The Beatles had Sgt. Peppers, The Beach Boys had Pet Sounds, Bob Dylan had Blonde On Blonde and The Rolling Stones had Their Satanic Majesties Request. While critics praised The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Dylan, they were not so kind to The Rolling Stones.
Their Satanic Majesties Request is like no other Rolling Stones album. It was not rhythm and blues nor was it straight rock 'n' roll. It can best be described as a quick Rolling Stones detour into psychedelic rock that was prevalent in the United States at the time. I would have liked to have seen this music performed to one of the light shows at the Fillmore East or West.
Today, Their Satanic Majesties Request is best remembered for its 3-D cover. You could even find the faces of the four Beatles buried in the cover’s regalia. Sort of like an early where's Waldo.
It is difficult to know what The Rolling Stones were thinking while creating this album. It may have been a reaction to Sgt. Peppers or possibly their own increasing drug use. Whatever their thought process, it is an album you will either love or hate.
“She’s A Rainbow” was a chanting, rocking piece of psychedelic music. This song was released as a single and only rose to number 25 on the American charts.
“The Lantern” was basically a Keith Richards creation set to music by Nicky Hopkins, who would go on to be a long term Stones sideman, both in the studio and in concert. Here he plays the piano and mellotron giving the song a hallucinatory feel. “2000 Light Years From Home” followed in the same direction but here it was Brian Jones on the mellotron. This song would reappear in the 1990s as a part of the Stones live shows.
“In Another Land” features the first Bill Wyman lead vocal on a Rolling Stones song. The song is fine but Wyman was not and would never be a strong vocalist. This would be more an experiment than something that would be incorporated into their act.
Article comments
1 - Rob
Some great songs on this album such as the beautiful "Sing This All Together", the aforementioned "She's a Rainbow" and "2000 Man" (covered by Kiss); and the hard rocking "Citadel".
But it is true that there is some absolute drivel here such as "Gomper" and "On with the Show"; which sound either like filler material, or a miserable attempt at recreating the vaudeville sound that the Beatles were able to popularize.
2 - Andrew
Love it or hate it this album has stood the test of time and still gets a weekly play on my turn table. Highlights for me are Citadel, 2,000 Light Years from home, She's A Rainbow and that damn maze!
3 - manny lopresto
Its a great lp,very underrated.I listen to it weekly as well.