [[Mick Jagger]] and [[Keith Richards]], except "Love in Vain" by [[Robert Johnson]]. Early US editions of the album credit the song to Woody Payne, a pseudonym used by a music publisher of the songs of Robert Johnson
| headline = Side one
| title1   = [[Gimme Shelter]]
| length1  = 4:31
| title2   = [[Love in Vain#Rolling Stones adaptation|Love in Vain]] 
| length2  = 4:19
| title3   = [[Country Honk]]
| length3  = 3:09
| title4   = [[Live with Me]]
| length4  = 3:33
| title5   = [[Let It Bleed (song)|Let It Bleed]]
| length5  = 5:26
| total_length = 20:58
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side two
| title1   = [[Midnight Rambler]]
| length1  = 6:52
| title2   = [[You Got the Silver]]
| length2  = 2:51
| title3   = [[Monkey Man (Rolling Stones song)|Monkey Man]]
| length3  = 4:12
| title4   = [[You Can't Always Get What You Want]]
| length4  = 7:28
| total_length = 21:23
}}

==Personnel==
Track numbers noted in parentheses below are based on the CD track numbering where the titles of the second side are numbered from 6 to 9.<ref>''Let It Bleed'' CD track numbering</ref>

'''The Rolling Stones'''
*[[Mick Jagger]] – vocals (all but 7), harmonica (1, 6)
*[[Keith Richards]] – electric guitar (all but 3), acoustic guitar (2–3, 5, 7, 9), [[slide guitar]] (2, 5–8), backing vocals (1, 3, 8), bass guitar (4), lead vocals (7)
*[[Brian Jones]] – [[conga]]s (6), [[autoharp]] (7)
*[[Bill Wyman]] – bass guitar (1–2, 5–9), autoharp (5), [[vibraphone]] (8)
*[[Charlie Watts]] – drums (all but 9)
*[[Mick Taylor]] – slide guitar (3), electric guitar (4)

'''Additional personnel'''
*[[Ian Stewart (musician)|Ian Stewart]] – piano (5)
*[[Nicky Hopkins]] – piano (1, 4, 7–8), organ (7)
*[[Byron Berline]] – [[fiddle]] (3)
*[[Ry Cooder]] – [[mandolin]] (2)
*[[Bobby Keys]] – tenor saxophone (4)
*[[Jimmy Miller]] – [[güiro]] and maracas (1),{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2016|pp=288-289}} drums (9), tambourine (8)
*[[Leon Russell]] – piano, [[Horn section|horn]] [[arrangements]] (both on 4)
*[[Jack Nitzsche]] – [[Choir|choral]] arrangements (9)
*[[Al Kooper]] – piano, [[French horn]], and organ (all on 9)
*[[Merry Clayton]] – lead and backing vocals (1)
*[[Nanette Workman]] – backing vocals (3, 9) (credited as Nanette Newman on the LP)
*[[Doris Troy]] – backing vocals (9)
*[[Madeline Bell]] – backing vocals (9)
*[[Rocky Dijon]] – percussion (9)
*[[The Bach Choir|The London Bach Choir]] – vocals (9)
'''Technical personnel'''

* Jimmy Miller – production
* [[Glyn Johns]] – engineering
* Alan "Irish" O'Duffy, [[George Chkiantz]] – assistant engineering (Olympic)
* [[Bruce Botnick]], Jerry Hansen – assistant engineering (Sunset Sound)
* Dave Bridges, [[Keith Harwood]], Steve Stratton – tape operators
* [[Robert Brownjohn]] – liner design
* Victor Kahn – poster design
* Don McAllester – photography

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+1969–1970 weekly chart performance for ''Let It Bleed''
! scope="col"| Chart (1969–1970)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=AUS>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|authorlink=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref>
| align="center"| 2
|-
{{Album chart|Canada|4|artist=The Rolling Stones|album=Let It Bleed|chartid=6114|rowheader=true|accessdate=22 December 2022}}
|-
{{Album chart|Netherlands|1|artist=The Rolling Stones|album=Let It Bleed|rowheader=true|accessdate=22 December 2022}}
|-
! scope="row"| Finland ([[The Official Finnish Charts]])<ref name=FINI>{{cite book|last=Pennanen|first=Timo|title=Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972|edition=1st|publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava|location=Helsinki|year=2006|isbn=978-951-1-21053-5| language= fi}}</ref>
| align="center"| 12
|-
{{Album chart|Germany4|3|id=20798|artist=The Rolling Stones|album=Let It Bleed|rowheader=true|accessdate=22 December 2022}}
|-
! scope="row"|Italian Albums (''[[Musica e Dischi]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=[[Musica e Dischi]]|language=it|access-date=27 May 2022}} Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Rolling Stones".</ref>
| align="center"| 7
|-
!scope="row"|Japanese Albums ([[Oricon]])<ref name="JPN">{{cite book|title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005|publisher=[[Oricon|Oricon Entertainment]]|location=Roppongi, Tokyo|year=2006|isbn=4-87131-077-9|language=ja}}</ref>
| align="center"| 11
|-
{{Album chart|Norway|2|artist=The Rolling Stones|album=Let It Bleed|rowheader=true|accessdate=22 December 2022}}
|-
!scope="row"|Sweden ([[Kvällstoppen]])<ref>{{cite book | last=Hallberg | first=Eric | title=Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3 : Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962-19. 8. 1975. | publisher=Drift Musik | publication-place=Värmdö | date=1993 | isbn=91-630-2140-4 | oclc=165178200 }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
{{Album chart|UK|1|artist=The Rolling Stones|album=Let It Bleed|rowheader=true|accessdate=22 December 2022}}
|-
{{Album chart|Billboard200|3|artist=The Rolling Stones|rowheader=true|accessdate=22 December 2022}}
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+2007 weekly chart performance for ''Let It Bleed''
! Chart (2007)
! Peak<br />position
|-
{{Album chart|Sweden|37|artist=The Rolling Stones|album=Let It Bleed|rowheader=true|accessdate=22 December 2022}}
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+2012 weekly chart performance for ''Let It Bleed''
! scope="col"| Chart (2012)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{Album chart|France|138|artist=The Rolling Stones|album=Let It Bleed|rowheader=true|accessdate=22 December 2022}}
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+2019 weekly chart performance for ''Let It Bleed''
! scope="col"| Chart (2019)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{Album chart|Flanders|112|artist=The Rolling Stones|album=Let It Bleed|rowheader=true|accessdate=22 December 2022}}
|-
{{Album chart|Wallonia|128|artist=The Rolling Stones|album=Let It Bleed|rowheader=true|accessdate=22 December 2022}}
|-
{{Album chart|Spain|64|artist=The Rolling Stones|album=Let It Bleed|rowheader=true|accessdate=22 December 2022}}
|}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for ''Let It Bleed''}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=album|artist=The Rolling Stones|title=Let It Bleed|award=Platinum|relyear=1969|certyear=2023|access-date=November 23, 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=album|artist=The Rolling Stones|title=Let It Bleed|award=Platinum|relyear=1969|certyear=1978|access-date=11 June 2016}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|relyear=1969|region=Netherlands|artist=The Rolling Stones|title=Let It Bleed|certyear=1970|award=Gold|certref=<ref name=julienslive>{{cite web |url=https://www.julienslive.com/lot-details/index/catalog/341/lot/143135|date=20 December 2020|title=Bill Wyman Dutch Gold Record Award}}</ref>|salesamount=25,000|salesref=<ref name=julienslive/>}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|artist=The Rolling Stones|title=Let It Bleed|award=Platinum|certyear=1999|id=3799-44-2|access-date=11 June 2016}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|artist=The Rolling Stones|title=Let It Bleed|award=Platinum|number=2|certyear=1989|access-date=11 June 2016}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book |last1=Margotin |first1=Philippe |last2=Guesdon |first2=Jean-Michel |title=The Rolling Stones All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track |date=2016 |publisher=[[Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers]] |location=New York |isbn=978-0-316-31774-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g5eTCwAAQBAJ}}

==External links==
* {{Discogs master|type=album|52967}}

{{Let It Bleed}}
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[[Category:The Rolling Stones albums]]
[[Category:1969 albums]]
[[Category:Decca Records albums]]
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[[Category:Albums produced by Jimmy Miller]]
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[[Category:ABKCO Records albums]]
[[Category:Country rock albums by English artists]]