The Rolling Stones’ ‘Goats Head Soup’ turns 50

Another album from The Rolling Stones is celebrating a huge milestone. August 31 marks the 50th anniversary of the band’s album Goats Head Soup, which was the follow-up to their iconic Exile on Main St.

Although it was released to mixed reviews, Goats Head Soup hit #1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, spending four weeks in the top spot. It also went to #1 in the U.K. and several other countries.

The Stones lineup on the album included Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts and guitarist Mick Taylor. It also featured appearances by keyboardists Nicky Hopkins, Billy Preston and Ian “Stu” Stewart, as well as sax player Bobby Keys.

The most well-known song on the album is the classic “Angie,” which went to #1. Over the years there have been rumors about who inspired the tune, including David Bowie‘s wife Angela and Richards’ daughter Dandelion Angela, but Richards said in his memoir, Life, he chose the name at random.

In 2020, The Rolling Stones revisited Goats Head Soup with the release of a super deluxe box set that included a variety of goodies for fans: a remastered version of the original, remixed by Giles Martin; 10 bonus tracks made up of alternate versions; outtakes; and three previously unheard tracks. One of those unheard tracks was “Scarlet,” which featured Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page.

The set also included a 15-track live album, The Brussels Affair, recorded during the band’s 1973 tour in support of the record.

Thanks to the reissue, Goats Head Soup returned to the U.K. chart at #1, 47 years after it first hit the top spot. By doing so, The Stones became the first band in U.K. chart history to land a #1 album across six different decades.