Their Satanic Majesties Request
Their Satanic Majesties Request | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by The Rolling Stones | |||||
Released | 8 December 1967 | ||||
Recorded | 9 February - 23 October 1967 Olympic Studios, London, England |
||||
Genre | psychedelic rock | ||||
Length | 44:06 | ||||
Label | Decca/ABKCO (UK) London/ABKCO (US) |
||||
Producer | The Rolling Stones | ||||
Professional reviews | |||||
The Rolling Stones chronology | |||||
|
Their Satanic Majesties Request is a psychedelic rock album by The Rolling Stones recorded and released in 1967. Its title is a play on the "Her Britannic Majesty requests and requires..." text that appears inside a British passport. "Without a doubt, no Rolling Stones album -- and, indeed, very few rock albums from any era -- split critical opinion as much as the Rolling Stones' psychedelic outing. Many dismiss the record as sub-Sgt. Pepper posturing; others confess, if only in private, to a fascination with the album's inventive arrangements, which incorporated some African rhythms, Mellotrons, and full orchestration. Never before or since did the Stones take so many chances in the studio" (Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide). "It's a much better record than most people give it credit for being, though, with a strong current of creeping uneasiness that undercuts the gaudy psychedelic flourishes. In 1968, the Stones would go back to the basics, and never wander down these paths again, making this all the more of a fascinating anomaly in the group's discography" (Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide).
Contents |
History
Begun just after Between the Buttons had been released, the recording of Their Satanic Majesties Request was a long and sporadic one, broken up by court appearances and jail terms. Starting with this release, non-compilation albums from the band would be released in uniform editions across international markets.
Released in December 1967, Their Satanic Majesties Request was not well-received, being often viewed as a pretentious, poorly conceived attempt to outdo The Beatles and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (released June 1967). Reaching #3 in the UK and #2 in the US (easily going gold) the album sold well initially, but its commercial performance declined rapidly. The response of the audience and the growing rejection of the flower power scene by Jagger and Richards would mean a turning point for the Stones; in 1968 the Stones would return to the hard driving blues that earned them fame early in their career.
In retrospect this is a unique and creative contribution by the Stones. It reflects the experimental proclivities and eclectic musical interests of the Rolling Stones in 1967, and it indicates a free-wheeling direction that the group could have taken but rejected for a safer folk and country inspired sound. Like Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band it reflects the psychedelic mood of the era. On With The Show attempts to create a humorous nightclub atmosphere by adding sound effects to a rather silly tune. Earlier in 1967 Frank Zappa released the song America Drinks and Goes Home on the Mothers of Invention album Absolutely Free where he used the same ideas to more successfully parody his formative years playing with drunken bar bands.
In 1998 a bootleg box set of eight CDs with outtakes of the Satanic' sessions was released on the market. The box set shows the band developing the songs, and striking is the cooperation between Brian Jones, Keith Richards and session pianist Nicky Hopkins. Richards is leading the sessions and most songs seem to be written by him, and both Hopkins and Jones indulge in creating elaborate soundscapes, with Brian Jones' parts created on the Mellotron being especially important for the sound and atmosphere of the album.
Unlike Sgt. Pepper, Their Satanic Majesties Request was considered a failure at the time. This album was held in particularly high esteem by the Rolling Stones-inspired band, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, who paid tribute to it through the release of their 1995 album, Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request.
Initial releases of the album featured a three-dimensional picture of the band on the cover by photographer Michael Cooper. Looking closely on its cover, one can see the heads of the Beatles' members. It was the first of four Stones albums to feature a novelty cover (the others were the zipper on Sticky Fingers, the cut-out faces on Some Girls, and the stickers on Undercover). Later editions replaced the glued-on 3-dimensional image with a standard photo.
Hard rock artists Kiss covered "2,000 Man" on their 1979 album Dynasty, with guitarist Ace Frehley providing lead vocals. This version was notably longer, clocking in at nearly 5 minutes.
There are only two songs from the album which the Rolling Stones performed live, "2,000 Light-years From Home" (1989 U.S. Tour and 1990 Tour of Europe), and "She's a Rainbow" (1997-98 Bridges to Babylon Tour).
In August 2002 Their Satanic Majesties Request was reissued in a new remastered CD, LP and SACD digipak by ABKCO Records.
Track listing
All songs by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, except where noted.
- "" – 3:46
- John Lennon and Paul McCartney are featured on backing vocals
- "" – 2:50
- Features Brian Jones on Mellotron, Nicky Hopkins on Piano and Harpsichord
- "In Another Land" (Bill Wyman) – 3:15
- The first appearance of a Bill Wyman song on an official Rolling Stones album. "" from Metamorphosis would be the second (and last) song written by Wyman to be recorded and released by the Stones
- Concludes with a recording of Wyman snoring
- Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane of the Small Faces are featured on guitar and backing vocals
- "" – 3:07
- Featured in the Wes Anderson film "Bottle Rocket"
- "" – 8:33
- "She's a Rainbow" – 4:35
- Strings arranged by John Paul Jones
- "" – 4:23
- "" – 5:08
- features Brian Jones on electric dulcimer and recorder
- "2000 Light Years from Home" – 4:45
- "On With The Show" – 3:39
- Features Brian Jones on Mellotron and Concert Harp
Musicians
- Mick Jagger - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Percussion
- Keith Richards - Electric Guitar, Electric Bass, Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
- Brian Jones - Piano, Saxophone, Horn, Trumpet, Flute, Sitar, Organ, Mellotron, Recorder, Electric Dulcimer, Concert Harp, Backing Vocals, Percussions
- Charlie Watts - Drums, Percussion
- Bill Wyman - Bass, Vocals, Backing Vocals, Percussion
- Nicky Hopkins - Piano, Organ, Harpsichord
- Ronnie Lane - Backing Vocals
- Steve Marriott - Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
- Ian Stewart - Organ
- Eddie Kramer - Percussion
- Anita Pallenberg - Vocal
- John Lennon - Vocal
- Paul McCartney - Vocal
Charts
Album
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1967 | UK Albums Chart | 7 |
1968 | UK Albums Chart | 3 |
1967 | Billboard Pop Albums | 5 |
1968 | Billboard Pop Albums | 2 |
Singles
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1967 | In Another Land | The Billboard Hot 100 | 87 |
1968 | She's A Rainbow | The Billboard Hot 100 | 25 |
Trivia
- The maze on the inside cover cannot be completed. It has a wall at about a half radius in from the lower left corner. One can never arrive at the "It's Here" in the centre of the maze.
- The working title of the album was Cosmic Christmas.