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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.
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.
On 12 February 1967, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were arrested for possession of marijuana and, following their last tour for two and half years in March and April across Europe, they were tried, convincted and sent to jail; Jagger for three months and Richard for a year. Amid much protest, they were released three days later. Brian Jones had also been busted as well. Attempts to get the album recorded were also further thwarted by the departure of longtime producer Andrew Loog Oldham.
Released that December, Their Satanic Majesties Request was not well-received -- often viewed as a pretentious, poorly conceived attempt to outdo The Beatles and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. 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, as 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 Brian Jones and session arranger and future Led Zeppelin member John Paul Jones (musician). It indicates a free-wheeling direction that the group could have taken but rejected by the group for a safer blues and country inspired sound. Like Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is reflects the psychedelic mood of the era; among the odder influences in this record are the music hall traditions.
Initial releases of the album featured a three-dimensional picture of the band on the cover, the first of four Stones albums to feature a novelty cover feature (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 legends KISS (band) 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.
In August 2002 Their Satanic Majesties Request was reissued in a new remastered CD and SACD digipak by ABKCO Records.
Track listing
All songs by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, except where noted.
Side 1
- "Sing This All Together" - 3:47
- "Citadel" - 2:51
- "In Another Land]" (Bill Wyman) - 3:14
- The only appearance of a Bill Wyman song on an official Rolling Stones album
- Concludes with a recording of Wyman snoring
- "2000 Man" - 3:08
- "Sing This All Together (See What Happens)" - 8:34
- Contains a hidden coda entitled "Cosmic Christmas"
- John Lennon and Paul McCartney have provided backing vocals on tracks 1 & 5, and on the SACD release of 2002 especially Lennon's voice can clearly be heard
Side 2
- "She's a Rainbow" - 4:35
- Strings arranged by John Paul Jones
- "The Lantern" - 4:23
- "Gomper" - 5:09
- "2000 Light Years from Home" - 4:45
- "On with the Show" - 3:39
External links
- Rolling Stones THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones albums | 1967 albums | ABKCO Records albums
Their Satanic Majesties Request | Their Satanic Majesties Request | Their Satanic Majesties Request | サタニック・マジェスティーズ | Their Satanic Majesties Request | Their Satanic Majesties Request
"Their Satanic Majesties Request"