The Rolling Stones, Their Satanic Majesties Request, 1967
Label: Decca
Producers: The Rolling Stones
A bizarre yet fascinating detour in the catalog of The Rolling Stones, Their Satanic Majesties Request was recorded amidst chaotic discord between the band and their departing producer, Andrew Loog Oldham, as the ensemble’s drug use, legal troubles and erratic life choices also began to spill over into the studio. The resulting album found the group making a rare breakaway from their now seamless blues-rock template to dabble in the psychedelic wave of the time. The project was clearly influenced by The Beatles’ recently released and reigning masterwork, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, right down to the theatrical and trippy album cover. The results certainly garnered mixed response from the public, with many criticizing the Stones for deriving from the Fab Four’s work after the two British powerhouses had spent the previously years ruling the charts harmoniously with their own unique style and swagger. It’s nevertheless intriguing to hear Mick Jagger and company in this realm of unique exploration, and the project ultimately garners its own identity. After all, Pepper’s was an instant standard, one that would not be matched by any other act, and definitely not the Stones in this period of messy lack of direction and guidance. Those scattered surroundings show here, and in many ways make the record better and more unique in the end. If ever there was a definitive beautiful mess in rock’s golden era, this album may just be it.
The proceedings begin with the ramshackle amalgam of instruments and mood on “Sing This All Together”, which despite its scattered lack of cohesion is elevated by a unifying, vibrant sense of communal bliss that glows from the speakers before spilling over into what feels like an acid-laced jam session. It’s puzzling, yet entertaining; a theme that carries on throughout the majority of the album. Much of the album feels like a rough, unfinished demo (“2000 Man”). Other spots take it to the opposite extreme and feel a bit over-indulgent (“In Another Land”). Efforts elsewhere, while ambitious, do indeed feel like a poor man’s Pepper’s (“Citadel”). And then there are moments where things admittedly just completely fall off the rails like they do on the eight-minute mess of “Sing This All Together (Let’s See What Happens)”. If ever the band was in need of the editing expertise of a producer, it was on this track. In all actuality, this entry almost serves as a precursor to the Beatles’ “Revolution 9” and it actually fares better given that it’s still (mostly) musical. Nevertheless, this is a bewildering noise-fest that should probably only make sense to an inebriated listener.
Things improve considerably however with the beginning of Side 2 and the closest thing to a hit single that this album offered with “She’s A Rainbow”. A multi-dimensional tribute to a woman’s mysterious beauty, “Rainbow” provides Jagger’s first clear-eyed and decisive vocal of the album. The diverse, almost classical musical touches of the track are a sure highlight with almost stately Mellotron interludes, deliciously brassy rock undertones, and an elegant string arrangement that sends the song soaring at its conclusion. The performance proved to be a vibrant, artistic statement that this album could have used many more of.
And they do come somewhat close as the second side continues. “The Lantern” and “Gomper” prove to be a satisfying one-two punch of oddball musical pageantry with flourishes of rustic folk-pop, sterling brass breakouts, amplified riffs, and the same Indian influences that had become so prominent in George Harrison’s stylings at the time (“Gomper” sounds like a worthy recitation of “Within Without You”). At a completely different extreme but one that is equally effective, the utterly weird nature of album closer “On With the Show” makes the grade as well, and demonstrates that Paul McCartney was not the only 60s rock star who could successfully channel a Vaudevillian carnival number, and there’s some intense musical chops hiding underneath the performance as well. After all, this album could probably not close out in any other way.
But the true gem of the album arrives one track earlier. “2000 Light Years From Home” is another standout, with production that is perfectly spot-on with its mystical, almost astronomical effects. There’s an almost horrifying danger looming in the sound of the synths and strings here, and Jagger matches those surroundings with an equally devilish and haunting vocal. This isn’t music that is other worldly in a psychedelic way. It’s straight out of the space rock wonders that David Bowie would define in future years, and it’s a hidden masterpiece in the darkest corners of the Stones’ catalog. The chilly nature of which this song captures a listener may make for one of the loneliest performances they ever recorded.
To say that Their Satanic Majesties Request is an acquired taste would certainly be a vast understatement. It’s a severely flawed album in some regards, but a surprisingly rewarding listen in many others. Despite the varying degrees of quality and reception, it’s the completely unusual nature of the album that is ultimately its most redeeming quality. There’s rarely a moment where this record isn’t at least interesting. It’s consistently captivating and when the right moments arise, it even reaches the heights of essential listening in the scope of the Rolling Stones’ illustrious career. The band never revisited this musical realm again, and it’s understandable why. But don’t allow all the noise to prevent you from making it a destination on your own trip through their catalog.
Track Listing
- “Sing This All Together” (Mick Jagger and Keith Richards)
- “Citadel” (Jagger/Richards)
- “In Another Land” (Jagger, Richards, and Bill Wyman) *Single Release 1967
- “2000 Man” (Jagger/Richards)
- “Sing This All Together (See What Happens)” (Jagger/Richards)
- “She’s A Rainbow” (Jagger/Richards) *Single Release 1967
- “The Lantern” (Jagger/Richards) *B-Side Release 1967
- “Gomper” (Jagger/Richards)
- “2000 Light Years from Home” (Jagger/Richards) *B-Side Release 1967
- “On with the Show” (Jagger/Richards)
The 706 
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