The period between September 1968 and November 1969 was an incredibly fertile time for The Rolling Stones, but also one of great tragedy and personal loss. Brian Jones would gradually fade into drug-induced obscurity before eventually being fired and accidentally dying, Mick Taylor would join the band as a replacement, and the personal relationships of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and others in the group's orbit would be altered permanently. The world was also on fire during this period, with war, student protests, and a rejection of traditional mores dominating western civilization.

Despite this --- or perhaps more to the point, because of it --- the Rolling Stones entered their most fertile, enticing, and fascinating period as a band. The sound of the band gradually rounded into the true classic rock aesthetic, with crisp electric guitars, expert slidework, and key session players augmenting and improving their studio work. The writing became at once more advanced and more primitive, looking forward to the evolution of early 1970s songcraft while also calling back to the aural structures of the 1930s music they had been weaned on as youths. And the lyrics became more threatening, more drug-oriented, yet also more distant, observing a world that was increasingly harder to parse.

Let It Bleed may be their greatest singular studio achievement, and we take the time to dissect it fully during this special episode of Cosmic America.