IN LATE AUGUST 1968, the Rolling Stones released “Street Fighting Man” as the lead single for the unreleased BEGGARS BANQUET album. It was the group’s follow-up to Jumpin’ Jack Flash, which had been a worldwide smash. While it topped the Cash Box Top 100, for some inexplicable reason it stalled at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
As Street Fighting Man was of a quality similar if not quite equal to Jumpin’ Jack Flash, I assume now that everyone assumed then that another top-tenner was on the way. 1
Such was not the case: radio programmers around the country apparently misconstrued the meaning of the song, relying on the title instead of the lyrics for the record’s message.
The American Street Fighting Man picture sleeve (London 45-909) is the Holy Grail for Rolling Stones record collectors.
Certainly, the song’s title could give anyone cause for pause: are the Rolling bloody Stones trying to incite a riot? That would not have been difficult to image at the time: For those of us who lived through that time, 1968 is remembered for the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr and Bobby Kennedy, followed by a summer of riots capped by the police riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.
So, despite my political/cultural bona fides—which can be described as having formed a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away—I can easily see radio station managers quaking in their boots at the prospect of playing this record.
Having to deal with the possibility of their station’s switchboard lighting up with irate callers would not have been worth the benefit of playing the record.
The supposed “banning” of Street Fighting Man by some AM radio stations in the US caused the UK’s leading music weekly, Melody Maker, to run a front-page story on the event.
“Street Fighting Man” lyrics
But the actual message of the song is not in the title, it’s in the lyrics. And the actual message is not one of anarchy, but ennui:
Everywhere I hear the sound
of marching, charging feet, boy.
Because summer’s here and the time is right
for fighting in the street, boy.
Well now, what can a poor boy do,
except to sing for a rock and roll band,
because in sleepy London town
there’s just no place for a street fighting man.
Hey! Think the time is right for palace revolution.
Because where I live the game to play is compromise solution.
Well now, what can a poor boy do,
except to sing for a rock and roll band,
because in sleepy London town
there’s just no place for a street fighting man.
Hey! Said my name is called Disturbance.
I’ll shout and scream!
I’ll kill the king!
I’ll rail at all his servants!
Well now, what can a poor boy do,
except to sing for a rock and roll band,
because in sleepy London town
there’s just no place for a street fighting man.
Rather than inciting riots, the song seems to concern the recognition and resignation of the singer to the fact that he’s not a revolutionary, just a singer in a rock and roll band, perhaps a frustrated revolutionary wannabe at best.
Or, he could be saying that he is a revolutionary, but there’s just no place for him because no one else is interested.
The photo on the front of the picture sleeve for London 45-909 shows three cops standing over a downed man with a woman giving him aid. This makes it appear as though the three had beaten up the one, although that is an assumption.
Sleeve deemed inappropriate
London Records had ordered a run of picture sleeves for the American release of the single, which was the norm for any single by the Rolling Stones. But the norm was usually a posed photo of the group, which ranged from the striking (such as Let’s Spend The Night Together) to the just plain silly (think of Jumpin’ Jack Flash. 2
For London 45-909, Street Fighting Man / No Expectations, someone in London’s graphics department opted for another kind of image: the sleeve was a plain black and white photo with a rather garish orange border. But it wasn’t the border that caused anyone’s eyes to turn to the sleeve. Here is how Bonhams described the sleeve in its catalog:
“Street Fighting Man was the first picture sleeve released by the Stones that did not feature an image of the band. The single was first released in August of 1968, just before the Chicago Democratic National Convention, where riots broke out between demonstrators and the Chicago police force.
The Stones’ picture sleeve used two images depicting police brutality taken from one of the many riots that had broken out in over one hundred U.S. cities [earlier] that year. The record company deemed the sleeve to be inappropriate and it was immediately withdrawn.
No one knows for sure how many examples of this sleeve have survived but most collectors estimate the number to be between ten and eighteen copies, placing it among the rarest pieces of Rolling Stones memorabilia.”
The photo on the back of the picture sleeve for London 45-909 has three different cops either holding down or helping up a man. This makes it appear as though the three had beaten up or were about to beat up the one, although that is an assumption, not a known.
What can a poor boy do
The poor wanker in London’s art department—who may go forever unnamed and therefore unenshrined—could have been oblivious to his environment and simply thought the photo appropriate for a record with such a title. We will probably never know if any heads rolled or positions were terminated due to the ensuing fiasco.
Someone at London must have seen the sleeve prior to its general release and decided, “No way in hell is that going out of here!”
As far as we know, almost every copy was destroyed. Now, when a picture sleeve for a new single by a major record-selling artist is manufactured, it is mass-produced on a large scale. While we may never know how many were made, we can assume that it was in the thousands—if not the tens of thousands.
We can also assume that every one of those sleeves went through some kind of heavy-duty paper-shredder and ended up in tiny pieces, all destroyed prior to the record’s general release.
It is possible that not a single sleeve found its way onto the racks of retail stores anywhere in America in 1968. Daring to assign a number to how many copies of the sleeve escaped destruction is not something that I am willing to do.
Top: This photo of a public restroom is what Stones wanted for the front cover of BEGGARS BANQUET. Fortunately, someone with taste at Decca was willing to go toe-to-toe with Jagger and refused to use it, delaying the release of the album by months. Bottom: The Stones settled for this the bland yet tasteful cover intended to resemble a fancy invitation. That it was released around the same time as THE BEATLES naturally brought accusations that the Stones were once again aping the Fab Four. 4
Avid Record Collector’s price guide
Nonetheless, a few copies of the picture sleeve did escape the shredder—possibly by a few sticky-fingered London employees—and they can be found for sale on a rare occasion. Needless to say, they are among the most valuable record-related collectables in the world! Below find my take on the few documented sales of this sleeve found on the Internet.
• In 2008, a copy graded VG++++++ (sic) was offered at auction on eBay, and while the seller may have been displaying a sense of humor about grading the sleeve with redundant plus-signs, the image of the sleeve used on the ad is heavily marred by record indentation and wear.
And, it may not even be the item be sold, but a photo pulled from the Internet!
Nonetheless, it sold for $9,001.
That is the only copy of the London Street Fighting Man picture sleeve to sell on eBay in the past ten years!
• In 2011, Bonhams also sold a copy of Street Fighting Man: their copy (lot #2264) does not list a grade, but if the picture used is the actual item, then it appears to have been in near mint (NM) condition.
Given its beautiful condition and being sold by so prestigious a firm, it commanded a hefty $17,080!
• In 2015, an ungraded copy was auctioned on eBay. While the seller did not assign any grade to it, he did include three notes on the sleeve’s condition:
1. “Sleeve has a couple bends and white spots near edges.”
2. “Sleeve has some white marks on the edges and very slight fading in the coloration.”
3. “This is not a verified sleeve, the gloss of the paper around on the edges are possibly questionable and are hard to compare without seeing it in hand.”
Nonetheless, it sold for $17,1000!
That the damage didn’t dissuade several bidders is understandable—after all, it was the first copy offered for sale on eBay in six years! But the fact that its authenticity was questioned by the seller makes this transaction rather extraordinary.
• In 2017, an ungraded copy sold for $3,199. This is an absurdly low price which I believe was achieved by the seller’s absurdly bad advertisement: The seller did not verify the authenticity of the sleeve nor did he grade the sleeve! The seller included an excellent photo of the sleeve but did not assure bidders that the item in the photo was actually the item for sale. The seller packaged the American sleeve with a Canadian record, which must have confused some bidders already not confused by the above!
High-quality reproductions of the American London picture sleeve were manufactured in the ‘80s and usually sell as collectables. Alas, neither I nor the Avid Record Collector knows how to differentiate the better reproductions from the authentic sleeve.
• In 2012, six copies from one seller sold for $100 each.
• In 2012, an obvious repro that was not listed as a repro sold for $305.
• In 2013, a repro that was listed as a repro sold for $203.
This is the rather rare Danish sleeve that uses the same photo as the American sleeve but in a more attractive design.
Danish picture sleeve
Unknown to Stones collectors for years was the fact that Decca of Denmark had also issued this single in 1968 with a picture sleeve as Decca F-22825 (below). It used the same black and white photo that appeared on the No Expectations side of the London sleeve, except the Danish art department added red and yellow washes to it.
While this is a rather rare record sleeve, it is not in the same league as the American sleeve:
• In 2013, a copy graded M- sold for $619.
• In 2011, a copy graded M- sold for $633.
• In 2013, a copy graded EX+ sold for $454.
There are dozens of other sales of this Danish sleeve, with prices paid varying dramatically due to time, condition, and confusion. Check them out on Popsike.
This is a photo of Anita Pallenberg sometime in the ’60s when she was gloriously beautiful. Check her out with Mick Jagger in the movie Performance, which is still one of the best rock-related movies ever made.
The world’s most valuable picture sleeve?
To assign a realistic NM value of this picture sleeve, I have three sales upon which to make an assessment:
• There is the $9,001 paid ten years ago for a copy that the seller was unwilling to grade NM in an eBay auction—which means that it may have sold for less than it should have.
• There is the $17,080 paid seven years ago for a copy graded NM. This was sold by an international auction house with a vast, established clientele in a well-designed, well-written advertisement—which means that it may have sold for more than it should have.
• There is the $3,199 paid a year ago for an ungraded copy in an advertisement that probably left most potential bidders confused if not downright wary.
So, working with that, I would assess the value of a NM copy of this sleeve at $12,000-18,000.
But should a mint (M) copy show up for sale by a reputable dealer, I would not be surprised to see it surpass $20,000.
If I am accurate, then the Rolling Stones’ Street Fighting Man (London 45-909) is the World’s Most Valuable Picture Sleeve! 5
The Rolling Stones’ banned American ‘Street Fighting Man’ is the World’s Most Valuable Picture Sleeve! Click To TweetFEATURED IMAGE: Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards—or was he Keith Richard then?—Bill Wyman, and Brian Jones as beggars banqueting. Photo by Michael Joseph, and why this didn’t grace the front cover is a shame.
FOOTNOTES:
1 The single Street Fighting Man debuted on both Billboard and Cash Box surveys on September 9, a Saturday. Giving it two weeks of breathing time, that would put its release date at approximately August 26, a Monday. The release of the album as held up because of a pissing match between Jagger and Decca over a tasteless cover photo and wasn’t released until December!
2 For more on the American sleeves, refer to Revelations on the Rolling Stones.
3 Hint to future sellers: you do not ever want to tell anyone that you’re relisting an item because of a buyer who reneged on his winning bid. It doesn’t sound “right” (kosher?) to many potential bidders.
4 For more on this covert art dispute, refer to “Rolling Stones Battle Over ‘Beggar’s Banquet’ Album Artwork.”
5 There is a contender for the title of the World’s Most Valuable Picture Sleeve, but I’ll save that for another article.