Salt of the Earth by The Rolling Stones Song Info
"Salt of the Earth" is a song from the 1968 Rolling Stones album Beggars Banquet. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song is most notable for its opening lead vocal by Richards. While not his first as many believe (that title goes to "Something Happened to Me Yesterday" off Between the Buttons), it was his most prominent to date. "Salt of the Earth" heavily features the acoustic work of Richards, typical of most songs from Beggars Banquet. Richards also performs the slide guitar throughout the song as Brian Jones, notable for his slide on other songs from Beggars Banquet, was absent from these sessions. While some songs from Beggars Banquet were famously recorded by Jagger and Richards with only a tape recorder in between them, "Salt of the Earth" was recorded at London's Olympic Sound Studios from May until July in 1968. Featuring on the song are the Los Angeles Watts Street Gospel Choir and a raucous piano performance by Nicky Hopkins. These additions, and their prominence near the end of the song, are thought to have had an influence on their next album Let It Bleed's closing song, "You Can't Always Get What You Want".
